Sparky's Christmas Day

We're going on a car ride!

We're at the parents, we're at the parents!

Scavenge house for any Lizzie neglected doggie treats!

Tom and Laura came to visit me!

(Full spazz mode is now engaged)

     - Must chase ball

     - Must squeak toys

     - Must run laps to keep away from Lizzie 

     - Must steal attention from anyone who makes eye contact

A present for me!

A ball! How did you know?!?!

Another gift!

A squeaky stuffed cow!

You shouldn't have!

Thank you! Thank you!

Recharge.

New toy, what new toy?

And...... Crash!

White Elephant 2014

Today was our annual White Elephant gift exchange at work. For those lucky few that follow me on Twitter/Facebook, you may already know that my boss walked away with a WaxVac. I don't think he could have paid any of us to take that off his hands, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it pop up again next year.


I admit, I stole my gift from Jeff. Partially because I didn't think we would have any steals, plus, it had nice pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that came with it. But what's best... I have a happy addition to my desk. Running low on desk space, I seated him, El Toro, on my toilet coffee mug.

How could you not smile inside when greeted by El Toro when you enter your cube?

The best Holiday Sweater goes to Jeff. I think even the non-holiday, Chirstmas "haters" may even enjoy such a sweater.

The sweater design reminds me... to my surprise, there were no "pooping" animal candy dispensers in the gift exchange this year.

I busted out my new and only holiday shirt. I truly love this magical time of year and can't wait to spend time with my family and friends this holiday season.

Frying Fish

I am well aware that there are bigger fish to fry in this big ole game of life, but I have to share what's on my mind this evening.
I finally found a daytime cold/flu medicine that doesn't make me feel like I need to crawl out of my own skin.

It's been a good 7 years since I've been on my /fun/ daily anxiety medicine. Over the years I've tried various brands of daytime cold/flu remedies, but they would tend to push me over the edge of jitteriness. At some point I gave in and just took the nighttime versions, and used toothpicks to keep my eyes open at work.

My current cold has me feeling more of the flu symptoms and I almost fell asleep at work with my normal plan of attack. No meds left with with a nasty sore throat, so I took my chances with tossing some money at new kind of daytime cold/flu medicine.

To my surprise and utter joy, the medicine helped suppress my symptoms and didn't put me into an overly cloudy haze or a skin crawling jitteriness. It wasn't all powerful... I am still quite cranky. This may be trivial to some, but it's a small victory in my book.

I'm also proud to report that I blew a snot bubble this evening. Please don't ask me to reproduce this feat because it was a complete fluke.

A Day in Indy - Pre-P!nk

If you read the last post, then you know I headed to Indianapolis last Thursday to see P!nk in concert. My first stop along the way was to pickup my ticket from willcall. There were 3 advantages to this:

1. I got a true paper ticket to add to my collection
2. I could scope out the parking situation prior to the show
3. In this case, I could check out the official P!nk merch

I planned to visit the Rhythm Discovery Center when I was downtown, just blocks away, but I couldn't stomach paying parking for then and later for the concert. Next stop was to explore the area around my hotel on the north side of Indy. First up was a little racing and "gambling" at Dave and Busters!

Then I stopped over at Phantom Fireworks. I think the last fireworks I bought were sparklers or the snaps that pop when you throw them against the ground. So, why did I find myself here? Well, I asked my dad if he needed anything in Indianapolis. To no surprise, the answer was yes and minutes later I had his membership card, two coupons, and an address. It was fun to have a personal tour of the store and reviews of the fireworks I got to select from. Mission accomplished!

By this time, it was minutes before 1:30 and past lunchtime for my stomach, so I pulled in to Le Peep where I would order breakfast. As I waited for my food, I saw the waitresses prepping the restaurant for closing. I was slightly confused, but when my food arrived I was informed that they close at 2:30. I felt like a schmuck at this point. I forgot Indiana was goofy about daylight savings time and I lost an hour when crossing the border.

