Feelin' Good and Hungry

I love the performers in the subway, on the streets and all over Chicago. I always try to give them my spare change because I love hearing random singing and I don't want them to go away. The only problem I have is that a favorite song of these street entertainers is "My Girl." While this might not be a problem for some, to most Cincinnatians, this song is no longer "My Girl" but it is the Skyline jingle, and I can't seem to shake the lyrics that the commercial replaced. So whenever I hear "I guess... you'd say... what can make me feel this way!..." I instinctively want to say "SKYLINE." Call it good PR, but I just get embarrassed.
After this occurred a couple of times, I decided my sub-conscience must be craving the delicious mouth watering taste of chili cheese coneys, and that is not a desire I was going to leave unsatisfied! Abby, Jackie and Sarah make really classy dinners. Spaghetti, BBQ Chicken Pizza, Chicken Prochutio. But, for me, nothing is better than good old, make-your-heart-stop, skyline chili treats! Heck. Yes. Represent. I warned that it was expected to be messy and delicious, and I would be disappointed if my roommates (plus Denise and Lauren =] ) tried to stay classy and clean. By the end they were asking for me to pile on more chili. This is yet another thing I can claim to get my friends addicted to, it's right up there with Sex and the City. But of course, I would never solicit addictive behavior...

"Life is a Runaway Train you Can't Wait to Jump on."

My Dad and I before the Concert

I guess I need to pay more attention to who sings my favorite country songs, because last night at the Sugarland concert I must have leaned over and told my Dad at least three or four times that I had no idea Sugarland sang the song playing. Good thing I didn't dismiss the thought of going because I knew only a couple songs they sang! Little Big Town and Vonda Shepard opened for the band, and even though I had really never heard any of their songs, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed them. 

Little Big Town

hen Sugarland took the stage all the country fans from Cincinnati and Kentucky, including me got crazy excited! I knew that Jennifer Nettles was a great singer, but she was also a great performer and all around entertainer. My dad pointed out how great it is that she was able to go from her southern twang to gorgeous vocals effortlessly, all in the mist of one song. 

My personal favorites of the night included the song "Already Gone" (hence the title of the post), "Genevieve" (which I think I noticed the lyrics change from "I'd do anything to just be with her" to "I'd do anything to just forget her, interesting?...) and especially the song "Everyday America". In the middle of the song, Jennifer Nettles threw in a country remix of Single Ladies, some Jackson Five and Party in the U.S.A.! And how can I forget the accordion solo, played by her keyboardist with a superb handlebar mustache. 

In honor of Elvis' passing, Sugarland brought Little Big Town back out to sing "Walking in Memphis," which is one of my Dad's favorite songs and their rendition gave me chills, it was amazing. 

Preparation: A little off Track.

It is finally close enough to school starting again that I can begin to pack and get things ready without being considered crazy and overly anxious. (Well some might still call me crazy with the label making fiasco that has been going on, but that is beside the point). A few days ago I started going through the things that I had packed away in May, which seems forever ago and I was pleasantly surprised to find many things that I had forgotten about.

Exhibit # 1: Last spring I was obsessed with saving all the tops to my Snapple bottles, because I thought the sayings on them were so clever and quirky. I found a whole bag of them, and after they still made me chuckle I decided I couldn't throw them away, so I cleaned them off and made them into little magnets for our refrigerator!

Fun Snapple Facts:

The first lollipop was invented in Connecticut.

Broadway is one of the longest streets in the world, it is 150 miles long.

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

A spider's silk is stronger than steel.

The planet Saturn has a density lower than water. It would float.

An average of three billion cups of tea are consumed daily, worldwide.

The most popular ice cream flavor is vanilla =)

After getting out my boxes of school supplies I found a lot of my Sharpie collection that I thought had gotten lost. Yay for hidden storage places! I thought as I went through these that I have two favorite colors that I usually take notes with, plum and burgundy. They are the perfect colors, they don't really bleed as much as others, they are more interesting than black yet still dark enough to not have to try to read. I really wanted to buy more of just those colors, doesn't seem too unreasonable right? Well let me tell you! After going to three craft stores, I went online and still found nothing that would satisfy my needs. Although I did find this Sharpie Gem! Awesome, right? So, I decided to email Sharpie and ask them straight up if I could buy just those colors in bulk. They were about 50% helpful, I can buy plum in bulk but I am still on the rampant search for burgundy, let me know if anyone knows more than me!

