the wierd world of my dreams

I had a very odd dream two nights ago. I dreamt I was inside a house, and Kristentatious was also there. She walked outside, and then called to me frantically to come outside. When I got out there, I looked towards the backyard of this house. There was a fence around the yard, and it had these thick wooden posts, with wire strung between them. There were a couple of dogs inside the yard, and a couple on the other side of the fence, but none of them belonged to me. I quickly saw the reason that Kristi had called me out there. A few of the dogs had apparently just been fighting, somehow, through the fence. One of the wooden fence posts had splintered, and there was a little black and brown puppy caught on it. The wood splinter had gone through one side of his stomach, and out the other side, just under the skin, and he was hanging there, struggling and squirming, in pain and bleeding, trying to get down. I ran out to him, and yelled back to Kristi to call the vet. But before I got to him, I began to wake up. In that sort of half-asleep, half-awake state, where I tend to try and finish up dreams I was in the middle of, I imagined that I had gotten the puppy off the splintered post, pressed down on his tummy to stop the bleeding, and brought him inside. And when the vet arrived, she got him all fixed up and he was good as new. Had I actually stayed asleep, I don't know if this is the way it would have worked out, but I'd like to think so.

The wierd thing now, is that every time I see a dog, or a picture of one, or even the roomie's cat, I remember that dream, and it's kind of disturbing. Let's just hope I never have to see a puppy skewered on a splintered fencepost in real life! Actually, let's hope no one has to.

this is a lot of questions

Let me preface this by saying that I may or may not have done this survey before (too lazy to check). Actually, I think it might be a combination of a couple different ones because some of the questions I know I have done before (Best room for a fire place), and some I know I've never seen before (Favorite fish). So anyway, it's a lot of questions - 100 to be exact - and I won't be offended if you choose not to read all my answers. However, if you do, I'd appreciate it if you then fill it out for yourself, and let me know where I can find it, so I can bask in the glow of my new knowledge of 100 things about my friends.

All right, here we go ...

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Closed, so the monsters can't come out.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
Nope. It usually smells funny.

3. Have you ever 'done it' in a hotel room?
Nope.

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
No, but I bought a Stop sign at a flea market once, and a coworker once gave me a couple of those yellow and black striped caution signs.

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?
They are indispensable.

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?
I usually won't go through the trouble of actually cutting them out, but I may save the paper they were in, and then forget why I saved it and end up throwing it out.

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?
Maybe bees, because there is always the possibility that my incredibly calming zen-like presence would prevent them from stinging me ... too much.

8. There was no number 8, so I'm making up one of my own. Do you think blogging is a self-indulgent hobby?
Sometimes yes. I debate with myself (fitting). Mostly I just do it out of boredom.

9. Do you always smile for pictures?
Nope. If I'm not feelin' it, I don't smile.

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Bad drivers, and bad-grammar-users (yes, I am guilty of both)

11. No number 11, either, so here's one of mine. What was the name of your Kindergarten teacher?
Mrs. Patterson

12. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
Can't say that I do.

13. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Yep. But I've never used leaves as toilet paper.

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing?
If I'm happy, or feeling goofy.

15. Do you ever chew on your pens or pencils?
Not usually.

16. How many people have you slept with this week?
Zero.

17. Do you like popcorn from those big tins?
Only at Christmas.

18. What is your "Song of the week"?
This is maybe for last week, but "Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin.

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
If they feel confident in it, I think it's pretty cool.

20. Favorite Fish?
Orange Roughy

21. Whats your favorite scary movie?
I don't watch many scary movies, but I did really like The Ring.

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?
How do you know I don't? ;)

23. What do you drink with dinner?
Water, juice, pop ... whatever is around, really.

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
BBQ sauce

25. What is your favorite food/ cuisine?
My Mom's pot roast is my favorite dish (speaking of which, I should request it for my b-day dinner!). For foreign cuisine, I'd have to say either Italian or Chinese.

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
When Harry Met Sally, Ever After, The Goonies, 10 Things I Hate About You, Sixteen Candles, The Princess Bride ... and lots more.

27. Last person you kissed?
The top of the cat's head on my way out the door this morning. (Shut Up! She IS TOO a person!!)

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
Yep. Guess which one!

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
Don't think so. I'm too self conscious about my body.

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I wrote a couple that I did not send. Mysterious.

