Reason # 264 Why I Love the State Fair

Free Stuff and The Ringleader

I'm not sure that words can adequately describe what I just experienced, but I'll give it a try!

WFMS is giving away tickets to the State Fair, via 'ticket stops' around the city. Since I love both the State Fair and free stuff, I thought I'd head to Dunkin' Donuts after work to take advantage of this excellent offer, where they were giving away tickets starting at 6pm.

It went a little something like this:

5:56 - I arrive and get out of the car. Lady parked next to me, sitting in her car with the windows down, looks up in anticipation which quickly changes to disappointment. "I thought you were going to be the person," she says to me. Seeing that WFMS isn't there yet, I remember that I have been meaning to try the iced coffee at DD, so I go inside to purchase it.

5:58 - I'm back outside standing on the sidewalk. There are 10 or 15 other people kind of hanging around. Some interesting characters, as you might expect to see at the fair.

5:59 - Lady in photo above, whom we'll call "the ringleader" starts getting all worked up. She tries to call WFMS, but they won't answer. And we all hear about it. Is there another Dunkin' Donuts? Where could they be? They better show up!

6:02 - Still no sign of WFMS. A few more people are arriving. Ringleader finds a friend who is also angry. They talk loudly about it. RL's friend walks over by me, muttering "this is ridiculous!" under her breath and decides to go sit in her car and turn the radio up really loud.

6:04 - I giggle. A lot. Still standing on the sidewalk sipping my iced coffee.

6:07 - We see WFMS van! Yay! But wait... it drives right past us and keeps going on 86th St. Ringleader + friend discuss which corner is Northwest. Van keeps going.

6:09 - There is talk of van turning around, but I was too involved in people watching to care.

6:10 - Normal-looking girl shows up, looks around, and comes to talk to me. We people watch together. I point out RL/friend and say, "I may have just taken a photo of that lady with my phone to post on my blog." We have a good laugh.

6:13 - Van has definitely disappeared. RL is on the phone with the radio station telling them all about it. I start fearing for the life of the van driver, who will no doubt turn out to be an intern.

6:17 - Wait! Is that the van? RL sends her husband out to flag it down. He stands in the middle of 86th street waving at it. We hope no one runs over him.

6:20 - Van pulls into DD parking lot. I still worry about the well-being of the driver. Why yes, he does appear to be of intern age. "WHAT HAPPENED? DID YOU GET LOST?" someone yells at him. He gets a couple boxes of free fair vouchers out of the van. Oh, all of a sudden we like him again because he's giving us stuff.

6:25 - Everyone has their vouchers. Life can return to normal.

Orphans Deserve Better

I am not generally one to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to petitions and boycotts, but as a supporter of Show Hope, and adoption in general, I'm passing this one along.

I just read about a rather disturbing horror movie called "Orphan" that Warner Bros. is releasing soon. Instead of rewriting what I read in a much less eloquent way, I will encourage you to read this post from the Show Hope blog.

Then visit www.orphansdeservebetter.org to learn more and sign a petition to be sent to the Warner Bros CEO.

What I've been up to: a photo essay

Long time, no blog. What can I say? I'm a busy girl.

Here's a smattering of things I've been doing...

Travel: I was in Seattle for nearly two weeks at the end of May. Came home for a few days, then flew to LA to drive across the country on a grand adventure with four friends. Home a few days again, then visited the fam for a couple days. Home for two days, then went to St. Louis for three days for a meeting. I am happy to be home! Below is one of my favorite photos from our Route 66 journey, courtesy of Jess. (Is it really 'courtesy' of Jess if she doesn't know I'm stealing it and posting it? Hm.)

Turning 29: We first celebrated my birthday around midnight in St. Louis, then in Chicago, then Jess and I had a party in Indy. Not just any party... a birthday prom. It was great fun, and I love that we have friends who happily (in most cases) oblige and dress up to dance and act goofy in the Millers' backyard. I bet there aren't too many girls out there who get cake smashed in their faces on their 29th birthdays, either...

Concerts: I love summer concerts! So much so, I have been to three of them in the last six days. New Kids on the Block, The Fray, and Casting Crowns. Three vastly different crowds. Three good shows. By the way, I think people watching is one of God's greatest gifts. Here is a photo from NKOTB:

Shopping: This one's pretty much a given. My current project is the guest room, so below are some of yesterday's purchases. Come visit! But not quite yet.

Painting: Isn't it a nice color?

Organizing: This is the 'after' photo of my plasticware cabinet. Really, how much of this stuff does a single girl who doesn't really cook need?

OnebookOnemonth Challenge

From time to time, I'll be posting on Meg M.'s OnebookOnemonth Challenge blog. I can't promise it'll actually be once a month, but we'll see... Check it out. Join us. Read books. Write about them.

And here are a few unrelated observations from my day off today:

• If I'm going to shop at The Fashion Mall, I need a larger SUV.
• I really, really am not a fan of the new rules for drivers license photos. No smile. No glasses. The camera is below eye-level, resulting in an extra chin...
• Ellen is my favorite Macy's associate. She always lets me use the coupon, and keep it for next time!

I've said it before...

And I'll say it again. My friends rock. Not only do they know that this is one of the two most exhausting weeks of my year, but they also know my favorite flower. Thanks guys! I love you! (When I saw that my red message light was blinking, I almost didn't call because I thought it would be an annoying message. But then the man was like, "we have flowers for you!" Yay!)

And as an added bonus, here are a couple photos of me participating in a drumming circle at the Northwest Folklife Festival yesterday. (I did get to have one day of fun!)

Vacation Blog '09!

A couple of weeks ago, my four road-tripping friends and I got together to chat about our upcoming adventure. 

At the top of the list? How to handle the blogging. A big decision. Write on our individual blogs, or create one especially for the trip?

We decided to go with one to which we could all contribute. So without further adieu, I give you... our 2009 vacation blog!

http://lifeisahighway09.blogspot.com/