well happy birthday to ME

What a fantabulous birthday month it's been...well, other than the weather.

Friday mama took the day off and slept a little and ate a little and shopped a little. Very happy with my Menard's purchases...some outdoor furniture...yay furniture!

My handrail is done...done...done. Okay, not done...installed. We still have to paint it and stain it but STILL! So excited...check it out:
And while you guys might not be as thrilled as I am - I've been waiting almost 8 YEARS for that puppy...so I'm pretty excited.

Saturday night's gig was a blast, and I actually made money because the Kev-head didn't go...for those of you that don't realize what that means, it means no bar tab, which means I actually PROFIT from one of my gigs. Whoo-dee-whoo, babies.

Sunday's jam, my birthday jam was awesome. The place was packed, my family and friends were there, and I think I rocked it pretty good....pretty well....pretty good...whatever. Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate (and brought gifts...that part was cool, too!)

Peace out - me and my new iPod touch got some bidness to take care of....

yo shawty, it's my birthday!!

Yay me!

Day of food, dinner at the ranch, bowling with my girls, day off tomorrow. Love it all like I would marry it.

Julie's last day at her job in Chicago...hooray! Gooooooo Julie!

I have a HANDRAIL on my staircase...yay handrail!

3 day weekend, 3 day weekend...

Remember - Sunday blues jam starring me at Bozley's just off of I-65 at exit 230 - 5pm start time
OR you can come to the Hideaway in Blue Island on Saturday
OR you can check out the feed on http://live.yahoo.com/thespotstudio

Happy Thursday!

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...i'm hooked on a feeling...

Well - there comes a time in every parent's life when you have to do it...you have to give your kid the hook.

I didn't mean to do it...it was completely a reaction. Alex's band was practicing at the house last night - and I was recording it with my flip so they could submit a demo. It was a good practice for them and they came up with a name...

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

THAT'S RIGHT.

**video removed**


OMG - please tell me you're laughing. I almost died. Poor Bobby - I'm forcing that kid to sing as it is, and I just need one decent take...ONE DECENT TAKE...and we were in the middle of a GREAT take, and here comes Owie...so I hooked him. When the guys saw it they cracked up, so that's the video they submitted for their demo, Owie and the hook and all. They figured the teacher who will be reviewing the vids would get a big kick out of it. I hope he has a good sense of humor.

I've got to work on the sound coming out of that old PA. With two mics and a bass hooked it and all of them trying to play over Alex's drumming (didja know drums don't come with a damn VOLUME KNOB?? Sonsabitches)

More fun jam vids to come, I'm sure....
Happy Wednesday...

Another Saturday night and I ain't got nobody...

I got some money cuz I just got paid...

Well happy Monday to everyone...how was the weekend? Good, good...
Mine was...well, busy. Friday night found us in Cheesetown for Chris's birthday - Village Burgers...mmmmmmmmmmmmm. It didn't help that I ate my weight in onion rings, either. Whoops. That's seriously a problem. IU lost - and based on that performance on Friday night, lemme tell you all - PICK ARKANSAS. If you don't know what I'm talking about - then you haven't printed your NCAA bracket yet - and that's just wrong. Get it together, people!

Saturday found my head cold descending into my chest and I felt like someone was sitting on me when I woke up. Stop. Rewind. Kev-head, Jimmer - don't go there. I take that statement back. I spent the morning doing laundry and really...REALLY...why do I have SO MANY SOCKS WITHOUT MATCHES???? I know this isn't exactly exciting blog material, but seriously - what is going on? Even when I make sure I put them in the wash IN PAIRS - this is how bad it's gotten. I counted 1, 2, 3,4,5,6,7,8 socks - 4 pairs - in my hand - and put them in the wash. And when I folded that VERY FUCKING LOAD - I only had 7. 7 socks. 3.5 pairs. Can someone please, please explain THAT to me before I launch myself into a pit of angry alligators??

Saturday night Alex's band came over to practice. We set them up in the basement...which was fine, but just plan on doing nothing else for those 3.5 hours...because there's no escaping teenagers with amps. Not even with earplugs, a couple of beers and a box of benadryl, believe me, Kev-head tried. They actually sound really good - but a 20 minute version of "Hey Joe" - that could grate on anyone's nerves, and I like my Hendrix.

Sunday was so busy I thought my head would literally spin off my neck. Sent Kev-head off to the airport at 4 in the morning...got up and went to 8:00 church, then confirmation class, then we had to drive back home so I could drop Owen off with a friend to go to Rensseltucky - he had art on display at the college. Why didn't I go, you ask? Well, because I had to drop him off, head to my nephew's birthday party in Portage and then to Alex's concert in Valpo. aaarrrrrgggh. Before I dropped Owie off I wanted to stop at the pharmacy to get him a disposable camera to take with him - but alas - there was a squad car in the parking lot and a big poorly written sign on the door that said "Close due to Roberry, investigation in progress." ummmmmm, okay, so you can spell investigation but not ROBBERY??? I love my town.

Alex's concert was good - I'm sure my dad thoroughly enjoyed the 3 bands that performed before his, considering their musical repertoire consisted of Ozzy, Metallica, Black Sabbath, more Ozzy, more Sabbath, Pink Floyd...oh and Sabbath. Talk about someone wanting to light themselves on fire...

