Angie’s Drama

Last night, I had asked a friend if she wanted to have cocktails. Rob had said he was working on the boat aka Fowl Play and needed to get it finished. FYI, goose and dove season begin Friday. I wanted to get away from the normal watering hole. I think I just wanted to be able to vent about whatever mini-drama I had going on and sometimes you have to go to another enviroment. I don’t really vent all that often and more often than not, I’m the sounding board for all the rants in the world. (I am married to Rob, you know) But, if you want to be able to vent and get it all off your chest, you don’t do it at your home base. Completely innocent friends and acquaintances will come up to chit chat, not knowing your in mid-rant. So, we had decided to go to Johnny Vig’s where we might know a few people but not everyone. Of course that changed by 7pm and we ended up at Sullivan’s. For a Wednesday night, it was quite busy but we still only knew the bartenders. Perfect. Then another friend came in. I was able to vent to both for awhile and then…I had to just give up. More and more people we knew were coming in. Honestly, preparing for the rant is more tiresome than actually completing it, which I rarely do. Next time it’s the hole in wall bar that doesn’t even have a name.
Later that night, we all decided to meet up at the regular establishment. One friend was having a rough evening with the anniversary of her father’s death. Another friend went to his house, picked some beautiful flowers and brought them back up for her to take to the cemetary.That’s the reason you have a home base.

Next time you’re on the Bob Michael bridge coming from East Peoria, look on the ground at the intersection. Specfically near the right turn lanes. There ALWAYS seems to be a new pair of ‘old’ flip flops lying on the pavement. I’ve seen white ones, yellow ones and red ones. Maybe people leaving Super Walmart get really excited about their new flip flops and discard their old ones immediately at that spot? I think it’s the new equivalent to throwing your tennis shoes over a power line. I just saw that on my way to Schooner’s the other day. Maybe that person had just got a brand new pair of flip flops.

The birthday weekend started out disappointing since two of the girls weren’t able to participate in the Friday festivities. We were, of course, late leaving for Springfield. We took two cars and got there in just over an hour. What can I say about the state fair? Sticks. Every type of food you could imagine…on a stick. Corn dogs, pickles, corn, pizza, calzones, frozen banannas, fried cheesecake, fried twinkies etc… Between the five of us, so much food was consumed. It may seem excessive but most items didn’t get finished. Here’s the list: 7 corn dogs, 2 cheese fries (so bad they weren’t eaten), vinegar fries, a peach, BBQ sandwich, 2 baked potatoes, corn on the cob, pineapple fluff, ribeye sandwich, 2 gyros and a bag of taffy. Did I mention how freakin’ hot and humid it was Friday? It was pretty miserable. Thus, we had beer. The opening act was Hello Dave and they’re still rockin’ it. I always forget how much fun they are. Big & Rich put on a pretty good show. A midget opening the show? You know it’s going to be good. The heat finally let up around 9pm when it started raining. They had a good 20 minute firework show afterwards so the walk back to the car was interesting. Dodging flames and dodging mud. Good times.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Set List
1. Something in the Way She Moves
2. October Road
3. Water is Wide
4. Sweet Baby James
5. Copperline
6. Family Man
7. Handy Man
8. Fire & Rain
9. Mexico
Intermission
10. Caroline I See You
11. Why Baby Why
12. Beautiful Morning (from Oklahoma)
13. Chili Dog
14. Up on the Roof
15. Your Smiling Face
16. Carolina in my Mind
17. Shower the People
18. How Sweet It Is
19. You’ve Got a Friend
20. Steamroller
Encore
21. Secret O’Life

To continue with the birthday week of concerts theme, I actually purchased the tickets at 3:30pm yesterday. We had a quick dinner at home (crab stuffed salmon, green beans, buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes) and then headed downtown. Downtown Peoria was crazzzzy busy last night. We stopped in Red Zin and low and behold, Wendy was behind the bar trying to help out. Unfortunately, someone didn’t schedule more than one bartender and I think the one there had only worked a few shifts. Ooops. Wendy, Tom, Rob and I snuck out quietly once we realized a small riot was about to break out. People were pissed. People were leaving. People were bitching. So, time to go. We tried to walk into F.Scott’s but that was a joke. There wasn’t anywhere to stand. At least everyone had a drink in hand. Nights like that you can really appreciate the awesomeness of great bartenders. So, it was down to Jim’s Steakhouse where we were lucky enough to snag a four top in the bar and at last have the pre-show cocktail. We walked over the Civic Center and made plans on where to meet during intermission. Our seats were exactly one row from back. Upper level. It didn’t matter at all because the sound was crystal clear and James Taylor is just a god. Wendy and Tom had 14th row seats that they had purchased at 5:30pm. Doesn’t that figure?

