“Would you like an adventure now, or would like to have your tea first?”

Darren and I saw Peter and the Starcatcher last night. It’s pretty rare for him to come to a show with me, but when I told him it was supposed to be super funny and wasn’t really a musical, he was on board. It is essentially a prequel to Peter Pan. The book that the play is based on was co-written by Dave Barry, so I was feeling optimistic.

The show moves quickly and can get a bit quiet, so you definitely have to pay attention. They do sing, but not all the time. The humor is pretty corny over all, but it’s a family show so it works. Also, there are many puns! Many, many puns. And the bit that happens when Black Stache (Captain Hook, pre-hook and super campy) gets his hand cut off is the kind of bit that’s sort of funny, then not funny, then suddenly hilarious. There’s a lot of physical humor, which I like.

There is one woman in the show. She plays a 13 year old girl (who is one of the Starcatchers and the main character) and sounds like a 35 year old woman in a way that was kind of annoying and a little distracting. She’s super talented though. Her voice can’t be helped so what can ya do. The one other prominent female character, the nanny, is played by a dude who also plays multiple other characters. Totally funny but kind of a bummer with the lack of women. Lady pirates can totally be a thing, y’all! Lady pirates are the best pirates.

We both enjoyed the play; so did all of my coworkers who saw it, and the couple Kate and I sort of know from all the after-parties we end up at together. Apparently a lot of people didn’t. About six people sitting in front of us left at intermission, and two of my coworkers said the same thing happened where they were sitting (I believe they were not sitting in the same location). I haven’t heard any complaints yet, so we’ll see.

We hit the after-party for about an hour. Had a beer, shared some chips with a pirate, ate some tiny burgers. Hooray me for finally getting out of the apartment! I’ll make up for it tonight by watching TV at home in the dark.

Wizard World Day 3

Previously: Day One | Day Two

Today began with our being stuck at a railroad crossing for an absurdly long time, resulting in my being late for the John Barrowman Q & A. I saw most of it, but was standing in the way back so none of my pictures turned out. He sang. His parents were surprise guests and were completely hilarious. His mother said that if he had been the first born child, he would have been the last. Toward the end, he brought his husband on stage and they both dropped their pants, revealing superhero unders.

Since it was Saturday, the place was completely packed. It took a long time to find Darren and the Boys after the Q&A, but one I did we immediately went to lunch at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant. After flaming cheese saganaki, drinks, and gyros, this was definitely our splurge meal and was completely worth it. Darren’s bloody mary was outstanding and I had a cucumber gimlet I hope to replicate.

There were two Doctor Who panels scheduled this weekend. Yesterday’s was two hours long and was listed as a celebration, so I expected more of a party. I showed up late to it anyway because of Stan Lee’s Q & A so I only stayed a few minutes. Today’s was a standard 45 minute panel. It was packed! The panelists were three people with a lot of Whoniverse knowledge, but the whole thing was a little bland over all. I’d rather sit around and talk with people, rather than just watching people talk.

In the end, I could have spent all my panel time with Wil Wheaton and John Barrowman and would have been thrilled. I cannot say enough good things about either of them.

Most of the day we just walked around taking pictures. Darren decided he was going to take photos with cosplay girls and try to look awkward in all of them. Most of the pictures are on Darren’s phone/Facebook, but this is the gist:

the “hover-hand” was a big part of his schtick.

I hung out with Jay and Silent Bob.

Please note my outfit. Later in the day, we were checking out a booth and some random guy came up and asked if he could take a picture of me. I was startled and confused by the request and all I managed was “Me? No.” He was nice about it and after the initial shock I felt bad for not pointing out that I wasn’t in costume or anything, because maybe he thought I was? But my mental reflex was something more like “what the fuck who are you why would you want to take a picture of just some woman standing around is it because my dress is short OMG” and I was creeped out. Sorry, random dude. My answer would still be no, but sorry I didn’t explain why.

