staying over

This weekend I am staying with a very dear friend of mine.

We laugh and talk and drink diet orange soda for it is a tradition of ours.

She grew up in a house with three sisters and sometimes the remnants of this shows.  The sisterly-ness makes its way into little things-sets of tween book series on the shelf, old prom dresses in the closet, matching comforters, and a doll here and there.  I felt as if I, too, was a sister as climbed into a bed that matched my friend's own last night. 

 

Nothing But Zero Summer Concert Series

^Look! Nothing But Zero's youngest fans!^

That last picture-I couldn't resist! I love how calm they appear, as if they were admiring a painting or listening to an academic lecture instead of a rock concert.  Respectful audience members, I'd say.

The band played their second show at dusk on Sunday evening.  Highlights of the show include:

an entertaining mosh pit being formed and later on, Mitch (guitarist on the left in the first picture) coming off stage to jam next to some buddies/fans.  They really are my favorite punk-rockers. 

I love these boys and this band. 

Deliciously Decadent Dinner Soiree

Adele hosted the most marvelous dinner party recently.  Actually the formal event title was a "deliciously decadent dinner soiree." (Oh how I love that girl and her vocabulary!) 

I must say dinner was deliciously decadent- the title doesn't lie. :) 

Thank you, Adele!

We played "telephone pictionary" for the first time which just gets more amusing the more you play I found out.  As the night progressed, we played buzzword and a few other games before concluding the evening.  My friends and I, we need to have more dinner parties.  I find them most delightful.

Nothing But Zero Summer Concert Series

Nothing But Zero is a band that is close to home with my group of friends.

They're either a member or they're helping tune guitars, untangle cords, set up lights,etc...

or/and at the very least, they're fans. 

Nothing But Zero had their first concert last night.  They now play at an old storefront downtown, which makes for a really cool venue.  Years ago it used to be a monogram shop and the door still proves evidence of its former identity. (I think it's a fun touch.)    They had a good crowd, people lined the walls and bay windows.  After the main show, Nothing But Zero put on a small after-party show for the family and close friends that were still there.  This of course, included Becca, Adele, and I. ;)

as of late...

Recently, I made French toast a couple of mornings, something I haven't done in a long time.  When I was little I'd cook French toast often, always just eyeing the milk and vanilla, never measuring.

I co-signed on my first car not too long ago.  Technically, it's not the first car I've ever "had" or driven, but the first I co-signed on.  I used to drive a small suv, a mazda tribute.  It was light gray and I took it everywhere in high school.  This new car is a car car.  It's dark blue and looks professional.  This car will go with me through grad school and beyond.  It was kind of bittersweet getting this new car that I know is going to transport me through the next phase of my life. (But mostly sweet.)

I'm taking two summer classes right now, one being World Religions.  I can honestly say I really enjoy what I'm learning in the course.  I had only a brief knowledge of the overviews of many of the major religions, but now I'm delving deeper into the specifics and subtypes of numerous faiths.  The only drawback is that there is an unfathomable amount of reading, but that's true with any college course.  I read this in the text the other day and absolutely loved it:

"Since the beginning of the human race, people have told stories. We human beings are not just storytellers, we are "storydwellers." We live in our stories and make sense of the world through them.  Even our understanding of what is good and evil, right and wrong, is shaped by the kind of story we see ourselves in and the role we see ourselves playing in that story." 

Guys & Dolls

On Saturday night, Lauren and I went to see a production of Guys & Dolls.  I had always heard of the musical, but I never really knew what it was about.  However, Lauren the musical buff that she is, was quite familiar with it.  It's a cute story about love, gambling, soul-saving,...all presented with an air of light-hearted humor of course. :)

Also, don't be alarmed if I start referring to my girl friends as dolls.  After the musical I've been tempted to use the phrase, such as Miss Lauren in the picture with me-what a doll!

father's day

happy father's day to all the dads, grandfathers, uncles,

and anyone who has ever assumed a father-like role! 

you are much appreciated!

 

I am grateful for my dad and all the other men in my life, whether it be

a coach, an uncle, a friend's dad, etc. that have

looked out for me, given me advice, protected me, loved me,

stood up for me, and/or have been a role model to me.

I thank you.

Also, if you want a good father's day read-read this!

(It's also in the main section of today's Chicago Tribune, if you want to read the hard copy.) 

Bonnaroo II

On our second day, we saw The Kooks first thing and then proceeded to stand in line for tickets to Aziz Ansari's stand-up routine.  This wait lasted longer than any of us expected.  I am not exaggerating when I say that we waited for a really really long time.  In fact we began waiting for tickets for the 4:00 pm show, but those sold out and we continued waiting for tickets for the 6:00 pm show.  Dedication.  Lucky for us, it paid off! 

In addition, the log wait wasn't a total waste since we took turns staying in line and wandering off to do something else.  Danielle and Jeremy N went to go see Two Door Cinema Club at one point.  While earlier Spenser and I braved the Big A** Waterslide.  From the ground the slide looked big, but not terribly big.  That changed once I climbed the stairs and saw that it's a straight shot down.  The people before me jumped with no regard, yet I preferred my body to stay on the slide and not go airbourne, so I sort of scooted to start. Boy does it go fast!  And once I was down, I wanted to go right back up and go again. Funny how that works.

Aziz Ansari was very entertaining.  He made a lot of jokes about marriage and raising kids since that's the stage that many of his friends are in right now.  I must say he was worth the wait.  After his comedy show, we went to Foster the People.  We left early from Foster to go to the main stage for Radiohead.  On our way out of the Foster crowd, all of a sudden the five of us just let loose dancing.  There was an unsaid understanding between all of us as we started and then just as quickly as we started, we stopped and got back to weaving our way out of the crowd.  It was one of my favorite Bonnaroo moments. 

Last concert of the night was, as I mentioned, Radiohead.  The crowds are huge everywhere you go at Bonnaroo, but when the headliners play, they grow to an astonishing number.  Radiohead put on an awesome show.  Even the lights and screens they had going were impressive, let alone the music.

Towards the end of the concert, the sky lit up in fireworks.