DLR LotD 10/05/12

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, October 5, 2012

"I think it would be good to melt in coffee...or put it in my sock." -- Cindy, at Catal

DLR LotD 10/14/12

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, October 14, 2012

"That's what they did back then, before movies were invented.  They watched frogs jump for their entertainment." -- Sherry, to Jeff, at Storytellers Cafe

Tomorrow Is A Latter Day

The Book of Mormon

Sunday, September 30, 2012

7:00 p.m.

Pantages Theatre -- Los Angeles

I was a bit bummed that my plan to see this show fell on the same day as MouseAdventure, but with the temperature being in the 90s/100s, I was glad that I stayed away from Disneyland.  I had bought a ticket just for myself because I didn't want to wait for anyone to agree with me, for fear that the show would sell out.  I therefore got lucky and scored a seat that was at the end of  the second row, so I was close to the stage without having to spend the money for the highest-priced ticket.  My friends June and Marilee decided to join me, so we met at Marilee's house and carpooled to the theatre.  We had dinner in the very crowded Dillon's, where, of course, I ordered my Toasted Irishman.  It seemed stronger that day, but I didn't complain.  ;)  I had fish and chips, which were OK, but then it was too much fried food for the moment, and I just wanted to eat the fish.  Yes, I know that fish and chips is always, at least tradtionally, fried.  

The Street Cats were performing outside, but we didn't stop to listen.  Sorry, guys!  I need to make sure I'm in my seat for "The Book of Mormon"!

• Oh, I didn't know that there was a prologue that happens before the first doorbell.  My giggles already started.
• "Hello" had some lines that I never caught on the CD, but I can hear them now after I've seen the show.  Isn't it weird how that happens?  I love that song.
• Gavin Creely, as Elder Price, is great as the Super Mormon that is about to change the world through his mission.  "Orlando!!!"
• I think that every time I looked at Jared Gertner, I giggled, because I knew that he would say something funny just about every single time.  Even if he didn't have a line, though, I was giggling at his reactions.
• I never really cared about "Turn It Off" until I saw it performed on stage.  OMG.  Hilarious.  Just click!  Grey Henson had me hysterically laughing at his actions.
• Loved the texting gag, and Samantha Marie Ware's voice is lovely.
• I also don't think that I caught that Elder Cunningham had SO many Star Wars references in his teachings.  He even had a Star Wars back pack.  When Vader showed up on stage, I just lost it.
• "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" was like watching an episode of "South Park".  So very much Matt and Trey.  The cups of Starbucks!  Hysterical.
• Poor froggies.
• I'm glad that my friends told me already about what Mormons believe, or I would have thought this was just a ridiculous show.  But it's quite heartfelt in a very strange way.
• I love that there are ads for the real Book of Mormon in the Playbill.

Loved, loved, loved this show.  I wish I could see it many more times before the tour leaves L.A.  It was pretty much everything I hoped it would be:  great singing, great story, and utterly, offensively, HILARIOUS. 

Veritas

Rockapella in Boston

Days 3 and 4

Saturday and Sunday, September 15-16, 2012

Liz and I got up and notified Jenn and KP so that we could decide on what time to meet.  We went downstairs to get some coffee and pastries for our breakfast at the Starbucks inside the hotel.  Our barista was very, very slow, because she was so deliberate in everything she did, from picking up a pastry to putting it in the bag and also everything else.  I grew so impatient that I went back upstairs to the hotel room to wait for Liz.  We enjoyed our breakfast in our room then took the shuttle to the Green Line stop.  We didn't really know what we were doing, because nobody told us how we should pay for our fare, and the signs only had maps of the stops.  So I nudged Liz to talk to a woman standing nearby, whom was calmly smoking a cigarette.  She told us that we could just pay on the train.  Thank goodness we had cash.  She was carrying her violin, and is attending Boston College.  She was a bit surprised that I knew that it was a violin, because most people ask if she plays the saxophone or viola.  I told her that since I played the violin for 9 years, so I'd better know what the case looks like.  She was really nice.  She also helped another lady that didn't know what she was doing either.  So that's the lesson out there for y'all:  ask the smoking violinist if you want to know how to take the train.  At our stop, Liz and I bought all-day passes, since we would be sightseeing all day.

We met up with Jenn and KP at the Westin lobby after some confusion as to which lobby we were actually located at the time.  Turns out that the hotel had 2 lobbies, so I had no idea where I was sitting.  We were originally going to take the train everywhere, but realized that it would take too long to get to the JFK Presidential Library (not the airport).  Jenn and I saw quite a few items in the election portion that ran parallel to our current election.  One of my favorite quotes was an answer that JFK gave when asked about being a Catholic in the running.  He said, "It is not what kind of church I believe in, for that should be important only to me, but what kind of America I believe in."  

So Pretty!

There was also a special Jackie Kennedy exhibit of her 1964 oral history interview.  Several of her beautiful dresses were on display.  We also marveled at the portion of Kennedy's legacy with NASA and his dream of the United States being the first to land on the moon.

KP and Freedom 7

 There was also plenty of other displays, including a portion about the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as a tribute to Robert F. Kennedy, which included a replica of his office when he was JFK's Attorney General.  As I approached the final hallway, I took a deep breath, as I saw that it was dark and on the entry wall was just the date: "November 22, 1963".  One of the walls in the hallway was completely blank, and the other wall contained several screens that were showing video of the reporting of that awful day, as well as of the funeral.  I stood back silently as I made sure to watch the entire film, and tears were in my eyes as I walked out.  After that room was a lot of quotes and symbols of JFK's legacy.  He really did accomplish a lot in his presidency, and he made me proud to be an American.  

The Presidential Seal

At the gift shop, Liz and I could not resist buying pearls that were replicas of Jackie's.  I mean, hello, it's soooo Jackie, and we were there, and I don't know why I need to justify this at all.  I also bought JFK's book, "Profiles of Courage".

