{NKOTB - part 3, the saga continues}

You can get caught up with parts I & II of this nonsense here: (part 1) & (part 2)

So you remember how Courtney & I were so excited about our VIP seats at the Wachovia Center? 

After we took care of business in the bathroom (yes, that includes taking pictures) and got our Diet Cokes from the bar, we made our way to our seats.  Shortly after we were seated, the first opening act took the stage.  We weren't really sure who it was going to be.  We just knew that we'd never heard of her before.  Yeah.  Her name is Lady Gaga & I'm pretty glad that I'd never heard of her before.  For those of you not "in the know", like me...here's her picture:

 

(image source: Starimpulse.com)

Either I'm getting really old, or some music today is just weird.  Maybe both.  Anyway...in between strutting around in her underwear, waving a lit up staff/stick around, playing dead, and gyrating on the floor, she sang a little.  We were not impressed.  The gals sitting around us probably thought we weren't going to be any fun during the whole concert, because for Lady Gaga's performance, we sat there staring with our mouths hanging open.  And when we did speak, it was mostly to talk about how ridiculous her act was.  Moving right along...

Next was Natasha Bedingfield.  She was fun.  She did a good job warming us up for the good stuff.  We enjoyed her fun, upbeat music & her performance.  Although we did sing along to some of her songs, we didn't want to waste any serious vocal chords on anybody but the New Kids.

Speaking of New Kids?  Um - awesome.  Before they came out there was a montage on the big TVs around the stage that showed some of their past history & clips of old performances.  It talked about how it has been so many years since they'd been together.  Then they came out.

Don't laugh at me when I tell you I cried a little bit.  Here & several other times throughout the show.  I said don't laugh.

They put on a great show.  I was pleased to see that much of the show time was spent performing the old stuff.  That's the stuff I wanted to hear.

And they delivered, baby.

Joey-Joe has always been my favorite.

And Courtney has always loved Donnie.

About halfway through the show, they guys showed up on this small circle stage near the back of the floor.  We had a great view of them there.  The stage had a grand piano on it and it spun in a circle.  I think they did 3 or 4 songs here.  They were casually sitting on the piano during some of the talking parts and seriously interacting with the crowd.  Wow.  I bet those girls were very pleasantly surprised when they found themselves so close.

There were several "transition" songs throughout the show, when one guy would take the stage solo while the others changed outfits or something.

Here's Jordan.  With his shirt unbuttoned and a breeze blowing.

I loved how the stage looked for this one.  It is a classic.  Cover Girl.

Some more shots of the show...

And for the encore numbers, they donned cute basketball attire.  It reminded me of High School Musical.  In a good way.

The concert was good.  Really good.  I can't believe I could talk or hear anything afterwards.  It brought back all of those great feelings of being a kid again.  I had a blast and loved every minute of it.  Except the Lady Gaga part.

We were on cloud nine.

Until we tried to find the cab who was supposed to take us back to the hotel.

{New Kids have still got it! (the right stuff, that is)}

My memories from 1988 to 1991 include a serious adoration and healthy obsession with the New Kids on the Block.  Courtney was my bestest friend and we ate, drank, breathed, dreamed and lived NKOTB.  During that time, we were privileged to attend 5 concerts.  Yes.  I said FIVE.  See, my mom has had a thing for the Beatles since she was young, and didn't get to see them in person then.  So she wanted her daughters to be able to live their dream, if it was in her power to make it possible.  And it didn't hurt that she loved Jordan Knight. 

Now, when the New Kids announced earlier this year that they were reuniting, I tuned in to all of the performances and even captured them on my DVR.  I sat wide-eyed, staring at the TV, and hanging on their every word.  See...you need to know that I never have denounced my love for them nor have I ever been too embarrassed to share my love for them. 

Fast forward to this week...Courtney & I on a road trip to Philly for a New Kids concert.  Yep.  And it was awesome. 

Neither one of us had been to Philadelphia before, so we knew nothing about the city, except that the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were there.  We'd heard that it was a pretty sketchy city and to be aware of our surroundings at all times.  When we got to the hotel, we asked the front desk about the parking situation at the Wachovia Center.  We basically wanted  to know if we should drive and park ourselves or take a cab.  The hotel was about 10 miles from the concert venue.  Most concert places we'd been to recently did not have their own parking lots, so parking was an adventure either in a parking deck with quite a walk, or find a place on the street...good luck!  The people at the front desk said it might be pretty crazy and that we should probably take a cab.  We didn't want to walk very far because we were both recovering from a broken ankle (I know, weird, right?). 

