Everything's More Fun In Pigtails!

Pam Goes To Minnesota (And FINALLY MEETS SHELLY!)

#41: Meet Shelly.

So my list of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days may have expired 9/28/07, but I am gleefully crossing this one off of the list, even if it is quite belatedly. Good things do come to those who wait, because after being friends since March of 2003 or something crazy like that, I FINALLY got to meet my friend Shelly in person last weekend and I had the BEST time. I had tried to get out her way for her wedding in December of 2007, but plane fare was quite high at that time, so I had to sit it out. But thankfully, I decided to check plane fares on a whim a few months ago and found a great rate to Minnesota so I just decided, "I'm going to go visit Shelly!"

And that I did.

It's so funny to meet someone that you've been friends with online because in some special cases, that person knows a LOT about you. Sometimes it's easier to tell Internet pals things that you may not share all of with your home friends just because they're outside of the situation and can give you good advice or just listen and share their stories with you. And although it seems like it should be a little awkward or weird if you finally meet in person, I have found that it never is. Shelly was no exception - we fell right into our groove as if we've been hanging out for years. I mean, we virtually "hang out" through regular e-mails and sometimes on the phone, so I suppose it should come easy. Still, nothing beats kicking it in a hotel hot tub together while engaging in some good ol' fashioned girl talk. It was little moments like these that made my fun trip even better. And Shelly's husband, Todd? Totally awesome. We all just had an easy-going kickass weekend, and I thank them for taking me on a tour of the town and showing me an amazing time. And kudos to finding a FANTASTIC dive bar to hit for karaoke - it was a perfect Bar Tuesday establishment and may need to move its location up here immediately. The clientele, too. Plus, I'm forgetting to mention one of the most important things: MALL OF AMERICA. That's right, I conquered that bitch.

But what good are words when I have pictures of our adventures? There are many, so I'm going to put them all on the next page so as not to take up my whole page with pictures of me on the flume ride at the mall. Oh, yes.

Click below for the picture diary!

Hanson Madness: The Aftermath

Okay, so I'm tired and tired and tired some more (did I mention that after I got off the plane from Milwaukee yesterday, I stopped at home for 3 minutes to change my shirt and shoes and then headed out to Lucy's Bachelorette Party? More on that in another entry....), so this entry is pretty much just going to be picture and link town.

As you all know, I did a phone interview with Taylor Hanson not too long ago to promote their upcoming show in Milwaukee. Then I wrote up a little Q&A article for OnMilwaukee.com. Added to the package was the opportunity to go to Milwaukee for the show, meet with the boys for a video interview and then write a review of the concert. You know, pretty much one of the best assignments anyone could ever give me, especially since there was no research required on my part.

Anyhoo, I said most of what needed to be said about the concert in the review here, so you can read that if you would like since I'm too lazy and tired to get into more of it here. I'll just add that I was secretly happy that the band didn't perform Mmmbop just because it validates that I'm not a completely crazy person in telling people that I've seen them not play it once before. This was my 8th time seeing them in concert, and it was one of the best, so I was very pleased with the outcome of all of this. Plus - they played the song I requested during our interview that afternoon, and it is not one they play often, so I was jazzed about that.

I spent a half hour talking to the boys before the show, so the video of the whole thing was way too long and the file too large to post all at once, so I put up some select clips on YouTube. You can view the playlist and the clips here. The room they put us in was only lit by candles and a giant light between Isaac and Zac, so the videos were on the dark side to begin with, and got even more so when I uploaded them. Isaac turns into shadow man most of the time like he's giving some anonymous and scandalous interview on 60 Minutes or something. But you can really tell how knowledgeable they are about the music business and all that jazz - my videographer was very impressed with the boys.

The other perk to being with the press? The Photo Pass, aka One of the Greatest Things Ever. It grants you access into the security pit in front of the stage (and most importantly, in front of the fans) to take pictures during the first 3 songs. It was so nice not to have to try to reach over people not to get their hands and heads in the shots. Plus, I got to watch my favorite band perform 3 songs (one of which is in my personal Top 3 Favorite Hanson songs) 2 feet away from me. I had my hands on the stage, people - and NO ONE next to me, pushing and yelling. It ruled.

Here's my favorite shots out of the 70+ that I took:

That last one is my absolute favorite. Taylor is seriously the best looking guy I have ever seen in person (and I've met Jared Leto, who was a jerk, but gorgeous). Taylor's face is stunning. Even my dad was all, "That middle one is really good looking." Hey - he hasn't been a celebrity boyfriend of mine for almost 11 years for nothing. Anyway, here I am with the boys:

And finally, two quick videos I took from "The Pit":

There are no words for the awesomeness of being able to do all of that.

Big thanks to Andy from OnMilwaukee.com - you rule, my friend.

Official Tally: 101 Things In 1001 Days - 64 Completed

So the big 101 Things in 1001 Days list officially expired on Friday, and I ended up completing 64 of the 101 tasks. That's almost 2/3 of the list, which I am happy with, considering that there are quite a few "what was I thinking?" entries on there as well as some that will be completed in the next few months, so I'll take it. Plus, I did get to complete some FANTASTIC ones, so I am good with it all. I'm not going to re-print the whole list here for the wrap-up - you can view it all from the link above - I'm just going to take a look at the highlights as well as a few of those that I missed that I still must do. Shall we?