Wanna Be Jackie's Pearls

We took the red line to Harvard, and I found a post office so that I could buy stamps for a postcard that I needed to send to Cindy.  Before walking around Harvard, we got some lunch at Legal Seafood because Jenn's co-workers and JT told us that we should go there.  I had a lobster roll, which was AMAZING.  If I had money, I'd eat that all the time.  But it's sold at Market Price, so it was pricey.  I highly recommend it, though, if you're ever on the East Coast.  I'm pretty sure it's the same chain where we were told to go for "real crab cakes" when Liz and I were visiting Marg for President Obama's inauguration.  She had one, and it was delicious (you know I needed to try it).  Jenn and I also had Watermelon Chiller Martinis which were lovely, and cold.  Too cold for Jenn, who bit down on the cube of watermelon, thinking that it wouldn't be so very chilled.  Oops.  

We then went shopping at the only Curious George store in the world, where I got a purple banana eraser.  We then shopped at the Harvard co-op, where I learned that they do not make Harvard underwear.  So I don't know where Justin Timberlake got his for "The Social Network".  I bought a shirt with the Harvard crests instead.  Jenn was a bit tired from all the work she had been doing before the weekend, so she went back to the hotel, and the 3 of us explored the not-so-Ivy-covered grounds of Harvard University.

At Widener Memorial Library

 We made sure to get a picture of the Music building for me, the Drama building for Liz's daughter, the Law building for Liz's husband, and the Science building for KP, which housed the Mathematics Department.

Sher's Building

John Harvard-- notice the toe is shiny

They did not have maps of the campus anywhere nearby, so we had to rely on the internet.  I was irritated at times by the slow internet, and commented at different times, "Aren't we at Harvard?"  "So this is where Facebook was invented."  "They should have better cell service!"  I liked seeing all of the brick, and I made sure to touch John Harvard's toe.  Well, not his *real* toe because that would be really gross by now, but his statue's toe in Harvard Yard. 





We saw that a wedding was concluding inside Appleton chapel, so we stuck around to see the bride and groom exit the church.  At the Drama building, Liz got a shirt for Jordan, and while we were waiting, KP and I sat in the lobby of the theater, where they were letting people in for a play.  KP heard the ticket taker say, "There will be a 15-hour intermission," and we were like, "Whoa, do you go home and take a nap and then come back?"  Then when Liz was done with her purchase, we marveled at the Tony Awards on display for "Porgy and Bess".

I needed to find a restroom, and we found a tea place. I don't know why I thought it was closed, because there were clearly people inside ordering stuff.  So we went inside L.A. Burdick, and I had a Rose Green Tea and a couple of macarons, cinnamon and pistachio.  Liz had a Chocolate Ganache Lemon Cake, and KP ordered a Harvard Square, which was quite rich.  Our numbers were etched into dried coffee bean shells.  Or some kind of pod.   After looking in another shop that might have Harvard underwear (they did not), we bought stuff at the Gap so that Liz could return my favor from the previous morning.  We then said our goodbyes to Karla and hopped onto different trains.  

Our train stop was a bit of walk from our hotel, and I relied on my cell phone to get us back home safely.  Guess where we passed by?  M.I.T.  Again.  But at least we figured out where we were going.  By then, we knew that we needed to eat something substantial, so we decided to eat at the hotel, because we were just exhausted from all of the walking around.  Jenn couldn't decide on what she wanted to do because she was very tired, so KP took a taxi to our hotel and we had dinner downstairs at Zephyr.  I had a white pizza with spinach, and asked for my coffee to be spiked with some Amaretto, because I was still thinking of my drink from the previous evening.  Liz and KP each ordered calamari, and the servings turned out to be huge.  Oh well.  We still enjoyed ourselves and the view of the river from the dining room, and we also went outside for a bit so that I could take night time view pictures.  Liz and I then walked KP to the front, so that the doorman could hail a cab for her.  A cab came very quickly, so KP opened the door, and there were people inside.  I yelled out, "Welcome to the Hyatt Cambridge!"  Drunk people got out of the car.  Liz and I giggled hysterically.  I texted Jenn to let her know that KP was on her way back to the hotel, and she should open the door with a cheerful greeting of "Welcome to the Westin!"  But they didn't get it. I guess KP didn't hear me before all of the giggling happened.

When KP left, Liz and I packed our bags (well, I packed, since Liz hadn't really unpacked), and slept quite well.

In the morning, KP and Jenn came over and we had breakfast downstairs, where the service was very, very slow.  While we were still waiting for our breakfast to arrive, Liz had the buffet and took off to buy something at a Running store near Faneuil Hall.  I was having my usual morning crankiness and was highly irritated with the service and the no-apologies from the server.  But at least our view was lovely, and my friends are tolerant of my crazy moods.  Thanks, my Posse.  KP and Jenn had some more sightseeing to do, and Liz and I had a plane to catch, so they took off while I waited for Liz to return.  

One Last Photo From Our Room

Our flights were pleasantly uneventful.  We had a long wait at Midway, which is kind of good because our gate was in BFE (really, really, far away--so far that we were literally across the street from a residential area), and we also had time to eat dinner at Harry Carey's restaurant.  By the time we got to LAX, it was very late at night Pacific Time, so I didn't wait to see Joe, but all that matters is that we both had our luggage.

Thank you for a great time, ladies!  I hope that it's not too long until we're together again for another Rockapella adventure!

Motown in Beantown

Rockapella in Boston

Day 2

Friday, September 14, 2012

Maine Lobster Eggs Benedict

After taking a shower, I went downstairs to the hotel gift shop to get some necessities that weren't included in Liz's emergency toiletry bag from SWA.  Thank goodness they have more than just gifts there!  It was also quite fortunate that I had some extra new stuff, too, just in case the store wasn't as stocked as they were.  They also had Starbucks, which will be nice on another day.  But on this day, we had breakfast at Zephyr on the Charles, the hotel restaurant.  I had a Maine Lobster Eggs Benedict, which was quite decadent and yummy, and Liz had the also-yummy Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes.  When Liz called the airline luggage people, they said that they weren't sure yet what time her luggage would be available, which Liz interpreted as "we don't actually know where your luggage actually is right now".  So we decided to just go shopping so as not to freak out about not having clothes at the last minute.  This was needed anyway, as Liz was not sure if her luggage even contained any pants, because she had packed very quickly.