We’ve basically seen the whole convention several times over and most of the Boys were ready to roll out, so we came back to the hotel early. Darren, Dougal (his mom seriously named him Dougal), and Austin are doing their nightly gaming here in our room while my kindred-food-loving-spirit Jordan sleeps in the Boys’ room. I’m hanging out with my new friend Tiny Tenth Doctor.

We have a few more hours at Con tomorrow before Darren and I hop on a train back downtown and catch our MSP-bound Mega Bus. Not excited for that trip, but it will be good to be home.

Next Up: Wizard World Wrap-Up

Wizard World Day 2

Previously: Day One.

The convention floor opened at noon today. We got there a little before one o’clock and wandered some more. I picked up a couple posters at the Doctor Who Store and oggled John Barrowman at his signing booth across the aisle.

Darren and I ditched the Boys and grabbed lunch at the Five Roses Pub. Delicious food is delicious. Once we got back I hopped in line for Wil Wheaton’s Q & A thing. What a delightful human being.

A photo of the video screen.

Instagram style

After Wil imparted his nerdy wisdom upon us all, it was time for Stan Lee’s Q & A. The thing about Stan Lee is he’s 90 years old and ridiculous. Darren asked him a question and he totally copped out on the answer, but what can you do? He’s old and gives zero fucks.

Instagram version

Screen photo version

Tomorrow is our last full day at the convention, and I’ve got a pretty decent list of things to see. Sunday we can hit it up for a couple hours before we head back downtown to catch the ol’ Mega Bus. Vacation is awesome but I miss Enli. Darren and I both have Monday off as well, which was a wise decision I think.

Obviously I’m posting a lot of photos on Instagram, so instead of reposting them all here I’ll just direct you to my account there. Good times, guys. Good times.

Next Up: Day Three.

Wizard World Day 1

I am sitting on a pretty comfy bed at a Marriott in the Chicago suburbs. Three of Darren’s nerd friends are trying to figure out how to hook their XBox up to the TV. There are snacks. We have just returned from the first day of Wizard World Comic Con.

Darren and I left our pets and our apartment in the hands of a friend (so don’t even try to rob us because she will kill you) and spent eight hours yesterday (our anniversary. woo!) on the Mega Bus. Cheap, yes, but not the best way to travel. There were not a lot of seats available when we boarded and that left us in a pretty uncomfortable space, and we were facing backwards. That coupled with Darren’s wrist fracture discomfort – he has a huge brace which he totally took off today even though he’s not supposed to, that crazy fuck – made for kind of an annoying time. Luckily he has a Percocet script, and hopefully we’ll get better seats on the way back.

Early morning on the bus.

Wisconsin hills.

Then, after much confusion regarding public transit downtown, we ended up taking an expensive cab ride to our first hotel. Hate cabs, by the way. Hate them so much. Taking the train back downtown on Sunday should be easier. Anyway, the first hotel was fine, perfectly well kept, but dated. No big. We found alcohol and Subway so we had a tasty/cheap anniversary dinner.

Watching Master Chef in our first hotel.

There was free cereal to eat this morning and the shuttle took us to the convention center for free. The downside was we had to check out at 11 (we dawdled until 11:30) and the convention didn’t open until 3:00.

So we waited in line. One was already forming when we arrived and although we spent three hours waiting in lines, it was surprisingly worth it. The line only got longer, so we got in ahead of lots of people. Plus the people watching was pretty excellent; I should have taken some photos. There was a Doctor Who family in the VIP line next to us. Dad was Fourth, little boy was Fifth, teenage daughter was Clara, and mom was Romana.

Once we got in, we wandered. Darren’s nerd friends (henceforth known as “The Boys”) were still on their way from Indiana, and we needed them before we could get to hotel #2, so we had to drag our luggage around with us.

There was a red carpet-style photo area, but we selfie’d it.

Eventually the Boys arrived and we could ditch our luggage in the car. We wandered around more, made a few small purchases and took note of future potential ones. We’ve both got our eyes on lots of great nerdy art that I think is going to take over our hallway. Jordan bought Darren a James Hance print (h/t to Eric for introducing me to his art) and I’m trying to decide which one I want from the same booth.