The front desk person gave us a number for a cab company.  We even asked her how much she thought the ride would be.  She estimated $50 each way.  We were all about being safe in an unfamiliar city, so we booked the cab.

By the way, neither one of us is very cab savvy.  Our combined cab rides equals 4.  Ever.  To say we were pretty nervous is putting it lightly.

This is getting pretty long, so I think I'll make this a series.  This little 2 day trip packs in a whole lot of stories, lemme tell ya. 

{101st post - across the universe}

101 Things About My New Obsession: Across the Universe

FYI - this is my 101st post on this here blog and was bullied encouraged to write a better post to commemorate this monumentous event!  I've already done the meme listing 100 things about me.  So here's this unique 101st post for ya.  I had to be a bit different.

1. When the movie was released in October of 2007 I had no desire to see this movie.
2. I thought it looked way too weird/strange/generally acid-tripping from the previews.
   
3. Actually, I had to look up the release date on imdb.com because I didn't even remember exactly when it was new.
   
4. You want some background on me for a minute?...
5. OK - I had a Beatles phase in college.
6. It was after a trip to Vegas and spending some time in a cool memorobelia shop in Caesar's Palace.
7. A guy friend that I worked with was really into The Beatles so it kind of just happened.
   
8. It is such timeless music that it is sort of inevitable, really.
   
9. Another reason it was inevitable is that my mom loves them.
   
10.  I mean, really loves them!
    
11.  Like, she's loved them ever since she was a kid and would cry at night because she loved Paul so much and didn't think she'd ever get to see him in person.
12. Back then, she promised herself that if her kids ever had a music love, crush, obsession that she would try to indulge them in that love.
13. That is why I saw NKOTB in concert 5 times. 
    
14. Yes.  I said FIVE times.
    
15. I know.  I'm lucky, right?
16. Fast forward to several years ago when my mom got to see a PAUL concert.  Seriously.  All of her dreams came true.  
17. To this day, when she hears Paul singing on the radio or in a public place she stops...and reflects on the fact that she was actually in the same room as he was...breathing the same air as Paul McCartney!
    
18. My sister, Emily, who is a few years younger than I am has an unhealthy tremendous love for The Beatles as well.
    
19. That is another reason why, when the movie came out, we just didn't see it.
    
20. I mean, it was like sacrilidge...all these young people singing Beatles songs...who did they think they were?
    
21. Even though we are lovers of all things musical, especially show choir, plays and movies that include music.
    
22. Seriously...we are there on opening day when wonderful musical plays are made into movies.  We love them.
    
23. But we just weren't going to go there with ATU.  (That's what real lovers of this movie call it - Across the Universe).
    
24. Then I broke my ankle this past August and had a ton of time on my hands.
    
25. ATU was available to watch on our On Demand cable movie channel.
26. I thought...what the heck? I'll just watch it for a minute and see what all the buzz was about.
    
27. After all...I have a ton of time on my hands. 
    
28. Jim Sturgess immediately caught my attention with the opening song set on the beach.  
    
29. He sang "Girl"...on the beach...with a Brittish accent...looking straight at the camera...and spoke right directly to my heart.
    
30. I couldn't turn it off.
31. I didn't want to, either.
    
32. Ok - I admit there are some strange acid-tripping parts in this movie depicting the late 60's, but seriously...doesn't that seem to fit in with that time period?
33. Then...there was this scene in the bowling alley where he sang "I've Just Seen A Face" and I fell even deeper in love with every nuance of his movement. 
34. Yes...you're right...I am happily married (today is actually our 11th anniversary...yay!)
    
35. I was born in 1976, so did not live to experience any part of the 60's.  But I appreciate the insight this movie gives me into that time.
36. I know...it is just a musical...but I can't help it...strong emotions are evoked by certain parts of the movie.
    
37. Lots of historical events are touched on and covered in the movie.
    
38. Like the Vietnam war.
    
39. And the protests that went along with it.
40. Also the feelings of the families and friends who had loved ones fighting there.
    
41. And the fact that some of them didn't make it home.
    
42. Racial contention was also touched on in the movie.
    
43. In a touching scene set to "Let It Be."
44. On a much happier note, this movie introduced me to the scrumpteousness that is Jim Sturgess.  His character's name is Jude.
    
