Oh yeah!

I went to work last Friday and when I was pulling in, I saw all these busses lined up outside. I didn't think much of it...and infact kind of forgot about it. But later on, my manager said probably all the "roadies" will be coming down tonight to the bar to drink. Uhh....whose roadies? Apparently Brad Paisley and Kelly Pickler were staying at our hotel. Brad for sure, Kelly not 100%. Pretty cool, eh?

Dave.

Ah. Dave. Its a great ritual that I think everyone should do. And now its time for a recap.

Here are just a few pictures from the night. I have an album set up on my Myspace page if you want to check it out.

The day went so smoothly, I can't even describe it. We wanted to leave the house at 1:30...we left at 1:20. We wanted to stop at the grocery store on the way out and that took less than 10 minutes. All we needed to pick up at the store was some buns and some ice. Perfect. We were in and out. By 1:39 we were stopping to get gas and then we were on our long haul (15 miles or so) to Alpine Valley.

We arrived at Alpine Valley and got second row parking. *jaw drops*. Perhaps we were by some Port-a-John's, but whatever. We could live with the stink for a couple of hours while we drank. We set up the grill, cooked our Cheedarwursts, and drank some beers. It was a GORGEOUS day out so no sweat was broken. (Ok, ok. I sat in the trunk/shade the entire time, so I did not break a sweat. Sorry. Everyone else did.) We laughed a lot, drank a lot, and decided around 6 o'clock to head in.

We head in and find a spot right away. I turn to the people behind us and ask them to be kind and to not pee on us. They did not. Phew. I'm tried of going to Dave and getting peed on. Anyway, we drank some more during the concert and before I knew it...it was over. Really. I know what music they played, but perhaps I had drank just a little too much. (Ketchup on my nose in multiple pictures) I remember using Ryan as an "anchor" so that I would not fall over. I mean, we're already standing at a slant and then mix some beer in there, not cool. I'm surprised we only saw one person fall.

We darted out of there after the concert was over and got out of there UBER fast. We took a wrong turn coming home, but through Beaky's navigation skills, were able to find our way pretty quickly. Aaron passes out on me in the car (he was so cute about it!) while I am trying to hear conversations in the front. Did not realize that while sitting in the backseat of my car, you cannot hear anything that is being said in the front. Anyhoo, I needed to get something in my belly so we stopped at McDonald's on the way home. Magically, Aaron had heard McDonald's and pepped up right away. We got our food and came home. We were in bed by 11:30PM.

I would have to say that this is one of my favorite trips to Alpine because everything went so smoothly. Maybe next year I won't drink as much, but I wouldn't change anything else about it. The people, the laughing, the atmosphere....perfect.

Its a Dave weekend

Well, I think I finally did it. I finally look like the girl on the front of the box. Phew. Its about time. Overtime it had started to look terrible. I've been trying for the past week to do it. It was a struggle, though. Puss, burning, constant itching, almost bringing myself to tears .... but I did it. It was an uphill battle to begin with. But alas, I now have medium brown colored hair as the girl does on the box!!!! ;-)


So tonight we're going to see Dave Matthews at Alpine Valley!! SO excited. Its a GORGEOUS day out today and I can't wait to bask in it. I (we) have been going since 2003 and I don't plan to stop. Although I did hear that Alpine Valley is going to close down. I don't understand that theory because its been around for YEARS. MY parents went there. They can't shut down generations of concert-goers for *insert reason here*. Sure its a heck of a hike if you end up parking in a certain parking lot. Sure 90% of the seating turns into a mud slip-n-slide after one hour after the show starts. But don't take away traditions. Please don't.

Well, its 10:44am. I started this blog at 9:00am today, but half way through I decided to go get my car washed. (When I have an idea...I just run with it). But now its time to clean myself and get ready for tonight's festivities.

Last night, I had a dream...

...And it was out in left field.

My Dad was still alive but my Mom had passed away. There are a lot of dreams that are like that. One of them is alive while the other isn't. Or they're both passed away. Never both alive.