Exhibit #2 Plum and Burgundy!

Last year I had many bouquets of fake flowers in my room (God knows I couldn't keep up with real ones!) But I didn't have my favorite kind, sunflowers! I was having trouble finding some that I really liked, they either looked way too fake or were way too expensive. In the mean time, my mom picked up the real deal! at the grocery store and I was having fun taking pictures with my camera that I discovered had a setting for plants, who knew!

Also on another note before I left, my sister Katie and I wanted to visit Old Milford and go to a cupcakery called Sugar. Sugar was featured on the show Cupcakes Wars earlier this summer, (apparantly I am now obsessed with going to places that are on the Food Network? Three in a month, woah now!) It was super cutesy and decorated in browns and purples, and the cupcakes were delicious, it is a close second to the first cupcake store that I have mentioned, Sweeterie. It might have to do with the fact that Sugar is all organic, which as healthy as that is, it just can't beat that real sugary goodness. You know, the stuff that might eventually kill you, but tastes damn good until it does.

Sugar, on Main Street in Milford

Official Countdown until Baumhart (aka 17 Cherry Tree Lane) Move-In:

10 days!

Alway's Buzzin' Just Like Neon

Once in a while we are given the great pleasure in life to be completely transformed from the inside, out. Does it seem possible that something that begins with the simple movement of finger against string can be converted into a sound wave that can hit the ear, bypass the all too analytical brain and suddenly ignite the heart and awaken the soul? John's fusion of blue-y rifts and eloquent lyrics touch the spirit in more than one way. Suddenly it is possible to see right through his tattooed layers into a broken soul, that is waiting for love to gently reclaim territory. And at the same time it is as though he ascends his own trials and understands exactly the darkest emotions buried inside each of us. When he sang Heartbreak Warfare: "Drop his name, Push it in and twist the knife again, Watch my face, As I pretend to feel no pain" he might as well be channeling my own feelings of discomfort when certain people are surprisingly worked into a conversation. To John, the crowd is not faceless, and not simply a ca-ching! of $42.50 or more. Each of us in a journey, laced with the desire to love and be loved. John has for so long kept the dream alive for me that people truly have the capacity to create such tangible songs. John was in the flesh, no frills, flawlessly raw and intimate and as good as it gets. His appeal is not solely that he has a creative mind that works differently than any other artist, it is his utter relateabilty, knowledge and courage to say to a packed theater what many of us keep hidden and could not confide with our closest friends. Some may say that it is a strategically planned ambiance, but I prefer to think of it as just his style. When you think that John is so in touch with the troublesome emotions of the crowd, and they expect another heavy song, he lifts the crowd and remedies by playing something uplifting of his own, "Good Love is on the Way" or one that certainly got the people with blood shot eyes around me excited, "Who says I can’t get stoned?, Turn off the lights and the telephone, Me in my house alone, Who says I can’t get stoned?" Or he breaks into the vault of his predecessors, and sings out classics such as Raspberry Beret and Don't Stop Believin'. Often when a song is covered the original sensation is lost, and the crowd may not be as rapt in the music, but the way the John makes it his own is unreal and it is impossible not to instantly fall in love with the song all over again, like hearing it for the very first time. 

My Lovely Loyola Ladies

Whipty-Do! Loves Johnny

After moving the crowd for two hours with his musical wiles, it is expected that they would only crave more. When he appeared for the anticipated encore, holding just an acoustic guitar without the accompaniment of his band, my heart fluttered, recognizing the rarity that was about to happen. Then the slow harmony of "Your Body is a Wonderland" came through the speakers and I realized just how rare the moment was. See, John has said that he does not play that song because he feels as though he was young and ill-guided when writing it, and somehow thinks that it doesn't deserve airtime. IT DOES JOHN, IT DOES! The end of that song slowly melted into my all-time favorite, Neon. I don't know why it is my choice, maybe it is because it is what I would like to be sung about me and I like the imagery, "She comes and she goes, like no one knows, She's always buzzin' just like Neon". The first three second, distinguished guitar rift sent chills up my spine and caused me to involuntarily scream. The recording has much of my voice in it (hence why I didn't put it up) because I couldn't help but sing along, but then again you can't blame me because John even said that the experience must come along with the person beside you singing off-key because they needed to, and that person was me. 