First, let's start with my favorites - Top 3, baby:

1. Meet Taylor Hanson - This was actually the LAST list item that I crossed off, and with only 4 days left on the list. It was also one of the top 5 items that I wanted to complete when I made the list, so I am MORE than happy to list it as my #1 completion. And anyone who knows me or has been reading my site for any amount of time knows that this has been a long time in the making. There was the recent instance of me finally getting into a Meet and Greet at a concert, only to find Taylor missing because of food poisoning. Then, of course, was The Great Hanson Caper in addition to a few other concerts. I'm not even going to mention the Frankie Muniz foolishness, just because that happened before The List started. But we'll just say that I've been trying to meet Taylor for 10 years. Anyhoo, all that matters is that it FINALLY happened, and it was glorious, even if I did have to get a tetanus shot a few days later for the bloody foot that I got from doing The Walk. Thanks, Taylor.

2. See Lucy Woodward perform live - This one was so awesome that I did it twice, the second time resulting in one of the greatest moments ever when I got to sing with one of my musical idols. I actually got to do a few of the list items twice, but this one is my favorite two-fer, by far. Lucy RULES. I can't wait to complete it a 3rd time.

3. Go to L.A. - Another one that I was able to do twice over the course of the 1001 days. The first trip was in '05, and I was lucky enough to get out there for a second time in the beginning of '07. Both trips were fantastic, and I got to finally meet some of my online pals on each trip. Both trips also rank as the only time I've been on vacation and was not ready to come home at the end. I could seriously live out there. Hopefully I can make it out there again soon, but I've got a few other trips to take before then.

So those are my top 3 items, but let's take a look at some of the honorable mentions:

1. See Green Day live - The American Idiot tour, no less. That is still one of the best concerts I have ever seen.

2. Find one pair of expensive jeans that actually fits me correctly, and buy them - Oh, dear. This one introduced me to the world of Lucky Brand Jeans and I have not looked back. What was meant to be one pair has turned into many, many pairs. But that original pair still fits and is still my favorite! They're like magic!

3. Have my teeth re-bonded - this one was changed as I basically wanted my teeth to be fixed since they all moved after I had my braces taken off back in the day. Bonding only fixed them so much in the past, so I finally went the route of Invisalign, and it is one of the best purchases I have made.

There are also some honorable mention items that fall into the category of things that I was able to cross off more than once. Here are all of those (in no particular order):

1. Find the elusive perfect red dress - after years of searching, I found 2 in a matter of 3 months. Crazy!

2. Go out and have a random make-out for old time's sake - I think that's all I need to say about this one.

3. Gather enough people to finally play the Survivor home game - this one was completed 3 times, first at my house and then twice at Frito's. So close every time!

4. Have cheesy song night at karaoke where my friends and I sing songs we would normally never sing - Luckily I did not post video from the first time we did this (although it exists), but unluckily for some, I did from the second time. Next time I am totally singing The Rain.

5. Find a new alcoholic beverage to add to the short list of drinks I like and can tolerate - Oh, how I wish I had not discovered the Applebee's Perfect Apple Margarita with the cinnamon-sugar rimmed glass or the evil, evil Applebeetini - they have unleashed Tipsy Girl a few too many times. Oh, Tipsy Girl.

6. See 30 Seconds to Mars live (and close to the front row so I can drool over Leto) - Yeah, that first time I was all, "Oooh! The hotness! It is blinding!" and then the second occurrence took place, in which he was even more alarmingly hot, yet I got to meet him that time. And he's still so, so pretty, but also? Kind of a jerk with no personality. What a waste of The Pretty.

7. Go to an amusement park - I hit Universal Studios while in L.A. the first time, and Six Flags later that summer.

8. Bake a dessert - I made an apple crisp-type thing and then a brown sugar pie. We won't talk about my second failed attempt at that same pie.

9. Go dancing - I actually completed this one 5 times, I believe. Every time, my thighs burned with the fire of a person who is utterly and hopelessly out of shape.

10. Do 35 Grand in the Sand again - this is the local radio station contest where you dig up prizes on the beach. I have done it every year (3 times) since the list went up, and I've won something every time. My brother has not been so lucky.

11. Go in an inflatable bouncy castle - EVERY chance I get, because I love those things. Sadly, it has only been twice. I'm going to just buy one for my yard.

12. Play The Sims without using the money cheat - I still maintain a whole neighborhood that I call 'Poor Town' and haven't used the cheat yet.

13. Write and put on another play - we've done 2!

Then there are the top 2 items that I REALLY wanted to do, but didn't:

1. Fall in love - it may be a sappy one, but I'm still hoping this one happens in the near future.

2. Play with a live monkey - you have no idea how much I wanted to complete this one. Seriously.

And finally, the items that I have really wanted to do, and have plans to do soon:

1. Meet Shelly - this one has been a long time coming, and if all goes according to plan, will be taking place in December at her wedding. I can't wait!

2. Go back to Vegas - This one is planned for April, as I opted for L.A. instead of going this year.

3. Win Uno Attack! - I WILL win that one of these days. Mark my words. ( I can hear my brother laughing at me right now.)

