so i got an invite today from the facebook event master:

“Robert invited you to “Queen Of The Pole” tomorrow.”

  

I just can’t help wondering why Robert thought i might be interested in this event.  Yep!
so, in other news, myself, & kelly & pamela from work went to a concert last week at Off Broadway.

we went to see Greg Laswell (whose voice makes me melt), but found the other acts were also wonderful.

the show didn’t start until 9pm which is super late for a “school” night in my opinion.  we went back & forth multiple times debating whether or not we would actually go.  i was sick, kelly was sick, pamela was not, but still, 9pm is late for old folks like us. we ended up deciding that we’ll only live once and headed to a restaurant down the street from the venue called The Stable.  i loved the decor there.  it had a lot of history (it used to actually BE a stable..you know…with horses!) they had a huge beer list and we shared a pretty tasty appetizer.

other than the fact that our waiter ignored us for 30 consecutive minutes after we had expressed all the “we’re done” signs, the experience was good.

after we left The Stable, we still had some time to kill, and we went on a search for mozarella sticks (my love). we didn’t have to go far because the pub across the street called O’Malleys had plenty of them PLUS fried mushrooms and multiple other fried delicousness.

and a sweet bulldog named tank.  tank pretty much owned the place.  we had a lot of fun there too…very hometown pub-ish. 

halfway through our meal of healthy friend delicacies, a bearded man walked through the doors. 

he looked like this:

“could this be,” i thought?!  yes, it is true, it was Greg Laswell, coming to have a pre-show drink.

“fantastic.  i must go speak with him.”

albiet creepy, i wandered up to him and made myself known.  he seemed like a nice (maybe a little shy) bearded man.

and i love a bearded man. so all was well.

the concert itself was perfect.  small, intimate venue, fans that didn’t suck, room to move, good sound.

i think i’ll return to Off Broadway soon. 

the first act was Rosi Golan.  i really enjoyed her voice and her sound, so i figure some of you who are into a simliar style of music might like her too.

here isa video:

next was jay nash.  i really liked him, only problem was i was falling asleep by this time (10:30ish) and i was finding it difficult to concentrate.  from what i remember, he was good.  look him up if you feel so inclined!

and last was my favorite–greg laswell. if you haven’t heard him…please do.  his voice is so deep and soothing.  i totally dig him.

for pictures, please visit pamela’s blog (Feb 20th 2009).  she took like 300 (seriously) throughout the night, so there were definitely some good ones to choose from!

love a good show.

 -jess

What if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me
What if I went and lost myself? 
Would you know where to find me
If I forgot who I am,
would you please remind me oh?
Cause without you things go hazy

rosi golan ~ hazy

Whenever the weather starts to get a little nicer and the sun stays up a little later, I start to miss summer…a lot. (odd that I should write this post considering it is 25 degrees outside, but the sun is deceiving, and it appears much warmer through a 5^th floor window).

I mean I pretty much miss summer every moment from that first awful frost until the first shorts-worthy day each year…starting to think I might belong somewhere with a warmer climate.

 

When I was little, the warmer weather meant summer vacation was coming.  Which meant school would be out soon.  Which meant sleeping in, playing tennis whenever I wanted, trampoline slumber parties, campouts, riding bikes, rollerblading, vacations, and endless hours of free time.

 

Now, while I still look forward to it, chances are not much will change because I’ll still be working the 8 to 5 dutifully.

 

Not to say I do not enjoy my job, but I do miss the good ol’ days of few responsibilities and even fewer worries.

 

My 2 sisters and I used to get summer pool passes each year.  We basically went to the public pool every single day from 1 to 5 pm, and usually attended the once monthly “midnight madness” (pools are super cold at midnight, but staying out until midnight was a rare occurrence until after I hit 18).

 

Dad would give us $1.00 each day to purchase chips and a soda or candy.  I usually got a coke and funyuns.  (friggin loved those things) and at break we would sit around outside the gates under the trees on our towels chatting about boys and whatever else it was we talked about those days.

 

We also had a thing for Abercrombie and Fitch back then.  I’m not sure what made us so label crazy back in middle school, but a shirt wasn’t a shirt if it wasn’t plastered with the logos of Abercrombie, Gap, American Eagle, etc (JcPenney was not acceptable, though it was certainly tried…neither was FUBU..somehow we missed the meaning of “for you by you…”)

 

There are a lot of songs that take me back to those lazy junior high summers, but one in particular sticks out…LFO, Summer Girls.  Yep.  It’s probably why we all felt so compelled to become walking billboards for Abercrombie & Fitch (see lyrics below)  Cause hey…if LFO likes girls that wear abercrombie & fitch, I’ll be sportin’ the A+F.

 

And, they made a sweet NKOTB reference, so I’m happy.

 

Lyrically genius, I must say.  We all knew the words, and secretly, you do too.  (it’s okay to admit it and even to sing along if you like).

