Angie’s Drama

We were lucky enough to catch the show Saturday night in Bloomington. Rob has traumatic issues with Journey so he skipped the concert. I think it may stem from his belief that Peorians can’t get enough of Journey, STYX, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, Toto, Boston and on and on. It seemed to be more of Journey crowd than a Def Leppard one. The abundance of people wearing Journey hats, tees and coats was pretty surprising to me. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of people wearing homemade Def Leppard shirts and jean jackets. I haven’t seen as much Bedazzler artwork anywhere. Since most of my friends are professional concert attendees, I have learned one thing. Maybe this only applies to the Widespread Panic, Phish and Dead Heads but…You never wear the concert shirt of the band you’re seeing. I do give credit to the folks who brought out their old Poison and Bon Jovi concert tees from the 80’s. I would have loved to have seen those bands back in the day, when the ticket prices were about $20.00. One last thing about the concert. To the absolute a-hole in the parking deck: Stepping out of your SUV to verbally assault a carload of people is not the best way to assure that your vehicle gets in line to exit. It’s called Anger Management and you should look into it.

Some local blogs are tackling the issue of panhandling. Anyone and I mean Anyone that knows me-has learned that I attract “the crazies.” If I even make eye contact with someone he or she will hit me up for change, cash, gas or food. My favorite ‘line’ is where a guy or girl approaches you downtown, tells you they are from out of town, they locked their keys in their car-Peoria police won’t open their door and the charge is $45 for a locksmith. They, of course, would like you to pay the $45 and they’ll write you a check. Ummmmmm no. It’s just worse the second and third times you hear the story. I just want to finish it for them so I don’t have to witness the horrible acting and utter bull they’re trying to give me.
When I was in grade school/high school, the big thing to do was spend the entire weekend at Northwoods Mall. Apparently every boy in the city was broke as they all tried to get change from every girl. I learned early on that those boys were buying necklaces and clothes from Structure with the money. Panhandling has always irked me but I’ll also lend a helping hand when possible. On different occassions, Rob and I have helped people out who have run out of gas on the interstate. So, the people that scam what they can off people really make it difficult for us to want to help those truly in a bad situation. I just hope that my karma and your karma are enough so if we were ‘truly’ in a predicament, someone would help us out.

* Rob’s getting over his cold from the weekend. Without fail, whenever he goes to Knob Creek for the machine gun shoot, he comes back without a voice and on the verge of a cold. Kind of like taxes and increased utilities bill-it always happens.

* I’m getting really tired of the press giving so much coverage to celebrities having babies or adopting. Congratulate them and move on.

* I may have the chance to spend the night in a “haunted” building in the next few weeks. If so, I’ll be getting a voice recorder and a digital thermostat thingy like they use on Ghost Hunters. Angie’s not afraid of no ghosts. Well, I am but I’ll play brave as long as possible. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one. When my friend was a photographer at the Times Observer, she spent the night in a “haunted” building with a reporter and a local clairavoyant. She had some great stories to tell.

* My dad worked on railroad before he was laid off in the early eighties. It would be fantastic if he could see another Peoria-Chicago route again.

* I bought the coolest Timberland boots over the weekend. They’re orange and will be perfect for all the times I’m outside in crappy weather pretending to be having fun. At least I’ll have fun shoes to look at.

* I have to start picking out the color scheme I’m going to have on my new AR-15 Rob brought home over the weekend. Hopefully we’ll be able to get to the gun range before the weather gets really crappy.

The first weekend of the Jaycees Haunted House was a success! Friday night, I was able to help out during the second shift from 9-midnight. As a tour guide, I got to see grown men falling on the floor because someone scared them. Awesome! Before I arrived, I heard that a few people had even wet themselves. Makes me proud to be a Jaycee.

Saturday, we saw Motley Crue at the Mark in Moline. While the concert itself wasn’t nearly as good as the Carnival of Sins stop in Peoria last year, it was entertaining. The Mark is a fabulous facility that really puts the Civic Center to shame. There was never a line for the women’s restroom! The crosswalks completely take away the need to bring coats or jackets into the venue and eliminate any hassles with traffic. Even the vendor prices were reasonable. Hot dogs started at $2.00 and you could get chicken fingers and fries for $4.00-don’t bank on that ever happening in Peoria. A large beer was $6.50 but that seems reasonable to me-one too many times paying $8.50 at Chicago venues I guess.