So there you have it - like I said, you can view the complete list, along with many of the leftover "yeah, right!" items here. It's also interesting to look back at some of them and realize that I have no desire to do them anymore. As David Bowie would say, "Turn and face the change." A few people asked me if I was going to start a new list, but I'm just going to keep a mental one for myself. It was hard to come up with 101 things to begin with (hence, the ridiculousness of some of them), but I am also quite happy that I did it, because it did give me a little push towards some goals, and I had an amazing time reaching them and completing the tasks. I think now that I've had that push, the world had better watch out. Well, the world and all of its live monkeys that I plan to play with.

The Taylor - FINALLY

10 1/2 years. 7 concerts. Several failed attempts at meeting, the most famous ones involving Frankie Muniz, Emerson College security, and that damn food poisoning. Multiple Sims marriages and children. 1 real marriage and 3 children (for him). 1 mile of walking, all leading to this moment:

#8: Meet Taylor Hanson

FINALLY.

And with only 5 days left on The List! This was actually one of the few tasks that I really, really wanted to complete and would have been happy with completing just that single list item. 10 1/2 years, people. Taylor has been one of my Top 2 Celebrity Boyfriends for 10 1/2 years (holding the #1 spot for a good 85% of that time) and after eluding me for that long, I finally caught up with him. Literally. Let me start at the top, shall we?

The Hanson boys are doing a special thing during their current tour in support of their new album, The Walk. They went to Southern Africa to record a song for the album and were overwhelmed by all of the poverty plaguing the area along with the AIDS crisis out that way. Early this year, they raised money with a charity single which donated 100% of the money earned on each download to the cause. Now, they are doing a new thing where they have teamed up with a shoe manufacturer to donate shoes to the area. For every pair bought, one will be donated. To promote awareness, the band is hosting a one mile walk at each tour stop the day of the show. (Full details are here if you want to know more.)

Anyhoo - I was supposed to go to NYC with Frito and Lucy for 2 days, but our plans fell through last week. When we were exploring options of what to do instead, I remembered that Hanson had a concert in Connecticut today that I wasn't able to attend because of my trip. Now that I was free and clear, I knew that we had to hit the pre-show walk. Unfortunately, Lucy could not join us, but Frito was game for the adventure. We made the trip to Hartford and then it all just happened. Well, first we arrived about 2:20 for the 3:00 walk, and ended up having to stand there in the 85 degree sun until the boys finally emerged at 3:35 for the walk. Translation? It was HOT, y'all. (That also explains why I'm not wearing the cute little white gauzy button-down that I had over my tank top in the picture with Taylor. I was too hot to care at that point since it was taken at the end of the walk.) But Frito was as awesome as ever, indulging me in my whims, even when he is surrounded by all girls:

And me? Here is my excitement when faced with the prospect of finally meeting Taylor:

In other words, I was just a wee bit excited. Just a tad.

Anyway - so yes, the walk. I was expecting about 60 people there, which was about how many were there when we arrived, but by the time the walk got underway, there were about 100 people participating. (Number of boys? About 4.) The great thing about the walks is that the band does it with you, so they are just walking amongst you, chatting - that is, if you can get near them. The not-so-great thing? They encourage you to do the walk barefoot along with them so you can experience what it's like to have no shoes. Frito's immediate response when I told him this? "NO." Hey, it was just encouraged. Me? I will do whatever Taylor asks of me, so I walked the filthy streets of Hartford in my bare feet. Was it gross? A little. Uncomfortable? Not really. Did I get injured? Yes:

Was it worth it? HELL YES.

You see, Taylor and Zac take off like bats out of hell and speedwalk while Isaac kind of hangs in the back with the megaphone. The other problem is that there are so many girls angling to get near the boys and the sidewalks are so skinny that you end up losing a lot of ground if you're trying to get to one of the boys. However, I discovered a few things today: 1) I am like a ninja in many ways. Or a cat. 2) When necessary, I can somehow convince my body to move at superhuman speeds. 3) The way I was able to stealthily sneak between girls without touching them while still moving at a very fast pace makes me think I should look into being a spy. 4) When I have an opportunity to meet Taylor Hanson, I will leave you in the dust. Sorry, Frito!

Really - when the walk started, I didn't even think to stay with Frito and just hauled ass. I managed to catch up to Taylor and walked beside him for a second before I was waylayed by a tree before I could get his attention. Then I looked at this for a few minutes while I straggled behind:

I got boxed out again shortly thereafter and lost a lot of distance, but this is where the superhuman speed kicked in. Frito was behind me and witnessed the whole thing and he told me it was hilarious. When we hit an intersection where we had to cross the street, I was able to break free from the thin sidewalk cluster and I just went outside the pack and RAN across the street, catching up with Taylor and ending up walking right next to him. I just turned to him and said, "Hi, Taylor." He said hello and asked how I was doing. I then told him that this was pretty much the only thing that would get an old woman like me to walk a mile. He laughed and replied, "You're an old woman? Come on." Then someone else grabbed him away and he was gone again. I rejoined Frito who said, "You were talking to him!" Oh yes.

Shortly thereafter, we had to stop at a major intersection to wait to cross the street, so Taylor and Isaac got on the megaphone to reiterate what the purpose of the walk was:

This afforded us a chance to catch up to Taylor again and this is when our second conversation took place. I asked him if they were going to be signing any more acts to their record label. Eh, instead of me explaining what he said, let's let him just tell you, shall we? Oh yes, there is video of me talking to The Taylor:

Chatting With Taylor

The funniest part is cut out of the video because it's a little wobbly, but you see me give an "Oh my God" look to the camera after we are done talking and then I whisper to Frito, "Did you get that?" and he nonchalantly answers, "Mmm-hmm!"