After super tasty cheeseburgers but kind of slow service at Kings, (I missed getting in to a panel I wanted to see because it took so long for us to get our bill) we spent another 45 minutes at the convention, where I found the Doctor Who Store and this dalek.

When the convention closed, we returned to a dead car. Oops. The lot attendant helped jump the stupid thing and we made it to hotel #2, which I mentioned in the beginning is a Marriott and is pretty nice. We have a little balcony. The bed is soft and there is classy art. Vacation!

Nerds, nerding.

Next Up: Day Two.

Cabin Weekend

Oh hey there.

I have many mosquito bites.

Fact: when I was in 4th or 5th grade I lost a spelling bee for misspelling mosquito and I have never spelled it wrong since.

Anyway, annual Kate’s Birthday Weekend Cabin Extravaganza was this past weekend. We – me and Kate, Rebekah, Becky, Susanna, Michelle, and Amanda – left Thursday evening and returned yesterday afternoon. Plus Heather came to visit on Friday and we got to meet baby Soren! He is the cutest.

Bek had to leave for a good chunk of the time because she double-booked us and had to go spend time with her family. Lame. The rest of us spent the weekend swimming, floating, drinking, and eating too many things cooked over the fire. I’m paying for it today, but regret nothing. Well, mostly. I maybe shouldn’t have eaten quite so much, but whatever. Cabin Weekend only happens once a year, so a day of suffering afterwards probably won’t kill me.

Here are some Instagram photos. I only took a few, because lazy.

Michelle and Kate

This post is long and super whiny.

Yesterday was kind of… weak. After a couple weird things and several very little stupid things all came to pass, I was exhausted by the end of it.

Some random dude walked into the office yesterday and went off on me when I told him I didn’t keep business cards at the front desk. I mean, “fuck you, you’re worthless, you guys should close,” etc. He also let me know that he was going to tell me about someone he once met, but I wasn’t worth telling. Um, okay? It was a bizarre reaction, but fortunately brief. I did call building security when he left though, because they’re right down the hall and he went in their direction so I figured they should know dude was a nutter.

Then some shit went down on Facebook. Darren’s uncle did remove the comment and said he was sorry, he was just teasing Darren and didn’t mean to be offensive. I told him he should have found a better way to do it, rather than making a sexist comment, and that a grown man should know better. I thought that anyone who came across the thread after the comment had been deleted ought to know that what he said was, in fact, awful. He apologized again, and I am leaving it alone. I wasn’t a huge fan of the dude in the first place, but I let Darren know last night that I have no desire to interact with or be in the presence of the man in the future. I don’t need that bullshit.

Now I’ll take a break from the negative and talk about how I accomplished item #4 on my 30 by 30 list: take myself on a date. It was inadvertent: Kate was unavailable, Darren decided against attending (I knew he would), and Rebekah decided not to skip choir. By that time, it was after 5pm and I was on my own.

So I went to dinner and a show. My solo dinner at Rock Bottom was delicious, but a little boring. I sat at the bar, watched a little TV, played with my phone a bit, talked to the bartender on occasion, and enjoyed the hell out of my food. Good enough.

Mary Poppins began its week-long run at the Orpheum last night and of course I had to go. It was delightful as usual, but again I missed having someone to share it with. Especially at intermission when I was along in my row and was like… welp. I wish the kids behind me would shut up. But the show was lovely. Bert did the dance-on-the-proscenium thing for Step in Time, which is arguably the best number in the show. I mean, I started feeling a little unwell and considered leaving during intermission, but I didn’t want to miss friggin’ Step in Time. I love it so.

Anyway, mission accomplished. Dinner was awesome and the show was too, but I would have rather had company. Ah, well.

So, that was a little respite in the ridiculousness of the day. I did develop a headache and vague nausea during the show that lasted for the rest of my night, but I powered through. Even after one of the noisy, seat-kicking children behind me elbowed me in the back of my damn head. Parents, if your kids can’t sit through a 160 minute event, don’t take them.