 

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, here is that sweet summer video.

 

 

 

-jess

New Kids On The block, had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick.
And I think it’s fly when girls stop by for the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I’d take her if I had one wish,
But she’s been gone since that summer..
Since that summer 

lfo ~ summer girls

so i created this video of our trip to vegas back in novemeber and never put it up….

here it is!

-jess

I tried to do handstands but everytime I fell for you
I’m permanently black and blue, permanently blue for you

chairlift ~ bruises

so for the past couple weekends i have skipped town.  2 weeks ago my little sister and i set-out on a last minute drive down to memphis.

we checked out the memphis zoo, saw an armadillo, some pandas, and a few sweet cats, and spent the evening on beale street.

 it was a great getaway.  though i’m not sure i recommend coyote ugly.  in fact, i’m sure i don’t recommend it unless you are a lonely guy looking to stare at a few girls dancing on a bar with a few hundred other lonely guys and the occassional confused/very drunk lady.

there are so many better places one could go.

we did karaoke, met creepy guys, ate chicken strips, met a not-so-creepy & actually really friendly older gentleman (like 60) who kept us company while we watched a sweet blues band sing the evening away.

 aside from the lack of potato products at denny’s during our Sunday morning breakfast and a rude hotel receptionist who refused our $5 off parking coupon  (promised, but not delivered by travelocity & benchmark hotels), the weekend went quite smoothly.

i suppose i can upload some photos soon now that i know my laptop is not dying, or dead, but is actually alive and well after the help of a fantastic member of the geeksquad at best buy in Clayton, MO.

last weekend, however, we did run into a snag or two.  a few girls from college and i drove to Evansville, IN to visit our favorite Edward Jones financial planner, Melissa Khan.  Evansville was bigger than i imagined it would be. 

we arrived late on Friday, and headed out to visit some fine local establishments.  we parked in the free, lit, camera secured parking garages near the casino.  fantastic!  covered parking downtown for free!

or so i thought.  apparently the cost of parking in the garage is that your car might be raided.  i suppose this goes with basically any parking lot, but somehow i didn’t think someone would find my coat to be a hot item.  

i guess someone is warmer because of me, but a part of my heart went with it, i think.

i am still quite bummed.  (obviously)

the rest of the trip was rather uneventful.  just hanging out.  80s night at a place called hammerhead’s.  a terrible cover band & unappealing crowd at fast eddies.  tasty italian dinner.  drunken red-headed bachelor–good for a laugh.

 this weekend i’ll be happily relaxing in good ol’ st louis.  doing laundry, reading, working out and other boring things.  and i’m totally exited about it.

 i’m even thinking about checking out the weiner dog race

-jess

and i wanna change
change the way we always had
and to make different plans
and try not to make this sad
and i always choose another way

shout out louds ~ very loud

my mom does this little thing..it’s a bit strange, but she leaves the tv on for our dogs when she goes out. but not just that..she leaves it on a specific channel..hgtv. as if my dogs are going to have some input during our next home remodel. whatever the reason, it can’t be denied that having a channel preference for our pets isn’t a little weird.

back when i spent more time at my parent’s house, i detested hgtv. i couldn’t understand how my mom, my sister, my sister’s fiance and even my dog’s could spend so many hours watching various shows about home remodeling and house searching and, well, all things home related.

however, in the past few months, something has happened to my opinion of hgtv. i can’t explain it, but for some reason, i can’t help but feel the desire to watch it all the time. i love watching first time home buyers relentlessly search for the perfect starter home. i fully enjoy watching a kitchen transform from a cheesy closed-in outdated space with appliances from the stone-age to the perfect, open, modern kitchen. i am excited about cheap design-on-a-dime tips.

i love it.

i watch it for hours on end. until they start playing the repeats from the 6am shows around 11pm.

perhaps i’m entering a new phase in my life. i mean less than 2 years ago i was cooped up in university housing, somehow managing to stuff all of my things and another person’s things into a room the size of my current closet. let’s be honest–in the realm of home design, there just isn’t much you can do with that.

i have space now, and though i’m not fully free to do as i please with my wall colors and floor plan and such, i can make changes that matter. i have a color scheme! my furniture matches AND it is not made of plastic or something i found in a pile by a random person’s trashcans (though i must admit i did get my computer chair for free on facebook). this is a step in the right direction.

however, i truly can’t wait to somehow how my own house to tear up and put back together. i want to create my “dream kitchen” and give myself a spa-worthy tub. i want a back yard, or at least a space large enough to entertain inside. i want to accessorize my living room. i want glasses and plates and silverware that match. i want to be the first person to own my couch.

argggg. i’ve come a long way, but i’ve still got a long road ahead of me.

that’s life, though, i guess.

-jess

 

And now after all my searching
After all my questions
I’m gonna call it home
I’ve got a brand new mindset
I can finally see the sunset
I’m gonna call it home

switchfoot ~ this is home