LouVille

That's right- I learned something new. You don't pronounce it "Lewi-ville" like us Cleveland folk might say, it's more like "Lew-ville" or "Lou-ville". Anyway, we were there. :)


The first night I was there we had a cookout in the rain. We all just hung out by the pool at the hotel, Corey bought a grill, and it was kind of like a parking lot party. I feel like I've been hanging out in parking lots a lot lately. Maybe it's time to head home soon!

Louisville is actually really a pretty place. It's on the Ohio River (I think...) and there are places to eat on the water, tons of bridges. One afternoon a bunch of us went to Joe's Crab Shack for lunch. You want to talk about FOOD! My god! They have portions of crab that are just enormous. Three of my friends ordered the King Crab buckets, and two split a huge bucket of seafood for two. I copped out and went with steak and shrimp. I just don't see the point in all of that work for such a small prize at the end (crab). But it was hilarious to see them all eat it. And there was a boat docked right next to us, like one of those ferry boats. With the red paddle on the back, like on the Jungle Cruise at Disney. We figured out that you could actually stay on this thing, and there were SO MANY OLD PEOPLE on it we were cracking up. A few of them looked dead. Really. Just sitting in rocking chairs, I guess waiting to eventually set sail. We were there for about two hours and they never moved.

We then walked up to the theatre, and stopped at the visitors center along the way. Said hi to Colonel Sanders. :) All in all, it was a pretty good few days!

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is my FAVORITE weekend of the year! I honestly might like it just as much as Christmas. Chagrin Falls, the town right around where I grew up, turns into Pleasantville. They have the Blossom Time fair/festival, hot air balloons go up, parades happen. It really is like that movie.

I have been a part "host" for the Sunday parade for many years now. It just so happens that the parade runs down the same street where the fam owned a business, so everyone comes over and sets up camp. It's like a parking lot party. I'm pretty sure the Pleasantville police just turn a blind eye to the open containers going on during the parade and after. (After comes the funeral home party- like 20 kegs, free food, music... all in the parking lot of the biggest funeral home in town). The only difference as the years go on is that now my friends actually have KIDS that come to this little party for the parade! God, we're getting old. :) They do the whole candy throwing thing, the fire trucks go by, high school bands play. I am pretty sure that Tootsie Rolls must be the cheapest candy to buy, because it looked like that is all that was being tossed out this year.

Enjoy some pictures from the best weekend ever!

Scott Weiland Rocks My World

At the Lizard before the show with Simone, Nate, and Richard

Last week, I went online to see what shows/concerts were coming to town when I was in Cleveland. I almost DIED! Stone Temple Pilots were coming to Playhouse Square, and it was of course sold out! One of my first CD's was Core- I listened to it over, and over. Then Purple, then Tiny Music, then No. 4. No. 4 had Sour Girl. Core had Where the River Goes. I won't bore you with my love for STP.

Tickets were gone.. My dad had a maybe favor that I could have used. Thank you Dad! 8th row. Fantasic. Loved it! If you are not a fan, ingore this blog, but I am SO HAPPY!!!

The Laundry Nazi

I am the worst at laundry! I am writing this as a preface to my REAL blog for the day (STP), but it's because my house is a laundry mess right now. I have three people living in my house when I am gone- add me in when I am home, and we have four adult loads of laundry going on around here. It's nuts! You should see our basement of clean clothes. The boys don't mind mixing and drying all the way, the girls separate and have certain things that can be dried and can't be... I have really come to the realization on tour that no matter what I think, it really doesn't matter. (But I still think it does). I watch people wash and dry whites with greys, I watch people wash blacks with reds. But I am a laundry Nazi (sorry J Love and others who might take offense to this term).

I do three loads:

• Darks and blacks: including jeans, gets washed warm, normal. Dry all the way, maybe take out the tighter jeans early.
• Brights: includes most undies, gets washed cold, delicate. Most line dry.
• Whites: includes tans, gets washed normal, cold. Dry all the way.

So I have a big 'ol mess in the basement (not really a mess, just a lot of my clothes) that needs to be washed. I have not done laundry since Kentucky, when ever that was, so woo hoo for clean clothes this week!!!!

Beantown

I LOVE BOSTON! I have been here about 4 or 5 times now, and I have to say, it might be moving up past my Chicago rating. (Which is #1 in America). It's just so nice- open spaces, trees, old streets and buildings. It's not too much for me, like New York. I don't really love the accents, but eh. I have not done much in regards to being a tourist this weekend. Darrel and I were here on our New England cruise last year and covered the city pretty well.

Unfortunately, the company has us staying 25 miles outside of Boston. Such BS. Traveling in and out is a total joke. On Friday, it took us almost 2 hours to get to the theatre. We were SO late! The first thing I did when I got here was visit the Hyatt next door and book a room for myself on Saturday night. Some things are just worth the money in my book! A bunch of us went to the Intermission Tavern after the show on Friday, and Saturday Darrel and I went to Legal Sea Food for dinner. It's my "thing" when I come here. (I make it sound like I am here all of the time!). There are a bunch of them in town, and they are rated the best place to eat in Boston. Good stuff!

