So tonight was New Year's Eve, and I flew back from Wichita bright and early so I could get in town and spend the day with Jamie before going out. I haven't really mentioned it here, but he's been sick as a dog for the last week. When I got back, I asked him if he was sure he wanted to go out tonight, but he thought he could go for a bit -- we just wouldn't stay for the whole show. Atta boy!So we headed over to the Triple Rock and caught all of The Chalice, who I had not seen before but was very entertained by, all of Astronautalis (above), who was obviously fantastic (duh) and the two songs by Har Mar Superstar. I actually was enjoying Har Mar's set quite a bit, but Jamie was wearing thin, and I wanted to get him back to bed. When I got home, I saw this image in my twitter feed.... and .... I'm not sure if the emotions I feel are more envy that I wasn't there to shoot such antics or sublime relief that I wasn't there to shoot such antics. Man. What a show.To see the rest of the photos I shot (where Har Mar is completely clothed), go here.
Today I went with Dad down to where he works in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. He showed me his office (the "nerve center"), his house ("the lodge" where he lives M-F while he works down there), and then he took me out to see the land and a few wells his comany was working on.It was a really pretty drive, and so nice to spend the time one-on-one with him. Tonight my grandmother is coming over for steak dinner and then I head back to Minneapolis around 6 am tomorrow morning. So tomorrow, we should be back to a little rock'n'roll on the old blog... Unless I'm snowed in at the Wichita airport. Everyone, keep your fingers crossed.
This morning I took a long walk around my childhood neighborhood with my dad, which was a great way to start the day. I have to say, I'm surprised at how cold it is here in Wichita -- it was 9 degrees on our walk. That's about what it's been in Minneapolis!Later this afternoon... wait. I'm sorry I have to interrupt. I am at Panera right now blogging, and there is a table of baby boomers in the booth behind me talking about how they just don't trust that internet and how young people don't know anything about facts and they will ALWAYS get the paper because if it's IN PRINT then it's REAL. Hahaha. How cute. I love these people that keep me employed.Anyway! This afternoon Mom and I went to lunch with a bunch of her girlfriends to celebrate one of their birthdays (Robbie, the one with the short, curly hair). It was so much fun. These ladies have been playing bridge with my mom for years and years and years and to hear them talk was just a blast for me. They talked about movies and books and they gossiped. One of their mothers is now dating the guy that ran the service station where I had my cars fixed in high school. Such a small town, and so much gossip to be had. It was fun, I admit.The photo above is one I took of the girls before we left. My mom is second from the right. Her friend Lola, on the far right, used to come over when I was a kid (like 7 and on) and they would eat Ruffles with sour cream and chive dip and drink beer and gossip all afternoon and I would hang on to every single word. In fact, I suspect my love of a good story (and a touch of embellishment) was developed in these years of Lola's visits. What a hoot.
Look what I found while stranded at the airport! A 9-week-old border collie! How cute is this little guy?! He was being rescued from a hoarder in Milwaukee and moving to Texas! What a life so far! Anyway, between this guy and having Surdyk's nearby, I can't get too upset about my two hour delay. I just hope I in fact get back to Wichita tonight. We'll see...UPDATE: Moe's (the puppy) mom emailed me to let me know that Moe was rescued in Northern Texas but had travelled by car up to Milwaukee with his family for the holidays and was on his way back home via plane. So well travelled for only being 9 weeks old, eh? Also, it was the Border Collie Rescue of Texas that saved this cutie along with three other litters in the same situation. Amazing.
Oh man, this week? It has felt very long. Jamie has been fighting a fever for the past few days and work is pretty busy and my mother-in-law left today and tomorrow I head back to Kansas to see my parents. What I would do for a slow couple of days at home... but I'll get that when I return.Tonight I got home and decided to make a big pot of soup for Jamie, and that's what you see here. It has turkey and sweet potatoes and kale and onions and wow, is it good. Now if I can just squeeze in this laundry and packing and blogging and such...But this reminds me! My parents do not have wi-fi. I will try to find some so I can blog while I'm home, but if my posts are slow just be patient. I'll catch up when I return. And do you think it would be selfish for me to "gift" wi-fi to my parents for Christmas next year? Yeah. Maybe so since they don't have laptops...
It was back to work today, but I had a wonderful lunchbreak as Julie and Mike were driving through the cities on their way up north, and they were able to stop for lunch with me at Punch Pizza. Man, it was good to catch up with these two! And look at them all smiley and lovey and such. Adorable.Also? Everyone needs to rest up, drink lots of fluids and for goodness sake, wash your hands. Jamie woke up with a fever and tons of folks were out sick from work today. It's a contagious time of year.