The not-very-helpful concierge guy gave us a map and told us about the hotel shuttle.  Dude, had you been more helpful, maybe we would have tipped you.  When the shuttle arrived, he gave us a a few pointers about where we could be dropped off for different attractions, and he let us off at the Galleria.  Liz ended up finding a dress at J Crew.  She did not buy the bright pink skirt that looked cute on her, though.  Then we found some achechapies at Ann Taylor that were Buy Two, Get 50% Off: I bought a necklace because I had left mine at home, and she got a cute ring with a bow on it.  I also went on a shopping spree at VS, because I needed the right size of stuff.  Also, there were shoes.  Not at VS, but at Macy's.  Liz needed shoes.  So did I, but not for this particular trip.  Still, I saw really cute brown ones, and couldn't resist.  They ended up being a good deal, so I was happy even though I now needed to figure out how to pack them in my bag.  It's all Liz's fault.  

We thought that we'd be able to find the restaurant that the shuttle driver had recommended, but we ended up wandering around instead.  We realized that we were close to MIT, so we decided to walk there, and then we could walk back to the hotel from there, too, because it was close by.  We found the Co Op, which is a store that has a bunch of stuff with the college theme.  I really liked a couple of shirts that were nerd-themed, but they didn't have anything MIT on them, so I didn't want them.  I was curious about one shirt because it had a formula that I didn't understand.  I tweeted a picture of it, but none of my friends responded.  Ever.  (Those of you that know about my experience at Texas A&M will find this next exchange a little bit familiar).  

S:  "Hi.  I'm not from around here. What does this mean?"

Random store employee:  "M.I.T."

S:  "Oh, COOL!  I need to get this."

OK, so it's not about stabbing frogs, but I still giggle at it.  Liz and I then began to miraculously understand things on other shirts.  She said, "We're getting smarter from just being here!"  That feeling ended when we walked around the campus after a quick lunch and realized that we were likely in the company of geniuses.  Liz reminded me, though, that at least for today, we had more money than them.  Well, maybe *she* does.  I liked the engravings of different scientists on the various buildings at the front of campus.  I also liked that there were a few musicians jamming on the lawn.

A Building at MIT

We then walked for what seemed like forever because we were carrying stuff and it was warm outside, and my ankle was tired.  The view of the river was lovely, but Liz lied to me when she said that we were "almost there" because we were passing by the CITGO sign, which she was able to see from our hotel room.  When we finally got to our room, I showed her that we could see a whole heck of a lot from our window, including the CITGO sign that was far away.  We laughed, because we were happy: Liz's luggage had arrived!

We didn't have much time, but needed to take showers because of our long walk.  May I remind you that Liz runs half-marathons on a regular basis, and I do not?  OK, so that's why it was long for me and "almost there" for her.  So we quickly got pretty and took a cab to meet Jenn and KP at Rustic Kitchen, a place that I remembered fondly from another Pella trip.

OK, so Jenn thought that I had said "Rusty Chicken" because she's crazy.  She had ordered the  Chilled Seafood Tower (of Power), and ohmygoodness, it was quite the sight to behold, and everything was quite tasty.  I had oysters for the first time!  I've decided that I like oysters.  For my entree, I ordered Carmelized Sea Scallops, which were on a corn, chive and sugar snap pea risotto. Everyone else ordered the same thing.  I am the trendsetter!  We were all full from the huge seafood appetizer, but managed to at least finish all of the scallops before we left.  I also managed to polish off Liz's blood orange martini because she didn't finish it.  Yeah, I had my own cocktail, which I don't remember.  I think it was some kind of martini.  Whatever.  I drank it all.  I had already planned out where we'd have dessert, so we hailed a cab (I'm APPARENTLY good at that now), and made our way to the Berklee Performance Center.

Seafood Tower at Rustic Kitchen

The box office atmosphere was a little bit chaotic, what with them not sending any actual tickets out to people (I don't like printing out Pella tickets, because they're my souvenir many times). Liz and I had 3rd row seats, house left.  It was nice that there were only 2 seats there, so we only had to deal with each other in our row.  Jenn and KP were seated in the same row as Fred, so KP was quite pleased.  I said hi to MJ and Ross, and finally sat down after not seeing anyone else that I knew.

The opening act was Berklee's own a cappella group, Pitch Slapped.  They sang "Bright Lights and Big City", m-pact's "Live Life Without You" and "Takin' it To The Streets".  I thought they had a nice sound, and all of the leads did a good job, especially the female lead, whom sang during the m-pact song.  I liked her long high note.  I also liked the intro to the Doobie Brothers song "Doo Be Doo Be"  Hey!  Doobie!  I wish we could have seen all of their faces, but we couldn't from our vantage point, because they were in an arc at the front of the stage.  My friends were not as impressed as I was, but they're not accustomed to listening to collegiate a cappella.  Also, they're very loyal to Da Boyz.  Jenn says this: "They're not Rockapella, and that makes me hate them....they're Suckapella".  Oh, Jenn.  That's why Rockapella stands above all the rest.

Then Rockapella took the stage, and all was well in the world of my posse.

Draggin' the Line
I got smiles from Steve and Scott, and that made me quite happy.  I've missed those personal smiles so darn much!  Nice harmonies, now that I'm paying attention to the actual song.  I was just too excited to hear a new song back when we were in Napa, oh so long ago (for me, anyway).

She Used to Be My Girl / My Girl
Yay!  New song!  Scott does the lead-in, John and Geo sing lead for My Girl, and there is dancing!  Happiness.  Plus the smile from John made me even happier.

Scott then praised Pitch Slapped, saying "I've got to be careful when I say their name.  Those college kids and their sassy names."  He then talked some baseball, saying "Steve is a Red Sox fan (cheers from audience), and I'm from Tampa Bay." (Boos).  "That's OK.  You get some wins...two in a century."  Them's fighting words in these parts, Scott!  I don't go telling everyone there that I refuse to wear green in Celtic country, due to my Laker fandom.

They did their roll up to .Pretty Much You, and I beamed.  I've been wanting them to do that song ever since I first heard it on Scott's "Tokyo Robots" CD.  Liz had forgotten it, and was quite surprised by the "Obama says we just need hope and Oprah says we need Obama, but Mama says we need much more than that."  I was grooving to the "Hey Hey Hey".  Love that song!