31. Can you change the oil on a car?
Nope. I prefer to let the professionals handle that stuff.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Yes, but only one. I was too tired to argue. Plus, I was TOTALLY speeding.

33. Ran out of gas?
Once in the car with my Mom (she was driving) when I was a kid. We had been following a hot-air balloon as it looked for a place to land out in the fields (that used to be) surrounding my house. We were so empty by the time we got to a gas station, that we literally coasted up to the pump.

34. Favorite kind of sandwich?
Grilled cheese, or tuna melt, if it's made right.

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?
Scrambled eggs with cheese, crispy bacon, and toast with jelly. (Man, that sounds really good right now.)

36. What is your usual bedtime?
If I'm being responsible, 9:30. (No laughing, I get up at 5:30!!)

37. Are you lazy?
Hells yeah.

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for halloween?
One of my favorite costumes was a bunny suit that my Mom made for me. I also went as a hobo a few times, just cause it was so easy (I tended to wait until the last minute).

39. Number 39 is another homemade question. How many pairs of blue jeans do you own?
Two that I wear with any regularity (these are full-length jeans, mind you). Two more that I will occasionally break out if the other two are dirty. And about six pairs that I haven't worn in years and don't even know if they fit anymore.

40. How many languages can you speak?
One fluently. One not so fluently. And one that I can understand some of, but don't speak very well.

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
Nope. But my roomie does, and has a huge stack of them in the bathroom. Why people choose the toilet as a place to catch up on reading, I will never understand ...

42..Which are better legos or lincoln logs?
Legos, totally.

43. Are you stubborn?
Uh, yeah.

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman?
I've never found Leno funny - only Headlines, which he cannot take credit for. I used to think Letterman was funny, until I didn't anymore.

45. Ever watch soap operas?
I watched them with my Mom when I was a kid, and I went through a General Hospital (and the occasional One Life to Live) phase in college.

46. Afraid of heights?
Nope. Love 'em!

47. Sing in the car?
Hah! Yes, but only when nobody is with me. Wait, that's not true ...

48. Dance in the shower?
Not really. Slipping hazard.

49. Dance in the car?
No, but I'd like to see the cars that people have that have enough room to dance in!!

50. Ever used a gun?
Only squirt.

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?
Actually, a few weeks ago, for a project involving angel wings.

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?
Yes, but it's part of their charm.

53. Is christmas stressful?
Personally, I don't get stressed out by it, but I've never had to cook a massive dinner for a ravenous family, or spend too much money on gifts people won't appreciate.

54. Ever eat a pierogie?
Yes, I love pierogies!!

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?
Cherry - my Mom made an amazing cherry pie once with Door County cherries. I'll never forget it. FYI, she doesn't bake much ... or well.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?
Fashion Designer, hence all the Project Runway blogs!! :)

57. Do you believe in ghosts?
Definitely.

58. Another missing question that I will see to replacing. Can you touch your toes?
Yep! I can lay my palms flat against the ground, actually.

59. Take a vitamin daily?
Only folic acid, which is prescription.

60. Wear slippers?
Not really, though I have some.

61. Wear a bath robe?
After I get out of the shower.

62. What do you wear to bed?
Boxers or flannel pants and a t-shirt or tank top. Or a pretty nighty.

63. First concert?
Oasis

64. Wal-Mart, Target or K-Mart?
Target

65. Nike or Adidas?
Adidas

66.Cheetos Or Fritos?
Cheetos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?
Peanuts

68. Ever hear of, "gorp"?
Of course! See question 28.

69. Ever take dance lessons?
A few here and there.

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?
No there is not.

71. Can you curl your tongue?
I sure can!! Wanna see??

72. Ever won a spelling bee?
Never really been in one. Not officially anyway. Unless you count the one on Jed's roof. And I didn't win that one.

73. Ever cried cause you were so happy?
Sure.

74. Own any record albums?
Not personally, no.

75. Own a record player?
Nope

76. Regularly burn incense?
Can't stand the stuff.

77. Ever been in love?
Don't think so.

78. Who would you like to see in concert?
Lots of people. Too many to mention right now.

79. What was your last concert you saw?
Lollapalooza, where there was a plethora of lovely bands.

80.Hot tea or cold tea?
Hot fruit teas.

81.Tea or coffee?
Tea please.

82.Favorite kind of cookie?
Sugar

83.Can you swim well?
I can swim, but not well.

