There's a hummingbird that's been hanging around our bee balm! It's very little and when I first saw it I almost swat it away thinking it was a huge locust or something. (It went away all the same.) Hopefully I can get a photo of it for you soon. (Though now it's rightly afraid of me.)

The Scarecrow

This was in the Chicago Sun Times a few days ago, words by Roger Ebert. The best part I thought was the first paragraph:

"Michael Jackson was so gifted, so lonely, so confused, so sad. He lost happiness somewhere in his childhood, and spent his life trying to go back there and find it. When he played the Scarecrow in "The Wiz" (1978), I think that is how he felt, and Oz was where he wanted to live. It was his most truly autobiographical role. He could understand a character who felt stuffed with straw, but could wonderfully sing and dance, and could cheer up the little girl Dorothy."

I've also come across this book a few times and have decided that I want to read it in lieu of losing our strange pop star.
Massive Swelling: Celebrity Reexamined as a Grotesque, Crippling Disease and Other Cultural Revelations

For some reason I'm totally gripped by these stories. And who doesn't want to read stuff that you already know (fame ruins you) and that makes you sad (fame ruins you). (And why am I not famous yet?) ;)

Anyhow, once more, and then I promise I'll stop, a sad old commercial (because I'm a glutton).

Summer Weekends

(A poem by Jessie)

I love June, July, and August
And Friday, Saturday, and Sunday too.

Guess who got to go on a date to The Bunny Hutch tonight? And they have an old school put-put golf 'round back. Heavenly.

So when I took the photo of the Hutch (through my car window) yesterday, it was literally minutes before Eric called to tell me that Michael Jackson died. Like many, I've spent the past day musing over the memories of his music in my life. Billie Jean was the very first music video I ever laid my eyes on. I remember it well. My mom was excited to suddenly have cable tv (Mtv included!) and MJ came on and she said "Oh look Jessie! It's Michael Jackson." I was right about four when the image was burned in of the epitome of cool walking around on big glowing squares of cement. I also wondered why the cement didn't do the same for me. (Humph.) There were two tapes that I listened to at this young age. Disney's This is the Way We Sing the Songs and Thriller. No joke. As long as my mom came downstairs to flip the tape over, she could get hours of work done while I spun around dancing in the basement. I cut my pop music teeth on Thriller. Still love it.

(Slight digression. I will also never forget when my brother Drew and his friends signed up for the high school talent show, bought afro wigs, and memorized all of the Jackson Five's steps and words to I Want You Back. They performed the perfect lip sync. Oh the laughing. Oh the brilliance.)

Anyhow. True to form, Eric made me come up with my five favorite MJ songs. And they are (depending on mood):

Billie Jean
Wanna be Starting Something
Thriller
The Way You Make Me Feel
and
Man in the Mirror

And remember this? Moonwalker was constantly checked out of the video store because of my brothers. I had almost entirely forgotten about this awesomeness until Drew mentioned it today.

I must eat here. And I must eat here soon.

(By the by, I love taking Lincoln Avenue anywhere I can. It's like going back in time. You have things such as The Hidden Cove Lounge (with coconut lights on the sign), the Apache Motel and, well, the Bunny Hutch.)

I laughed so hard...even though onions are supposed to make you cry

Okay. This is really profane. If you do not like profanity please do not watch this. Well, maybe you should anyway. It's funny. I think you will laugh. This was shared with us by our dinner buddy Steve. And my abs hurt.

Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

This just in...

Charlie was reunited with Sophie the giraffe on June 23, 2009 thanks to a flood of support from the community, 24-hour giraffe lines, and some good antibacterial soap (she'd been on quite a long journey). The family wishes to extend their gratitude and asks that they be left in peace to resume normal life.