Then it took 25 minutes to get out of the parking garage. I was expecting to wait; I didn’t plan on waiting that long. Ten of those minutes were spent in the exit line not moving at all. WTF. Once I was free of that hell, I was off to Taco fucking Bell because Darren had been jonesing for tacos all day and never managed to get them. So I told him I’d pick some up for him, horrible though I think Taco Bell is. And, at 11:30 pm, there was a ridiculous line at the drive through. Of course there was. Youths!

Once I made it through and headed home, I got stuck at a devil stoplight. The walk signal would change to the flashing hand, but then go back to a walk signal. It happened four times before I just hung a right and went around the damn block.

Then I was halfway though showering and the water went completely cold. One leg was shaved, the other was not.

In the end, I figured at least I was effing alive and well and sometimes we just have shitty days. I decided to set my alarm ahead an extra hour and a half because sleep makes things better.

Enli woke me up an hour before my alarm went off.

But I get cupcakes today, so hope is not lost.

We’ve got the guys who’ll knock the cover off the ball!

We went to a Twins game last night and it was awesome.

Darren’s office had a drawing yesterday afternoon for four dugout box tickets. Darren won because he was the only person to enter. I guess I understand, as it was pretty effing cold, but dugout box = access to a semi-private, heated concession area and bathrooms without lines.

After I got home from work I changed into wool socks, leggings, loose jeans, a tank top, a cardigan, and a hoodie (plus my coat, scarf, gloves, and floppy-eared winter hat) and we headed out. Since he had four tickets, Darren called his friend Ryne, and Ryne invited his buddy Pete. The four of us converged at Ryne’s house and cabbed it to the stadium.

Guys. Our seats were amazing. Right next to third base and this camera crew:

It was a great game, with some great hits from Joe Mauer. My boyfriend Justin got some good hits in, but not good enough to get past the Angels’ outfielders.

He doesn’t know we’re dating.

As you probably assumed, it got very cold once the sun went down. We spent some dollas on food and drink to keep us warm, but it was mostly the layers that did it.

Target Field stops serving beer after the 7th inning stretch. I resorted to coffee at 9 pm because it was warm. Warm and delicious and not super smart for that time of night.

I regret nothing.

So. When someone hits a foul, or after the end of an inning (or half of an inning), the players might toss the ball into the stands. Little kids would clamor up against the wall hoping to take advantage of the generosity. At the end of the 8th inning, one of the Twins (I don’t remember who, but I think it was Ryan Doumit) hit a foul in front of our section. It was quite clear that the Angels were about to lose and I don’t think they cared anymore. They were probably frozen. Anyway, which ever player grabbed the ball meant, I think, to toss it to the kids a couple rows behind us. But he just kind of lobbed it into the air, and it was falling straight at my head. With coffee and peanuts in my lap, all I could do was cower. Thankfully, my monster husband saved my skull.

He didn’t quite catch it, I think it fell through his hands, but Pete grabbed it off the ground and gave it to Darren.

The game ended just a few minutes later, with the Twins winning 8-2. We scurried out caught a cab back to Ryne’s to defrost. I went to bed way too late, but it was completely worth it. Hooray, sports.

your songs remind me of swimming

I’ve been neglectful, and for that I am sorry. It mostly just means I haven’t had any stories.

But! This past weekend was Kate’s birthday, and with that comes our annual trip to the Wulf Den.

Kate, Rebekah, Amanda, Susanna, and I rolled north Friday morning to spend a few days at the lake. We were joined Friday night by Heather and Stephanie, and Marsha (and her baby!) swung by for a few hours on Saturday.

Sadly I did not take many pictures. We spent most of our time in the water, and who wants to ruin their camera like that?

That said, I do have a few Instagram goodies that I managed to snap.

We stopped at Treasure City.

We made a pit stop at Treasure City in Royalton, because why not? If you haven’t been there, stop by. It is insanity.

Shark treasure.

They have so many treasures.

We had to stop for some groceries before we got to the cabin. These groceries consisted of a few fruits and veggies, but mainly s’mores stuff and Oreos. And liquor.