Anyway, Andrea, myself, and my Dad stopped at a McDonald's. It was a very busy McDonald's so there were three different lines. I was on the far right hand side. (It was one of those "It was a McDonald's but it wasn't.") So we all order our food, but I see that Andrea and Dad had gotten ice cream. I said to them, " I didn't know I was allowed to get ice cream! " So I scamper back in line. As I'm standing there in line, a guy to the left of me starts convulsions and falls to the floor. I remember in my dream having the music cut in the McDonald's and hearing "gasps". The worst part of the dream, though, is that nobody was helping him. I remember looking around the McDonald's with a look of horror and nobody else's face was like that. So I jump in and help. I prop his head up, start asking him questions, the whole nine, and still nobody helps. By this time Andrea and Dad had come over and they motioned me to get going. So I did. I just got up and left him there.

I know dreams are just that.....dreams. But I truly think that dreams are little windows. They let us see so much! I don't know if I've posted this before in my LJ, but when my Dad died I hit a real low. I didn't do much of anything but sleep. This went on for MONTHS. Aaron somehow managed to stay by my side through the depression (Thanks, Aaron!!!! Love you!!!!!) Anyhoo, I kept on having dreams with my Dad in it. I'm not talking a dream a week ....it was every single night. I'd wake up more sad, more pissed off, more angry than the day before. But one night I had a dream. It changed everything. It was like the flip of depression was switched. It was one of those dreams that I really honestly feel that he came to me and talked to me.

I will remember this dream forever. We were sitting outside on a wrap around deck. It was overlooking a large valley. Green everywhere. Just gorgeous!! It was just as the sun was setting so there was this orange/pink look in the sky. My dad was sitting on the corner of the deck (back facing the valley) and I was sitting down facing the valley. He said to me, " Don't worry, Tianna. Everything is going to be OK. The music up here is wonderful! "

I woke up that next morning a new person.

I guess the whole point of this blog was maybe our dreams are really trying to tell us something. Maybe someone needs my help and I'm failing to recognize it? Should I be trying to find the meaning of my dreams and go out and change/help/do whatever my dreams imply? Perhaps I will go to McDonald's today to get a chocolate shake and maybe, just maybe, I will be able to help someone there.

My feet hurt

$300 tonight in tips. Booooo-ya!

But alas, I was there for 12 1/2 hours.

Mandy Moore

So here is a link. It's a cover of Rhianna's Umbrella song. (Thanks, Perez!) And I just have 3 things I would like to cover. (Ha! Get it...cover?) I am going to do a "sandwich" and say two bad things and one good.

No 1: She STILL STILL STILL looks like she is about to apologize for something. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Even the background on the link that I have posted she looks like she is about to say, " I am so sorry, I didn't mean to!! ". As she's introducing the song, if you watch her face as she's saying " You can't deny how melodic this song is... " she looks like she just killed a person and was apologizing to their family. Wipe that look off your pretty young face, honey!!!

And No 2. Love the hair! But most of all, I love the video to this. I think it's awesome the way they have the original version playing in the background! At one point they show their lips moving N'Sync . ..which I thought just looked really great!

No 3: I like her version of the song..until the end. She could have really made this song hers by just REALLY letting go at the end. I haven't heard a song where she let her heart and soul bare by her singing. There was just a bunch of build up and nothing really to explode to. So D- on the ending of the song. Don't hold back!

Not that I'm the greatest at, well, anything, but really. Are these things not true?

Experience

Went out a couple of nights ago with some people from work. As we were closing up the bar on Friday, Corey asked if I wanted to go out for some drinks. Why not? So him and I head out to Miller Time Pub, which is pretty much right next door to the DoubleTree. Apparently everyone from DoubleTree pretty much knows everyone who works there so we ended up getting free beer while there. Had some good conversation and got a sudden itch to play shuffle board. (Yes, shuffle board) So him and I headed over to (I forget her name...I will call her front desk girl) 's apartment. We pick her up and we're off to Champions. While waiting for the shuffleboard at Champions (yes, waiting), we managed to fit a game of Connect Four in.