Although I enjoyed his witty commentary on the improvements Body 2.0 would have; the real highlight was the more sophisticated, multifaceted use of his guitar. He played it on the ground and behind his head. Nonchalantly, of course. 

Who does that? He was so cool, they need a new word for cool. 

Her Face, I forgot about Her face! So Frickin' Excited!

Last week my favorite Chagrin-ian, Abby Hudson came to visit. Typically I would have taken her to all the places that I thought were uniquely Cincinnati, and places I loved to go, but some how we ended up at a bunch of places that I have never been. Imagine that. Someone from out of town showing me the BEST things about my stomping grounds! First stop, The Root Beer Stand, Open since 1957 (approx.) who knew? Awesome Root Beer Floats right before dinner? Yes please!
Later that day Abby and I were on our way to Downtown Loveland, the closest area that could rival her Stars Hallow-esque town back home. But we made a detour when we saw the signs for the Loveland Castle. I might have been there once when I was young, and I just laugh when I see the signs for the infamous "Chateau la Roche" (aka Rock Castle). But, its actually pretty frickin' sweet, and I have now decided that I have to live in a castle just like that, my lover (yes, I believe its a "lover," not husband, when you live in a castle) will just have to deal.
Another thing I never knew, Hobby Lobby is a unique to Cincinnati, or at least they don't make them in Cleveland. Abby about flipped when she found out about this über craft warehouse! We spent about an hour and half among the stickers, fabrics, and decorations (Rodeo Themed Room in Chicago, Check!). This sort of set the mood for the rest of the visit, which turned out to be full of projects, heavy on the splatter paint.

So I discovered two new cites in Cincinnati while Abby was here, Mariemont and Madeira. Mariemont looks like Germany, no matter what anyone else says and Madeira is cute and kitschy. First we went to see the movie Babies, and I know this is hard to believe but I wanted one so frickin' bad afterwards! Below is the mischievous Mongolian child that I am planning on stealing, shh! After that, Jackie took us to the Dilly Deli, which was a precious as its name. Above the Dilly Deli is the Sweeterie, which was the cutest little cupcake shop I have ever seen. Abby got a cupcake that looked like a flower with a malted milk ball and mine tasted like Coffee and had a chocolate covered bean. Afterwards, it was raining but suddenly as we came upon the little town of Madeira t let up so we took that as a sign that we HAD to get out and explore. Good thing we did! Not only was there a little book shop, bead store and a paint your own pottery place called Mad Potters, there was also a Toy Store (where I have to admit we spent alot of our time).

Needless to say, our adventures rightly earned the title BEST DAY EVER!

Jackie painted the wolf-pack family crest on our kitchen table, Abby and I were great cheerleaders for her artisticness =)
Despite the odd stares we received from passing cars, splatter paining in my front yard proved to be extremely rewarding. Does mine look a little unique? Well that is probably due to the fact that the neighbors dog ran through it, mid splatter. You know what, I call that character.
Since we decided that the theme of our life was now going to be as chaotic as splatter paint, we finished the table with splattering the legs with black paint, I don't know if our bodies or the table got messier.
After the painting, still clad in the messy clothes and painted legs, Abby tasted her first bit of Skyline Heaven. Back in Chicago, Jackie and I had fed others the dip as a bit of foreplay, but nothing compares to that honest to goodness first bit of noodly, soupy chili topped with mile high cheese. Now doesn't that face just look like someone who is about to REALLY enjoy themselves?

Sadly after Skyline, it was time to part ways, but we already have ideas in the works for the next BEST TRIP EVER!

Glitter is the Herpes of Craft Supplies!

I have taken a lover. His name is Micheal. Just Kidding, but my relationship with a certain craft store of the same name is getting pretty serious, even Perez has covered it. Definitely not hatin' on Loveland (last week's town of the week, Woot Woot!) but I have needed something to fill my not so busy and slightly boring schedule and have taken up the renowed art of crafting. 