84.Can you hold your breath w/o manually holding your nose?
Nope. Never mastered that skill. I think my nose is defective.

85. Are you patient?
When it counts, yes.

86. DJ or band, at a wedding?
Maybe a band if it's a friend's band or something, but probably a DJ.

87. Ever won a contest?
I won an Easter egg hunt in the village of Elburn when I was about 4. That was the highlight of my contest-winning days.

88. Ever have plastic surgery?
Nope, never.

89. Which are better black or green olives?
They're both yummy.

90.Can you knit or crochet?
No, but I'd be interested in learning.

91. Best room for a fireplace?
The Study. I want a house that has a Study (that will always be capitalized) with a fireplace. I think I could die happy then.

92. Do you want to get married?
Meh.

93. If married, how long have you been married?
N/A

94. Who was/is your HS crush?
His name was Fred (names have been changed to protect the innocent).

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
Nah.

96. Do you have kids?
Not last time I checked.

97. Do you want kids?
Kinda. Adoption might be more my cuppa tea.

98. Whats your favorite color?
Right now blue, because I'm wearing blue.

99. Do you miss anyone right now?
I miss my baby brother. He's in Seattle and I'm a slacker and haven't been to visit.

100. Who do you wanna see right now?
A handsome gentleman come into my cubicle and sweep me off my feet, saying, "I will take care of you so you'll never have to endure this drudgery again!"

valuable life lessons

Upon examination of the last year or so of my life, I have come to learn something very valuable that I feel the need to share with my friends.

**Not everyone is going to like you and there's nothing you can do about it.**

People may hate you for no apparent reason. Or they may have a reason that makes no sense to you at all. You can do everything in your power to be friends with these people, to be nice to them, to put aside any differences you might have and peacefully coexist. But sometimes even the best intentions will make no difference at all. Occasionally, you will come across (and I mean you WILL come across, not you MAY come across) a person who has decided for one reason or another that you are not a person with whom they get along. Or you will come across a vindictive person who has decided to never forgive you for some indiscretion. Or you will come across one of those most difficult creatures who by all outward appearances seems to get along with you, but when it comes right down to it, hates your guts.

This was a hard lesson for me to learn. Maybe because I'm a Libra and I value balance and harmony, or maybe just because I'm a nice person. But I always thought that with a little bit of caring, and maybe a candid discussion or two, any differences between two rational people could be worked out.

I'm here to tell you that this is not the case. Not everyone is all that rational.

But don't let this get to you. The other half of this life lesson is that you have to be satisfied with knowing that you did everything in your power to create a peaceful relationship with this person. Once you've done that, and things still haven't changed, then the problem is obviously theirs, and not yours. That act of being satisfied with yourself is the trick to getting to sleep at night. At some point you have to say to yourself that this person is not worth all this trouble you've gone to because they haven't shown you the same respect that you've shown them. At some point you just have to say, "I don't care anymore."

It may be a hard thing to do (it was a definite hurdle for me), but it's necessary to live a happy life. Believe you me! :)

and again ...

Okay, one of these days I promise I will have something more interesting to write about than the status of Project Runway (actually, I probably already do if I really sat down to think about it ...). But right now, this is it, so here goes ...

Last night, the contestants got to go to Paris!!! So lucky! However, for one very UNLUCKY (not to mention untalented) individual, the trip was too short to even unpack a suitcase. Poor poor Angela. Well, not really. Her elimination was a long time coming. Their challenge this episode was to create an outfit for a famous jet-setter, which turned out to be ... themselves! They designed the outfits (Angela admitted to having no idea what a jet-setter would wear), modeled them, and then had it sprung on them that their outfits would actually be tested for how well they travel ... on their way to Paris! I'm kinda jealous, but hey, whatever. Anyhoo, they weren't told who won and who was eliminated until they actually GOT to Paris. As for me, I really liked Michael's outfit, and Jeffrey's outfit was definitely in his signature style, which was pretty cool. I liked Uli's dress even though the judges didn't really seem to. And I actually thought Laura's was kind of boring, and not what I would imagine a jet-setter to wear at all. That's pretty much how I felt about Vincent's blah on blah ensemble as well. Jet-setter? More like couch-sitter-onner. And then there was Kayne. Poor, clueless, tasteless Kayne, who dressed himself as Elvis. Or maybe Wayne Newton. I was quite surprised he didn't get the boot this round, but I have to give mad props (there is a reason I never use that phrase) to the French lady who had the guts to tell him he looked ridiculous. Maybe he'll learn from this experience? Prolly not. AND French lady told Angela flat out that she was NOT a jet-setter. Sweet. And congrats to Jeffrey for winning this one!! He deserved it. I might as well throw this out there while I'm at it ... my prediction for the top three is Jeffrey, Uli, and Michael. I think that would be a great competition. So, here is my analysis now:

People I like:
Uli - An all-around favorite, she's consistently good.
Kayne - he was SO EXCITED to design for Miss USA - he hasn't been so good lately, he'll have to prove himself worthy of the "like" category next episode. - Yeeeeah, he's moving to "ambivalent." Really not liking his stuff much anymore, but he's too nice and clueless to bump all the way down to "dislike."
Michael - I'm diggin his designs still - Loved the all white ensemble this week - the pants rocked!!
Jeffrey - I'm moving him to the like category because of how well he worked with Allison after Keith left - they both did a really good job!! - loved his recycling outfit, hated his average woman dress. I still think he's cool though. - Total rock star!

People I don't like:
Vincent - annoys the crap outta me, doesn't play well with others and designs ugly clothes over and over again.
Angela - kind of incompetent but keeps getting through by the skin of her teeth - Not anymore!!! Buh-bye!! If I never see another rosette, puffy skirt, or pair of pants with the wierd butt panel, it will be too soon!!
Laura - I think she's getting tired of this competition, she's losing her energy. Also, I don't think she has the range to really be a good designer.

People I am ambivalent about:
No one at the moment

And there you have it. Until next week!!

I am a bad blogger

My poor blog. It is neglected so. I'm a bad blog mommy.

But I have to say, I do have an excuse for the week of Aug 12-21, being that I was out of town and (far far) away from computers. So nyeh (that's me sticking out my tongue an you, the proverbial blog-reader who is upset at me for not writing).

But hey, though I do not have an excuse for the rest of last week when I was perfectly capable of writing, but just chose not to do so, I am finally back in service. So the wait is over. You can breathe now. :)

Just a quick Project Runway update before I move on to more important matters. During the week I was gone, we said goodbye to Allison. She had been a favorite of mine, but I'm not sure if that was because I liked her designs, or because I liked her own personal style. Either way, the pressure finally got to her and she designed something that looked like it was made out of paper. Oh wait, it WAS made out of paper. Recycleable paper! And even though I detested Vincent's design (as I usually do), I understand why the judges chose to let Allison go. She's probably better off anyway - much like Bradley, she's much too easy-going for this competition. We'll miss your pleasant personality, Allison!! I think Uli and Michael are maybe the only ones left in the competition who I can safely call "pleasant" now. And then there was last week's competition. This one seemed like the hardest challenge for the designers thus far. Not because of the materials (which is usually the challenging part), but because of who they were designing for! They've gotten used to designing for these beautiful models with flawless figures, but this week, nuh-uh. They designed for the average woman - their mothers (and sisters)!! I can't remember who won this challenge (I think it was Vincent? Blech!), but the biggest conflict in the episode was the argument between Jeffrey and his model, who happened to be Angela's mother. He can't stand Angela, and evidently can't stand her mother either. He ended up designing a dress for her that was absolutely hideous (she didn't like it either), but just barely eked by with the judges. He was lucky that Robert designed something so blah and boring, otherwise Jeffrey might have been the one Auf'd. But yeah, Robert has not been so impressive lately (none of his designs resemble ANYTHING Barbie! :) ), so I'm kind of glad he's gone. He's bo-ring. Bye bye Robert! Oh yeah, and congrats to Michael for winning the recycling challenge - his second win in a row! He has a good chance of winning this season I think. Oh, and apparently I missed writing up another episode where Bradley got kicked off (why did I feel like I wrote about that one already??) for designing a "tinker toy." :) But anyway. Here is how things stand thus far:

People I like:
Robert - He used to design for Barbie!! - if he screws up again, though, I'm moving him down in the ranks! - he screwed up again and now he's gone. Latah!
Uli - An all-around favorite, she's consistently good.
Kayne - he was SO EXCITED to design for Miss USA - he hasn't been so good lately, he'll have to prove himself worthy of the "like" category next episode.
Allison - I like her personal style and want to see what she can do - she did a good job in a difficult situation - unfortunately, she has cracked under the pressure and is now gone. We'll miss you!!
Michael - I'm diggin his designs still.
Jeffrey - I'm moving him to the like category because of how well he worked with Allison after Keith left - they both did a really good job!! - loved his recycling outfit, hated his average woman dress. I still think he's cool though.

