Shows in Review

All I did this week was go to shows, so we'll just toss out the rest of the usual Week In Review stuff and focus on those:

Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour-

As I mentioned, my good friend Wendy bought tickets thinking they were for the Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick concert on July 23rd. She had a baby last week (there's a lot of that going 'round lately) and there's no way she could have managed this concert too. So, I was happy to buy the tickets from her. The show featured Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Andy Bell from Erasure, the B-52's, a stand-up act by Margaret Cho, and Carson Kressley was the emcee. I had a GREAT time and Dave was, well, a great sport about the whole thing. He came home from work Monday and as we were changing to go said "Did you know that PFLAG was a BIG sponsor for this tour?" And I was all "Uh, yeah...did I not mention that?" I think he really did enjoy himself but the crowd was just a little more colorful than more poor, straight-laced (pun intended) husband is usually a part of. As for me, I got to use the men's room with all the gay guys when they saw how long the ladies' room line was and invited me in-I thought it was hilarious, but Dave wasn't as amused. Oh well. Carson Kressley was hilarious and so was Margaret Cho. Joan Jett still rocks as does Andy Bell and Cyndi Lauper was amazing too. Of course, as I stood there watching her sing and thinking "Wow! I've loved her music since I was 12 and she is RIGHT THERE six rows ahead of me. I love her. I love this night. This is the best thing I've ever done...Wait a minute! Somebody close to me MUST be smoking pot for me to feel like this." And yes, they were. Watching the security guard trying to figure it out was funny too. The point of the tour was for all of us to have a great time and think a little harder about being friends no matter what our differences our. That is kind of the point of my whole life, so I enjoyed being a part of that. I think Margaret Cho put it best when she discussed her experiences as a former Sunday school teacher (who knew?) and said "I've read the Bible and what God is saying is 'Don't be an a$$hole.' And because of Jesus, all we have to do is try not to be an a$$hole." It was a great show! (Even if it was about a million degrees outside.)

Willy Wonka Jr.

Miss Caroline made her stage debut singing for about 45 seconds in the "I've Got a Golden Ticket" number. She was very cute. The all-children's cast musical was amazing, as usual. Sooner Theatre certainly has talent. I was worried Natalie wouldn't enjoy the show or would resent not being in the cast. I was wrong on both counts. She had a great time congratulating her friends after the show. And, even though I knew it was just a play and just actors on the stage, I still get tears in my eyes every time Charlie finds the golden ticket in his Wonka bar. I just can't help it. I'm a dork.

The Lyric Theatre: Sound of Music-

As if season Civic Center tickets weren't enough, we also bought tickets for Lyric theatre's summer season. Natalie's Intro to Musical Theatre class did a Sound of Music medley for this spring's showcase, so I was really excited to take her to the actual play. By a lucky coincidence there was a ticket for Caroline to go too. She pretty much attached herself to Lanie and Natalie latched onto her Aunt Chris. If there's one thing I enjoy more than being with my kids for something like this, it's seeing how much they love my friends and vice versa during a show like this. It was a long, crazy week and seeing a show we all knew and loved was a nice way to end it.

Accentuating the Positive

This week is so jam-packed that it's Wednesday and I'm already feeling that Friday exhaustion. BUT it's a good kind of tired. So, rather than complain about driving three kids to three different day camps while having to pay to keep the 4th one at pre-school so that I can keep working or how I ran out of cereal three days ago and have had to buy breakfast for my kids at every grocery store and gas station between here and any of my five morning destinations because I keep forgetting to buy more, or how my house can possibly be this messy when none of us are ever even here until almost bedtime; I'm going to focus on what has been good this week:

• Tristan at Cub Scout camp-My little sister-tormenting, DS/Wii addicted, pasty-white future tech geek son has spent each day this week in the great outdoors hiking, fishing, swimming, playing flag football, golfing, turning his Dad's lovely shade of tan (sure doesn't get that from me) and basically just being a boy. With three sisters and a self-confessed over-protective mother; it's been great to see how much he enjoys his time with the guys. I was even afraid to send him because camp is sponsored by some of the church moms who liked me least before we moved out of Norman and I feared that would trickle down to the way they treated my son. After the first ten minutes of the first day, I knew he would be fine, but was in no way prepared for how much he would thrive. I may never be BFF's with some of the women who run the show, but I love how happy they have made my son.
• Finding my groove again at work-I spent all last week's Day Camp feeling like "the old mean teacher." I was ready for last week to be over by Tuesday and dragged myself through the rest of the week. I dreaded teaching this week because I feared I had lost my touch. Apparently, spending Monday with my kids helped because midway through my first class on Tuesday, I felt my usual energy and enthusiasm come right back as if I had never lost it. Since I'll be teaching until August, that is a very good thing.
• Both my daughters are going to be on stage this week and next. Miss Caroline debuts tomorrow and Natalie makes a return next Wednesday and Thursday. As sick as I am of driving to practices here, there and everywhere right now; I know I will love the payoff in the end.
• Lauri is back from vacation!! She was gone all of one whole week, and we squealed like teenagers when I saw her this morning. She and I are both going to be in a world of hurt when Deborah moves in August.
• Elisa finally got a water-play day at school! Between me not taking her on Wednesdays and weather cancellations on the Wednesdays she is there, this was the first time she got to do one this summer. It's also the first day this summer she hasn't clung to my leg when I dropped her off in the morning. Coincidence? I think not.
• The big concert last Monday! It's getting a post of its own, but it was likely the coolest show I will see for the next few years.
• The fact that dinner was waiting for me when I got home tonight, and I've spent most of the evening in my pj's
• My new nephew who is slated to be born on Friday (scheduled induction-just like all four of my kids were)
• AND on that note, the fact that I am officially NOT pregnant! (my friend Wendy gave birth last week and I always seem to get pregnant just after she has a baby-and vice versa.) Woo Hoo! I'll try not to rejoice to much though because while the Wendy curse doesn't always work (I didn't get pregnant after her last baby either), God's sense of humor is endlessly vigilant and I'm one of His favorite targets when it comes to practical jokes.

Fun Monday?

Tonight, Dave and I are off to the True Colors tour at the Zoo Amphitheatre. On the schedule are the B-52's, Joan Jett, one of the guys from Erasure, Margaret Cho, and of course; Cyndi Lauper! I've been excited about this concert since April and if my good friend Wendy hadn't originally purchased the tickets (before she realized she would have a baby less than a week old at home and sold them to me) I might not have bothered.

I spent the day shopping for clothes and shoes with my three girls while Tristan had his first day at Cub Scout Day Camp. I'm off to pick him up soon. It's rare that life hands me a good Monday, but it seems that today really has been so far. My only regret for the day is this: RIP George Carlin

Thanks for all the secret laughs when my friends and I used to sneak your albums out of my parents cabinets and listen to them on my record player in my room. And thanks for Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure too. Sadly, one of my generations biggest contributions to film making.

How I Spent My Thursday

If Blue Man Group isn't on the Stuff White People Like blog, they totally should be. Also, I loved their show tonight. Hey! I'm white, aren't I? They put on a good show!

(And no, we saw no familiar "faces" tonight. And yes, Chris hit me. And then we both died laughing when the opening act played one clip in particular from Office Space. Really, what were the odds?!)

Week In Review

Reading-

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix-Harry has now arrived at the 'Noble House of Black' and as he and his guard entered the house, I caught this little blurb: "The others' hushed voices were giving Harry an odd feeling of foreboding; it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying person."
J.K. tells us what she's going to do, we just have to be observant enough to read it.

