Indiana- Part 1

It's been a while.  I don't blame you if you stopped reading this blog.  Heck, I have stopped reading it!  Well, writing.  Which is the same thing, kinda, since it is a surprise to me too what with the stream-of-conciousness writing thing.  Every sentence is new to me, too.

Anyway, I have a little catching up to do.  I have somehow at some time petered out on the whole 365 thing.  Which is irritating.  Because I thought THIS TIME I would manage to see the project through.  But that was not the case.  I will see if I can salvage it (part of the issue is I keep forgetting to clear my memory card and then I get all confused on the order once I import to the computer... my life is chaos).

We get married in a couple weeks.  The week after Christmas.  Some crazy lady inhabited my body for a while and convinced me this was totally doable.  No sweat.  Then, the crazy lady vacated and I am stuck with the panic.  Go figure.  If anyone sees her, let her know I dislike her enthusiasm for the near-impossible and do not appreciate her leaving me with all this insanity.  Thanks.

So, Indiana.  We went to see my brother's senior show with the Glee Club, which was awesome as anticipated.  Now I confess to the bit where I ignored the no photography bit thinking I had the camera on all manual settings so nobody would see any flash or anything so I was going to be a photo ninja.  But then this ninja forgot to check the telephoto lens which was on auto focus and shot out a really bright light that ninja couldn't see from behind the lens, whose focusing range was really far away.  Ninja was notified from people in seats in front of her that she was being obnoxious.  Ninja resigned as a ninja and shrunk into her seat for the remainder of the show, only venturing out to photograph the proceedings of the after-show senior send off.  So, to my brother, I apologize for the lack of photos from your last show.  Your sister is a failed ninja.

Anyway, those photos (or lack thereof) will be in a later post.  Today we talk bars.  Because we went to a couple, and it is enough to make me wish I lived in West Lafayette.  Their bars are awesome.  Ours, while I love the people there, are less awesome.

Anyway, we went to a couple bars I mentioned before.  First, on recommendation of my brother, we went to Harry's Chocolate Shop.  It was small and already kinda crowded for 11 in the morning, but we ordered a couple Colorado Root Beers and a basket of fries with Harry's Seasoning on them, which were all amazing.  Colorado Root Beer is basically vanilla vodka, root beer schnapps, a splash of Coke, a dsah of half-and-half and a bit of Baileys.  And delicious.









Then, we went to Nine Irish Brothers, a pub we visited last time we were that way as well.  As always, the Guinness and Irish fare were stellar, and the atmosphere true pub quality!  There were even Irish Santas for the holiday season.  The whole family went by after the Saturday show and we all had a wonderful time!  It was fun catching up with my extended family from Michigan and seeing Bear get to know them a little better with every meeting.  We don't frequently see my relatives, since they are all far away.  Or maybe we're the ones who live far away.  Either way, we don't often see each other, and whenever we have a chance to share a meal and some conversation, we welcome the moment with open arms.




















Well, that concludes the bar crawling bit of our two-day trip... and yes, we went through a twelve-hour one-way drive for a couple days, followed by twelve-hours home.  Phew!  We must love my brother or something.

I hope to post more about the trip soon.  Work is a little weird right now, with the holiday break coming up my hours are strange and there isn't really any downtime for internet doodling, so bear with me and my strange backwoods internets!

Ciao!

Etsy Monday: Game of Thrones!

For anyone who was not aware, Game of Thrones premiered last night on HBO!  My Bear introduced me to the George R. R. Martin series, A Song of Ice and Fire, when we we began dating.  I was a bit apprehensive at first, because there is definitely a lack of respect toward women (usually pawns, swapped out to appease the lust of men, but many female characters are strong, independent women) and a moral societal structure that simultaneously infuriated, baffled, and intrigued me.  Politics play a key role, particularly in the first novel, for which the HBO series is named.  I was really excited to see the characters come to life, particularly Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Arya Stark.  The pilot did not disappoint (I watched it over and over to try and pick out small details I may have missed the first time...).  I can't wait until the next episode, and found out the next book in the series is due to hit bookstores on Tuesday, July 12, 2011!!!  I haven't read ALL the books we have yet (the series is pretty long already, but all the characters and plots are so intricate... we can't figure out how the various tales will all come together for a wrap up in the series), but Bear has, so he will jump for joy at this news!