Got To Get You Into My Life
I love watching them dance to that.

Just My Imagination/ Imagine
That was a long intro pause, Geo.  I like that high note, John!

After the song, a woman got up and left.  Scott said, "They hated this song.  Maybe the Red Sox are winning."  Then he said, "Three years ago, we had 3 guys audition for Rockapella and they all came to the Berklee show," saying it was an anniversary of sorts for Steve.

Cupid
Steve sang "Gonna find myself a honey" and looked at me!  Hi, honey!

Hard Time
I thought that Scott was going to come down the steps, but he didn't.  He smiled at Liz, though.

While the guys were getting their stools in position, Scott said that they have all kinds of new stuff.  "John said to me, 'Scott, I want to do My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder', and here we are, six years later....

My Cherie Amour
Finally!  A Stevie Wonder song!  Steve smiled at me, too.  I was very happy.  Liz was very happy.  We WHOOed loudly and high-fived each other of this brilliant accomplishment.  John sang the lead, and it was quite lovely.  Liz and I would both like to hear a Stevie song sung by Scott, too, so there's still hope that maybe they'll make her dream come true and Scott will arrange "As" and sing the lead.  Oh, I know I ask for a lot.  After the song, Scott said, "That was hard for us.  I don't sing so good, so it's hard to concentrate on those high parts."  So, um, didn't YOU arrange this?  Silly man. Silly blond man.  

Jeff informed us all that his first gig with Rockapella was in 1993 right here at Berklee, his alma mater.  Scott:  "1993?  That was the year I was born."  Scott then started to talk about records, describing what they looked at and such, ending with "You had to be there."  We're all old with you!  :)

Paper Doll
Scott smiled at me!  He was wearing ankle high Nike socks, according to Liz.  I think she has the same ones.  You crazy athletes, wearing each other's clothes!

Rock the Boat
John almost lost his glasses during the spin.  I didn't notice.  The jackets were off, which meant it was time for some serious choreography.

Malibu Grand Prix
Steve stepped down right in front of the first row, started dancing at someone, and she danced right back at him.  It was quite amusing.  I don't know if she's a diehard fan or not.

Thunderball
Nice hair toss, Scott!

Bang
May I kiss you, please?  Um, oops.  Powerpoint error!  The screen stopped showing the cool images and we giggled.

John talked about the upcoming "Motown and More" album, saying that he grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Temptations.  I told Liz that John grew up in her house.  John continued, "What I love about it is the raw human voice.  There's nothing like it."

My Girl
So when they did the mash-up earlier, I thought that maybe they wouldn't sing this song later on in the show, and they'd think of another song to choose a girl from the audience.  Nope.  That was disappointing.  John took Dave's girl, Kendy, from Worcester, whom is a Professor of Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross.  We all oohed and aahed.  Scott said, "We put a lot of time in our audience, wondering why we do what we do."  Her answer was, "Because."  Love it!  Then he asked her to sing Stand By Me with them, and she rocked it.  She had a nice voice.  

Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Cute of Kendy showing that she was choosing between the guys during "I'm the one you want."  Great job, Kendy!

Then Geo took on Kevin-like qualities, and rambled.  "I mean, do you even really know anything about Motown?  There's something about Motown that y'all need to know.  It's all about the woman."  Then he proceeded to tell us that he was talking to himself, saying, "I want to sing like a woman," and the other part of his self said that he couldn't do it, and they argued.  Isn't that one of the tests of sanity?  Arguing with yourself?  Anyway, he sang some I Will Always Love You to prove to himself that he could sing like a woman.  Then he told us, "I'm really a bass.  So stop singing like a girl.  Be a bass.  Ladies want to scream."  So, you know, we screamed.  "Too much of anything is too much", and he sang a bit of Barry White's Can't get enough of your love, baby.  "Artists like that have been there for us to keep the legacy going.  How do we keep a cappella going?  First you'll never ever be able to be paid for your talent.  The one thing that keeps a cappella going is these people that grab their friends and go home and sit in the living room and sing together.  Don't worry about the money, only the music.  That's what Motown is about.  You go home and signal the world that this is skills alone."  (So, Kendy, I think Geo wants your job).

Babygirl
I can't listen to this song without imagining my name being sung.  :)

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Scott said, "We can't sing the song until we hear that phrase.  We're like little doggies."  Where in Beantown is Carmen Sandiego?


ENCORE

A Punk

Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Scott asked us all, "Would you like to hear another song?  Yes, yes, we know one!"

Up On The Roof / Wonderful World
Steve forgot to step.  I think that Scott needs to cut his hair.  You  know that I type that with love.


MEET AND GREET

Meeting and Greeting

OK, the last time I was at this venue, they only had an upstairs restroom.  Now they also have one downstairs.  Maybe it was just out of order last time.  The meet and greet seemed to be half-organized, half-scattered.  The guys standing in a row eventually just scattered around because it was just no use trying to get the others to stand with them.  I have mixed feelings about these scattered kinds of M&Gs, so I was a little irritated, but oh well.  Jenn needed air, and I asked her to hold on for a while, because we hadn't seen the guys in such a long time, and we didn't have a date for the next show.  She was finally OK once she had some water.  Jeff E had not left any Altoids at Will Call for us, and Scott and Steve didn't have any either.  I don't know how we know about the S & S part.  Did one of us ask?

KP talked to Fred, and got mad at Liz for leaving her there, which I thought is usually not a problem, but I guess KP wanted to make sure she was with us when we talked to the guys.  But we want her to have whatever Fred time she wants, so I understand.

Sher and Slim

George was very happy to see all of us and gave me a huge hug.  I think he hugged me more because Wendy wasn't there, and he needed more So Cal hug action when I relayed her message to say hello.  I told him that he was too thin, and he said that he was about to eat a whole pizza all by himself that night.  He's been playing golf for the last 6 months, so I guess he isn't doing P90X any more, now that he's all slim and trim.  

His Sherry Amour

John talked about how long he'd been trying to get Scott to arrange a Stevie Wonder song. Liz and I told him that we had been trying for 10 years.I told John that Scott had told me that he didn't feel worthy, and John said that he said that to him, too.   He said that they will be singing "Brick House" pretty soon. COOL.



