Blue Man Group

As I mentioned in my previous post, Mark and I went up to SLC to see the Blue Man Group last night. I've seen their Las Vegas show once before, and LOVED it. This one was definitely just as fun. They are such an entertaining group to watch, and to be honest, their music is SO fun to listen to! It just makes you want to shake it. They also try to get the audience involved as much as possible. There wasn't as much audience participation in this show as in Vegas, I am sure due mostly to the vast difference in Venue size. But nonetheless, the audience participation was great. I mean, who can resist being asked to "raise the roof" and jump up and down?

One cool aspect about this show in particular is some of the songs feature vocalists. Their featured artist was Tracy Bonham (she also opened they show). I hadn't heard much of her music, and I must say I really enjoyed her voice and style.

If you have never heard of/been to a Blue Man Group show, I would highly recommend it should the opportunity arise. They definitely keep you entertained, incorporate a lot of humor into their show, and just have great, cool music. Really, they have some creative instrumentation - aside from the "main" unique instrumentation by PVC pipes, they also play a piano by directly pounding on the strings with a giant mallet, have these cool "swishy stick" things (I don't really know what they are called, they just make a neat swish sound through the air), and lots of percussion and guitar.

It was awesome.

Stupid Re-Caps

I was doing so well for a while there. But alas, I feel the need to do a bit of catching up, as much for my sake as anyone else's. I apologize if this is boring.

• My work just moved out of our office, and into our warehouse facility (which also has a few offices). It will be a good move in the meantime, a little more cramped, but it will be good for now until we can afford to get a bigger place. However, there are a few drawbacks. 1) It smells like serious NASTY here. I can't even explain it, and some days are worse than others. It honestly smells like poo. We think it comes from the storm drain in the warehouse itself, so as long as we keep that well flushed it's not so bad. But again, some days are definitely bad. 2) I am the only person downstairs. Seriously, it's almost like "no girls allowed" is posted on the door upstairs (seeing as that I am the only female). Really, that part doesn't bother me, I just give my co-workers a hard time about the male/female separation, but it does get kinda quiet and lonely down here. Thank goodness for iTunes! Other than that, it's actually a pretty good arrangement here for the time being.
  
• Mark recently went on a business trip to Hawaii for a few days. Is anyone else jealous of that?? Granted, he WAS cooped up in a training room most of the time, but still. I would love to go to Hawaii again - I went when I was a younger teenager with my parents and sister, and it was amazing. Mark and I hope to go there in a few years.
• Jessie and I are still persevering with going to the gym in the mornings. I am quite proud of us. This morning, we even tried the Spinning (cycling) class. Oh man, it was rough. Probably the hardest I have ever worked out, and my butt HURT really bad on that seat. We're going to give it another shot Wednesday, so wish us luck.
• Along the workout thing, you would think that being so diligent with working out, plus earnestly trying to watch what I eat better, would have good results. But have I lost any weight? No. None. Nada. It's VERY frustrating. Granted, I'm not a "perfect" eater, but I definitely am watching portions, making better choices for the most part, etc. - a change from my "old" ways for sure. I really need to start seeing results soon.
  
• Including the past couple of days, this is shaping up to be a fun week. On Saturday, we took Jessie and Timm to the Pizza Factory and to see The Prestige, which was a very fun time. For those of you who haven't heard of it, or haven't seen it, I definitely recommend seeing The Prestige at some point, even as a rental. Very cool movie. Yesterday, we went up to Ogden for my cousin Tyler's mission farewell. He's going to Hamburg, Germany. It was so fun to see some family I hadn't seen in some cases, years. One thing that never fails to freak me out a little bit is seeing my Grandma's twin. My Grandma died when I was a Senior in H.S., and she has an identical twin who lives up in Ogden, my great aunt Irene. When I first glanced past her at the farewell, my heart literally stopped for a second because I thought it was my Grandma. Always a little freaky. For the rest of the week, Mark and I are going to see Blue Man Group tonight at the Delta Center, tomorrow is Halloween, and Friday night I am going to see Pet Shop Boys with my cousin at the E Center. Two Concerts and Halloween within 5 days sounds like a lot of fun.

Though I know there is more I should probably write about, I can't think of anything else right now. Which is why I shouldn't fall behind on my blogging - if nothing else, so I can keep track of what's going on. I hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween tomorrow!!

Now Playing: Only When I Lose Myself - Depeche Mode

Also, a quick shout out!

I really wish I had a picture, but seeing as how I am just taking a brief moment at work to do this, I do not. But I really need to thank Jill for sending me some super cute Good Mail labels, as well as a thoughtful note. (: Thank you so much Jill, you really are an inspiration to me. I hope I can overcome my good mail inferiority complex(?), and start sending out even simple notes with a joyous little sticker on front. I just need to buy some cute notes, so I have something handy without feeling like I have to sit down and struggle to make cards to send good mail (my creativity is truly lacking in this department, so it's a time consuming endeavor). I think I worry too much about not sending out "enough," or fun enough stuff or whatever. But as several people have mentioned, even just a nice note is good mail.

So anyways, thank you Jill for your thoughtful good mail. (: I will do my best to get on track with good mail, since it is only a positive experience all around!

Also, a quick shout out!

