At least it wasn't the Jonas Brothers!

So, today I was listening to the radio in the car. A song I don't particularly like came on, so I switched the channel. You know what happened? B-man piped up from the back seat, "I like that song! Turn it back on!"

Oh my, am I losing radio control this early?

Also, I have mixed feelings about the song. See, it was Girls by the Beastie Boys. I like the Beastie Boys. I just don't like that song. Let's pretend for a minute that I really believe the lyrics are meant ironically instead of misogynistically...somehow I think that distinction, if my boys paid attention to the lyrics, would be lost on them. Also, is it just me, or is that music pretty darn annoying?

I'm left confused. Proud of B-man for liking the Beastie Boys, kind of annoyed with the song he chose...

I thought it was supposed to be "parent hell"

TK was out of town, so to make sure we had something to do, I decided to take the boys to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. By myself.

I wasn't sure if it was pure genius, or the worst idea ever. I mean, you hear all the stories of parents ripping on Chuck E. Cheese for being unbearable. I knew the boys would have fun, but would I lose my mind?

Oh my, it was so fun! Okay, that statement is based mainly on the fact that they have skee ball. I love skee ball. I haven't played skee ball in years.

No, I didn't just make my boys stand around and watch me play skee ball. I only played a couple games, and even in those games, I let them roll a few of the balls. Aren't I sweet? I have to go back with TK to distract the boys, though, so I can get in a few real games!

I told my mom that I was taking the boys to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. She responded, "didn't you go there for your brother and sister's birthday party?" Um, yes. When I was like 9. So technically, it wasn't my first time there. I recall it being dark, and filled with alleyways of video games. Lots of flashing lights and blip beep beep noises. I can see how that might be overwhelming to a parent. I was worried I'd lose my boys in the maze of games. Turns out, this place was really bright. Lots of windows, and very open feeling. In fact, that is one of my few complaints: there really weren't a ton of games. Hardly any of what you would consider to be traditional video games. I mean, with 3 year olds, who cares? They can't really play traditional games yet anyway. But I was surprised.

There was also a climbing/tube/slide area. B-man and N-man love those things, so they climbed right up. Unfortunately, while they had no trouble getting up, the "stairs" they climbed up were too big for them to climb back down. Both of them hate those tube-slides, so they had no other option but to climb back down. B-man started climbing down, and got worried when his feet wouldn't touch the level below. I assured him it was hardly any drop at all and he could just let go, so he did. It was only about a two inch drop, so it was fine.

N-man started climbing down, and got worried when his feet wouldn't touch the level below. I assured him it was hardly any drop at all and he could just let go, so he pulled his legs back up, yelled "NO!", and proceeded to begin crying, freaking out, and begging for Mommy.

I look around. No workers. No other parents. So I do what any good mom would do...send up my other son. "B-man," I say calmly, "can you go up and help your brother?" "Sure," he answers. And up he goes. He gets up to the top, and is completely undisturbed by his wailing brother. In fact, this sight somehow reminds him that he wanted to explore the tunnel system once again. He squeezed past N-man, while I call up, "B-man! B-man! Help your brother!" In vain.

N-man had really worked himself up by now, and was obviously scared. He was begging for me to come save him. I look at the openings. I look at my belly. I look at the openings again. Oh, what the heck. I'm only 23 weeks pregnant. I'll fit. And I did. I scaled that structure and rescued my baby boy. He calmed down as soon as I got up there, and acted real cool like nothing was wrong. "N0w help me down," he said calmly. So I did. We got out, and he asked to play air hockey, like nothing had happened. Okay. I went with it.

Overall, it was really fun. I mean, skee ball makes up for almost anything (like terrible pizza, or getting stuck in climbing structures). I'm definitely going back. I may even take the boys with me again.