I talked to Steve's girlfriend Laurie for a while, and she hadn't seen him in a month because they were both performing.  Steve is living in Nashville these days, getting a lot of gigs, and networking a lot.  He told one of us (KP, maybe?) that they didn't have a lot of holiday shows lined up because last year's tour with the Boston Pops kind of broke up that momentum that they had.  There was a violinist there from the Pops, and I wondered which guy she has a crush on because I think that way all the time.  When Steve saw me at the M&G, I loudly called out to him, "FLIRTY!" and he gave me a big hug. Some people stared.  Clearly, they don't read my blog. 

Flirty and Flirt

Jeff talked to KP about math.  He was happy and surprised that we all made the trek out to Boston to see them.  He said that we should get seafood at Legal Seafood.  

Sher & JT Meeting Cute

Scott talked to Jenn about Napa and Rrrancho Cucamonga, and about baseball with KP.  He said that they have a new booking agent whom is based in L.A., and hopes that this means they would have more gigs in So Cal.  YES, PLEASE!  There are many people that miss you guys out here.  We told him about dinner at Rustic Kitchen/Rusty Chicken, and that we'd be going to Finale for dessert.  He said maybe he'd see us there, depending on what the guys want.  Oh, that would be yummy with yumminess, but that didn't happen.  Liz and I said to him, "FINALLY!  TEN years we've been waiting!"  He laughed at us.  We applauded him for his wonderful arrangement, not only because it was awesome Scottiness, but also because we need to encourage him to arrange more Stevie Wonder songs.

Sher and Scottiness

We sadly said bye to them, but I'm glad that I got pictures with each of them.  I'm also glad that I got a picture with Ross and MJ.

Sher, Ross & MJ

We hailed a cab, and talked about our plans for the next day.  Jenn wanted to go to the place where Benjamin Franklin was buried.  This confused our taxi driver.  Probably because Ben Franklin is buried in Philadelphia.  Um, I don't want to go to Philadelphia this weekend, thanks.

We arrived at Finale, and there wasn't much of a wait, which was good, because we were already drooling over the pastries in the display case.  I ordered a Decaf Nutty Irishman, which was coffee made with Frangelico and Bailey's.  We ordered a nine-piece dessert sampler, and it was delicious!  It would have been delicious-er if the Pella had joined us, but I can't have everything I want, I guess.  At least not all at the same time.  KP and Jenn talked about how they could tell whenever the guys were giving stage love to me and Liz.  Yeah, we're lucky girls. :)  Anyway, for some reason, we ended up with 3 creme brulees in the sampler instead of the lemon thing that we had ordered. Also, there was no peanut butter pie.  But we were still happy.

A Tasty Toast to A Tasty Day

We bid good night to Jenn and KP, and took a cab back to our hotel, where we had more chocolate waiting for us from turn down service, and we also had Liz's lovely luggage.

Next up:  Tourist Day

Traveling on the 13th: Yikes!

Rockapella in Boston

Day 1

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Finally!  A trip to see Rockapella in concert.  It's been far too long since I've seen them.  When they announced that they were going to perform a new show entitled "Motown and More", which included something by Stevie Wonder, I got on my phone and sent a text message to Liz straight away and bought us tickets.  Liz and I have been waiting for this for about 10 years now, and I needed her to be beside me when it happened.  Despite her busy schedule, Liz said yes, and we made plans to go to Boston. Just don't tell my (late) grandfather that I rode on a plane on the 13th of the month.  He didn't even want to go outside on those days, much less leave the house.  Ah, but it's for Pella, Papa!

I had already packed the evening before so that I could go get my nails done in the morning.  I had the gelish manicure done at my new go-to place, Peridot Nails and Spa.  (I would have a link to that place on here, but it seems that the link isn't safe to use right now).  The first time I was there, it was to celebrate Lo's birthday, so they gave her complimentary champagne.  I was driving, so I had water.  They didn't offer any of that this time, but it was a weekday and that particular manager wasn't there.  Not that I could handle champagne anyway at that moment.  This time, I got a nice ruby red that had some sparkle to it, but not too much.  Henry did a beautiful job.  I just wanted something that would last me until the event on the weekend after Pella, and it still looks good if you can get past the fact that my nails grow really fast, so the nail bed portion is growing out now.  Anyway, I really like it.  

Then I went to my ophthalmologist's office to finally pick up my prescription reading glasses that I had ordered months ago.  I tried to visit Dr. Mo while I was there, but she wasn't available at the moment.  It's just as well, since I needed to get some food in my tummy before the journey. So I had brunch at Nano Cafe and it was enjoyable.  I love their chicken and spinach scramble.  I had enough left over to make a sandwich for later, which ended up being a genius idea.

I made it to LAX with plenty of time to spare, which was good because their security lines are always long.  Liz was already there with Jordan, because she had an earlier flight to catch to get back to her college home.  Despite our B-level boarding passes, we were still able to sit together, which was nice.  For some reason, one of the SWA flight attendants was grumpy, so we giggled at her impatience during the flight to Chicago Midway.  Liz and I caught up on our recent trips without each other.  

When we touched down at Midway, we were early for our gate, and had to wait until the other plane pushed back.  Well, that plane pushed back late, so Liz and I ended up having very little time to get to our connecting flight.  We all had to get to a bathroom, and pretty much all headed there before getting to our respective gates.  All except for the one chick who decided to go to the bathroom while we were still on the tarmac, therefore delaying our plane even further because the captain didn't want to move the plane without everyone seated.  Sigh.  They finally decided to just resume taxiing, and Liz and I laughed when I suggested that the captain probably wanted to jerk the plane forward just to piss off whomever was in the lavatory, but despite the grumpiness, they were complete professionals and didn't do so.  After our very quick restroom stop, we jogged over to the other gate for our connecting flight.  It was NOT close by, but at least it was in the same terminal wing.  We still somehow got seats together in the back of the plane, because there were people who boarded later than us.  I was glad to have my leftover sandwich, because I really needed protein at that moment.  Thank goodness the flight attendants were not grumpy.  As I sat and thought about that experience, I wondered if our luggage made it onto the plane.  I didn't voice my concern to Liz, though, because I didn't want to worry her needlessly.