I scarfed down my food, checked into my hotel and navigated my way back downtown where I planned to visit the Rhythm Discovery Center, grab a light dinner and head over to the show. I couldn't figure out where the RDC was, so I parked close to the concert venue, so I wouldn't have to walk too far at night after the show.

This left me walking a few miles that evening in the rain without an umbrella. Thank goodness for hoods because it was definitely poor planning on my part. To my surprise, I found the RDC in the basement of multi-story mall. I left myself a whole 30 minutes to take it all in.

If I had time to read all of the signs that accompanied the exhibits, I'd be able to tell you the origins of the different drums in the photo below. With my half hour, I opted to play every single percussion instrument available to me and skipped over the signs.

I was in heaven. You name the percussion instrument, and I played it... loud and badly!!! It was so much fun. How did I accomplish this feat in so little time? I was the ONLY person in the center.

It's a shame I didn't really learn anything, but it gives me an excuse to go back. Here's another quick video of me playing a gong. Wish I had more hands, so I could show you videos of me playing the steel, timpani, bongo, and snare drums (just to name a few)... and who can forget the cowbells! Yes, cowbells... plural!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I had a smile on my face with every beat of a drum!

P!nk and The Kin Rockin' Indy

When an idea floats through my head that I actually want to do, it bounces around in there until I actually follow through. I was scheduled to see P!nk for the 2nd time this year when I visited Emily in Denver, but P!nk was sidelined for vocal rest. With my refund, I booked a hotel and got a ticket to see P!nk in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, she came back from vocal rest too soon and had to postpone this date too. I was ready to throw in the towel until I saw some tickets still available for Indianapolis. In this case, 3rd time was a charm and I got to see P!nk again!


Buying a ticket for P!nk within a month of the concert date doesn't result in the best seats to choose from. I was seated in the top row at the corner of the venue. The seat was better than I anticipated and gave me a cool view to see the concert, above the performers. Although I would have been a bit more comfortable if I had a seatbelt.


Being above the performers meant I could see when the floor opened up and I could prep for photos. I have a series of pics where P!nk slingshots up from the floor. Below she was spinning while rising out of the stage.


Earlier in the day I stopped at the Rhythm Discovery Center, which is devoted to percussion instruments. I was more than pleased to see P!nk rock out on the drum set. I want to be able to do that!

Most of the time she has a harness with safety cables, but during the song Sober, P!nk was safe up high, spinnin' round, spinnin' round, spinnin' round, and comin' down, comin' down, comin' down without any safety devices. Mesmerizing!

Such a fantastic, energetic show, but it eventually had to come to an end. This time I had a bit of an idea of where she would land and zoom while flying. Absolutely hysterical to watch the reaction of those around me shaking in fear as P!nk "free fell" into the center of the floor. She's pulls up a few feet short and waves with a smile. Below she makes a stop on a pedestal across the way from my seat.

Now I can't forget the opening act, The Kin. I'd never heard of them and failed to look into their music prior to the show. They were fun to watch! A simple setup with quite a bit of talent. The drummer (Shakerleg), guitarist (Thorald) and keyboardist (Isaac) provided three concert firsts for me.

1. Shakerleg played the drums with his hands! That's correct, no drumsticks needed.

2. Thorald got the audience to light up their cell phones. What a cool sight.

3. Isaac busted out a didgeridoo! So COOL! For the record he and Thorald are from Australia.

I also took the time after the show to meet and chat with them for a quick second. So fun, and I hope to see them again. I look forward to listening to my new The Kin CD at work this week.

The Ways One Can Help

I have to say, the way the Central, IL communities are coming together is really heartwarming. I'm amazed by all of the posts on social media of ways people are helping. I definitely want to do my part and will be spreading out monetary donations as much as possible, but there is that little thing called a budget.

Sooooo, I was beyond excited when I received an email from the Peoria Chiefs about having an online auction of sports memorabilia to help the tornado victims. I have my fair share of memorabilia and certain items have lost that sentimental value. 

I hope the items I donated will help raise a few bucks. Please take a moment to check out the auction http://peoriachiefs.milbauctions.com/gallery.cfm.