Rob’s in Kentucky, enjoying sunshine and warmth. What does that mean? The past two days in Peoria have been cold as all get out. Rob seems to attract the good weather and I seem to attract the crappy, don’t want to get out of bed weather. Go figure. Sophie’s not adjusting too well to Rob being gone. She’s been barking at every little noise. I was watching a repeat of Fraiser last night and all the dogs were calmly lounging on the bed, the floor and the couch. Someone rang the doorbell of Fraiser’s apartment which set off a ten minute Sophie show. Being the smallest dog, she feels her bark must be louder than the others. The funny thing was none of the other dogs joined it all. They all knew she was crazy. I think it’s the alpha male being gone that makes her try and step up. At least that’s what Ceasar’s book is telling me. Later, I was doing crosswords in bed with Aiko and Yogi keeping me warm. Vito (aka Chunky-who is losing weight FYI) started whining. Poor guy wanted up on the bed. He actually made the runway with only one lap but couldn’t hang onto the bed. He fell off and scooted out into the living room onto the couch. I went out and gave him a pep talk but there was no way he was going to try it again. He slept on the couch. The only good thing about Rob being gone and the weather being crappy-Walker dogs to keep Angie warm and well protected.

Good things that happened this weekend:

* Rob and I hung out with Jim and Colleen Friday night and even ended up bowling for a bit.

* The Bears won

* The Avalon is fixed and the problem wasn’t the starter. Some cables were corroded and after being cleaned with baking soda-the car runs perfectly.

* Rob made it to the final table in the poker tournament and placed 4th.

* Rob has a new-found respect for my ability to stand up for myself.

Crappy Things That Happened

* Colleen’s brother had to go the emergency room

* Was asked if I was the designated dealer for my table at the poker tournament (i.e. you’re the only girl so you must just be dealing and not playing)

* Had a door slammed in my face when trying to find my husband (apparently a woman doesn’t walk into a room full of men looking for her husband)

* Was asked, “Honey-do you even know how to play ship, captain, crew?”

* Spent a day in bed taking meds to fend off an asthma attack-at least Rob didn’t ask me where his chicken pot pie was, right?

And that my friends is why I could never be part of a religion where women are subservient to men. Slamming a door in a woman’s face? Not where I come from.

In early August, our friend Troy sent out an invitation for an all day fish fry and poker tournament. We never get to see Troy as much as we’d like and it just so happens that at that point, my schedule was completely clear. So, tomorrow’s the big day and I can’t wait. Rob and I have all day together to hang out and hopefully not be the first one’s out of the game. Rob seems to be the first person out quite a bit but he takes it in stride.
Rob and Neighbor Dave are planning to fix my starter this weekend. I’m hoping this can be accomplished while I’m at Bark in the Park Sunday morning and before the Bears game that afternoon. That’s probably asking for a wee too much though. Maybe it will be Monday.
Cheers! Wish me luck in the tournament.

Pretty funny since I HATE fruity drinks and anything that will turn my mouth vibrant colors.

You Are a Blueberry Margarita

Honestly, there’s no one quite like you. And believe it or not, most people think that’s a bad thing! You’re open, wild, friendly, wacky, and tons of fun. You have a big personality… and a big heart.

We knew it was going to happen. The amount of money spent to hire young men to stand on street corners and intersections holding signs proclaiming the clearance sales was the first indication. Over the years, I’ve known several people who at one time or another worked at the Pioneer Park location. Yes, Rob worked in the electronics department. I’m pretty sure that didn’t last too long. Retail can be quite the monster headache.

I always had problem with K’s jewelry. I had a black pearl set that included a gorgeous ring and matching earrings. The pearls fell out of both the ring and one earring. I also had an opal necklace that fell apart. That being said, the hunting and outdoor sections always had some good buys. Rob and I got both our canoe and living room couch from K’s.

While I’ll probably miss the store because I could always cross off a few people from the Christmas list, the bigger question is this: Where are we going to get all our indoor water fountains, neon dolphin signs and black bear statues?