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Okay, there was one thing that was terrible. I mean, completely horrid. The signing animatronics. I forgot how loathsome they are. And they kept playing the same 4 or 5 songs over and over again. There was one song that was completely make-me-want-to-pierce-my-eardrums unbearable. I came home and googled the lyrics, and it's "Year 3000" by the Jonas Brothers. I've heard of them (my niece is in LOVE with them!), but I'd never heard any of their songs before. If you don't know this song, please, follow my advice and DO NOT find it on you tube or something. Because this song has found the intersection of unbelievably terrible and completely catchy. So you hate it, and it gets stuck in your head replaying constantly, driving you INSANE. I mean, it's still going through my head. I can't get it out. I've even tried singing "America" from West Side Story, the other get-caught-permanently-in-your-head-song. I hate to say it, but in the "Year 3000" vs. "America" battle in my brain, "Year 3000" has decimated "America" for air-time.

I'm worried this will be playing in my mind for the rest of time. Does anyone know the cure for the Jonas Bros?

The Concert Report

Stealing shamelessly from Nancy at The Zimmer Zoo, today I'm listing the concerts I've seen. My list is less hilarious than Nancy's, really only because I never saw NKOTB. But I did see Weird Al, so perhaps it's a tie.

I'm sure I've forgotten some. There are whole concerts I can't remember who played*. The college I attended had big concerts each Fall and Spring and had a whole slew of bands play each time. Usually they were smaller name bands, that either didn't impress me, or I never heard from again. Or I just missed. For example, I know I was at a Spring Fest where Iggy Pop played, but I also know I left before he came on. But I can't, for the life of me, remember who played before I left. So here goes, vaguely in chronological order, the concerts I can think of at the moment:

• The Goo Goo Dolls. I've seen them a whole slew of times. The first time was at a show called Rock It To Russia, a fundraiser of local bands to help raise money for one of my friend's violin ensemble tour Eastern Europe. That's where I fell in love with them. I also saw them at a college Spring Fest on a date one year long before I was actually in college. I saw them at a free concert in the square series, where I fainted (from the heat, not in some weird "Oh, the Beatles" kind of way). I saw them outside Atlanta at a big show of a ton of bands.
• 10,000 Maniacs. Anyone who knows music and sees these first two bands is going to be entirely unsurprised to find out I'm from the Buffalo area. I've seen the 10,000 Maniacs a couple of times. It was my first "official" concert and was so fun. I went with my girlfriend C., who was at many, many of these shows with me.
• The Cure. I've seen them twice, once on the Disintegration Tour, once on the Wish Tour. As previously discussed, the Disintegration Tour was one of the best shows I've even seen. Amazing! The Wish Tour was kind of disappointing, but I still love The Cure.
• At the Disintegration Tour, I saw The Pixies and Love and Rockets open for The Cure. Both bands were really amazing!
• REM. We had amazing seats for The Green Tour...only a few rows back. It was a good show, though I remember more that Throwing Muses opened for them and made me want to kill myself, they were so bad. It seemed endless, and they hold the record for "worst opening band I've ever seen".
• The Sugarcubes, New Order, and Public Image Ltd. The Sugarcubes were amazing, and New Order was far better than I expected. While I'm too young to have been around in the Sex Pistol days, it was kind of exciting to see Johnny Rotten. Of course, somehow I ended up in the very front row of a general admittance stadium when he came out. Talk about getting SQUASHED! Luckily some guy pulled me out...right into the middle of a slam pit. I survived, a bit battered for the unexpected moshing, but a fun day overall.
• Sinead O'Connor. I saw her on the tour for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. There was some kind of controversy at the time, I think it was about the national anthem, though it was a non-issue at the concert. What I remember most vividly from this show is that there was a guy there who looked a lot like Tommy Lee of Motley Crue fame.
• The B-52's. I saw them at the local University (where I later attended). I have an embarrassing story from this show that I'll never share in a venue where my mom is reading. Sorry, Mom! But I feel like between REM and the B-52's, it was foreshadowing that I'd move to Georgia.
• Rush. I know, you're thinking, "wow, that came out of nowhere!". I think you'd have to be from Buffalo to understand how someone who clearly had punk/new wave preferences would be in love with a classic rock band. What can I say? I've seen them three times. They put on a great show. Classic rock kind of drives me crazy for the most part, but I really love Rush.
• Guns and Roses, Metallica, and Faith No More. Was anyone else at this show? What a great tour! What a recipe for disaster! Faith No More was terrible, but GnR and Metallica kind of rocked.
• Spin Doctors, Mighty Mighty Bostones, and various other bands. This was the first Fall Fest I went to in college, and is memorable mainly for being the first date TK and I went on. If you can count walking from the dorms over to a free concert as a date. I do :)
• The Dead Milkmen. I love them! I saw them in a bar, and it was so much fun. I've always been a little bit in love with Joe from The Dead Milkmen!
• Meatloaf. I saw him in a mid-sized venue for the Back Into Hell tour. I wasn't too excited about the show, but it ended up being really incredible.
• Weird Al. I went with two girlfriends and saw Weird Al at a county fair while I was in college. It was weird, as might be expected ;). We were the only people there who were older than 12, but younger than old-enough-to-have-a-12-year-old. I don't care, Weird Al is great!
• Billy Joel. I saw Billy Joel with TK. TK is from Long Island, plays piano, and as a result, has a weird fixation on Billy Joel that I believe can only be fully appreciated by other Long Islanders. It was a good show, though I'm not quite as in love with Billy Joel as TK is. TK has seen Billy Joel countless time, but I've only seen him that once.
• Sarah McLaughlin. Pretty good.
• Lilith Fair, where we saw Natalie Merchant, Bonnie Raitt, K's Choice, Queen Latifa, and a number of other bands. The Indigo Girls weren't on the lineup that year (1998), but we saw the tour in Atlanta and The Indigo Girls popped up on stage a few times to join other artists. It was a fun show, notable because I went with TK, and a friend and her husband. TK and our friend were two of the only guys there!
• In the late 90's, I went to a show in Atlanta with a lot of bands. I can't think who was there. I know we saw The Goo Goo Dolls, the main draw for me. I believe Big Bad Voodoo Daddies were there, though I think we left before that. I just can't remember who else we saw here. The Goo Goo Dolls were good, though!
• Ben Folds and The Fray. Ben Folds was, of course, absolutely amazing. I was also pleasantly suprised by The Fray, who I'd never heard of before. I went home and ordered their CD. Of course, like 2 months later, their songs were in practically every TV show imaginable and omnipresent on the radio. And now they've kind of disappeared. They put on a good live show, is all I can say.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