Next up for me? Some "spring cleaning" to see what else I have that can help or raise funds.

Processing Today - Tornado

Today is not what it should have been. A week ago I would have predicted a non-eventful somewhat chilly November day. Sure, I had to go to work in the morning, but a relaxing day of hanging with friends over lunch and the Chicago Bears game was to follow.

Mother Nature had something different in store for Central Illinois today. Temperatures in the mid-60's as I left work around 10:30am. Kristina noted how the sky looked like tornado weather. I shrugged it off... a bad storm, maybe, but a tornado... nah.

I gathered some things up at home and headed out just before 11:00am to go pick up Tom. Considering I didn't pay any attention to the weather, I very thankful Tom and Laura live West of me. Had I driven about the same distance (8 miles) East of my house, I very well could have driven into a tornado. 

I was just blocks away from home when the sirens went off, and the rain and wind picked up so much I had to pull off the road because I couldn't see. Not being able to seek shelter was quite unnerving. After a few minutes, the rain let up in an instant. I continued my way towards the blue sky as I drove through the flooded streets of Peoria. Little did I know, many of my neighbors across the river just got their lives turned upside down.

My heart goes out to those in Washington, East Peoria and Pekin and their families who have been impacted by the storms and tornado. I've been glued to social media since I returned home, and have seen such outpouring of kindness.

An excess of volunteers, leading news outlets to request people to stay home, so the police, fire fighters, emergency responders, Red Cross, and National Guard can do their jobs. Veterinary offices staying open to take in lost pets and help match them up with owners. Hardware stores keeping doors open overnight so supplies can still be had. Towns over 100 miles away collecting debris and posting images on facebook in hopes of returning family photos and treasures back to those affected.

I want to help and look forward to seeing how I can do my part in the coming days. I wonder if it's a coincidence that the Red Cross called me tonight for a blood donation. Either way, it's a simple thing I can do and I invite anyone to join me this coming Saturday the 23rd to donate. I would be more than happy to treat you to brunch afterward!

Looks like I can also let my money do some talking through The Salvation Army. 

Waiting 'til next year

Non sports fan may not know that "Waiting 'til next year" is a phrase said too often by a Cubs fan. Let's see... 1945 since the last World Series appearance and 1908 for the last World Series Championship title. I guess I'm lucky to have even seen them reach the playoffs.

Anyway, thanks to Tom and his Cubs season ticket holding friend Jeff, I was able to go to a couple Cubs' games this season. As an added bonus, last weekend Tom, Jim and I road tripped up to Chicago for a season ticket holders presentation. (Note: Jeff now lives in Texas and couldn't attend.) 

Jeff's simple request in exchange for his tickets was a summary of the event and any swag handed out at the event. Tom already provided him a rundown of the event and I helped fulfill the swag part.

The photo below pictures Theo Epstein, the head of Cubs player development or something like that. (Tom's gonna shoot me.) Anyway, Theo is the person most came to hear. What's the plan for getting a set of players that can form a winning ballclub? Well, sounds like Theo has a plan... let's hope it works.

After a presentation of the future of the Cubs from the player side and business perspective (Wrigley Field renovation and player facility plans), we exited the theater and were treated with a Cubs Wrigley Field 100th Anniversary Season Ticket Holder Edition Hat. My mission began. I needed to get a hat for the true season ticket holders, Jeff and his wife Nichole, and the cherry on top would be Theo's autograph.

The hat wasn't a problem, and I just barely squeaked my way in for an autograph before Theo had to bolt. Here's the back of my head as Theo signs Jeff's hat.

Were you worried that I gave my hat away to Jeff? Have no fear, Stealth Jane is here! Had it not been for the myriads of hat boxes sitting around untouched, I probably wouldn't have accomplished such a feat, but I managed to snag 3 hats!