I did walk with Taylor again for a little bit at the end of the walk, and I LOVE this picture that Frito got of it:

And I'm so thankful that Frito and I have the same brain, because right after that was the end of the walk and our miniscule picture opportunity. Taylor probably only took pictures with about 4 other people, because he was all about moving and walking the whole time, but Frito and I saw an opening and without even having to communicate, we just made that picture happen. It was awesome. Right after that, Taylor headed back behind a little barricade with Isaac and Zac to give a post-walk speech. I captured some of it at the end of this montage video from the walk - the beginning is the pre-walk speech, and then there are some quick shots of Taylor during the walk and then the post-walk speech:

Here's a couple of other shots I got during the day:

At the end of all of it, we were tired, sweaty and in dire need of a cold drink. I was also bleeding from one of my two dirty feet, and overcome by euphoria. Oh, and the water we had in my car was WARM and disgusting. Frito is going to kill me for posting this, but here is a video that I took right after the walk, when I was still on an endorphin high and we were headed for Dehydration Land:

I especially love my fist pump of victory while wheezing, "Taylor!" at the end. And I'm really not like that all the time. I blame the endorphins and lack of fluids. And Frito doesn't normally offer sex acts to women for Gatorade. We're usually a lot more normal than that. Okay, maybe Frito is.

Anyway, even with all of that, I had the time of my life and would do it all again tomorrow. The Walk was such a cool thing to do, and I would encourage anyone who lives in a city where Hanson will be playing to go get in on the action. It's total madness, but so much fun.

Plus, I got to meet Taylor FINALLY. I actually thought that I was just going to be able to say hello to him during the walk and that would be it - I would have officially met Taylor and been on my way. I knew I'd be able to get some pictures of him during the walk, but I didn't think I'd ever be able to score a picture with him with all of the people there and madness going on. So that? That was just the cherry on top of a marvelous day. Speaking of which, let's take a look at that picture again, shall we?

Pure bliss.

One Of The Greatest Things To Happen To Me EVER

You know, some things on The List were so great to complete that I end up doing them more than once. Take, for example, #40: See Lucy Woodward perform live. If you recall, I crossed that item off in March, and had a fantastic time doing so. Well, Miss Lucy was making another appearance in Boston last night in support of her new CD (which was just released on iTunes - go get it! Lucy Woodward...Is Hot And Bothered is the title.), so you know I bought those tickets the moment I found out. Happily, Frito didn't have to work this time around, so he go to come along with me. The Boston folks, aka Shmuel and Jesse met us up there to experience The Lucy as well, and we ended up meeting an awesome boy outside (Hi Jeremy!) and had him join us for the show. (When we were waiting outside for the soundcheck to be complete, I went up to him and asked him who he was there to see, figuring it was the headliner. When he said he was there for Lucy, I told him, "I love you already. Come join us!") Any Lucy fan is a friend of mine. Plus, he ruled - one of his heroes is Jerri Blank - how can I not love that?

Anyhoo, when we got to go in a few minutes later, we went straight for the table right in front of the middle of the stage and claimed it. When I looked behind me, I noticed that Lucy was talking to someone at the next table. When she saw me, she came right over and hugged me and introduced herself to the crew (Jeremy knew her from online as well, so she knew him.). She then finished up her soundcheck and went off to change into her performance outfit which consisted of a cute little black dress and some BADASS red shoes with leopard-print heels. Check it out:

As usual, she sounded AMAZING. She told me later that she was getting over a recent bout of laryngitis, but there was no sign of it last night. She's got that cool raspy voice anyway, and as Frito pointed out, her singing is effortless. I actually caught myself just sitting there last night watching her perform with this humongous smile and look of awe on my face. That's what good music should do - make you so happy and just in the moment. Since Lucy was worried about her voice not holding up, she did a relatively short set, but every song rocked my world. It was just all over too quickly for my liking! Hopefully I will get to see her again soon - I want to experience a full band Woodward show. I managed to capture a couple of short clips from last night, so here she is in action (they came out a little dark):

After her set, we headed over to chat with Lucy and pick up some CDs and take some pictures. Here's me and my girl:

While talking to her, one of my celebrity boyfriends came up and she gave some dish on him that was NOT good news to me. She knew him from years ago and has heard from mutual acquaintances that he has not turned into the greatest guy in the world. I believe the term she used was "total asshole." I was a little heartbroken over the downfall of one of my celebrity loves, but I've got to listen to my girl. The best part was that she pulled Frito aside while I was doing something and said about me and my celebrity boyfriend, "You can't let that happen - you have to save her. He's not good." Awww. Frito and I enjoy the fact that she entered into Pam's Fantasyland where meeting him would actually happen. That's my girl!