So what do you think? You want to play along as well? That was kind of fun!

*Geez, I reread that and it sounds like I was drunk or stoned all the time. No, nothing that interesting. I just have a bad memory.

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Ugh, my personal website is down today. I don't know what's up...I like our hosting service, except they FORGET TO BILL US! This is the second time it's happened. Um, I'd pay, if you'd just send me an email asking me to pay. We pay a whole year at a time, so it's not like it's on the top of my mind like it would be if I paid each month. Jerks! I'm not getting any email today.

Gotta go fix this!

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Current NaNo Word Count: 22781. That includes today's writing, as I got in a few hours this morning while the kids were at preschool. I might get in a few hundred more words, or maybe not. I'm taking the evening off to watch Chuck and Heroes. Hey, priorities!

Current NaNo Attitude: Having fun!

Why I love Sesame Street

How awesome is this?



I guess I should admit that I have a weird fixation on the Goo Goo Dolls, almost definitely attributable to spending my formative years in Buffalo. But come on, isn't John Rzeznik hot? Well, Buffalo-hot, a distinct subset of actual hot (see also: David Boreanaz). I don't know what it is...defined cheekbones? A strong jaw? Beautiful eyes? Kind of messy hair? A wardrobe that consists of more than zubaz and Buffalo Bills jerseys?

Aside from the eye-candy that is John Rzeznik, the best part of this video comes at 1:17, when Elmo plays the fake guitar. You have to watch the guy with the red bandana on his head. It's hilarious. Acutally, he's pretty hilarious throughout the video, as he seems to be an uncomfortable-happy.

It's genius.

My kids love it.

I love it.

What more do you want?

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Current NaNo word count: 6366. Had a pretty bad day yesterday with almost no time to write, and a wicked bad headache. So I didn't feel too bad about only hitting a little over 1,000 words, but I have to get back in my groove today. On the plus side, part of why I didn't have time to write is that I spent the morning while the boys were in school visiting a friend with a little tiny baby. Holding a tiny perfectly adorable boy was certainly worth losing some writing time.