Anyways, todays Etsy Monday is all about Game of Thrones.  If you have HBO, I highly recommend the series.  If not, I give you permission to spend more time at the houses of your friends that do.  I do not suggest creeping outside your neighbors window with a bag of popcorn trying to view their TV set while they watch the series, though.  They may mistake you for a White Walker and attack... or simply call for law enforcement (nobody likes a creeper).

The first book, and as far as I can tell so far, the series revolves around the House of Stark.  The Starks live in Winterfell in the northern most reaches of the land within The Wall, which divides the Kingdoms from the surrounding lands inhabited by wildlings and horrific creatures (the Others!).  The House of Stark's sigil is the Dire Wolf, a creature that lives further north beyond the wall.

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via: pegbeard

There are seven Kingdoms in the land, each plays an important role in the series.  They are represented by several Houses: the House of Targaryen which once held the main seat in Kings Landing, the House of Greyjoy, the House of Baratheon who currently holds Kings Landing, the House of Tyrell, the House of Arryn related by marriage to the House of Stark,  and the House of Lannister related by marriage to the House of Baratheon.

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Each House has their own sigil and political stance in the land called Westeros, and with the onset of political turmoil, each plots to seize and control the coveted Iron Throne set in Kings Landing.

via: uncommonwhimsy

The Iron Throne was won by Robert Baratheon from the Targaryen House, descended from Aegon the Conqueror.  The sigil of the Targaryen House is a dragon, the last living of the species were important in their house securing the throne at the beginning of their long reign.  No living dragons have been seen since, and the two remaining Targaryens, Daenerys and her brother, flee across the narrow sea to Essos, to rally forces to assist them in winning back the crown.  Daenerys is married to the Lord of the "savage" Dothrakis and gifted three dragon eggs at the wedding, which have turned to stone over the years they had lain dormant.

via: andracassidy

The House of Stark is comprised of several members, headed by Eddard and Catherine Stark, and their children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon.  Eddard's bastard son, Jon Snow, also resides with the family.  In Winterfell, "Snow" is the surname given to bastards of high birth.  The House motto is "Winter is Coming", even though the Stark children were born during a long summer and have never endured a long winter.  Unlike our planet, the seasons in Westeros are not definable by any timetable, and may last several years.

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via: midevalnerd

The Wall that secures Westeros from the wild woods is guarded by men all in black, known as the brothers of the Night's Watch.  These men were once a proud group, but as the community became comfortable with the lack of perceived threat beyond the Wall declined to convicted criminals and other "unsavory" characters.  The woods beyond hold small colonies of people free of the influence from Kings Landing, referred to as wildlings, as well as horrific creatures (again, White Walkers and the Others... eep!).

via: thisyearsgirl

 The closest time frame I can equate the series to is mideval: lots of tapestries, jousts, tournaments, beheadings, impalments and the like.  The series is so absorbing, and HBO has done a wonderful job thus far in bringing texture, color, and richness to a world beyond our own!  The costumes, props and set decorations really allow the viewer to believe in the different surroundings and characters.  It's pretty amazing, some of those sets!

via: thecomrade

via: jackhandmake

 If you get HBO, be sure to watch this series!  If not, I am sure you can use Netflix or maybe even hulu.com to see the episodes!  (You can also get a feel for what their lives may have been like by visiting your local Renaissance Festival!  Can't wait for MDRF!)

In personal news, this past weekend was busy for me and my Bear.  His sister is getting married at the end of June, and her bachelorette party and bridal shower were this weekend.  I have tons of photos, and will share some from the latter event.  Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I won't post the bachelorette ones.  I took photos at her behest, and will get them to her alone.  Then she can do with them as she will.  I don't want to be responsible for anyone's reputation (although the party was actually really really tame; we went to a local Irish Pub, had a few rounds, and sang along with the band while eating delicious food)!

Happy Monday!  Anyone have a great TV series or book series you want to share?  I would love to hear of them!

Irish Jam Session

Yesterday was busy for me and the Bear.  We went to a St. Paddy's house party in which I performed!  I sang with a group of truly talented folks.  I had only met most of them once at rehearsal, but I felt like part of the family already.  It was a blast, and I hit all my notes!  Hooray!

Then we met up with some friends for a birthday celebration (or two, or three birthdays)!  Overall, it was a busy but fun Saturday!  Patchie and Her Boy had a wedding to attend, and showed up at the Local Redneck Bar in super fancy wedding attire, in which Patchie and my Bear rapped.  It was highly entertaining.