And here we all are:

After that, we had hugs all around (she is a big hugger) and went back to our table to watch some of the next act and let others have their time with Lucy. After a little while, it was just about time for Frito and I to hit the road so I could get to bed at a proper hour, so we got ready to go and say our goodbyes to Lucy. As I picked up my purse, an idea struck me and I handed my camera to Frito and we headed over her way. By that time, there was only one person left talking to Lucy, and she was finishing up. When she left, we went back over to Lucy and I asked her if she would sing a couple of lines of one of her songs with me. (I've always wanted to sing with one of my musical heroes, even if it is only two notes. To sing with someone who inspires me musically and shares my passion for singing - I can't even describe what that would mean to me.) And you know how I'm always saying that Lucy Woodward is so awesome? She reached the summit of awesomeness last night when this occurred:

Oh yes, people - that is Lucy Woodward singing with ME. (I don't know why I look like I have Pat Benatar buck teeth in that video, but I don't care - I'm singing with Lucy Woodward, dammit!) We're all close to the camera (hello, Pam's nose hair!) because we were trying to sing softly because of the performance going on, so we were getting as close to the microphone on the camera as we could. Lucy figured that the audio wouldn't really be heard over the music in the background, so she suggested that we do another take. We crept over to a corner of the club and sang it again at a break between songs, resulting in this, aka Take 2:

So yes, I got to sing with her AGAIN. How awesome is she? We were laughing and having so much fun with it. And seriously? That pretty much made my entire YEAR. There really are no words for how much that meant to me or how ridiculously awesome it was for me, so I'll just simply say this: Thank you, Lucy. You rule.

101 Things In 1001 Days Update: Just Over A Month To Go!

Wow – I just realized that my list of 101 Things in 1001 Days runs out on September 28th. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, yet when I look at some of the 38 things that are left to do, some of them are things I have no desire to do anymore. To quote The Duff, they are “so yesterday.” Then there are the “Ha, Ha – Good One!” entries as well as the “What Was I Thinking?” ones. Some entries fit into both categories. Still, there is hope for some, and there are a few that I am calling a technical on. Let’s take a look at some of what’s left and see if it has any chance of happening:

2. Go to a taping of The Ellen Degeneres Show - NOT happening. I had tickets on two occasions, but didn’t get to go. I don’t watch the show religiously anymore, but I would still go to a taping. However, I’m not going to be in L.A. again soon, so I guess that’s out. I’m working on Conan tickets for September - I think that would be a proper replacement, since I watch that show more often.

5. Do live band karaoke in Boston – Okay, so here’s the deal with this entry – the place that used to have live band karaoke turned out not to be in Boston so much as a kind of scary city outside of it. I will, however, be doing live band karaoke in NYC in September, so I am going to be counting this one as being done.

8. Meet Taylor Hanson – FOUL! Ref, blow the whistle on this one. I REALLY wanted to complete this one, and I still will, just not by the end of the 1001 days. But seriously, it’s not for lack of trying. There was the Great Hanson Caper of 2005, and then there was that minor incident last month when I was AT A HANSON MEET & GREET but Taylor was sick and not there. I WAS THERE!!! Foul! I weep on the inside, people.

13. Go 6 months without being on antibiotics – HA! Oh, such high hopes that I had. I don’t see this one happening for QUITE some time, but I don’t mind since I feel much better on them. My doctor is trying to get me on a smaller dose of My Great Love Cipro, but it would still be every other day.

14. Watch all of my unopened DVDs – HEE! Sorry, I don’t have 2 months to spare.

15. Go back to Vegas – Will be happening, but not until April of 2008. I opted for L.A. again this year instead.

34. Fall in love – Barring some miracle, I don’t see this one happening before September 28th. That’s so sad that I couldn’t complete this one.

41. Meet Shelly – Once again, will be happening, but not until December. I can’t wait, though.

43. Find a partner and join my father’s card league – This one never even had a chance once my Tuesday night TV schedule became full of Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, House & American Idol. Even though only one of those shows will be on this fall, it still won’t happen because of a little thing called Bar Tuesdays.

52. Get the balls to play poker at a casino – Here’s something I found out about myself: I like to play poker, but I’m not really good at it most of the time. And I like having money and not giving it to the casinos, so yeah – this one won’t be happening.

57. Move out – Oh, the lofty ambitions of Young Me. Unless I move to another state where the average monthly rent isn’t $950, this one is definitely not happening.

62. Have a conversation with TB that lasts at least 5 minutes – WHO? Oh yes, my old Fake Boyfriend from church. I haven’t seen him since I made the list and I haven’t thought about him since about 2 days after that, so….

73. Break 170 in bowling – Who did I think I was? I’m stuck firmly with a high score of 140.

84. Go to England – I wish.

88. Go to the new restaurant downtown and ride the mechanical bull. Try to stay on longer than I did in Vegas – This restaurant? Does not exist. The mechanical bull was a lie! Damn rumors.

There are some other entries that I should be able to make happen before the deadline, so I’ll probably end up completing 2/3 of the list, which is good enough for me. I’m going to try for more, but live monkeys are hard to find to play with. Anyone got any tips for that one that do not involve the phrase “Go to Costa Rica?”

#47: Go To The Circus Again

Yay! I finally got to check this one off of The List. I was supposed to do it last year but was sick when the circus was in town, but not this time!

WARNING: Anyone who suffers from coulrophobia should read no further. Seriously, just skip the rest of the entry because I go to the circus for one reason and one reason only, and it's not for this jive:

That's all well and good, but I am there for the CLOWNS. I LOVE clowns - silly, scary, evil - it doesn't matter to me, I pretty much love them all. So this will be quite clown-heavy. Don't say you haven't been warned.