Last night, Rob asked me who did the laundry in your family? (It was usually my dad or myself) He said, “That’s what I figured. I imagine your Dad downstairs while your mom was up in the kitchen cooking dinner.” I guess he didn’t understand my hysterical giggling fit, because he just looked at me with a blank stare. My mom was sooooo not Carol Brady/Alice. She worked full-time and my Dad worked 2nd or 3rd shifts. She really wasn’t a cook so when the microwave came about, it helped tremendously. She also grew up right after the Depression in a home with a gazillion siblings where money was tight. Apparently they always had the same food so she had major problems with several foods. We couldn’t have maple syrup, we had to have the Carob Syrup which suuuuuuucked. We couldn’t have grape jelly, we had to have apricot or rasberry preserves-usually canned by some distant relative. We surely couldn’t have vanilla ice cream, it was always sherbet or something. White bread was a no-no and cereal could only be oatmeal, shredded wheat (the huge disks) or puffed wheat. I hear rumors that she made a mean beef stroganoff, but I think I only had it once. Dad was pretty good with meat loaf and hamburgers when he didn’t get creative and throw in shredded carrots or pineapples. He was also the infamous instigator of the “surprise” sack lunch which included a peanut butter and cheese sandwich on thick multi-grain wheat bread.

Grandpa would drop off a pot roast (with skillet) every couple of days so that’s what most dinners were during the week. For the most part, we ate out. Back then, there really weren’t many chain restaurants (which I desperately craved…funny how things change) so we stuck with a few staples. Mind you, I didn’t have a choice in the matter, the adults decided.

Wernsman’s Apparently some relative on my mom’s side owned it so we had dinner there frequently. Their salad bar was right by the bar area and I’d play Elvira after I got the chocolate pudding.

Dixie’s Cafe: I was usally the only person under sixty. The decor reminded me of a funeral home. Usually had to get the diet plate with a hamburger patty with cottage cheese. Feel my pain?

Eric’s Great Steaks: It always seemed really dark. Tuesday’s Special was the beef tips and rice. Dad always got the steak soup.

The Penguin Tap Only reserved for special occassions when my aunts came down from Chicago.

Lum’s One word. Barnburner.

Steak n Shake: Hours of family fun and bottomless coffee.

1. Is it just me, or are you seeing more and more bicyclists going against traffic? Clearly these people have never been to Safety Town. (The one time I was forced to go for Brownies, it took me the entire hour to get around the thing. I wasn’t an ace bike rider when I was six.)

2. With the current debate over Jefferson and Adams becoming two way streets, I forced myself to look at both sides and try to reach an opinion. Completely unscientific as it is, if I had to learn to drive in downtown Peoria with the one ways and parallel parking, everyone from here on out should have to learn too. Okay, the last one doesn’t really apply since I go out of my way to not parallel park. My depth perception sucks. But, I like one way streets downtown because they seem to be more pedestrian friendly.

3. I’m in total agreement with Chef Kevin that the Taste of Peoria should be a multi-day event, similar to Erin Feis and Oktoberfest. By the way, those events are coming up so I’m getting excited…

4. I’m getting waaaay too obsessed with Big Brother 7. Damn the internet with its live feeds and forums.

5. Mojitos are the best part of summer. Memo to self: Stop by the store on the way home and grab the ‘fixins’. I’m so happy we bought the mint plant at the farmers market. Good call.

6. We’re invited to a wedding Saturday and Rob found out he’s scheduled to work that afternoon. He should be off in time to enjoy the reception though. A friend asked if the bride and groom knew Rob, because he would go with me and be “Rob”-I said, “Dan, you’re talking about Team Walker here, are we ever really apart?” Dan-”Good point.”