1. Exit the theater, get hat and immediately hide 1st hat under hooded sweatshirt
2. Walk around corner and ask the nearest "hat giver outer" where the bathroom is. Hide 2nd hat with the other and then use facilities.
3. Leave facilities to meet up with Tom and Jim. Jim asks, "Didn't you get a hat?" (He was an accomplice and didn't even know it!) Add 3rd hat to the collection.

Tom and Jim didn't do so well, they only got one hat each.

Headed home, the boys assigned me the task to find a good pizza joint. I gotta say, Papa's Pizza Place was excellent. A little difficult to find their establishment in Bolingbrook when their lighted sign didn't work, but worth the search.

Road trips at night when I have to sit in the back seat usually include glow sticks. This was no exception. This time I actually got some passengers to wave back at my light show!

I suppose when you turn the lights on me, I do look kind of goofy. Oh well.

Rufus the Bobcat

I would like to introduce you all to Rufus the Bobcat. Since my little buddy Casper, the coati mundi, passed away, I chose to adopt Rufus. Rufus makes his home at The Wild Animal Sanctuary just outside of Denver in Keenesburg, CO.

R.I.P. Casper

Concert Junkie? Perhaps. This time, Dustin Lynch, Little Big Town and Keith Urban.

I'm quite happy last night's concert went off without a hitch. I'm always ready to see Little Big Town live and was excited to see Dustin Lynch for the first time, and hoping Keith Urban wouldn't blow my eardrums out.

I had to meet my party (Jim, Theresa and Mom) at the Civic Center. I was apparently part of some new-fangled entry via credit card. Since I paid for the tickets, the ticket attendant swiped my credit card, and a fanny-pack looking machine spit out 4 movie theater sized tickets that simple gave our seat locations and the name of the tour. Yep, I'm bummed I don't have a "real" ticket from this event.

We made it to our seats just before Dustin Lynch hit the stage. I tried to familiarize myself with his tuneage over the past week, and got my hopes up that he'd have an energized show. He did not disappoint! Possibly the best pre-opening act I've ever seen. If he keeps putting out good music, he'll be a Luke Bryan soon enough.


Unlike the 30+ minute set change I endured between Sheryl Crow and Gary Allan a few weeks back, Little Big Town barely gave us enough time to visit the restroom with a line wrapped nearly around the whole concourse. After 10 minutes, the lights went dark and we stumbled the last three steps down to our row. Thank goodness we bee-lined to that bathrooms after Dustin Lynch.


Thankfully, not one minute of LBT was missed and every second was absorbed for playback in my head as I would try to fall asleep after the show. I don't know if they had extra energy after winning the CMA's vocal group of the year earlier in the week, or if my LBT/Sugarland withdrawal was worse than I thought. Either way, they put on one hell of a show! I began chanting in my head... please don't play Boondocks, please don't play Boondocks. Boondocks, the last song of the night, came too soon as always.


Looking for a new vantage point, Mom and I headed for the "cheap seats" at the back of the arena, leaving Jim and Theresa to rock it out with the extra room. Settled in midway up and smack dab in the middle of the seats opposite the stage, Mom and I waited for Keith Urban to take the stage.


After another fairly speedy set change and a drum test that got Mom to jump out of her seat, Keith took the stage.


I opted to go earplugless because I didn't feel my innards thumping, compared to the first two times I caught Keith in concert and left early to save my hearing because I didn't have earplugs.


I thoroughly enjoyed his show. He played all of his hits plus quite a few off the new album, and brought LBT and Dustin Lynch out on stage to join in on a few songs.


Keith even waded through the crowd a few times, but I was most looking forward to him hitting the small stage setup just below are section. It's always nice to see the artist that close without have to be smushed in a pit or dodging people's heads on the floor.


I can't think of a better lineup of artists I've seen. As a whole, this honestly was the best evening I've spent at a concert. I gotta hand it to Keith Urban's people for putting The Fuse tour together. Well done!


Now I must explain this "best evening at a concert" a bit... yes, Sugarland and LBT are an outstanding combo, but that's only 2. Last night there were 3. Out of all of the triple lineups I've seen, there always seems to be one dud and if you're really unlucky, two. Last night was the trifecta of awesomeness!