Now how did I find my way to the circus to flirt with the clowns without looking completely creepy? Call up one of my best friends who has 2 kids and invite myself along with her family! I am "Aunt Pam," after all. I knew her husband would be up for it, and he didn't disappoint:

When I called up Kris to find out if she was bringing the kids to the circus, she told me that she had never been. WHAT??!!! Luckily, she was all for it. I informed her, however, that we needed to go to the All Access Preshow that is held the hour before the show because you can mingle with the clowns and her kids could see some of the animals up close. The pre-show is pretty much the main reason that I go to the circus - I just want to hang with the clowns, maybe grab some clown ass. (Okay, okay, I'll stop being creepy now. But seriously, you can tell when some of them are hot.) Kris's 4 year-old's favorite part of the show was meeting the clowns, so he just moved up in my book:

Her 2 year-old spent most of the show dancing her little butt off, so she was worn out when we packed her in the car:

Awww.

But what the hell am I doing? Who wants to see cute kids when there are clowns to be had? Bring on the clowns!!

This one grabbed my camera from me after we took the picture together and took a self-portrait:

That is totally going to be my new wallpaper.

Oh, Leo. He was the hot one.

And then there's the boss clown, who turned to Kris and whispered, "I think she likes me," after I asked him to take a picture with me. Kris replied, "I think she does, too." When he turned to me and giggled, I just said, "True story."

Oh, the clowns.

I kind of want to live in that picture.

_________________________________________________

Stay tuned for: Tomorrow - NYC, TARcon. I can't wait! Phil, I'm coming for you!

"There Had Better Be Some Assless Chaps."

My wish? Granted:

Oh, Xtina, you know how to make a girl smile!

As you can see, I went to see Christina Aguilera the other night and she was AMAZING. Lucy sat in awe of her voice the whole night. She sounded fantastic and the show was one great spectacle after another with Lord knows how many costume changes. Plus? Assless chaps. I actually didn't think Xtina would come through when I made that statement before she came on, but she did, God bless her. (She donned them to sing her song Still Dirrty.) And speaking of Dirrty, we were a little scared going into the concert because Frito had read that Xtina was playing around with some of her old songs, like turning What a Girl Wants into a reggae number, so we were concerned about Dirrty. After Xtina made Come On Over into a swing number, I grew even more concerned. Lucy and I were hoping that she even sang Dirrty, but we also wanted it preserved in its original format because it is a Musical Masterpiece. You do not mess with the genius that is Dirrty. Thankfully, Miss Xtina is aware of this as well as she not only sang it, but she did it up RIGHT, emerging from the floor on a carousel horse and using that throughout the song:

Awesome.

Here's a short video clip from it:

We couldn't have asked for a better tribute to the song.

As I said before, the rest of the show was just as great. It was a little cold and raining that night, so I couldn't dress real slutty - besides, I had decided to just do one thing with my outfit since Christina has cleaned up somewhat. The weather nixed my more boobish shirt, but I still got to wear my new kickass shoes. Check out my new lovers:

I do love those things, as did one of the people sitting next to us, who kept commenting on them when she passed by. And even though I left the cleavage at home, there was more than enough T&A going around at the show to make up for it. Sweet Jesus, you should have seen some of the things people were wearing! And YOUNGER girls, which was a little wrong. I am all about slutting it up for Xtina, but only if you're old enough to get into an 'R' rated movie without an adult. One girl sitting a few rows behind us was dubbed 'Jonbenet' by Frito. Then there was the bikini-top/micro-mini skirt/leggings combo that was being worn by what I first thought was a manly girl, but then realized was actually a man. The funniest part of all of that was watching the reactions of all of the teenyboppers all around him. He was engaged in some seat dispute for a few minutes, and all around the area you could see camera phones and digital cameras being whipped out. Even people on the floor took notice and started snapping away. Lucy summed up the madness best when she said, "It's like he's the Eiffel Tower!"

Anyway, back to the show. It's a little hard to explain, so pictures may do it more justice than words:

That should give you an idea of how great the show was, but you know what will do even better? A video montage! Yay! Check it:

So awesome. If the show comes around your area, you should check it out - it's well worth the price of the tickets. Plus, you get to see The Pussycat Dolls open (and if I'm sitting next to you, you'll hear someone say, "When are they going to start shaking their asses again? Who wants to hear them talk?"). Oh, and if you do manage to go, arrive at 7:55 for a 7:30 show like we did - you'll get there just as Danity Kane is leaving the stage. In the words of Borat, "Great success!"

Lucy Woodward LOVE!

40. See Lucy Woodward Perform Live

Check and CHECK. Oh Lordy, you have no idea. I don't know if I can properly convey how completely awesome Thursday night was, but I will try. As some of you know, I have been a HUGE fan of Lucy Woodward ever since I got her debut CD not long after it was released in April of 2003. Since then, the CD is always in my car whenever I go somewhere just in case I'm in the mood for some Lucy, along with another CD I made of some of her other songs that were either on movie soundtracks (she covered It's Oh So Quiet for the Ice Princess soundtrack), or were unreleased so far (and I stumbled upon online one day. That was a good, good day.) She is my favorite female singer and one of my musical heroes, so when I saw that she was coming to Boston last week, I was beside myself with excitement, because I've always wanted to see her live. [Side Note: Some of you long-time readers may remember that I got a nice e-mail from Lucy (bottom of the entry) through MySpace after I posted a clip of me singing one of her songs, and since then we have exchanged a few more e-mails now and then (which always make me completely excited to see a response from her).]