People I don't like:
Vincent - annoys the crap outta me, doesn't play well with others and designs ugly clothes
Angela - kind of incompetent but keeps getting through by the skin of her teeth - I kinda dug her recycling outfit, but didn't care for her average woman outfit, though I didn't think it was as bad as the judges thought.

People I am ambivalent about:
Bradley - seems sweet, but I HATED his design in ep. 1 ... and ep. 3 - a belated bye bye to Bradley!
Laura - A very classy lady, but she's turning out to be kind of a one-trick-pony - yeah, that sums it up for Laura. She designs the same stuff over and over again, and she's kind of a bitch. Not so classy anymore. Moving to "dislike."

Ha ha! Apparently I like a lot of people, dislike only a few, and after this week, there's nobody I am ambivalent about. Hm. Oh well.

Oh yeah, and I was just kidding earlier about there being "more important matters" to write about. This is it!!! :)

Ha ha ha ha!

Peace.

grace

I don't consider myself a religious person, and my family has never really been prone to saying grace, except on holidays (especially when my Grandma is present). So when I was in Baltimore having lunch at a restaurant with some coworkers, I was a bit taken aback when one of them stopped us before we started eating and "forced" us to say grace with him. Not that I really mind - the guy was also a minister of some sort - but I thought it was a bit presumptuous of him to assume we'd be willing to join him in his prayer. Wouldn't it have been a bit more politically correct (though that's kind of a bad word these days) if he'd just quietly sat there and said it to himself? Which brings me to my other point: There's something comforting about seeing someone sitting down at a table in the cafeteria at work, closing their eyes, folding their hands and silently saying grace to themselves before eating their meal. Is this a contradiction to my first statement? Perhaps. But hey, blame the latter point on my religious upbringing, and the former on my rebellious streak. I embody contradiction.

my oh my

I am BEAT today! When you're running around like a maniac for three days straight, and then you finally slow back down to normal speed, your flurry of activity finally catches up to you and you realize just how exhausted you really are! Maybe I'm just getting old, but man, this weekend kicked me in the ass!

If you weren't already aware, I went to Lollapalooza this weekend - all three days of it. TONS of fun and TONS of great music, but I am glad it's over and I can finally relax!!

So here's the rundown:

Friday:
I arrived at about 2:15 with Jillybean and the roomie (a work friend of Jilly's met us as we got there), and we went straight to see The M's play (which would be the last time all weekend I'd see Jillybean's work friend), who were quite fun and entertaining, especially the drummer, who was a riot to watch. We didn't stay for that whole set because the roomie wanted to see Panic! at the Disco. So the two of us went over to the AT&T stage to see them. They were pretty good as well - I may be purchasing something of theirs in the near future. I enjoyed their wierd cabaret/vaudeville/clown dancers, especially when they interacted with the singer fellow (don't know any names), and even had a little choreographed dance number with him. After that, we met back up with Jilly and two of her friends, Steve and George, and just hung out for a while, enjoying the weather. Steve wanted to try and find another friend of his, so we ventured to the other side of Buckingham Fountain to try and locate her, only to realize that she was closer to where we had just been. So we got a little bit of exercise in the process and explored the festival grounds a bit. No biggie. We eventually found her and chilled for a while in her cool spot in the shade, then got some yummy food, and eventually went back for another round of music. Jillybean, the roomie and I went to see Secret Machines, who were great as usual (though their recent Metro performance was much better, IMO). We caught up with my friend Adam from work during that show, and randomly ran into Julie, another work friend, and her roommate Jeff. Small world!! Well, not really. I knew they were going to be there. :) Julie and Jeff were already SM fans (they were with me at the Metro show), so they enjoyed their performance, and I believe the SM virgins enjoyed themselves as well ... at least that's what they told me. :) After that, the work friends, the roomie and I went across the field to see The Raconteurs, while Jillybean met back up with Steve etc. for My Morning Jacket. At the moment, I am really really in love with The Raconteurs. I think this was one of the highlights for me. Jack White is a wierdo, but a musical genius. I like The Raconteurs much better than The White Stripes, though, I must say. After the work friend and the roomie all ditched me in favor of The Violent Femmes, I made my way to the other side of the park for Sleater-Kinney. I'm not too familiar with their stuff, but I know they're kind of like indie legends, and chick-rock is always fun, so I decided I'd check them out. They were pretty decent I must say. Plus, I was glad to get to see them since this was their very last Chicago show and one of their last shows entirely before they disband. (Ha ha, "disband.") I was able to find Jillybean and the boys again at this show, though we would soon part ways again while they went to VHS or Beta, and I opted to see Death Cab for Cutie as the closing act of my evening. I know these guys get a lot of flack for being too sell-out-y or whatever, but hey, I like 'em. And I enjoyed their set, though I couldn't see for crap. I was TOTALLY excited when they ended up playing my favorite song as the last song in their "encore." (I use quotes because the supposed encore was still within the time limits of their set, so it wasn't like they were giving us anything additional, or special. They were actually cheating us a bit by taking a little breaky and passing it off as an encore.) I had lost the roomie at this point, but figured he could fend for himself, so I met back up with Jillybean and the boys at Bucky Fountain, and we headed to Streeter's for some libations (though I did not partake). I guess I just wasn't feeling the scene or something because it became tedious to just BE there, so I took off early. Plus I was bushed, and had to get my beauty sleep in preparation for Day 2!!