45. And Joe Anderson. Joe plays Jim's friend, Max.
    
46. And since I've recently devoured the imdb's archives on this movie, I think I'll share with you some of the things that I found interesting.
    
47. If you're not as crazy about this movie as I am, you might think these morsels of information are ridiculously boring.  Not me...
    
48. Joe Anderson originally tried out for the part of Jude, but once he read the script, he decided that he was more of a "Max."
49. Max is American & Joe does a knock-out job on his American accent.
    
50. So much of the details in this movie correspond or were inspired by actual events in the life of The Beatles, even though the movie's storyline isn't about them.
    
51. All the names of the main characters come from Beatles songs.
    
52. Jude is from "Hey Jude."
    
53. Max is from "Maxwell's Silver Hammer."
54. Lucy is from "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
    
55. Prudence is from "Dear Prudence."
    
56. Jo Jo is mentioned in the song "Get Back."
    
57. Sadie is the main event in "Sexy Sadie."
    
58. Back to the other intersting tidbits...
59. A club where Jude is seen near the beginning of the movie is called The Cavern, in Liverpool, where the Beatles played in the 60's.
    
60. There's a scene where Sadie's band plays on the rooftop of their recording label's building.  This is a clear reference to The Beatles' last public performance that took place on the rooftop of the building of their record label.
    
61. Sadie's record company is named "Strawberry Jamz."  This is a reference to the Beatles record company - "Apple Corps."
    
62. There are several parts in the movie that I almost always rewind and play a few times in a row. 
    
63. One is the bowling alley scene...YUM!
64. Depending on my mood, I might watch the opening scene on the beach again, or the part on the streets of Liverpool with Jude and his Brit girlfriend where he sings "All My Lovin'."
    
65. One of my favorite things I learned while I casually fervently watched Jim Sturgess interviews on YouTube is that...
    
66. THEY SANG ALL THE SONGS LIVE ON THE SET...AT THE TIME OF THE SCENE.  
    
67. Sorry that I yelled for a minute, but seriously...the movie versions of the song are the way they sang them right then and there acting the scene.
    
68. Can you believe that?
    
69. I am in awe.
    
70. There is a crazy Beatles song called "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" that is inserted into the psychodelic part of the film.  
    
71. My kid's saw that part and thought that I must be crazy for watching such a weird movie.
    
72. Maybe I am.
73. If I am, then I don't want to be not crazy.
    
74. By the way, Lucy reminds me a lot of pictures I've seen of my mom during her high school years.
    
75. She graduated in 1971.
    
76. Lucy starts out as kind of a goody-two-shoes preppy girl...
    
77. And ends up in Grenwich Villiage...kind of not so goody-two-shoes.
    
78. My mom was more like the first Lucy.
    
79. There are lots of cameos throughout the movie.
    
80. You've got Selma Hayek.
    
81. Joe Cocker.
    
82. Bono.
    
83. A movie commenter on imdb thought the movie was the love child of Moulin Rogue and Hairspray.
    
84. I guess I can see that.
    
85. Sadie's character is supposed to "parallel" Janis Joplin.
    
86. Jo Jo is "like unto" Jimi Hendrix.
    
87. Jude is thought of as a compilation of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
    
88. I see it.
    
89. Did I mention I adore him?
    
90. Also, that I have some new Jim wallpaper on my laptop?
    
91. Evan Rachel Woods plays Lucy in the film. 
    
92. She also dates Marilyn Manson in real life.
    
93. Yuck!
    
94. Please don't hold that against this film.
    
95. Have I convinced you to see it yet?
    
96. I'll be seein' ya later.
    
97. I have to go watch ATU again.
    
98. Wanna join me?
    
99. We'll pop some popcorn and make a night of it!
    
100. Will you come back for my 102nd post?
     
101. I promise it won't be as long as this! :)
     

What's in a name?

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Ginger Chrysler (doesn't exactly flow from your lips)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Chocolate Chocolate Chip (not such a scary gangsta name...but better than the alternative: Chocolate Snickerdoodle

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) J-Cha

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Dolphin

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Hope Richmond(wow...that really works, huh?)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Chaje (I don't pretend to understand star wars)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Pink Dr. Pepper

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Jesse Norwood

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Happy Spree

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Carol Crawford

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Gizzo Glendale (I'm Gizzo Glendale and here are today's top stories...)