Ooops

I almost forgot to blog tonight. We're putting in a movie (aka calling it a night). It's a tired Monday night. I'd better go before things get weird.

beck.com

Eric has taught me and taught me well. There are some songs (in his opinion many of most) that should never ever not ever be covered. There is only room on this earth for one version and one version only. Every so often a cover indeed comes along and right out trumps the other but really, there just can't be two. So when I saw this I thought, Uh-oh. This is definitely one of those songs. But Beck-love took over me and I pushed play anyhow. The song started and I held my breath but then Beck began to sing and I suddenly realized (sigh) that Beck does not cover songs. He interprets them. (Goose bumps). There is now room in my heart for two Sunday Mornings. Thanks, Adam, for the link.

A Prairie Home Companion

The first nice day of the year and we were instantly spread out on the lawn of the Ravinia Festival (thanks to Erin). We got to see/hear Garrison Keillor do his live radio show with his special musical guest Sarah Watkins. From Nickel Creek! A bluegrass band I love. It was a fine evening, indeed. Plus I got to see these nice people who must have been from Lake Wobegon.

Hello, summer. Take off your shoes and stay awhile.

That there is a photo of electricity being out in our neck of Chicago. Storms abound.

Suburban life can certainly have its perks. Especially when it comes with crunch coat.

The Stuff of Dreams

I just want you to know where I will be in a few years. With my jar full of pennies that I've saved up.

(Another) Rainy Tuesday

Honeysuckle!

(Thanks, Sarah, for the plant ID.)

Bubba Gump

I got to lunch with my very lovely cousins today. All the way from Nebraska to sit on a warm (at last!) and sunny Navy Pier. So good to see them.

LOVED it so very much.

One thing about a new house is that I can never find my shoes.

I got twittered about today. Thanks, Allison, for helping me to exist in yet one more way. :)

Back-o-Trucks

A two day series.

Stand by Me

I was at a Starbucks this morning and there was a tune playing that I liked.
"Hey," I asked the barista, "which of your nicely packaged impulse buy cds is this off of?"
He went and looked and it was from a cd (that they were sold out of) called Playing for Change: Song Around the World. This guy traveled all over the world to record street performers and sort of mashed them together (for certain songs) and put together a compilation both in movie and album form I think. I'm not sure of which song I heard while ordering coffee, but the barista recommended that I get online and check out Stand by Me. I did. And I thought it was pretty sweet.

Tonight I got to stare out my mom's window and watch for deer with her. I could hear the frogs croaking and the birds chirping and could almost (but not quite) see all the fireflies that she could. You know, the sun sets a good hour later there. I'm just realizing that it's not just a romantic nostalgia that conjures up those long kidhood summer nights. They were long. Ah the heartland. There is no place like Nebraksa. (Girls are fair, boys are square.) :)

Uncle Dan Podcast

My Dad sent me this podcast today. This is my uncle and his band Daddy Squeeze Trio in a recording just before they visited us in Chicago. It was great to sit back and listen to with a hot cup of coffee. (Beware of much toe tapping!)

We had the good fortune of seeing Mara and James (the newly weds) tonight and found out that though I was remiss in my picture taking at their wedding, I can now show you a youtube video instead. Youtube is a wonder of wonders. If I had remembered my camera I would have taken pics of the gorgeous tulips (there are even upside down ones in the vases!) and the beautiful bride and groom. So make certain to take a moment to check them all out here:

Also, on a much less important note, we're getting to be pros at hanging whatnot on our walls. Our first few endeavors turned out a bit off, but THIS, our entryway mirror was a masterpiece of ours. A self portrait was necessary.

Revenge of the Nerds

Eric's making me watch this.
"Really?" I said. "This movie looks dumb."
"It's good. I think you'll like it. It's about nerds. And you like nerds."

Our First Rose!

The site of it almost makes you believe that the summer solstice is just around the corner. So why then am I still wearing my fleece?

Surrealism

Sometimes life just happens to be like real fine art.  And no one can really explain it.

Peonies from the garden

Another Classic E-mail from Steph

"How to Fail a Test with Dignity"