Saturday:
Saturday ended up being a day I spent mostly by myself, so it was an entirely different experience from Friday. I left the apartment by myself because the roomie was still sleeping, and I hadn't heard from Jilly yet and assumed she was still in bed or running late or whatever. And I wanted to get there by 2:30 for Coheed and Cambria. I got there in time, and they were just eh. I didn't bother getting up close, and what I heard was just so-so. Unfortunatly though, I had to leave in the middle of their set and make a stop at the Medical tent to bandage up my poor footsies! I made the mistake of wearing a pair of shoes that I hadn't worn in a while and had forgotten the reason WHY I hadn't worn them. They cut me bad. So I got some lovely gauze taped across the tops of my feet and was nice and comfy again, though my feet looked kind of ridiculous. Oh well. Instead of going back to Coheed, I went to the stage across the field where Wolfmother would be playing and tried to get a semi-decent spot for them. I could still hear the rest of Coheed's set from where I was, and I must admit, it got better towards the end. All in all, I guess they weren't too bad, but not a favorite. Wolfmother, however, rocked the house. Me likey. Adam was supposed to be there to see them, but he didn't show until there was about 2 minutes left in their set. Too bad for him. So I got to chat with him for about 30 seconds before we parted ways again. He wanted to see Gnarls Barkley, but I was more interested in checking out Chicagoans, Kill Hannah. And they were pretty cool. I really loved the stage they were on! It was one of the smaller ones on the north side of the park, and was hidden away in a little nook surrounded by trees. That was the only band I saw on that stage, but it was my favorite spot in the park. After them, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to Dresden Dolls on the adidas-Champs Stage (the converted Petrillo (sp?) Music Shell) - which was my fave of the larger stages because you could see well from practically anywhere. Dresden Dolls were definitely entertaining. I have their most recent album, but haven't given it much listening time, so I didn't know their stuff too well. I particularly enjoyed a song about a "coin-operated boy." :) Oh, and there was the time that the woman flashed the entire audience. That was wierd. :) The roomie managed to find me in the crowd during that show, and then accompanied me to The Flaming Lips across at the Bud Light stage. They were great! They just seem to be having a big fun party on stage, which I have a tremendous amount of respect for. The roomie left before their set was over so he could make it to The New Pornographers, and meet up with Shannon and Ronak, but I stayed where I was for Thievery Corporation, and I'm soooo glad I did. They were amazing!! Love them! I hadn't heard too much of their stuff before, though I have a couple discs I got from my brother, but I can guarantee I'll be giving that sh*t a listen or two or twenty in the very near future. Another highlight of the weekend for sure. I ended up leaving on a high note that night and after Thievery, I made my way back home so I could shower and go over to Adam's new place for a party (a story for another time). After the party, I think I went to bed at 4 that night?? Bummer.