Can it get better than that? Of course.

Will I ever see my ultimate lineup? Probably not.

I want a quintuplefecta! In no particular order, I would want a day of full sets from the following artists:
- Sheryl Crow
- Dixie Chicks
- Little Big Town
- Sugarland
- Pink

One can dream!

Milwaukee - The Pink Concert That Wouldn't Be

I was extremely stoked to snag a ticket for Pink's concert in Milwaukee after her show in Denver fell through. After seeing her in Louisville this year, I dreamt about the next time I might catch her on tour and was pleasantly surprised when she added a 2nd US tour. I babbled at anyone who would listen that I was going to see her in Milwaukee, and I should have known better from experience. I can look forward to the event, but stay chill because the more people you tell, the higher chance of the event not happening. Superstitious? Maybe.

I booked a sweet hotel through Hotwire, but was stuck with the room once Pink had to postpone due to vocal rest. I was going to just cut my losses, but then the stars aligned and I found a friend to head up north with me. Theresa had switched her weekend work nights to accommodate her coworkers with young kids on Halloween, which left her available to head to Wisconsin with me.

Our first stop was Discovery World. After some thought, I believe the reason they are closed on Mondays is to give their tech team the time to fix all of the broken monitors and exhibits throughout the interactive museum. Needless to say, this did not live up to my expectations. The coolest part was this replica of the ship Challenge where you could see the captain's quarters, pretend to steer the vessel, and visit the hold where the crew slept.

After Discovery World, we were in search of something to energize us, so off to Dave and Buster's we went. Little did I know, Theresa gets motion sickness with racing games (yeah, right! I bet she couldn't stomach the taste of defeat). Anyway, after trying almost all non-racing games and making THE WORST decisions possible in Deal or No Deal (Theresa picked the highest $ case and we made a deal for way less, and I picked the lowest $ case and we went all of nothing... ugh), we headed out with a new coffee mug as my parting prize. Definitely a fun time!

Next up, after a slight detour at Walgreens to purchase a hair dryer because the fancy-smancy hotel came with no amenities other than an ice bucket, we followed our stomachs to International Exports, Ltd. for dinner. During our 15 minute walk to The Safehouse, I managed to forget the password to get in. Just short of a pat-down and after striking 5 sexy Charlie's Angel poses later, Theresa and I proved we were not double agents and allowed to enter The Safehouse.

I probably should not be divulging this top secret information, but it was quite the fun experience. We were given a confidential spy mission with the delivery of our drinks, so we explored the nooks and crannies in an attempt to crack the codes instead of patiently waiting at your table for your food to come. I suppose you could say the experience left an impression on me because I had the wackiest dreams of people popping out of secret passageways in my dreams all night.

Gotta give a shout-out to Suzy. She didn't lead Theresa and I down the wrong path once, but the number of planned u-turns she requested was definitely a treat. Although I am quite thankful Theresa has a smaller car than mine. The ONE time we used a paper map to get from the hotel to the Potawatomi Casino was an EPIC FAIL. I'm thankful Suzy didn't hold a grudge. The hotel information desk gave us a highlighted map for the casino which was apparently just blocks beyond the reach of the map. "Don't worry, just look for the signs and you'll get there... It'll be on the left". LIAR! This excursion was just as comical as trying to find the exit in the hotel's parking deck. You can ask Theresa about that one. ;)

Yes, we eventually made it to the casino for our first experience with Breakfast Bingo.

NOTE:

• Your bag may be "randomly" searched at the door, even if the person you are with has a purse 10 times the size of yours
• 15 minutes late to Breakfast Bingo = 1/4 of the regular games being completed
• The price for the Breakfast Bingo session is the same whether you get there on time or with only one game left
• And most importantly, there is no breakfast to be had a Breakfast Bingo or the casino for that matter.