ANYhoo - as soon as I saw the Boston date listed, I bought tickets. Lucy was more than happy to accompany me to the show, as she had heard some Lucy tunes in the past and enjoyed them, so I was thrilled to have my two favorite Lucys together in one night. The bar where she played is relatively small and she was one of the openers, so I hoped to get a good spot up front to see the show. And indeed I did. We ended up sitting at the first table right in front of the stage, and before the show, I just kept smiling at (my) Lucy and pointing to the stage, saying, "She's going to be right there!" This is without a zoom, folks:

Whee!!!

She sounded SO amazing - her voice is exactly like it is on her records, which is always refreshing to find. (My) Lucy leaned over at one point and said, "She's so good! I don't get how people like her aren't more famous when she's better than most people who are on the radio right now." AMEN. I could not have said it better myself. As I've said before - The Lucy? She rocks:

Just getting to see her perform would have been enough for me, but Miss Woodward is so awesome that the night got even better. You see, after I bought my tickets to the show, I shot her a quick e-mail to say that I was coming and couldn't wait to hear the new music. Lucy wrote back that she was looking forward to meeting me, which - you can imagine my reaction. Well, maybe not, so I'll just sum it up as thus: AAAAIIIEEEEEEEEE!!! Also? YAY!!!! Music is such a big part of my life, and singing is my passion, so to meet one of my musical heroes? That is just about the best thing that I can imagine. And you know what? It totally was.

First of all, right at the beginning of her second song, Lucy looked down and saw me in the audience and broke out into this big smile and gave me an excited double wave and a "Hi!" I just turned to (my) Lucy with this big grin on my face, saying, "She recognized me!" and (my) Lucy responded, "You even got the double wave!" Then, when Lucy was done with her set, she ran backstage for a second and then came out and came right over to me and have me a big hug, saying that she recognized me as soon as she saw me. Then she stayed and talked to us for a while, telling (my) Lucy where she got her awesome "Lucy" shirt that she's wearing on her album cover (and which (my) Lucy covets), and chatting with me about some of the new arrangements that I noticed for some of her new songs. Also? She totally knew my name and brought up all things we had talked about in our brief e-mail exchanges. I was floored. She seriously could not have been nicer. When she finally had to move on to greet some of the other people wanting to meet her, she told me to make sure that I didn't leave without saying goodbye. (My) Lucy couldn't believe how awesome and nice she was. When we left, we went over to say goodbye, and Lucy hugged both of us and thanked us for coming. She's so awesome - not only musically, but now I've discovered what a great person she really is. Seriously, check out her tunes - she rocks.

My Lucys!

There are no words. Well, besides "Woo!!!"

List Update, End of Year 2

In the spirit of the zillions of year-end lists out there, I decided to check in on My List and see what’s left as I reach the 2 year milestone Jan. 1st. That will leave me with 281 days to do 49 things, some of which I can just throw out right now because they will not be done. I think I was really reaching on some of these. Others are either no longer of interest or not financially viable. Let’s take a look at what’s left so I can try to set some goals. If I finish 3/4 of the list, I think I’ll be happy with that. I think I’ll separate the “Yeah, that’s not happening” from the ones that are still possibilities. Shall we?

Should Happen in the Next 281 Days

2. Go to a taping of The Ellen Degeneres Show – I’m going out to L.A. again January 31st, so I’m still hoping to get tickets to the show. They haven’t offered any yet for when I’ll be out there, so keep your fingers crossed! Eric and I MUST do this together!!

23. Go back to NYC and see another Broadway Show – I’m giving myself a pass on this one in January since I’ve been to NYC twice since I started the list and I have tickets to see Wicked! in Providence in January. I’m allowing it because I was going to see a show the when I went to NYC last April, but the ones we wanted to see were either sold out or cost more than my liver, so I’ll see the show here for less. Everyone’s happy!

31. See the Lord of the Rings movies - I had borrowed the DVDs from my brother in preparation for The World Series of Pop Culture audition last year and just never got around to watching them. But I am open to, I just need to find 19 hours of free time.

33. Watch Casablanca – Oh, how it taunts me so! I recorded this over the summer when it was on Turner Classic Movies, all set to watch it, tra-la-la – 2 days later, my DVR dies on me and I have to have it replaced, thus losing anything I had saved on the old one. (Stupid non-TiVo DVR that I have in my room. TiVo never did that to me.) Here’s looking at you, kid!

37. Go in a hot tub. (I LOVE hot tubs) – This one has potential as Frito has a hot tub in his house.

41. Meet Shelly – This one isn’t fair, as I’m most likely going to be meeting Shelly next December, about 10 weeks after the list expires. I’m going to count it if I have plane tickets by then. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that I’m not a rule-breaking rebel.

47. Go to the circus again – I was sick when it came to town last year. Not this year, Ringling Brothers – I’m bringing home a clown.

61. Go to another midnight movie at the Avon Cinema – If they show Office Space at midnight again, I am THERE.

63. Go to a Christina Aguilera concert. Dress slutty. – I’ve got tickets to her show in April and a mini-skirt waiting to be worn. Maybe I should get assless chaps instead.

65. Play tennis – My brother bought himself a tennis-ball machine, so when the weather warms up, I’m going to go use it.
69. Drink a shot – I will! But it has to be weak and girlie and taste like kool-aid.