Sunday:
I met up with Ms. Jilly Sunday (yesterday!!) afternoon and we got to the park in time to see Andrew Bird at 3:30. He was pretty darn good. And what a talented whistler!! :) I was happy that he played a lot of stuff from his newest album, because that is the one I have and those were the only songs I knew. So pretty. The Shins were next, and though they were a tiny bit anti-climactic, they did not disappoint. We found Adam in the crowd, so he shared in our enjoyment of The Shins as well. And there were dancing noodles!! (Don't ask.) We had a free hour after that, so we made our way over to the AT&T stage where Steve and George had been staking out a spot for Queens of the Stone age since 12:30 (they went on at 6:30)!!! Took a while for us to find them, but we did ... and they were close!! We were on the left side of the stage, maybe 20 feet from the speakers. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I certainly was. When the set started, it didn't seem to be as bad as I thought it was going to be (sound levels, crowd rowdiness), but it got worse. As the band and the crowd got warmed up, the crowd surfing got started, and at one point, there were people passing overhead, like every two minutes. It was nuts! After a while, people started to get a little rough, so I decided to back up a bit, still staying close to the stage. It was a little better there for a while, until a guy fell on my head. So I moved back a little bit more, and found a happy little hippy commune that was more than welcoming, so I stood in that little pocket, safe from people falling on me and crazy moshers. But yeah, the music was awesome, and there was no doubt that we were at a rock show at that point. I love the Queens. Love them! After that craziness was over, I was considering going to see Blues Traveller, but they were all the way on the other side of the park, and my feet were already killing me, so I decided to just hang out for a while, and then call it a day. I didn't stay for the Chili Peppers because I had seen them once before and didn't really need to see them again. I'm sure they were great (and from what I heard as I was leaving, they sounded great), but I put priority on going home and getting a decent amount of sleep in preparation to go back to work today. I did stop at an ice cream truck for a chocolate chip cookie sandwich on my way home, though. :)

So today, all this fun has finally caught up with me and I feel like death. I woke up this morning out of a deep sleep, completely disoriented (but NOT disorientated). I'm sore all over and struggling to keep my eyes open. It was a goooood weekend, but I am so looking forward to going to bed tonight! :)

Latah!

two for the price of one!!

Apparently all I have time for these days, blog-wise, is to update on the current Project Runway status! I's a busy lady. :)

So here's what went down this week ... Keith is gone!!! Woo hoo!! Bonnie is gone!! Meh.

The big scandal that they aluded to last week wasn't really as big or scandalous as they made it seem. Basically, Keith was a cheater who violated the terms of the contract by having pattern books with him, so he was kicked off. Kind of a sucky reason to have to leave the show, but hey, you break the rules, you pay for it! Serves him right. He was a bit too overconfident anyway. Maybe he'll learn his lesson.

And then Bonnie was the one to be Auf'd in the traditional manner. Personally, I thought Robert's design was worse, but I didn't want to see him leave, so I'm happy with the outcome. Bonnie just never really stood out to me, so I'm not surprised that she is gone, and not too sad about it either.

Here is my assessment of the remaining players (updates in red):

People I like:
Robert - He used to design for Barbie!! - Didn't like his design this week, but I still think he has potential and I'd like to see what he can do - if he screws up again, though, I'm moving him down in the ranks!
Uli - I loved her designs in ep. 1 and ep. 3
Kayne - he was SO EXCITED to design for Miss USA
Allison - I like her personal style and want to see what she can do - she did a good job in a difficult situation - she and Jeffrey stayed true to Keith's design even after he got kicked off, and they had fewer people than the other groups
Michael - I'm diggin his designs

People I don't like:
Vincent - annoys the crap outta me, doesn't play well with others and designs ugly clothes
Angela - kind of incompetent but keeps getting through by the skin of her teeth - let's hope that doesn't last much longer - have to give her credit here, I really liked her outfit this week - more than all the others - if she continues this trend, maybe she'll move to ambivalent category??
Keith - he's a little (a LOT) full of himself after his win in ep. 1 - and nothing has changed here - Buh Bye!! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

People I am ambivalent about:
Bonnie - don't know much about her - and never will. Buh bye!
Bradley - seems sweet, but I HATED his design in ep. 1 ... and ep. 3 - if he doesn't prove himself worthy soon, he's moving to my dislike category - his pants this week sucked, but I need to see another of his own designs to know how I really feel about his stuff
Jeffrey - his tattoos are a little wierd - jury's still out - I'm moving him to the like category because of how well he worked with Allison after Keith left - they both did a really good job!!
Laura - A very classy lady, but she's turning out to be kind of a one-trick-pony - her design in ep. 2 was a bit too similar in style to her ep. 1 design