Halloweenie Eve

The Vampyre
Lord Byron

But first, on earth as Vampire sent,
Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent:
Then ghastly haunt thy native place,
And suck the blood of all thy race:
There from thy daughter, sister, wife,
At midnight drain the stream of life;
Yet loathe the banquet
By which perforce
Must feed thy livid living corse:
Thy victims, ere they yet expire,
Shall know the demon for their sire,
As cursing thee, thou cursing them,
Thy flowers are wither'd on the stem...
Wet with thine own best blood shall drip
Thy gnashing tooth and haggard lip;
Then stalking to thy sullen grave,
Go--and with Gouls and Afrits rave;
Till these in horror shrink away
From spectre more accursed than they!

Ride the Rivers Century Ride

Even though I don't think anyone would ever describe me as an athlete, while in school I played one sport or another for just about every season. From volleyball to basketball, soccer to tennis, and yes, even cheerleading to pom pons. You can definitely find me in a silly yearbook photo for all them.

So if not because of being a natural athlete, why else would I play?

Back in school, I'm pretty sure I thought it had more to do with being social. A great way to hang out with friends. But now I realize that it is also because I truly enjoy being active.

Anyway, the newest sport I've added to my repertoire is cycling. And aside from the ridiculous gear (As a rule, I never like to wear spandex as an outer layer AND I definitely don't need extra padding on my "seat"), I think I've really found something I'd like to stick with.

I'd gotten a bike last summer and spent some time in the saddle, but it wasn't until a friend suggested doing a century ride for his birthday, that I'd ever considered doing anything more than riding a few nearby trails.

So, I spent the last few months training and gearing up and am happy to report that I survived the ride and can't wait to do another!

If you're curious, the Ride the Rivers Century was a fabulous ride that included sites of the mighty Mississipp, Route 66, two ferry crossings, five trails and the Gateway Arch. Check it out here.

KoL

My husband Aric and I were lucky enough to come across tickets to the Kings of Leon show last week. Typically I would prefer to see a show at a smaller, more Pageant-esque venue, but free tickets and not having seen a show in a good while seemed like a perfect opportunity. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely fair to say that I dig KoL. We have a couple of their albums and I rather enjoy Followill's random shrieking that tends to accompany some of his vocals.

As the lights go up from the opening band, we finally have a chance to take a good look around. We'd of course gotten there with enough time to see a few White Lies songs, but it was dark and we were rushing.

Anyway, as the lights go up Aric asks, "Since when are skinny jeans the concert-going uniform."

"HAHAHAHAHA," I laugh.

"Oh wait, does that make us old?", I realize. "Shoot. I kinda think it might."

As we try to rationalize that if we are indeed older than average for the crowd, "We at least kinda blend in, right?", we notice a couple two rows in front of us. They certainly have us in age by a good 10 years, seem to be dressed very "hip" for when they were the average age at a show (circa 1990s), and they don't seem to notice any of this as they take a photo for the group of kids next to them.

"They must've already had their come to jebus about this", we conclude. And after few jokes between the two of us as we scan some of the other craziness in the crowd, we've settled in and are ready for the show to start.

It was a pretty entertaining show as it goes. Lots of "Rock Show" lighting, great sound, mixed set list, energetic crowd, and as a band they all seemed to be pretty talented musicians. I would definitely recommend checking them out when they come through town.

So I guess it was bound to happen at some point, you can't stay in 21 forever, right?

Cheese & Burger Society

I'm sure it has something to do with being a Sconnie but I felt like I had to recommend this site from the folks at Shine Advertising Co. I don't think you'll be shocked to hear that they are a shop in Madison, WI. Seems appropriate, right?

If nothing else, use it to try a new burger recipe this weekend at your various Labor Day BBQs. I don't know, maybe even register to win the stainless steel grill.

Check out the site here.

Happy Grilling.

Begging the Question :: How Many Licks Does it Take?

If you're old enough to remember the commercial of the kid asking the owl how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, I think the owl always answered, "A One...A two-HOO...A three..." and after a huge crunch, "A Three."

Even though the tag at the end of the spot decidedly said that "The World Would Never Know", the deliciousness of the Tootsie Roll in the center always had you biting into that pop for more.

Now, after seeing this "Pie Pops" recipe online, I think the Tootsie Pop had better make room for some fierce competition.

Portable, portion controlled pies, seems like pure genius to me...I can't wait to try the recipe.

Check it out for yourself here.

Godspell, Muny.

For the first time since becoming a resident of the STL, I went with a friend to take advantage of seeing a show at The Muny.

What is really shameful about that statement is that this is my second STL stint AND it has already been 5 years since I moved here from living in Chicago...But I digress, for those unfamiliar, The Muny began in Forest Park in 1916 with a tribute to William Shakespeare. "As You Like It" was featured on a grassy patch of park, produced by Shakespearean actress Margaret Walsh Anglin in observance of the 300th anniversary of Shakepeare's death.

It wasn't until 1917 when The Convention Board of the St. Louis Advertising Club decided to host the 13th Annual Convention of Advertising Clubs of the World that the theater was built. As the website for The Muny puts it, "At a time of recession and with war raging in Europe, that itself was a risky decision. But these promoters of St. Louis wanted to showcase our city to the 5,000 business people who would come from across the country and Europe." The Advertising industry-always on the cutting edge, right?

Overall, it was a fabulous first experience, the weather was beautiful (the 70s in July?), and if the people singing along around me should be any indication, the crowd really seemed to enjoy the show.

Since I wasn't of those who knew all the words, I felt like a clearer setup would have been a bit of a benefit. But hey, it was a free, fun and energetic performance and there was some great support from The Muny youth ensemble...

Definitely an experience that made me ashamed this was my first visit but knowing what I've been missing, it won't be my last.

Head In the Clouds

It has been an extremely busy month and a half, the 4th of July has come and gone and things are in full summer mode. Just to try to get back into the habit of being a blogger, I'm posting a photo that I took from the plane on a trip back from a college friend's wedding in DC this weekend. Reflecting on that view really made the frantic day-to-day feel miles and miles away.

I wish I could keep my head in the clouds for just a few more days...