Due to the late departure of our plane, we arrived late to Logan Airport as well.  Luckily, I had called our hotel in the afternoon to advise that we would have a late check-in, because I didn't want to have any problems with our hotel (I had booked through Priceline.com).  Well, my other worries ended up having some basis, as Liz's bag never got onto the carousel.  Mine came off almost last, and when the carousel stopped, we groaned with displeasure.  Liz reported the missing bag, and I reminded her to ask for an emergency toiletry kit from the airline.  Good thing she did, because that was the last one there.  They must lose luggage a lot, Liz said to me.  Poor Liz.  There she was, all worried that in her hasty packing, had not brought any pants, and now we had to worry about her entire weekend wardrobe.  They told her to call them at 1:00 p.m. if she hadn't heard from them yet, and the first flight from Midway would be in the morning, so they would check that flight.  Which makes me wonder why the heck we have bar codes on our luggage tags.  Shouldn't you be able to scan our receipt and find out where the heck the bag last got scanned?  At least the toiletry bag was nice: it had plenty of amenities, and had a hanger on it, and it was black and had pockets.  

So then we had to deal with transportation.  I only knew that the hotel didn't have a shuttle to the airport, but had not done any other research because I was being hella lame in the planning of this trip.  I found the taxi pickup area, but wasn't sure if I should get the one that arrived, because I hadn't actually called one.  But that was the only one there, and he wasn't picking up anyone else, so he brought us to the beautiful Hyatt Regency in Cambridge.

The desk clerk was a little sleepy and didn't understand me at first when I asked for two beds instead of one king bed.  But then he woke up and got us a room with a view of the St. Charles river.  Even in the dark, it was lovely, because there were plenty of lights from across the way.  I'm going to love waking up here in the morning!

Up next:  Pella Day!

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Last week, I met up with Linda at the AMC at Westfield Santa Anita to watch the TCM Event Series showing of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", presented by Fathom Events.  Thanks to technology, I actually made it there in time, because Linda had sent me a text message saying she was there early.  I had just arrived at home and was about ready to cook dinner, having completely forgotten about our tickets.  So off I went, and on the way, saw that they were still filming at the parking lot of the Santa Anita race track (they're filming "The Lone Ranger" there).  Cue Sherry daydreaming about Johnny Depp.

Anyway, while we were sitting on a bench in the theater lobby, a woman walked by with a stuffed bird on her shoulder.  Funny and creepy at the same time.  I've seen "The Birds" many times on my TV.  Anyone that knows what has happened around my house lately with the fauna probably wonders how I'm brave enough to watch this movie at present.  But I do like this movie a lot, so there you go.

• Before the film itself, Robert Osborne had clips of interviews with Tippi Hedrien, Suzanne Pleshette and Rod Taylor.  I was digging Tippi's cool birds broach, then she mentioned that Hitchcock gave it to her when he told her she'd be starring in this movie.
• I like seeing all of the Bodega Bay scenes, remembering when I went there on the Girls Trip to Napa.
• The restoration of the film is beautiful.  I wish I had money for the Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection on Blu-Ray.
• Do you know that in the attic scene, prop guys were actually throwing real gulls at Tippi?  She was not warned that this would happen.  Yikes!  I watched that scene and cringed.  She was really shaken up after that, as most people would be.
• When Melanie (Tippi's character) was playing her joke on Mitch, I felt like her antics were pretty much like a stalker.  So I called her Stalker for the rest of the movie.  Linda agreed and did the same thing.
• That shot of the first bird attacking Melanie was done in one take.
• There were several moments where I was really tense, but didn't realize it until the scene would be over, and I had to shake out my hands from all of the clenching.
• All of the seagulls made me think of the gulls in "Finding Nemo" (see title of post).
• Dude, that woman would have thought that I was evil too, what with the hawks hanging out at my house.
• You know what's REALLY creepy about this movie?  NO MUSICAL SCORE.  Just silence.  And birds tweeting.
• So, really now.  WHY the heck were all of the birds attacking the people?!?!  Eerie.

Couch Couple

Last night, Linda and I watched "Hope Springs", starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell.  The other movies opening this weekend didn't look as appealing to both of us.  As usual, when we have time before a movie starts at the theater we frequent, we also browse around the toy store next door, The Dollmakers' Kattywompus.  I like the store because it has all kinds of different things that are not always found in the big chain toy stores.  We met their new dog, Tutti Frutti, and I bought a couple of items for gifts.  I refrained from getting myself a hippo, though.  Anyway, on to the thought bullets!

• First shot of the movie is of Meryl Streep getting pretty for her husband.  Too bad her husband is not in the mood.  It was heartbreaking to see her get rejected.
• Oh, Tommy Lee Jones.  You're so good at not showing emotion, and then showing it,and then hiding it.
• But he must love her, or he wouldn't have gone to Maine to try to make her happy, right?  Sweet.  
• Steve Carell is not funny in this movie.  This is not an accident.  Yet I still love him, partly because he's so very good at acting in scenes with uncomfortable situations.
• Oh, and how uncomfortable were those therapy sessions were?  Quite uncomfy.  Especially the parts where they were asked to talk about their sex life.
• Great way of showing the different phases of the intimacy by the juxtaposition of Kay and Arnold on the therapy couch.
• At many times during the therapy sessions, I looked at the movie from a therapist's point of view.  So this is what I would have been doing had I not gone a different way in life.  It would have been difficult to deal with a client like Arnold, but I hope that I would have handled it as well as Dr. Bernie.
• During the scene in the grocery store, Kay picks up a tube of cookie dough.  S: "Girl, that's too big!"  
• I had a weird Men in Black moment when Arnold said Kay's name.  Isn't that HIS name?  
• That nose that they broke looked like a model of Carell's nose.

Sweet movie.  I hope that when I get lucky enough to be married that long, my husband (whomever he is) and I don't have these problems.  But if we do, I hope that we find a therapist like Dr. Bernie.  

DLR LotD 09/02/12

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, September 2, 2012

"No Daisy." -- Sherry, looking at a scene from "Bambi", during World of Color

DLR LotD 08/30/12

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Special Robert Craig Winery Catal Wine Dinner Edition!