I am planning on making a few regular posts on here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  They will be: Etsy Monday (we all need a reason to smile on Mondays!), Wedding Wednesday (all things inspirational to me and my upcoming wedding, as well as other lovelies I find on the interwebs), and Photobomb Friday (a mix of photos I took either that week or in the past and some inspirational photos I find online which will be linked to their original source).  Be sure to keep an eye out for all the fun!!!

Happy Sunday!  Hope you are also enjoying a lazy day!

A Day in the Life

So, the article I was interviewed for came out today.  I don't get the paper, so I relied on friends who facebooked me (oh, modern communication) about it, and found the article online.  It didn't turn out too bad.  I was afraid it would turn out all wrong, making me sound either stuck-up or undeserving because I attributed the win to so many people, but it didn't do either I think.  I was really lame though, because when asked how many shows I had done at the theatre in my life I drew a blank.  I guesstimated somewhere between 30-50 shows overall, but maybe not all at the same theatre.  The article said I had been affiliated with 30 to 50 shows.  I realize now that there is a pretty big gap between 30 and 50 and I see how silly it looks in print.  Oh, well.

Me and my WATCH Award (I keep it by a window so in the morning I have this neat prism morning sun effect in the bedroom.  It looks like a monument, but cleaner.

St. Paddy's day was such fun!  I had a blast with Patchie, Her Boy, Bear, and other friends.  We started at the Local Irish Pub and migrated to our Usual Thursday Night Bar where karaoke was happening.  I had quite a few delicious Guinness beverages, followed by Killian's and some whiskey, ate some chicken tenders (oh so Irish of me) and bangers and mash, sang a lot of Irish tunes, and somehow wound up bringing home a big green hat with feather trim and a tiara on it, a Jameson's wrist band (the sweatband type), and some beads.  Nobody got pulled over and we didn't see any of the alleged 27 checkpoints in our area.  All in all, I call that a good night.  Not that I'm not feeling it now.  Because I am.

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Today was worky.  Yes, worky.  BUT it's so pretty where I work, I could never complain!

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I was happy that my coworker was also a bit hung over, and we did everything on our checklist while chatting about our shenanigans and drinking water.  We had to learn the process of selling items in the gift shop or exhibit to guests, so we each picked out an item and purchased it.  Better to actually go through the motions and make sure you understand the process, right?  And now I have these adorable glass mushroom earrings.  Yay!

Happy Friday!  A few fun links for your weekend entertainment...

* Rootbeer and GingerSnap flavored liquor?  Yes, please!

* Every year for Christmas, my Bear and I are gifted about two calendars each.  What to do with them all after the year is up?  Seems a waste to throw them out... why not upcycle those calendars?!?!

* I like to pretend I'm pretty crafty, and really want to learn to knit and crochet.  When I do, I am so making this adorable granny blanket for our bed!

St. Paddy's Day!

I am a good part Irish, so I always celebrate St. Patrick's!  That being said, here are a few things I HATE about the holiday in America:

*green beer.  What is the point in green beer?  Ew.  I will never comprehend that.

*stupid costumes made to look like Leprechauns or giant green... people.  I can't fathom why dressing like the Lucky Charms guy makes you so very Irish.  That whole iconography was created by a cereal company.  It's not all that Irish.

*people who think red hair is an Irish thing and make a big deal out of it.  It was a mutation in genes and originated in England.  Some of those people happened to colonize in Ireland, and over time blended with the Irish and the red-head gene was incorporated.  I think I learned this in my biology class.

*How crowded the pub gets with drunk people who all feel they have to scream instead of talk.

Anyways, here are things I LOVE about the holiday:

*Guinness.

*Friends who come out to the pub with us.

*An excuse to wear green (which I don't really need, as I own a lot of green clothes).

*An excuse to drink on a weekday.  Even though I have work tomorrow morning.

*The music.  I often listen to Celtic music anyway, but it's nice to see some local bands that try to play some tunes, or hear recordings in public places (which is funny because I get lots of accusing looks when I listen to Celtic music in my car any other time of year.  This is the one day people actually try to find Celtic Pandora stations and whatnot).


So, on Saturday, I will be singing some Irish tunes, mostly of the drinking assortment, with some lovely people.  Here are the YouTube versions of a couple (both are renditions by Gaelic Storm, because they are upbeat and fun):

(I didn't make the videos, they are not official videos, either.  I just found them on YouTube HERE and HERE.)

Happy St. Paddy's Day!  Avoid green beer and drunken "Leprechauns", have a Guinness or Smithwick's and listen to some good music!