Our excitement for Breakfast Bingo was killed almost instantly. With pounding head and growling stomach, I looked at Theresa and she must have read my mind, "Want to just cut our losses?" After escaping our second parking deck of the day, we landed at Denny's where we had a grand slam of a breakfast and great conversation. Overcast skies, bone chilling winds, and with a headache that would not fade, I wussed out on a visit to the zoo. I'm very thankful Theresa was understanding, and a great travel buddy that is able to just roll with things. Not the perfect trip, but definitely not short of stories and still a very nice and welcomed adventure.

Drive-by Gift Giving

When you have a friend that's been quite busy, is handling more than their fair share, and you've begun to call them elusive, then you have to get creative with your gift giving. I opted for my first attempt at Drive-by Gift Giving. Just as it sounds, the plan was to drive by the house and chuck the give in the general direction of the front door. I chose a plain brown paper wrapping that could be mistaken for a bag of soon to be flaming poo, in hopes it would deter anyone else from snagging the gift.

I have quite the throwing arm in softball, but when it comes to chucking something out of the car, I'm at a disadvantage with my non-dominant lefthand. A hook shot from the street may have made it past the sidewalk if I was lucky, so I opted to toss it from the driveway. As you can see, the girly throw did not go too far.

I harassed the giftee via text to make sure the gift was not confiscated by the next door neighborhood watch president who was outside pretending to tend to her dog's business. Okay, so I was needlessly anxious about the gift falling into the right hands. Once inside, knowing the gift came from me, the giftee's dog swept over the package with his hypersensitive nose to make sure all was copacetic. 

I gotta say, this drive-by gift giving was much more fun than I anticipated. It ranks as high as chucking "fun size" bags of peanut M&M's at my coworkers. I think I had an appropriate gift to match the irregular delivery method. 

Pinball Wizard of a Weekend

Mom and I were scheduled to head up north to Dekalb, IL last Saturday for a Sheryl Crow / Gary Allan concert. I was pretty stoked because it's been a few years since I've seen Sheryl and their venue would be smaller than those in the Peoria area.

As usual, anything beyond the concert would be icing on the cake. We headed to Dekalb mid-morning and arrived at our hotel in Rochelle early afternoon. I saw a coupon for a $4.99 haircut and jokingly asked Mom if she wanted it. 10 minutes later, I'm sitting at Great Clips watching Mom get her hair did. This still makes me smile.

Next stop was The Historic Downtown of Sycamore where we happened to crash their Fall Festival. Six popcorn balls later and we were on our way to Star Worlds Arcade in DeKalb to play some old school video games. BurgerTime, Galaga, SuperMarioBros, Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles, PacMan, Ms PacMan, and Tetris... heck yeah we played em all! (And those were just the games we were familiar with.)

I knew Mom enjoyed pinball, but I had no idea she could bring it like a Pinball Wizard!


Myself? Well, I still prefer my racing games and absolutely lost it cackling when my 18-wheeler went careening down the highway!


After a a little Pad Thai at the hoppin' Thai restaurant in the Historic Downtown of DeKalb, Mom and I made our way to The Convocation Center and NIU. There were signs posted all over and it was even noted on our tickets that no cameras were allowed. HA! So below is a photo of our original seats. I say original because after we met the boot stompin', loud mouthed Melissa, we opted to move to higher grounds at the back of the arena.


I managed to get a few shots of Sheryl performing before I was kindly informed about the no photo policy and how my camera would be confiscated if seen again.

This is my favorite of the bunch before I retired my camera for the evening. Sheryl gives Jennifer Nettles a run for her money when it comes to smiliest singing. Love it!!!

Maggie Rose opened the night and then Gary Allan took the stage after Sheryl. I have an extremely glowy photo I could post of his performance from my cell phone, but it's totally not worth it. Nor was Gary Allan's set. Between the lights that kept blinding us, the bass thumping your chest, and the inability to hear his voice, there was a constant trickle of people exiting the venue. Mom and I confirmed they were heading for the doors like we did after about the 4th song.

Don't worry, we totally go our money's worth with Miss Sheryl Crow's performance. Only thing I missed was an encore. :)
Definitely a fun weekend with Mom!