Amuse
"Pan con Tmate" air bread, Manchego cheese espuma, Jamon Iberico de Bellota
2008 Mont-Marcal Vinicola, Brut Reserva, Cava

"I'm melting!" -- Jenn, on the terrace

Hokkaido Scallop Crudo
Raw Hokkaido scallop, aji amarillo emulsion, cancha corn, cucumber sorbet, micro cilantro
2010 Robert Craig Durell Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley  

"That's dangerous.  I didn't even see that being poured." -- Table Mate Barbara

Liberty Farms Duck Breast
Roasted duck breast, mountain huckleberries, pumpernickel crumble, mache
2010 Robert Craig Mt. George Cuvee, Napa Valley

"Which one is full?" -- Jenn, looking at all of the glasses in front of her

Suckling Pig Confit
Soft white polenta, market cherries, cacao nibs, wild arugula, smoked pork jus
2008 Robert Craig Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

"Eat your pig." -- Valerie, to Sher

Prime Hanger Steak
Coffee dusted hanger steak, pommes puree, market vegetables, smoked oxtail relish
2008 Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

"Oh, no." -- Jenn and Sher, simultaneously, as the 5th bottle of wine was being poured into Sher's glass

Bonus Tasting
2009 Robert Craig Affinity Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

"Prepare to want more and be disappointed." -- Sales Rep Adam, who was not wrong

Arroz con leche
Rice pudding, market fruit raw and roasted, micro tangerine lace
2008 Alvear, Pedro Ximenez de Anada, Mantilla Moriles D.O.

"You're as cute as she says you are." -- Jenn, to Chef Webber


It was all quite wonderful, and we were quite tipsy.  My favorite dish was the scallops, and favorite wine was the Mt. Veeder Cab.  Thanks to Jenn for getting us a room within walking distance!

DLR LotD 08/17/12

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, August 17, 2012

"I feel like a craft project." -- Linda, on the humid Catal balcony

Dada, Ta-da!

DCI Finals

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Lucas Oil Stadium

Bro and I had breakfast downstairs at Pullman's Restaurant.  Why do restaurants always serve so many pancakes at a time?  I can never finish...except, sometimes, at Cracker Barrel, because those are my favorite.

Then we made our way to watch the Indy Arts! parade.  The weather has been unseasonably chilly, so Bro was wearing his jacket.  I was wearing white pants and a tank top, and wanted to sit down, so I sat on my hoodie and braved the chill as we sat in the shade.  Cascades APPARENTLY found their plumes, as they were wearing them with their shakos.  The Colt Cadets had their morph-suited cymbal players, and I still wondered how hot they felt, even though we were in the shade. Pacific Crest was the only corps to actually play real parade music instead of their show, and the color guard also had a routine, so it is not surprising that they eventually won the Grand Champions trophy of the parade.  I forgot to look for the horn player whose arm was in a sling last night instead of holding his/her instrument.

Way to go, PC!

Then it took a long time for the horn players to assemble on the steps of the war memorial, and the Blue Stars' DM conducted them in a special arrangement of Simple Gifts.  Bro and I were not thrilled with this arrangement, but it was still really cool to see all of those horns in one place.

Bunch of Brass

Mike, Kaitlyn & Bro

When we returned to the hotel, Bro's friend Mike was there in the lobby with his daughter, Kaitlyn.  We went to Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant, for lunch.  That was yummy, except Kaitlyn didn't like one of the spices in her shrimp fried rice.  The rest of us enjoyed our bun (cold vermicelli) dishes.  The Brickyard was on our way back to the hotel, so Mike took us inside the Indianapolis Speedway.  That place is friggin' huge.  We were able to watch some motorcyclists speed around the track.  I'm really glad that we finally made it there, because we'd been talking about it ever since 2008, but haven't rented a car these past few years.

Mike and Kaitlyn were also going to attend Finals, so they bought their tickets, and then we walked over to the place where the corps would be warming up before their shows.  We were too early, though, and saw one of the buses arriving just as we were walking back to LOS.  It's nice that the convention center was right there, so that we could walk through the huge air-conditioned building to get back to the stadium.  It had finally warmed up a bit, so we were grateful for that.

The seats where Bro and I were sitting were in the 5th tier, along the 15 yard line, in row 1.  Do you know what that means?  Yes, we had a desk!  It's the simple pleasures, people.  I like to have a place to put all of my blogging supplies. :)  When I bought a bottle of water at concessions, they took off the cap.  Little did they know that I had brought my own.  Thanks for the tip, Bro!  

Unfortunately, the USMC drum corps was unable to attend due to transportation issues.  That was quite a bummer, because Finals is not as great without them.  So the Hellcats played for us yet again.  They played patriotic songs, including "Over There" and "This is My Country", then played that arrangement of the "Star-Spangled Banner" that we don't really like very much.

The directors of Blue Devils B and Madison Scouts won leadership awards.

InPact played "Live for Music" with American Idol contestant Shaun Canon.  That was a lot of set-up and work for just one song.  Shaun Canon does a lot of performances around the country to support music education, and he used to be in a marching band in high school, so he naturally likes drum corps and supports the activity.  Another big supporter is Janina Gavankar from "True Blood", whom actually auditioned for Phregiment back in the day, but was accepted to Yale and  went there instead.  She has a bunch of pictures from Finals weekend on her FB site.  I love that she's a drum corps fan.  I don't even know her, but I watched True Blood for a couple of seasons before it got to be too much for me.

Oregon Crusaders, Open Class Champions, performed their show in exhibition.  I like how the bass drummers bow before their final push.

The Sun Will Come Out for Martha

DCI's sponsors were recognized.  There was a special recognition for Fred J. Miller, of the uniform company in his name, whom passed away this year.  His widow was present, and I tried not to cry during the standing ovation.

Now, on to the big show!

XMEN

XMen's Signature Marquis Cross

I really like how those blue double flags look like water when they wave them.  Oh, those animal print flags represent animals!  And the rifle guard members are the hunters.  I love how I didn't figure this out until I was watching from our farthest vantage point of the weekend.  Duh.

SPIRIT 

Lucky Sevens

They formed a bunch of 7s because they are Vegas.  In their opening formation, they formed a triangle at center field, and we decided that it was the Luxor, with the Colts helmet as the beacon.