After playing two rounds of shuffleboard, Jason, who is the manager of the Avenue Restaurant in the DoubleTree, calls up Corey and says he's playing beer pong at a TKE house. So we, of course, ended up there. It was a pretty sad "party" but this was at bar time and I'm sure everyone had already done their keg stands and gone home. But hey, free beer and I got to manage the music that was being played so it was a waste of my time a lot of fun.


All in all, it was a good time. Not sure if I ever want to step foot into another house party that you have to question every one's age...including the people you came with (front desk girl? Really...you're 21?) But whatever. I'll just call it an experience.



Now I must get ready for work. I work 2-CL. That's a long effing time. *puts on crabby pants*

Lori cardboard cutout

Here, Lori. This is the cutout I want of you. Atleast it would look like we were having the time of our lives!!! Hahaha!

(see comment to your comment on my previous blog....)

Long-duck-dong

Well, I have had two nights under my belt for work. Phew. Want to know how it has gone? Follow me! *motions camera to follow self to board*

The first night (last night) was pretty much getting to know where things are. Much appreciated. I also learned how to use a touch screen register!!! (have always wanted to use one of those). Everything went along really smooth and I felt really comfortable being there. The two guys who are training me have been there 3 years. So its nice to have someone who knows what they're doing do it. But what bugs me about one of the guys is that he just basically came right out and said, " Do as I say...not as I do. " Which I think is just poor leadership. Anyhoo, different day, different blog. But other than that, everyone there is uber nice! I think I'll like it there a lot.

See...now that's not a proper blog. SO much more happened in that time frame than just that...but I fail to complete trains of thought. I had planned on making this a long blog, but just that came out? I managed to put two days (15 hours of training) into a paragraph. Whats up with that? Let me try again:

Training? Blah. Money? Yay!

What the!? It just got shorter! le sigh.

Whatever. I'm just not meant to be a blogger, I guess.

Oh! One thing I "L, O, L, O, L O LO V E" about working at the Double Tree is the fact that I don't have to park my own car. EMPLOYEES HAVE VALET PARKING!!!! Funny thing happened today when I gave my ticket to the valet parking dude....he brings out a different car. Now, my car is a newer car ....but the car that he (valet parking dude) brought was a few pot holes away from falling apart. They honk the horns as they are bringing around the cars and I was thinking, " Hrm...that horn is pretty husky sounding ..." But didn't think much of it. Valet parking dude's face as he's pulling up is pretty much saying, " Crap. Not your car? " He gets out and says, " This isn't your car, is it? " Sure isn't. So he brings me into their office and says, " What keys are yours? " What the!?!?!?!? There are about a million and eight different keys hanging on the wall! How am I suppose to pick them out!? Luckily I can hear my keys from a mile away. I have a RENT key chain that clanks pretty loudly if even looked at the wrong way. So here I am running my hands over every key chain on the wall. *sigh* But I did notice that myhorn is pretty whimpy sounding. Perhaps I can work with my car on "beefing" it up a bit.

Other than that, things are going alright. I just can't believe that the summer is winding down ....and so quickly. What the!? Isn't it suppose to be the 4th of July right about now? I remember in drumcorps how summers seemed to be so long. (DCM is how far away!?) Where is the slow motion button!?!??!?!!?

PS. Had a dream last night that I worked at a tanning place with Dolly Parton. (Just saw her face in the dream.) Oh, and I was living on Talmadge Street again ...but we were moving out. Odd.

WEIRD. I decided to look up "Talmadge Street Eau Claire, WI" on Google and I found the house where I used to live. How EFFFFFING weird is that!?!?!??!!?!?!?!?! (there may have been sexual relations on that front porch at one time or another while locked out of the house one afternoon)

Mercy Street Peter Gabriel

Andrea's Kitchen

Well, we're making progress. Slowly, but surely. I am going to post some of the pictures so everyone can see the updates. And by "everyone" I mean the one person who accidentally runs across this page.

So the picture above you can see the new cabinets (freshly painted by yours truly) and the new floors. Those were sanded down (as recently seen in a previous post) but they look fantastic against the white cabinets!