7. Our friend lives in an apartment complex way out on North Knoxville. She moved into the building in January and it has since become a true nightmare for her. Apparently, the elderly couple below can hear everything going on in her apartment. Everything. They bang on the ceiling when she enters her apartment late at night, when she gets out of bed to grab some water, when she does laundry, etc… One of the managers called her in to the office to discuss the situation and she politely told the woman that she was a thirty old woman sitting in the Principal’s Office and she wasn’t going to justify her schedule to anyone. Before that specific episode, she awoke to find the maintenance man in her apartment. Someone had hit her car and she hadn’t answered the door. What???? They refuse to let her out of her lease so she’s going to suck it out until November and then pay it off completely. When I lived at apartments, we always had to tip toe around and whisper but with new construction, can’t they build thicker walls and floors?

The change of venue this year allowed for more areas to “breathe” and/or hangout. I really can’t believe how long the lines were. Most years I’m so busy working the event I rarely get to sample anything except Haddad’s gyros-which I’ve enjoyed for years since Rita and I went to high school together. So really, this was the first time in a long time that I spent eternity waiting in lines. Does anyone else think they should have BIG SIGNS that let you know if they’ve run out of something? Really. Twenty minutes in line to find out Lonestar (yes, I know) was out of the spicy spinach artichoke dip? Big winners in my book were Echo Vally and Thanh Linh. And Miller Lite. I couldn’t really hear the bands that were playing because we were in the middle of the field but it sounded like a small jazz ensemble was near the hot air balloon. We felt like we were at Woodstock ‘94 with all the mud. I’ll admit it, we washed our sandles and feet off in the fountain. It takes alot of work to be that “white trash.”

ROCK THE BOAT III WITH RACHEL’S HIPPO

What: Cruise on the Spirit of Peoria with Rachel’s Hippo and the Peoria Miller Girls
Beer, wine, soda and food included

When: Saturday, August 19, 2006
Boarding begins at 7pm, Cruise 8-10pm Rain or Shine

Why: Benefitting The Peoria Jaycees and the Make A Wish Foundation

Cost: $30

Where: Tickets available at www.jaycees.com, Dale 309-370-2016, Ricketts Salon Studio-4607 N University

Having a birthday in mid-to-late August is can either be a blessing or a hinderance.

Blessing:
Guaranteed decent weather. It will never be snowing or -30 outside.
Hinderance:
It could be 105 and 100% humidity

Blessing
People are generally available to party with me. There never seems to be a wedding during my birthday weekend. Case in point: Wedding this weekend not next.
Hinderance
There are always major events going on. Case in point: Jaycees Past Presidents’ Party, Rock the Boat,Grand Nationals/TT Races and The State Fair. I can easily make lemonade out of these by having a get-together after the Sunday races or attending a concert at the State Fair. The girls and I are going up next Friday to see Hello Dave, Cowboy Troy and Big & Rich. A little “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” with your girls, = priceless

Blessing
Your best friend’s brother has a birthday the day before. One more day to celebrate.
Hinderance
People may be too hung over to party two days in a row….nah

Updated Schedule:
Thursday-massage (my very first, non-chiropractor related)
Friday-Illinois State Fair
Saturday-Grand Nationals (work) and Recovery Room for Big John’s birthday
Sunday(the birthday)-American Idol

You may notice a lack of Rob related events but that’s all his doing. He doesn’t want to be miserable encroach on the Girls Day, hang out at the Grand Nationals or have anything to do with American Idol. Oh, he watched, but that’s where that ends. If it seems like I plan a little too much for my birthday, I do. I go a little nuts when I’m at someone else’s mercy. Thus, I planned my own 30th Birthday Party. But, I’ll let Rob plan what he wants us to do. I’m just sayin’, if there’s anything to do with guns or hunting, the divorce papers will be filed.

8:45am

Ring Ring

Rob: This is Rob
Angie: Hey, I’m at the corner of Bigelow and Corrington, and there’s a duck in the middle of the road.
Rob: On Corrington?
Angie: No on Bigelow, right in front of so and so’s house. There’s a repair man going into the house and the duck is just watching him
Rob: Is it a mallard?
Angie: No, it’s brown
Rob: Brown duck, it’s a female mallard.
Angie: I think it may be hurt. Her feathers are ruffled in the back and she’s just hanging out in the street.
Rob: If she’s still there when I go home for lunch, can we keep her?
CLICK…Angie hangs up on Rob