BLUE KNIGHTS

Phoenix

I love how they do the change in their shakos to the bright red color.  Congrats, Stravinsky winners!  They were the only corps that played Stravinsky to make it to Finals.  Oh, no.  A horn player fell down.

MADISON SCOUTS

Madison Reframed

Oh, Scouts, why do you have to disappoint me so with not forming my favorite fleur-de-lis?  The dude in back of us says they should just do Malaguena every year.  Their choir corps sounded really good.

BO CRU

My fave flags from this show

Go, guard!  They were excellent.

CAVALIERS

Swaggerific

The bass drummers set their drums down and stand beside the tenors to play them, too.  

<Intermission>

It's weird to see the Cavaliers prior to intermission, instead of way afterward.

Awards from the parade were announced:

Best Visual: Academy

Best Dressed Color Guard: Music City

Best Cymbal Line: Pioneer

Best Drum Major: Legends and Glassmen

Grand Champions: Pacific Crest

BLOO

Masque

The thing is, they don't have their shakos off for very long, so you can't see the masks on the corps for a long time before they throw them off.  Oh, I think those flags during the talking portion are from the movie "Mask".  Bro feels like they were flat today.  They tend to lose me as soon as they start with the talking.

SCV

SCV Shield

I had post-show teariness.  It started with "Music of the Night", and then it just kept going.  I'll miss this show.  I'll be wearing out that portion of the CD for sure.

CADETS

O Tannenbaum

Even their pit tractor is decorated with Christmas lights.  One of the solos was a little flat or something.  They formed two bells.  It's amazing how much more you can see from up high.  While the color guard does their awesomely unison drill with the silver flags, they are in a formation of a Christmas tree.  I was concentrating so much on the beauty of their spinning that I didn't notice that before.  

PHREGIMENT

Phreg Chev

I remembered to yell for Mike before the show started.  They entered the field from all four corners to set up.  I don't think that they did that on the other 2 nights.  Still no kick at the chevron?  Bring it back, please.  Beautiful "Nessun Dorma" solo.  The phans yelled "SUTA!" after the costume change.  

CROWN

Crown's Crown

If they could win on audience noise alone, they would totally get it.  Wow.  They only use 2 flag designs throughout the show.  I see a bunch of Superman symbols in the show now that I'm looking for them, even on one of the flag designs.  Also, Batman, and maybe Spider-man.  Ohhhhh.

BD

Those horns are incredible.  I forgot to watch the pit girl bang on that weird metal thing.  I like when they roll all the hoops to center field at the end.

FINALE

The Hellcats played as the corps took the field.  SCV didn't do their usual precision drum-setting, which disappointed me, but maybe it was for the better since I wasn't hearing the Marines' cadence.

The Cadets DM led all of the corps in that arrangement of Simple Gifts that we don't like.  Are you sensing a theme here?  I don't know why people mess with the classics when they really don't need to do so.  I told Bro that SCV Age-outs were probably thinking "Well, this is crap!  What the hell is this?!"  I mean, hello, their 2009 show was soooo much better than that dreck.

SCV playing Simple Gifts

Then they played a video on the jumbotron that SCV couldn't watch because they're so disciplined and just look straight ahead.

DCI Finalists

The caption awards were presented by the remaining founders of DCI.  "Here we go," said Brandt Crocker.

SCORES

12) 84.0 -- CROSSMEN

Jim Jones Leadership Award: Shawn Fay-Lynn of Madison Scouts

11) 84.4 -- SPIRIT OF ATLANTA

10) 86.7 -- BLUE KNIGHTS

Zingali Color Guard Award: Blue Devils

9) 88.0 -- MADISON SCOUTS

Visual Award: (in alphabetical order) Blue Devils and Carolina Crown 

 (So they both won visual at finals?  The rule is that the caption awards are calculated based on an average of Prelims, Semis and Finals.  If there is a tie, then the tiebreaker is whomever won the caption at finals.  The recaps tell a different story, which is that BD won visual at finals).

8) 88.85 -- CAVALIERS

Jim Ott Brass Award, presented by Harold Ott: Well, first Mr. Crocker announced that BD got it, but it was actually Crown.  Oops.  That announcement led to a very loud cheer from the Crown fans.  I felt sorry for BD at that moment.

7) 89.1 -- BOSTON CRUSADERS

Sanford Percussion Award: Blue Devils

6) 92.55 -- BLUECOATS

General Effect -- Blue Devils

5) 94.45 -- SANTA CLARA VANGUARD

4) 95.05 -- CADETS

3) 96.55 -- PHANTOM REGIMENT

2) 97.65 -- CAROLINA CROWN

1) 98.7 -- BLUE DEVILS

You've gotta respect the execution of that show, whether you like it or not.  They are amazing.

ENCORE

Blue Devils, the field is yours!  

They got the BD faithful going with their F-tuning warmup.  I haven't heard this in forever!  OK, 2 years.  But still, that's a long time for that.  

Drums did some warm-up of their own.

Then the horn players sang something.

Dada.  One more time.  This is the last time I'll get to see that girl beat the hell out of that metal thing.  Crazy brass runs:  I mean, that DIDN'T win best brass?!?

BD's hoops and horsies

I still don't like their color guard hats.  I do like when they roll the hoop up the backs of 3 CG members, and the last one in the line catches the hoop.

S: I really don't understand this show.  (regarding the jackets) Why do they put them on?

R:  Because there's a hanger in a frame.

Well, that pretty much hilariously sums up their show!

We returned to our hotel, and I didn't sleep well, probably because I was worried that I would miss my early flight.

The next morning, I talked to a guy as we waited at the Indy Go stop.  He also goes to Finals every year, and he marched with Boston Crusaders.  He asked for my honest opinion about BD's show, and I told him that I hated it at first, then liked it, then hated myself for liking it.  He said that his friend feels the same way.  So I think that was all on purpose.  Well played, BD.  And congratulations on another successful year!

As usual, I had some drum corps folk on my flights home.  At the Las Vegas airport, I went up to a group of SCV guys, and told them that they made me cry...and that it was a good thing.  They smiled and thanked the crazy lady.

Now is the time for drum corps withdrawal.