While Book 5 is, admittedly, not my favorite; I have to give it props. This was the Harry Potter book that finally hooked Dave into reading the series. As much as I hated Harry's constant outbursts and Umbridge-baiting, Dave said he was amazed that a 30-something female writer could capture the mood swings of a 15 year-old boy so completely. This is his favorite book and without it, he would still mock me and my adoration for the HP series.

New Testament: John-I finally finished the fourth gospel. It only took four full months to get through them. But, now that all my schoolwork is finished and my hours are about to get a lot fewer at work; I'm sure I'll have more time to devote to reading. I look forward to it.

Watching-

Gilmore Girls- I finally got caught up on the last two weeks and I have to say that it looks like the series will end on a good note. I loved Doyle being willing to go wherever Paris decides (my own husband was not that accomodating and cringed a great deal while we watched this), I really loved Lorelai telling Luke that maybe he needed to eat something because he was getting cranky (I'm hypoglycemic, it was funny to me), and while I really thought I was a Christopher fan; Lorelai winding up with Luke won't be the worst thing in the world. In fact, after the "I Will Always Love You" moment, I'll be glad if it does. And I kinda thought the series would end with Logan proposing, even if my cynical 35 year-old self does think that they're too young to live happily ever after. Incidentally, I'm also glad the series is ending. After an awful slump, it's finally in a good place again and I want it to end on a good note.

Veronica Mars-After such a long hiatus, after all the rumors of its imminent cancellation, I was worried it wouldn't be good anymore. No need to worry...it rocked as usual. I do love me some teenage drama. I am really worried about next season though...

Grey's Anatomy-I am not going to watch Addison's new show and I felt like the juxtaposition between the two was a little confusing. I also don't like them toying with all my favorite couples at once and trying to make me love George and Izzie at the same time. I'm sure I'll love it again by next week, but right now Grey's has some 'splainin to do.

Robin Hood-I managed to remember that it comes on Saturday night AND Sundays. The thing is, I'm not sure if I should root of Robin or Sir Guy when it comes to Lady Marian. Oh, and I LOVED the sheriff's "business as usual tomorrow" line at the end. I think what I like best about this show (besides it feeding my Robin Hood obsession and the quirky British humor) is that I can watch it with my kids without feeling like it's dumbed-down OR worrying that it's too adult for them. How many shows can you say that about?

In My Netflix Queue-

Dreamgirls-If it weren't for Alan Arkin, you would have NAILED that Oscar Eddie. Keep taking good parts and you'll get one yet! (I reviewed this more thoroughly when I saw it at the movies and I'll spare you all the re-hash.)

Extracurricular Activities-

Billy Joel in Concert!!!-I have wanted to see him since he came here in 1984 and I finally managed it. I went into the Ford Center hoping for four songs and I got them all:
1. An Innocent Man
2. We Didn't Start the Fire
3. Keepin' the Faith
and
4. Piano Man

He didn't disappoint and Piano Man was his final encore number. Even though we were at the very top (which Billy thanked us for) it was a great show. There was much dancing in our seats (especially since we didn't have to worry about the people behind us), singing along, and laughing by Lanie and I when I realized I had put "An Innocent Man" on mix tapes for two different guys I had dated. But hey, it's a classic and it is that ONE SONG I think that Billy is singing to me every time I hear it. He even sang his version of "Shameless" which is also known as THE ORIGINAL since he wrote it and passed it along to Garth. I guess he thought we Okies would appreciate it.

In addition to the concert we also ate at P.F. Chang's (a first for me) and I stayed at a cute little B&B close to where I work leaving Dave to drive home and deal with the kids during the next day's morning rush.

All in all...it was a great birthday and a very good week!

Gone Concertin'

OK, that's so not a real verb. But I don't care because I've got Billy Joel tickets in my hot little hands and I'm going to see him at the Ford Center tonight! Happy Birthday to me!

