Getting ready to "mass up" with Eric's parent's tonight. Should be an adventure. Happy Friday!

Notice:

This here is my current bottle cap collection. I've got a little art project bouncing around in my mind and I think I need at least a hundred (probably more) bottle caps from beer bottles etc. Would you nice people mind saving a few for me during the next month? I'll come and get them I promise.

Official Real Live People

We got a phonebook plopped onto our porch. As I walked it to the trash can I noticed that it was not only the area's yellow pages, but WHITE pages as well."Hmmmm..." I thought and I opened it up. Low and behold there we were! Official real live people in a phone book bigger than War and Peace or Les Miz or numerous Proust novels. Okay. I'm not even in it. But Eric is in it (and where you find Eric you often find me) and so is our new little address and our new phone number (that apparently several phone dialing robots already have). Who even uses a phone book anymore you ask? I don't know! But it now sits on a shelf in our closet just in case we want to use the coupons inside or in case you want to come over and see it. :)

Crafty Nook

I now have a corner of the basement all organized for having insane fun.

He rocks and ROLLS!

The Game That Twists You Up In Knots (Good Knot Tom!)

I was thrilled to be reminded today that REM's fine song "Man on the Moon" has the lyrics "let's play twister." Ah, life as art.

We revel in our nerdiness.

blog.

Last evening I got to see (the end of) my very first ultimate frisbe game. It's a little like soccer (with goals) and a little like basketball (with no traveling) and a little like all other sports( with coordinated people and athletism and running). That's all I really got in the twenty minutes I took it in, but I'm hoping to see another in a few weeks (they play in the park right by our house!) so hopefully I can fill you in more after that. I did get to see Stacy make a winning catch/goal and I got to see Chris' knee high socks so hopefully they can top that for me next time. ;)

Charmed Life

So. I'm finally coming down from my high long enough to write this. (Though I'm still quite high.) Last Thursday as I left Spanish class, I drove past Wrigley Field where I could hear Billy Joel and Elton John singing "My Life" from inside the friendly confines. I sat in my car and merely envied all the people within and watched a bunch of cops bob their heads to the music and direct traffic. Just then, I kid you not, I see a text to my phone which reads "Do you like Billy Joel and Elton John?" Long story short, my friend Erin (who has connections to someone who works for Elton John) appointed me the Chosen One, the one who (for free) got to sit front row, or rather, stand ten feet away from, both Elton John, Billy Joel, and two pianos last night at their second Wrigley concert. It was incredible. I even got flicked in the face with Billy's sweat (and I'm pretty sure he chuckled at me when I was grossed out). They were both captivating and as talented as ever. (Who needs to write more songs when you already have so many winners?) What a night! Thanks again Erin.

Here are a few snaps that I still can't believe were taken with my very own point-and-shoot:

Seriously. Trippy.

SO COOL!

I can't say much except that I've been spying on NASA. Only a full blown geek watches nasa tv [mission control and endeavor footage!]. But the space walks and moon landing anniversary is too much all at once. And I already have geek in my DNA anyway. I can't help it. These things just bring it out (more).

(Seriously. Have you seen the view of Earth from the Endeavor? She's a beauty.)

Block Party USA

Awe...

Now we'll always remember this evening with this photo taken just moments after an eight-year-old took our order, handled his shoes, and then made our dinner. Ah Chicago. How we love your hot dog joints.

I love Cook County

And the way they put free clipart to good use.

Edgebrook

I've fallen short on many of my blogging goals, and one of them is to give a sketch of every Chicago neighborhood. So let me pick up right where I've landed. Edgebrook. Here's how I understand it (and true to Chicago nature, it ain't simple): Right outside my front door is the neighboorhood of North Edgebrook, which is one of three neighborhoods in Edgebrook, which is one of two neighborhoods in the Forest Glen neighborhood. Got that? This chunk of land was once given (back) to the Potowatomi Indians by way of their chief Billy Caldwell (aka "Sauganash" meaning "Englishman" (for he was the son of an Irish immigrant father and a Mohawk mother. Confusing, I know, but fitting for the way things work around here.)) Even though Billy Caldwell was somewhat of a beloved celebrity around here, he moved to Iowa and the railroad grew right up to where the white dudes needed this land...er... "back" arguing that the Potowatomi were only using it during the summer for hunting. Why couldn't they just go to the General Store? Anyhow, over a hundred and fifty years later, Edgebrook is a quiet, heavily wooded and residential place where people who have/want to can live in the city limits and yet have a taste of the burbs as well. An ice cream truck comes down the road almost every warm night. Every single house got an american flag stuck in the yard on independence day. Neighbors bring you warm banana bread when you move in. And deer still (literally) roam the streets, no longer hunted, but confused as hell.

Sometimes you've just got to veg. Sometimes you've got to forget about blogging now and then (yes, sometimes AND now and then). Sometimes you have to acknowledge how good favorite tv shows look on the big tv that came with your house.

I looked up and we'd been married seven years! We celebrated our anniversary this weekend with a couple of fun drive-ins. Both food and movie. Totally loved it. Happy Anniversary to my hubby. I love living in the wrong decade with you.

Things I Learned About Photography at an Aaron Zimmer Show

1. (My) flashless photography always turns out blurry in music venues (why won't the performers freeze and smile for me?)



2. If you get someone to fling their face back and forth real fast and take a snap, the results are AWESOME.



3. It is not in the stars to actually get a decent photo of both Eric and Aaron at the same time.

Aaron Zimmer

In a bit, we're heading out to listen to the tunes of an old friend of Eric's from Lincoln (but now on tour through Chicago from New York City!) at Goose Island (on Clark south of Addison). It seems he goes on about ten. If you're around tonight, you should stop by. It promises to be a good time. Come on down to Wriglyville!

Here's a little bio blurb.

I don't even know what to comment on here. The daycare sign? The trash can gone planter? The blank sign just leaning there, saying nothing? How every time I drive by this place I wish my name were Shelly and that I had a big cone full of frozen dairy product?

I just don't know what to comment on.

Refreshing Summer Smoothie

Recipe:
One bag of frozen pineapple tidbits
One banana
Milk
Good squirt of agave nectar

A and P

I'm taking an Anatomy and Physiology class this summer. It's 8 weeks long and I was pretty sure that it would be fun. Well. 8 weeks is not sufficient time to learn every cubic inch of the human body. It is kicking my gluteus maximus. I hardly know my own name and I wake up in the morning reciting things like "orbicularis oris, origin, frontal bone and maxilla, insertion, skin of the lips" and have flash cards stuck to my face. Just over two more weeks. My cranium will then be brim full.

I came to load my camera onto the Mac this evening and found a bunch of photos I'd forgotten I'd taken this weekend, including this one of my sister with her sparkler. My camera has kind of awesome night vision.

Well Dad and the Newton Ladies took back off for Nebraska today. But before they did I stole a bunch of photos off mom's camera. They are too cute not to share. 1. The gals, 2. Noah petting Max on Skype, 3. Noah kissing me on Skype, 4. Naked boy with hose (and a very patient sister) 5. Naked boy with a diaper 6. Cousins catching up on sports and girls. (And obviously not watching traffic.) ;)