Current NaNo attitude: Scared, with a side of pessimism. It's early to be feeling this...going to a write-in tomorrow that hopefully will get me back on track.

Why do I need an iPod player?

My book group teased me the other day. My husband and I don't have an ipod. We still live in the CD era. Hey, I figure I'm good since at least we're not still in the cassette era. Hey, I haven't played a cassette in, oh, 3 years since I traded in my last car.

I guess I'm always a bit behind the times in terms of my music formats.

But really, what do I need an iPod for? I probably wouldn't use it unless it was docked, and then how is that different from a CD player? Yes, I wouldn't have to change CDs. I guess that'd be nice, but doesn't seem necessary. And I couldn't play it in my car. And I'd have to move all my music from CDs to the iPod, which seems like it'd take a ridiculous amount of time.

So tell me, why do I need an ipod? Is there something awesome about it I haven't thought of? If I'm missing something, maybe we'll have it be our holiday present to ourselves this year (we can't get a wii every year :). I guess I would like it when I'm at the gym working out. Hmmm....

And please, tell me there are others of you out there, with no ipod...

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Random unrelated thought: N-man woke up this morning, pitter-patted into our bedroom, and announced, "It's bouncin' time!" Then he climbed up onto our bed and started jumping.

I wish I had that energy (or pleasant demeanor) so early in the morning!

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C0mment replies to You're Not Going to Believe This:

Suz: Don't worry, if I ever have proof that I'm psychic, I'll be yelling it from the rooftops!

Jenni: I really, really thought I was going to win. I'm dopey!

Nancy: You're going to love Firefly! I can hardly wait until you start watching.

Gio: I *know*! What a waste of $2!

Kimberly: That is too funny! Your dad must have been so surprised!

On this day in What A Card history

Nineteen years ago today, my friend C. and I saw The Cure. I know. How cool is that?

It was the Disintegration tour. I know. How cool is that? I've heard that's the best album ever from a pretty reliable source!

We saw them in Toronto. I know. Cool, especially for 2 girls from Buffalo.

It's hard to believe but it gets even better: The Pixies and Love and Rockets were the opening bands. I KNOW! It was so cool.

Every year C. makes sure to get in contact on August 28th so we can relive our brush with coolness, our attendance at one of the greatest concerts ever. And sure enough, this morning she'd left me a facebook message.

It's hard to believe it's been 19 years. I was a wee lass in 1989, only 14 years old. How cool was C.'s mom for taking us all the way to Toronto? How cool were my parents for letting me go? It was a most excellent adventure. I've seen a bunch of concerts in my day....everyone from Weird Al to the Dead Milkmen to Rush to Ben Folds (all great shows, by the way), but The Cure's Disintegration Tour is still one of my all time favorites.

Thanks, Cher, for sharing that awesome experience with me. And for celebrating our anniversary each year.

So what have your favorite concerts been? Has anyone else seen The Cure? Anyone else in love with Robert Smith? What's your favorite Cure song?

If only reading was a workout!

I've been continuing to go to the gym in the wee-hours of the morning. No rational person should be up so early. So of course I have to worry about the zillion other people at the gym, because clearly they are irrational and not to be trusted.

Anyway, I've been continuing to tell myself that I feel good...more energetic and healthy. You would think with all the lying to myself I do that I'd be better at it by now. But, I persist. The past two gym visits, however, my subconscious mind has had different plans. As I was driving by the library, both times I nearly turned into the parking lot. Blinker on, starting to turn the wheel, when it suddenly occurred to me I was not going to the library and that I had to continue on down the road to the gym.

But how I wish I was going to the library instead. Why doesn't the library open at 5:30am? I think I could trust people up that early if they were up to read. And why doesn't reading improve my physical health like it does my mental health?

Random unrelated thought: We've been listening to Laurie Berkner and Dan Zanes all afternoon and while they are certainly the more enjoyable of the kids' CDs, I was starting to lose my mind. There are only so many songs about snack food one can listen to. So I just put on Regina Spektor. B-man is singing along. N-man is playing guitar. I guess there is some hope for their musical tastes.