Weekend Update

As overwhelming as keeping up with the kids, the house, and a new job at church have been; I have to admit that this weekend wasn't too shabby. On Saturday we took the kids to a birthday party and had the pleasure of visiting with a lot of our old friends from where we used to go to church. I miss them and it was great to see them. My parents met us at our house a few hours later and watched the kids while Dave and I went to a Carole King concert at the Zoo Amphitheatre. I guess it's odd that we went while my parents stayed home, but Dad doesn't do concerts and I still love them.

She put on a good show. I knew I liked just about everything she sings, but I didn't realize she had written so many more of the songs I love. I do resolve not to buy anymore tickets online, though. We had close seats, but spent most of the evening peering around a support beam on stage to see her playing the piano. Fortunately, I go into a bit of a trance when I hear good music, so the fact that I couldn't see her well only bothered me on occasion. The drunk idiots to the left of me bothered me more. I'm not opposed to people drinking in general, even if I don't do it myself. But, when you pay $50 or more for a concert ticket in an outdoor venue, why would you get so wasted that you risk severe dehydration AND you won't remember much about the show? Not to mention, you make it unpleasant for everyone else around you. Besides, it was not a wild show. She played the piano and sang, and we listened. Still, I had a great time.

Among all the old favorites, she sang a new song she has co-written with Paul Williams who I know as the composer of one of my all-time favorite songs "The Rainbow Connection." (He also has a cameo in The Muppet Movie-just so you know.) She also did her new version of "Where You Lead, I Will Follow" a' la the Gilmore Girls. Very nice! I was shocked to hear she was 63! She didn't look or act like it. I wouldn't have believed it, but she told us onstage, and why would it benefit her to lie? She is also very involved in the USO and dedicated "So Far Away" to the troops in Iraq. Who knew? Not me. Barry Switzer was at the concert in the VIP section and she actually got him to sing along (from his seat, but facing the crowd) when she sang "Natural Woman." He was a pretty good sport about it. I don't care what the media says, I'll always love Barry. I went to elementary school with his kids-they got no special treatment back then. He must have made thousands for our PTA, he was always showing up for fundraisers and donating autographed pictures and footballs. Don't believe all the bad press, he is a good guy.

After such a good night, I was dreading Sunday. As I mentioned, I have a new job. I teach 5 and 6 year-olds. That's not really my strong suit. I did fine in the church nursery, I thrived teaching anyone from ages 12 and up, but elementary school kids in large groups aren't my favorite. This class in particular is difficult. They gave it to me because I was new and they didn't think I would know any better. But I already did. The last two weeks were rotten, but today was a little bit better. For one, I am used to dealing them after three weeks, AND I am in love with the one little girl in the class. She's adorable. The three boys still run wild, but on the advice of their previous teacher, I set up a table in the class and seated them around it. In our tiny classroom, they lost all their space to run around and get into trouble. Class went much faster today. I guess I have done so much crying to God about this that He is helping me to be more patient just so I'll quit bothering Him with my complaints. For that, I am very grateful. I didn't like dreading Sundays, and I've found myself doing that since my first day in that classroom.

After church, I got the rare treat of a little nap then we had my parents over for dinner and a movie. This week it was "The Other Side of Heaven" which apparently doesn't hit me as hard when I'm not hormonal. I still liked it though, and so did Mom and Dad. I like these mainstream movies about life as a missionary that give my parents an idea of what I did in Italy for 18 mos. without hitting them over the head with deep religious doctrine. "The Best Two Years", "Singles' Ward", and "God's Army" have been popular Sunday viewing with the folks here too. I personally can't wait for the next movie installment of "The Work and the Glory," but I'm not sure when it's due to be released. The books motivated my mother and I to go to Nauvoo back in 2000. It's nice when we can all get along and watch a movie without arguing. I suppose I should thank all these LDS screenwriters for making that possible, but I'm just too jealous. Maybe someday it will be my turn.

Until then, I'm just glad I had a good weekend with a minimum of hormonal outbursts, temper-tantrums, and pee-pee puddles. May next week be as good! Too bad there's not another concert.