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Hydrangea (doesn't sound very spy-like to me)

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Cantaloupe Skirty

14. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Kashi Cherry Blossom

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, weather element+ Tour") The Blogging Tornado Tour (tour dates announced soon)

Kinda fun, huh? Join in if you want to play. You know you wanna. Dont'cha, dont'cha, dont'cha?

Chick-Fil-A Grand Opening - First 100!

So there were some crazy people in my town last week who camped in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot for 24 hours so they could win free Chick-Fil-A for a year. Seriously, who would do something as strange as that?

ME!

Oh my! It was really a blast. First of all, the grand opening was scheduled for Thursday at 6:00am. I got there at about 8:15am on Wednesday morning. My sister, Laura decided to come with me, but she didn't really understand what she was agreeing to. When she realized we would be sleeping there and that we couldn't leave the premises, she had to call and cancel plans with a friend to shop for a HS graduation dress.



So, it was really cool that they fed us breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Wednesday. But the coolest part about that, I think, is that we got to WALK through the DRIVE THRU for our food. They lined us up according to our number (I was 75 out of 100) and shuffled us through the line.

The weather had been seriously scorching for days (over 100, not including heat index!), but we got lucky that Wednesday was not as hot. I think it only got to about 90 degrees. It still felt warm, though. I called my dad to see if he could hunt down a canopy to borrow. He suprised us about an hour later with a brand new canopy he had purchased. I'm sure he'll get many uses out of it, but I couldn't believe that he bought it so we could use it. What a sweetheart!


You may be wondering what the heck we would do to occupy our time while waiting for the day to progress. We had wonderful company. My sister Laura and my friend Becca were with me. We met some great people. Dick, who is 85 years old and camped next to us (this was his 9th Chick-Fil-A grand opening, I kid you not) had wonderful stories and experiences to share with us.

We also sat around chatting, rested on an air mattress under our shady canopy,
& watched and participated in fun and silly games put on by the Chick-Fil-A crew. This one is a frozen T-shirt contest. They froze a wet T-shirt into a ball, and the first one to get it on their body won. And they couldn't bang it on the ground. Ha. It was funny to watch.

Laura even participated in a kind of musical chairs scavenger hunt.

We enjoyed many visitors to our humble homestead in the parking lot that day as well. Our friends and families couldn't resist checking it out...

Taylor and Zach participated in some of the line dances and other fun. They did the Cha-Cha slide, Hokey Pokey, and Freeze Dance.

In the evening, they had an MC, showed a movie, and served ice cream sundaes. I guess we hit the sack about 11:30pm. Wake up call from the mike was at 5am, bright and early! We cleaned up our temporary "home", then proceeded to line up according to our numbers for a final check. I got to meet the cow...notice the not-enough-sleep look on my face.




When we finally got to get our grand prize, we walked single-file into the building amidst a cheerful band of Chick-Fil-A employees loudly, very loudly, banging on their metal pans (with metal spoons, mind you). Did I mention that it was loud, and 6:00 in the morning? My sister snapped a pic of me approaching the magic table with the goods. Oh yeah...and before we went inside, they gave us all t-shirts and paper hats to wear.
That same wonderful sister, who claims to be a photographer captured this wonderful photo of me accepting my prize. Don't quit your day job, Laura! Just kidding sweetie...it was crazy in there, fast moving, and did I mention, REALLY LOUD?

And to top it off, Thursday was my kids' last day of school. They got out early, at 12:30pm. Guess where we went for lunch? You guessed it...I spent my first coupon for a free meal that very day. Here are my kids enjoying the grand opening. They had been dying to play in the new kids play area...it is pretty cool.

So what do you think? Am I nuts, or just frugal and fun? YOU DECIDE! :)

Baby Bunnies & Camping

Friday afternoon, our neighbor found these darling little bunnies in her front yard, in a hole, covered by a bunny nest (a bunch of bunny hair that looks cottony). Seriously... darling. I think there were 5 of them. I put the key chain in the picture for scale.






Taylor & I went to a mother-daughter campout Friday night with the girl's group from church. There were 8 girls between the ages of 8 & 11, and their moms. I think a great time was had by all. We had quite a bit of rain and red clay mud to reckon with, but we also had quite a bit of singing, chatting, and enjoying one another's company. There was not, however, quite a lot of sleeping.

Here are some shots from the trip. I took pictures of lots of the campers, but am only including those with my daughter for privacy of the other girls' sake.