Bon Jovi rocks, but not that much

One of my friends was telling me about a Bon Jovi concert she is going to, and asked if I wanted to go. Only problem is the tickets are $175. $175! To see Bon Jovi! I was telling TK about it. I mean, I like Bon Jovi, and I somehow missed ever seeing them in their heyday, so I wouldn't mind going to a Bon Jovi show. But $175? I just don't like them *that* much.

So, TK and I started talking about what bands we would be willing to pay $175 to see. There was a long silence as we thought about it. Both of us like music, and both of us, in our younger days, saw a slew of concerts. In fact, TK did see Bon Jovi in the 80's, and said it was awesome, although he trashed Skid Row, who opened for Bon Jovi. I refuse to believe that my imaginary celebrity boyfriend Sebastian Bach was anything less than amazing, so I'm not sure I can trust his opinion.

Anyway, we were thinking and thinking and thinking, and couldn't come up with anything. Until I said, "well, I'd pay $175 to be sent back in time to see a Nirvana concert before Kurt Cobain died. Or, if they brought Jerry Garcia back from the dead, I'd pay $175 to see The Grateful Dead. And the Beatles? $175 would be a bargain!" Apparently, for $175, I expect a miracle of some sort.

Seriously, though, who is the band you would pay $175 to see? I'm sure most people have one. I think TK and I are odd...perhaps we're getting too old or something, or perhaps we're just in a music slump where there just aren't any bands that we love beyond reason. So who do you love enough that you'd part with your hard-earned $175?

Random unrelated thought: I went out with a girlfriend last night. We met at the bar in a local restaurant. Okay, fine. I don't drink (well, except really girly drinks like frozen strawberry margaritas). So I order an iced tea. I get a strange look from the bartender, but whatever. After we had been there a little while, we decide to order some food. What do I get? Strawberry shortcake. The woman working at the bar actually laughed at me!

I don't think I'm allowed to sit at the bar. An iced tea and a strawberry shortcake apparently aren't appropriate bar-food choice. Hey, now I know.

GASP!

I'm not one to blame my parents for all the things wrong in my life. They did a pretty good job, I think, and the bad decisions I've made....yeah, they were pretty much all my fault. But, there is one thing I've always blamed on my parents: my asthma. Both of my parents are smokers. They would always smoke around us kids. No one in my close or extended family has asthma, just me, and I wasn't diagnosed until I was in high school. It's not bad, and it's gotten better since I moved out of my parent's house. Well, except when I lived in Atlanta. Reason 412 why I hated living in Atlanta: crap air quality. But I digress. Back to my point...I've always assumed that my asthma was caused by my exposure to second-hand smoke. So, I wasn't that worried about passing asthma along to my kids. Bad eyesight, sure, but breathing problems? Not from me!

Now I have to reevaluate where my asthma came from because it's official: B-man has asthma. Last winter, he had a lot of upper respiratory infections: colds, croup, even two cases of pneumonia. They'd linger, he'd need nebulizer treatments, but his pediatrician was always careful to clarify that he had reactive airway disease, not asthma as asthma cannot be diagnosed in children this young.

Well, B-man got a cold, and all of a sudden on day two of the cold, he was gasping and wheezing and coughing non-stop. I took him right in to the doctor's office, pretty sure we'd be sent to the hospital. It was THAT BAD. But, he was given a few breathing treatments, and we were sent home with steroids and antibiotics and albuterol.

It's been rough for the past few days as he's been coughing near constantly, and was obviously tired and sick. He hasn't slept in days, and therefore I haven't slept in days. I think the breathing treatments are finally starting to work, though, and I hope to get at least a few hours of sleep tonight in my own bed. We'll see.

So, I give an official "I'm sorry" to B-man if it was my junky genes I passed along to him, and to my parents for blaming them all these years for my asthma. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to believe it's just a coincidence B-man has asthma and still hold my asthma over my parents' heads as proof of how stupid they are to smoke.

Random unrelated thought: I got to escape from the house for twenty minutes today when I went to go buy some bagels for everyone. Well, like a total idiot, I left the boys' Laurie Berkner CD playing in the car. I'm finally by myself for a minute, and I waste it by listening to kids' music?? I could have been listening to Regina Spektor or Ani DiFranco, and not even skipping over the songs with swear words. I'm such a dope. Laurie Berkner is surprisingly catchy, though...