Today is a beautiful day- there are tons of people out in the Common, bands playing, kids running around. But I saw something at the hotel this morning that just broke my heart. I got on the elevator with a family, and their little girl was obviously very sick. Or recovering from being very sick. Poor thing had her head shaved, and was so skinny. But she was bouncing around in that elevator like a little jumping bean. When the elevator opened, she ran out and bounced across the lobby. We had to take a second elevator to get to the street level, so I asked her, "are you excited about something?!" And she let me know that a limo was waiting for them downstairs because she was going to meet The Jonas Brothers! I walked down the street and kind of started to cry. I'm wondering if it was through Make a Wish or something. It just made me think about how truly lucky I am to be healthy, and how all of the things I think are such a big deal in life, really aren't. Keep in mind- I cry over everything, but still.

I hope to come back and visit Boston again soon!!

Darrel and I outside of the Cheers bar in November

Sleepless In New England

This week has just been horrible. I pretty much have not slept since Saturday night. It goes a little something like this:

Sunday night: Leave Hartford on the bus around 2:00am. The winds were blowing about 60 miles per hour, so the bus literally felt like it might flip over. This does not make for good sleeping. Gentle rocking is great- flying back and forth in the bunk is not. On top of it, the roads we were driving on were really bad. Come 5:00am, the crew bus breaks down. So our bus rescues the crew. We had 17 people on our bus. 17. We usually have six. No sleep. All night.

Monday night: Leave Salisbury MD (the most boring place I have ever been). To backtrack, I did not sleep at all during the day. I kind of got a second wind. Anyway, Corey's 2 and 3 year olds are with us, traveling on the bus. Quite challenging. They were wide awake until 2am. Then between the slamming of doors and TV's on until god knows what time, I just couldn't sleep. Do you think I could find my earplugs? No. Get to the hotel at 6:30am and one of the kids us up crying (has a cold). Sleep from about 8am until 1pm in my hotel room. I felt like a loser.

Tuesday night: Leave Wilkes Barre, PA. I have now decided to buy earplugs, use those sleeping pill things from GNC, AND drink wine. Don't judge. Desperate times call for desperate measures. So Michael and I start in on the wine, the guys are watching basketball, and the kids are little jumping beans all over the bus. Next thing you know, the 3 year old pukes. All over himself. Then the 2 year old starts scream crying. I LOVE these kids and think they are so cute, but wow. Drink more wine. Slept for about 2 hours. Got to the hotel, and once again, slept from about 8am until 1pm. I feel like a loser.

I usually love sleeping on the bus. I usually prefer it over a hotel room.

Not only am I totally screwed up on sleep, my eating schedule is off too. And I have not worked out. And I am getting work done later in the day rather than first thing in the morning.

It is now Wednesday night, and thank you GOD, I am sleeping in a hotel for the next 5 nights. I might have lost my sanity trying to sleep on the bus again with the way things have been going!

Hartford, CT

We just spent the last week in Hartford, and I was quite impressed! The downtown area is really nice, and things actually stay open late, which is something we have a difficult time with. Most downtown areas shut down early and are closed on weekends, but we had no trouble finding food, bars, stores, etc.

There was a really nice park right in the middle of the city that we had to walk through to get to work every day. I think I would have enjoyed it more if my allergies were not KILLING me! They are horrible! I am taking Claritin every day, and can still barely stand it.

There were a few nights people went out- Cinco de Mayo (obviously I did not take Spanish because I doubt that is how you spell that), a birthday, a good friend in town visiting, aaannndddd- the Circus!

Barnum and Baily was there for the weekend, and the arena was literally right next to the Hilton we were staying at. A bunch of us got tickets for the 11am matinee on Friday. It was so fun! I don't even remember the last time I went to the circus. Of course, we were all interested in what the crew guys were doing, guessing where they stay, where they are from, and overall how the whole thing works. Being in show business ruins things like this for us to a certain level. We came to find out that it's like back in the day- they literally stay on a train! There is no way they could afford to house everyone, so it totally makes sense. But how weird is that? A big 'ol circus train still comes to town with freaks and animals living on it.

Unfortunately, I can't show you any pics of our funny day because ever since I got Windows Vista, I can't download photos from my camera. I just can't figure out what the problem is. I feel like I have tried absolutely everything. I'm no computer dummy, but I have no clue. I honestly think I am just going to buy a new camera next week and give up on my three year old little Sony. :)

Flying High

When you are traveling with a group of over 40 people, you have to get to the airport super early, you are bored, cocktails become involved, someone finds a bin of masks, and the next thing you know....

Louisville or Bust

I have been trying in every way possible to get from Cleveland, to Louisville on Memorial Day. You would think that a place only 5 hours away would be easy to get to, but I am having a really hard time! I feel like I have looked into every way possible.

A non-stop flight is $300. Crazy to me, since it's so close. A rental car is $120 plus gas for one day, because it is being picked up and dropped off in different states. Amtrak does not make this trip. Greyhound is only $40, but I have had three people tell me NOT to take the bus. Why!? So, it's a little ghetto. That's why it's cheap people! Anyone taken Greyhound before?

I am going to try to look into ride share websites, but I feel like the chances are slim to none that someone will be taking this trip. It's not like it's NYC to Boston or something. The rental car might be my best bet if I am going to get killed taking the bus, like everyone seems to think I will. My dad said it's OK because he'll still have two other kids.

Anyone have suggestions???!!!