73. Break 170 in bowling. (This would actually require me to go bowling. Well, at least more than once a year.)
74. Bowl more – Does Wii bowling count??

83. Paint my fingernails. (I haven’t bothered with my fingernails in years, but I keep my toes painted.) I can’t believe that I still haven’t done this. I am so, so lazy.

96. Go shopping at Natick Mall – I can meet up with Sassy and Joe!

101. Laugh every day – Still going strong.

Possibility of Happening in the Next 281 Days

8. Meet Taylor Hanson. [Hey, I got within kissing distance last time] – I will not give up hope!! They should be touring again in the spring/summer. However, for about a year now it’s been all about meeting the DeGraw. Still, Taylor would be nice. But my goal and mission this year is DeGraw.

26. Play with a live monkey – This is a very rare possibility, but this is one of two items left on the list that I REALLY want to happen.

30. Have drinks with Potes – I’m hoping to go see her band locally. They sound so good on the songs that I’ve heard that I’d have to buy her a drink.

34. Fall in love – See above re: two items left on the list that I really want to happen. This is the other one. Hey, you never know!

55. Audition for a musical – If I see a good one listed in the paper, I’m there.

71. Convince a first date to take me to Burger King – I’d have to get a date first, but still – it could happen!

72. Splurge on something short-lived but luxurious, like a first class plane ticket or a nice hotel (like the Bellagio) – Any ideas?

87. Play Uno Attack! and win for once – It’s possible, but not very likely.

89. Go out “dessert hopping” one night with my friends – This just sounds so fun!

92. Write a song about Green Eggs and Ham and work it into a play – I’m kicking myself for forgetting about this one, because I totally could have written it into my last play. But I should be doing another show this year – I’ll find a way.

94. Learn how to play chess – I have a book! Now I just have to sit down and study.

VERY SMALL Possibility of Happening in the Next 281 Days

9. Figure out what kind of new job I want and then get it.
12. Submit a one-act play to try to get in to a local festival.
19. Write a short story just for kicks.
40. See Lucy Woodward perform live.
42. Go see Improv Jones. (If they're good, stay after and audition).
48. Go to a college or professional sports event.
68. Finish all of the 7 or 8 books I’m currently reading.
85. Follow through on our idea to dress up like idiots, act like it’s normal, go to a bar we’ll never go to again and hit on guys to see what happens. (I’ve got my vinyl hat and pants ready!) – Only because I don’t have a lot of single friends left!

The “Yeah, Not Happening” List

5. Do live band karaoke in Boston – I don’t even remember where this was.

6. Design my own sneakers at NikeID.com – I really would have done this, but I didn’t like any of the color combos. I’m still open to designing my own Vans, though.

13. Go 6 months without being on antibiotics – I’ve been on them for almost 2 years now, so this one will be a no. I think I’ll be on a low-grade one indefinitely.

14. Watch all of my unopened DVDs – Oh yeah, right. That would mean that I’d have to top buying them!

15. Go back to Vegas – I was planning on doing this one this year, but when my trip to L.A. got cancelled last year, I opted to go back to L.A. this year. I won’t have the funds or vacation time to do both. But I plan on hitting Vegas next year.

43. Find a partner and join my father’s card league – If the league didn’t take place on such a big TV night, I would do it, but I’ve got priorities here, and Dr. House, Ms. Mars, Lorelai Gilmore and Simon Cowell all outrank cards.

51. Go to a taping of SNL (this one is contingent on the show getting better) – If you’ve noticed, the show has actually gotten worse (unless Timberlake is hosting).

52. Get the balls to play poker at a casino – If Party Poker has taught me one thing, it is this: I am NOT anywhere near good enough to play in a casino where the blinds alone are $5 each.

54. Live out my lounge singer fantasy by singing at a piano bar – If I can find a piano bar around, but I haven’t found one yet!

57. Move out – Oh, ha, ha, ha! I actually planned to do this January 2006, but after I worked out my budget for the month, I would have $25 left over for spending money. That will NOT keep me in the lifestyle to which I’ve become accustomed. So I think I’ll stay put – why move out and be miserable?

62. Have a conversation with TB that lasts at least 5 minutes – Oh, TB – my old fake boyfriend of yore. I actually have not seen him since I put this on my list 1/1/05. Also, he lost fake boyfriend status a while ago when I stumbled upon his MySpace page. I was FINALLY able to show Lucy a picture of him, and she said, “He’s cute, but he looks a little sleazy.” He HAS gotten to look a little skeezy, so I agreed that he looked like a date rapist, to which she replied, “Oh, he is totally not above roofing a girl.” Sadly, I can’t disagree. (E-mail me or leave me a comment if you want me to send you the link to his page.)

67. Travel without chill pills – Oh, this is a good one. No way in hell. I don’t travel well, but I do much better with my lover, Mr. Klonny Pin.

84. Go to England – How I wish! But money and vacation-time wise, not happening.

88. Go to the new restaurant downtown and ride the mechanical bull. Try to stay on longer than I did in Vegas – I found out later that this restaurant that I heard about? Does not exist. No bull-riding for me. So sad!

Phew - I'd better get moving on some of this stuff. Someone find me a live monkey to play with!!

Oh, and if I don't update before then, Happy New Year!