My first inspiration came from Abby and Jackie's suitemate Lucy. Since now the Bachelorette is back on, I was reminded of her joyous appearances during the Jack Pavelka era. And also, this means her craft time. I found the other day a hat box much like the one that she decorated and put my own mod-podging skills to use. Just like in the 8th grade, with OC sleepover nights. This time it was a little classier, black and white with both Barbra and Katharine for goodness' sake! (Streisand and Hepburn for those of you who aren't Sarah Akers) Since then I have filled it with the preliminary makings of a craft corner. Stickers, Glitter and of course my 120 pack.

 

The next project also has colors in common with a zebra, but on a much larger scale. Jackie and I embarked on a remodel of an old table to be fit for 17 Cherry Tree Lane next year. Although it is still in the process of being decorated, progress is B-E-A-utiful! Jackie is planning on using her creative wiles to add flowers and swirls and all sorts of gorgeous things to the top!  (Pictures to come when it is finished =) you just wait)

Another secret project includes gifts for my little baby graduates... but that is all I will say about that...

P.S. Crafting has taken up a good share of my time, but another new favorite thing is accompanying my friend Jacqueline "Champion" Dulude while she is training for the Chicago Marathon. So far, so good. But, she has yet to see how hardcore of a trainer I am. She thinks I am joking about pelting her with dixie cups to prepare for those crazed sideline volunteers. This could get interesting.

P.S.S. Joe wanted to share an ice cream fact with the world. Ice cream is meant to be enjoyed with a metal spoon, so no longer will I settle for those knock off plastic ones the Whipty-Do! has been offering. I believe I deserve the REAL DEAL. And Nicole Weinrich gave me the little factoid that back in the day, Nestle wanted to mass produce ice cream cones so they hired food science majors from Ohio State. Their result? The Drumstick. The Secret? Delicious chocolate coating INSIDE the cone. Oh Hey Ohio, way to go.

Off to Sweden for the Day

Hallå! (that would be Swedish for Hello) Since I have been home for a week and a half, I thought it might be high time for a preliminary shopping trip to Ikea to scope things out for our home next year. I ventured over to Jackie's stomping grounds of West Chester, Ohio for some grand ol' Swedish fun. We looked at some Denise-tons and classy art, both necessities and then found some things we definitely will not be getting (ACTUAL bed tent, anyone?) Basically, we just played house for two hours, and acted out our own version of the 500 Days of Summer date, complete with noticing a Chinese family in our bathroom (not really, haha).

In the past few days the necessity of a craft corner has been brought to our attention, and this easel will make a great addition we think. Now, all we need is Terrence to complete our dreams of becoming Paris Geller. As long as no one stores the glue gun near the macaroni beads, it will be fine. I can only imagine the brain webs and dinosaur drawings that will be created (and lots of productive collegiate thinking of course...)

Jackie loved the idea of having a library lining every wall, almost as much as I loved the little boxes and other organizational appliances. The prospect of having a little ladder to climb up and reach the top shelf of books seems perfectly logical, two please!

So, does it seem reasonable that Loyola Residence Life would be mighty fine with us redoing the plumbing structures in the dorm to make room for this fun little gadget? I think so.

Happy Birthday Whipty-Do!

I went back to the Whipty-Do! on Tuesday with Jackie, which was a great mix between both my home and Chicago worlds. I think its safe to say that she was pleased with the colorful umbrellas, painted seating and classic cheery yellow house that has become less like work and more like home. This Thursday I was back with my Whipty-Do! family making cones, shakes and generally delivering happiness to the greater Landen community. It may have started off with a rocky because of my lack of usual excitement, but as soon as I saw my best partner in Whipty-Do! crime, Abby Brown, things were hunky-dory once again. Saturday (today) is Whipty-Do!'s first birthday!! It is decorated to the nine's and cones were only a dollar, I enjoyed a great raspberry flavorburst dipped in ch-AH-colate which is a GREAT thing. Filming the birthday video was chaotic with confetti poppers and blow horns, but Joe's, Blair's and my singing is pretty much a mixture between Fergie and Jesus, so of course that's bound to be good. In other news, I was SO thankful that the peanut-air-infusion was merely gossip but also bummed that BAM! is no longer an acceptable way to hand out delicious treats. All in all, its great to be back at the Do!

P.S. New Challenge: Efficiently made Dip-Top with Sprinkles. It can be done. I promise.

(The Whipty-Do! Family)