Something totally cool happened at the blues jam last night - someone brought in a video camera and a laptop and put us live on the internet!! How cool is that?? So here's the deal...I think he's coming back for my birthday bash on March 30th. You have two choices - the first one being the best...
1. BE THERE! It starts at 5pm
2. WATCH FROM HOME!! Bookmark this site: http://live.yahoo.com/thespotstudio

You can comment and he'll tell us about it and it will be *almost* as good as being there!

What a long strange trip it's been

Happy birthday to Chris! This is exciting for me because it means I'll get to see my Julie tonight...hip hip hooray!!!

BIG NEWS on the Julie front - she's finally unveiled the website! www.juliebraveman.com for the best.portrait.photography.EVAH. Stop what you're doing immediately and call her to schedule your family sitting. DO IT.

The hubby is off to Arizona on Sunday, lucky bastard.

Alex is now not only in a garage band, but he's in a band for his school's battle of the bands. He's totally stoked about it. But even MORE important than that, is that we've discovered the Power Chord Academy. It's not your every day band camp, kiddies - and thanks to Jul, she gave me an idea that helped me sell this plan to both my hubby and the ex. It's not cheap to go and be a rockstar for a week - so we're splitting it 3 ways. Now we have to figure out where and how to get Alex a job. We're going to DQ after work/school to get an app. I know they hire 15-year-olds. or if a friendly benefactor would like to anonymously drop $1800 my way - I certainly wouldn't argue. Neither would Al. :)

Owen finished up baseball camp, thank heavens. And spring break is on the horizon. I need spring break not because we're going anywhere or even that I'm taking time off, I'm not - but I'm guaranteed NOT to have to attend any meetings, run kids anywhere or do ANYTHING EXTRACURRICULAR. Hooray spring break!

What's new with you?

What a long strange trip it's been...

I have never been so happy to see a Friday in my life. What a week, folks, what a week...emotional ups and downs, arguments, drama...and that was just on Monday and Tuesday dealing with Cub Scouts!! Seriously? Seriously. A mom is very upset about an award her son did not receive at the banquet on Monday night...so she was going to conduct an investigation to see whether or not anyone should have received their awards. INVESTIGATION?? Are you kidding me? I'll make sure that when the cub scout police come to arrest me I'll have internet access in cub scout county jail. I can tell you all about life on the inside. What would that sentence be like? Would they ban me from being a cub scout leader forever?? Really? PLEASE! Would then tie me up with neckerchiefs and stone me with neck slides? Would they make me write the cub scout promise 500 times?

It's cub scouts, people...and bottom line, her son didn't even come close to the requirements. Shut up, angry cub mom.

Then I saw something I've never seen...I was picking Alex up from school on Wednesday and as I'm turning the corner onto Broadway an officer is walking through the Walgreen's parking lot, gun drawn, pointing and yelling at a man in a van. Ummmmm. freaky! I've never seen a cop with his gun drawn other than television. When I passed by that same Walgreen's on the way home, the parking lot was full of cop cars and officers with 3 "perps" (don't I sound cool) face down on the ground. I still haven't found anything in the paper that tells me what in the hell was going on there.

Last night - I bowled a 188 in my second game and won the side pot. HOORAY ME! The other two games weren't bad, and my team won the 3 game series, so that's cool.

Tonight finds me sleeping in the hallway of a middle school - fear not lovely bloggers - I'm not homeless. It's the annual lock-in down in Monticello. The rest of the weekend holds work and housework and church and of course...the blues! Happy Friday!

When did I become a once a week blogger???

Shame on me. I must improve this. Are you guys still out there? Keep checking daily, I will make this happen.

Quick Idol rant: Carly Smithson - who likes this girl? I mean seriously...can she sing? Yes. Do you care? NO. She's just so...diva-esque and I hate everything that comes out of her mouth. Who is she appealing to? And Amanda Overmyer? There are thousands of women across this country alone who could have and have done that same cover of that same song. Meh. And Randy Jackson? Quit smoking Paula's crackpipe - how you can watch Brooke's BRILLIANT performance and say that she didn't bring anything new or original to it?? WHAT? Yeah, even Pat Benatar has done an acoustic version of that song - it sounded nothing like that. Shut up Randy.

Child update:Owen is actually managing to wear two matching socks everyday, on his feet. Doesn't that sound great. Ummm...yeah...he's now into Jeff Hardy arm socks. ARM SOCKS. Why is it always about socks with him? Don't know what they are? First of all, good for you...I think I'm dumber for knowing. Check them out. His are orange and black but you can get them in all colors...yes he wears them every day. Yes, he wears them to school. Yes, he wears them around the house. Ridiculous. Whatever. Alex wore a cape. Owen has arm socks.

Therapy.

Alex is well, Alex. He lost his coat for the second time this year. Well, not lost...but left behind. I almost killed him the first time. This time he was helping the theatre techs after school and left it in the theatre, which was then LOCKED. With his backpack and coat inside. Nice. He's totally my kid.

Wish me luck for bowling tonight...