A Hump Day Treat

I look forward to Wednesday evenings - not just because my work week is coming to a close, but because it means I get to kick back with a beer or two, hit the sand, and play some volleyball. I have always enjoyed playing volleyball, and to this day, it is still my favorite sport. I think I could play in a league every night of the week and not get sick of it. It's fun to just get out on the court, let loose, and play.

I am able to free myself from any irritability, frustration, and stress that has built up throughout the week and just laugh and joke and play as if I were a kid again.

It also helps that I have a great team to play with. The Pandas/Penguins have been playing together for about 6 months or so now and I feel like we've definitely grown as a team and are able to read each other better. We are starting to recognize our strengths and weaknesses, both as individuals and as a team. I think each game, we become more and more like a well-oiled machine. Oh sure, we have our 'unlucky' moments, but it's fun to watch our competitive nature come out and dominate. And it's been fun to watch as everyone improves on their game.

Just Dance

So one of my co-workers let me know that I so rudely interrupted him while he was watching this video when I called him to ask him a question. He told me I needed to check it out when I got home and so I did. This is a video of Filipino prison inmates dancing to, "I Need a Hero." Although the whole dance is enjoyable to watch, I really like how they get ready to break it down around 3:29 - the march-like running really gets you amped up for how they rock out to the drum solo.



I feel like this would be a great idea for a musical - young kid on the streets, gets sent to prison, starts to dance, starts an inmate dancing program where he choreographs the routines, they get ready for the big show, gets rehabilitated, gets discovered, and becomes the next 'it' choreographer. I smell a Tony Award winner right there.

There are lots of other dances they perform as well, all found on YouTube, including Sister Act's Hail Holy Queen, Jump, and my personal favorite, Thriller.

We Are Family

I got in touch with my Mississippi roots this past weekend as I headed back to C-town for more family reunion fun!

I've decided, like most things, there are good things and bad things with family reunions. Here are my top 3 likes and dislikes:

Likes:
-Seeing and catching up with family I do not get to see very often
-Holding and playing with all the new babies
-Potluck food

Dislikes:
-The awkwardness that ensues when you don't recognize certain people (I have a huge family, okay, and that makes it especially hard to know distant relatives!)
-The dreaded, "So, you seeing anyone special?" question
-The shortage of cousins present

As with the family reunion I attended a few weeks ago, I was once again reminded of the importance of family and I'm thankful to have such a loving and devoted family.

Adventures in Road Tripping

Yesterday L and I road-tripped it to KC, MO. Believe it or not, that was my first time in KC and what little I saw, I dug it there.

I knew it was gonna be an adventure before we even left the dsm. We stopped to get gas and snacks before heading south and proceeded to be creepily stared at by some 40-something yr old man in a banged up '80's BMW, complete with the bluetooth setup in his ear. After creepshow #1, we were off - KC here we come!

The trip down wasn't bad at all. 3 hours in the car with L and myself goes by quickly, thanks to our quirky sense of humors. As we crossed the Missouri border, we were quickly welcomed into hickville USA when I glanced out my window and saw a construction worker who fits the stereotype of a redneck to a tee.




Our first stop was to Zona Rosa, which has a great outdoor mall. We walked around for a while and did what we do best - shop! I, however, left empty-handed, in which my bank account thanked me. We took a break from shopping and met L's friend Amy for lunch at a local bar&grill. Enter strawberry long island iced tea. Probably the best decision I made all day was ordering that drink - simply delicious!

After a little more shopping, we headed downtown to the Power and Light District to meet my friend Ross for a drink, which was much needed after we struggled our way to find it. KC, we decided, has too many interstates/highways and construction going on. It was well worth it though once we got there, minus the $10 we paid to park, thanks a lot David Archuleta. The Power and Light District is a very cool area and fairly new to downtown KC. There are lots of bars and restaurants in close proximity, which makes for great mingling with strangers. The bar we were at is part of an outdoor area, which has a little sunroof over it and heat lamps so it's a hot spot, even in the winter months. I would definitely like to explore this area more next time I visit.



Then, off we went to visit Andy and the rest of Jack's Mannequin at the Starlight Theater, which L and I discovered, is an outdoor amphitheater of sorts. We again confirmed that KC has too many interstates and confusing signs. We went a little too far at our first attempt of finding the Starlight Theater, but on the flipside, we crossed the Kansas border so we can honestly say we were in 3 states in 1 day! :) We had excellent seats and L and I were both in agreeance that they put on a better show than the last time we saw them in Omaha. I was happy with their playlist and I left hearing all the songs I wanted to hear and even an added bonus of their cover of "An American Girl" by Tom Petty. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor concert with the perfect band. *note, went to Google Images for this pic - the concert was much fuller than what it shows below*



After the show we headed back north...our adventure was coming to a close. We stopped to get more gas and more snacks for the ride home, complete with another creeper. We finally rolled into the dsm shortly after midnight.

It was a fun day and can't wait for the next adventure!

Denim Declaration

I read this article today and then watched the blip of the interview, which made me chuckle. It's the little things such as this that make me appreciate our President even more - he's just so real, down-to-earth, and seems like your average joe (not the plumber.)

50 Cent Education

While strolling through the school supply section at Target with KC today, I stumbled upon this little gem and immediately picked it up in disbelief.



Not the best picture, I apologize, but this is a folder with a picture of the periodic table...not of elements, but of text messaging abbreviations. Seriously? Is it really necessary to have such a thing on a folder where students will be keeping worksheets, study guides, and papers in? Whatever happened to Lisa Frank?

Comic Relief

I've made the executive decision to take a break from Don Quixote and jump into Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea. This is a very rare thing for me to do - start another book before finishing another. I guess it's my mild OCD that drives me to finish one thing before starting another thing, not to mention how I can't stop in the middle of a chapter but must read until the end. But I decided yesterday that a timeout is needed. My reasons for breaking my own 'rule' are threefold.

1. Labor-intensive. Have you read Don Quixote? This book is 1,050 pages worth (in about 8 pt font) of an epic tale. Although an interesting book, for me, it's not a compelling page turner by any means.

2. Motivation. I've lost my ambitious reading patterns I was portraying earlier this spring/summer. Why, I'm not sure, but I need to get back on track.

3. Comedy central. The last book I read, My Sister's Keeper, was a weeper and after just seeing the sobfest of a movie that it is, which left me a hot blubbering mess, I decided I could use a few laughs from the comedic genius that is Chelsea Handler. I absolutely loved, My Horizontal Life, and found myself 'lol-ing' through just about every chapter.

I have heard that this book will not disappoint and I hope it to be true.