To the right here, we have just a different angle of everything. Haven't figured out what the door handles will be. Something, as Richard (her landlord) would say, " vintage ". Am uber excited to see everything when its done!

Seriously?

One of the funniest stories I've seen. News worthy? Doubtful. Entertaining? Yes.

So there it is.My new place of employment. The Avenue bar at the DoubleTree hotel downtown Milwaukee. WOOT!

Andrea works there in the mornings on weekends for some extra cash and she heard about the need for bartenders ....and of course she thought of me so she told the manager that I am looking for a job! The manager, by the end of her shift this morning (this morning!), was chasing her down saying, " Don't forget to talk to your sister about the position! " So her and I went in this afternoon to talk to him and have lunch. I filled out an application and 1 hour later, I've already gotten a call back. So. nervous.

I've been a bartender before ....but nothing as classy as this. Well, how do you measure up to Bluebird Campground? Heck, most of the people there were running from the law. Bluebird Hideaway is what it should be called! But, I wouldn't have changed those people for anything. They were like a home away from home...and they treated everyone there like family. I worked with Beaky there (she actually got me the job) and I remember first starting thinking, " I don't know if I can do this...so much to do! " Of course I got over that fear after a couple days (read: weeks) After awhile..... man, you put Beaky and I on a Friday or Saturday night shift and we could rock the house. We worked so well together. I hope that when/if I work with someone we have each others backs like we did at Bluebird. I think a lot of it has to do with communication and listening. If I heard Beaky was taking an order from someone and she needed something that was by me.....I would grab it and throw/slide/hand it to her. I almost want Beaky to bartend with me! Hahaha.

So I guess I'm just nervous/excited to start. I can make a lot of money working there...and I just hope that I can let my inner bartender shine!

*drool*

As everyone knows, I heart Peter Gabriel. A lot. I would STILL have his babies. But I've enjoyed listening to his music for atleast 10 years now. Ten years! There are a few bands out there that I've been listening too for that long. And I bet I've heard the song "In Your Eyes" thousands of times, but yet, everytime I hear it on the radio it takes me to a "place". (as its playing right now)

Not quite sure if its the Senegalese singer N'Dour's chants or the fact that I feel that Tony Levin is right next to me when I listen to it, but I love every aspect of it. I have several attached memories with the song ....some good, some bad. I can remember sitting at a bus station, staying up until 3am talking about Peter Gabriel's albums with Geoff, the summer of 1998 sitting in the back of the bus with Matt Ferry, my dad conducting it with his feet in our living room in Durand....*sigh*.

Music is not about playing instruments in sync. It's about feeling. Music is a feeling.

This blog was brought to you by the letter C

*in the voice of Dr. Nick* Hey, hey, everybody!

Last day of work tomorrow. le sigh. The thing that I like about temp jobs is the fact that they are temporary. I need new things to spark my attention all the time. But the bad part, of course, is that they are temporary. I don't really know how to "work" with the temp agency and see if they have another job lined up for me. But I have sent out resumes online almost everyday and I've only heard back from one. double le sigh.

Man this weather is HOT HOT HOT! Its not so much the heat but the humidity. I can take the dry head of out West any day (Vegas...anyone up?) but this effing humidity!! It's driving me (read: my hair) nuts!

Weirdest thing happened to a lady at work last night. Around midnight she got a call on her cellphone. She ignored it and went back to sleep. She listened to the voicemail this morning and much to her shock, it was of a shooting. Apparently it sounded like a bunch of people and she could pick out one of them saying, " He's really upset ......" And then she heard two gun shots. She was going to call the police today...but I don't know if she did. How strange is that?

Well, I think that is all I am going to "blog" about right now. Andrea's plane gets in from Paris around 7PM and we're going to meet up over at Kathie's. Can't wait to see pictures!!!

Ew. Ew. Ew.

Note to self: "Say No" to butter cream frosting. Gross. Its consistency is less than desirable and it leaves a weird film on my lips. Not to mention the attack of sugar on my system. I like sweet things (I am what I eat...er.....) but for real. TOO much. I'd rather lick the marsh mellow man's ass.