Triple Decker Double Stuf

These are a thing.

After some swimming and drankin’, there were shenanigans. Including, but not limited to, drunk headstands. I have photos of ALL the headstands, but here is mine.

FACE!

Alas, after Friday no pictures were taken. But there was plenty of eating, drinking, and merrymaking. And skinny dipping, natch.

We returned to St. Paul on Sunday afternoon. I am still tired.

This weekend? Toga party.

Green was the silence, wet was the light; the month of June trembled like a butterfly.

It’s weekends like this that remind me how great Minnesota summers are.

Friday night, Kate and I went to a going away party for Shelly, who is moving to Arizona. I failed to take any pictures of the event. I also left a pan of brownies there, which I somewhat regret. I’ll have to get my pan back from Eric at some point. And then make more brownies, because they were delicious. After the party, Kate and I sat on her porch for people-watching outside the bar. It was chode night at the Rec, and I’m glad we weren’t there.

As for yesterday, here are some photos.

Lake Josephine

Kate, Amanda, Susanna, Christine, and I squeezed into one car and headed to the lake for a few hours. After being very diligent about sunblock reapplication, I managed to avoid burnination. I achieved a slight tan, actually, which is a nice change from the ghostly winter hue.

We stopped for ice cream when when left. Worth noting because ice cream is never not delicious.

I took an accidental nap when I got home, and then Darren and I went to the Rec for a celebration thing. The crowd was small and not made up of frat boys, thank goodness.

I snapped some pictures of bathroom graffiti.

There are a lot of ridiculous thing written in the ladies’ room. It makes me curious about the mens’. Not curious enough to find out.

We got charged for more drinks than we ordered, so I’m hoping I secretly paid for friends’ drinks and not the drinks of strangers. We left earlier than usual and got to bed at a reasonable enough time for a Saturday night.

Today: gyro brunch (Dino’s opens at 10! Come on. 10:30 gyro breakfast FTW), grocery shopping, sitting in air conditioning. I did manage a workout, just because the 30 Day Shred is mercifully only 20 minutes long. I don’t think Jillian would approve of my food/drink choices this weekend, but I’ll make up for it during the week. Probably.

I want to win the lottery so I can spend all summer just like this.

Doctor Who and Tumblr are taking over my life

and that’s really all there is to it.

I had a  most excellent weekend, though. Friday was Heavyweights night. Kate, Amanda, and I acquired large sandwiches other delicious treats, and gathered in their living room to watch, well, Heavyweights. Obviously. Also, Iron Giant.

Saturday, Darren and I went to lunch at a disappointing local Vietnamese place. We probably won’t be back. Trieu Chau forever. Then, after an afternoon with the Doctor, I joined Kate, Becky, Asari, and others for 1: a Fringe show, and 2: Asian karaoke. The show, Minnesota Middle Finger, was delightful. Asian karaoke was ridiculous and awesome. It takes place in rooms off of a hair salon, which is upstairs from a Korean restaurant. Shady, yes. But much fun. Bonus point for Becky picking up beverages to sneak in.

Then Kate and I headed off to the Rec, where Becky eventually joined us. We took over the jukebox, I drank too much, and I scolded some dude for putting his hand on my thigh.

Sunday I had an epic hangover, but it didn’t stop the goodness. Sunday, you see, was me and Darren’s first anniversary. We decided to re-create our first date. So we hopped over to the Mall of America for burgers at Johnny Rocket’s. Then, when we discovered that the movie times were not favorable, we headed home and I mostly laid in bed waiting for my hangover to go away until it was movie time. We went over to Roseville and I picked up some trinkets at Forever 21 (I felt like an asshole amongst all the 16t year old girls, but their jewelry is adorable and cheap) before hopping over to the theatre for Horrible Bosses. I recommend the movie, by the way.

So I guess I’m not completely consumed by the internet, but how do you think I spend my weeknights? Well, let me just tell you that I’m ending this post now so I can unpause my Netflix. Thank you and good night.