I really wish I had a picture, but seeing as how I am just taking a brief moment at work to do this, I do not. But I really need to thank Jill for sending me some super cute Good Mail labels, as well as a thoughtful note. (: Thank you so much Jill, you really are an inspiration to me. I hope I can overcome my good mail inferiority complex(?), and start sending out even simple notes with a joyous little sticker on front. I just need to buy some cute notes, so I have something handy without feeling like I have to sit down and struggle to make cards to send good mail (my creativity is truly lacking in this department, so it's a time consuming endeavor). I think I worry too much about not sending out "enough," or fun enough stuff or whatever. But as several people have mentioned, even just a nice note is good mail.

So anyways, thank you Jill for your thoughtful good mail. (: I will do my best to get on track with good mail, since it is only a positive experience all around!

Isn't this problem supposed to be over by the end of your teenage years?

So today I finally went to the dermatologist. I have been needing to go for a long time. Ever since I was little, I have had problems with excema. My skin really is not kind to me sometimes, and has these excema outbreaks. Well, a month or so ago, I started to get excema all over my stomach. Subsequently, it has also appeared on my arms, legs, and feet. So much fun.

So I determined that if it was still bad when I got back from CO, I would make an appointment if it hadn't cleared up. The weird thing is, while I was in CO, it cleared up. Which makes no sense, because I spent the first 18 years of my life, and spent plenty of those years with excema. *shrug* And what do you know, within the first day of being back in UT, it flared up again. Must be something in the air here.

I also have a bad problem with acne on my upper arms. It's been around since I was a young teenager. You would think once I passed 20 my acne problem would start diminishing - but no. It's still pretty bad.

So now I have 3 new prescriptions - a steroid creme for the excema (thank goodness, amazing what a prescription will do to that stuff), a wash for the acne, as well as a daily antibiotic for the acne, which I will take for an indefinite amount of time right now. Yay. I really do hope it helps to clear up the problem though, that would be amazing. No more embarrassing arms!

Alright, that may have been more information than anyone really wanted to know, but I just felt a need to get my skin woes off my chest. The incessant itching on my stomach right now compelled me. Relief is coming soon.

Now Playing: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Denver Pictoors (in no particular order)

This definitely doesn't include all the pictures. Since I so brilliantly didn't bring my camera, credit for these pictures is to Chrissy and Kathy.

Jellyfish are so creepy and so cool at the same time.

Awww, look at us posing with the Shark. Chrissy, Me, Kathy.

Our Pre-Tennis playing shot. Kathy and I on the left, Gordon and Amy on the right.

Some sweet tennis guitar(?) moves from Gordon.

Ah, the joys of karaoke. My throat was definitely struggling after that night.

Me being a nerd, and trying to be one with the fish. See the pucker?

Caught in the action of getting my groove and sing on.

Chrissy, Kathy, and I in Boulder.

Andrea, Kathy, me, and Rod all posing at the Aquarium

Kathy in front of some ginormous Beer Copper...thingy at the Coors Brewery.

This guy had some SERIOUS teeth. I mean, this doesn't even fully capture it.

Another aquarium shot. Definitely one of the less flattering shots of me.


You killed Steve Irwin!! Ok, not you specifically. You were actually a cool little guy, and kinda slimey to the touch.

Denver Update (be warned of hugeness)

I've been home since Sunday Night, and just kept neglecting to update my blog on my trip! Denver was amazing, as it always is. Going to Colorado still feels like going home. I had SO much fun, and it was SO GREAT to see my friend Kathy. Kathy lived with my family my freshman year of high school as an exchange student from Germany. Let's just say I think of her basically as a 5th sister. I visited her in Germany for 2 weeks following my Junior year of High School, she came to my wedding, and she was in Denver doing an internship at a hospital just recently. Hence, the main reason for my extended trip to Denver. I planned to arrive there on the last day she had to work, so we were able to spend the whole week together. It was sooo much fun, really. And of course, it is always so good to see my family.

Just because I am horrible at doing day by day recaps (especially since I procrastinated a week...), I'm basically just going to list the things we did, and of course, provide some lovely pictures.

• Ate WAY too much cheesecake. Between Kathy making a German Cheesecake, eating at the Cheesecake Factory, and getting New York Cheesecake Frozen Custard from Good Times. Let's just say I was amazed I didn't gain weight on this trip. Seriously.
• Going to Flatirons mall with Chrissy, Kathy, and my mom. Just walking around up there, doing some window shopping mostly. It was fun to just hang out with the girls (:
• Getting some exposure to the Gilmore Girls (though they were watching the 6th season - I really should start from the beginning). I must say, I found myself really enjoying the show, despite not knowing much about what is going on. Kathy had bought the 6th season to take home - in Germany, it was just barely starting on the actual networks. A year later.
• Mom's Lazy Lasagna. I just need to write that recipe down. It's my favorite lasagna, because it has no ricotta cheese. Just cottage cheese. And it's delicious.
• Hanging out with my sister Mary at her new townhome. She is such a fun person to be around. She's taking guitar lessons, and I had the chance to hear her sing and play some tunes on her "sweet ax." (: Her kids are so cute too - Joey even gave me a hug, woohoo!
• Also hanging out with my brother Rod and sister in law Andrea. It was definitely good to see them. I finally met their "new" puppy Kimi, that they have had for probably a year. We watched Anchorman at their house, as well as a selection of music videos Roddy has on DVD, such as "Weird Al," ABC, and New Order. So fun!
• Eating out at many of my favorite places: Chipotle (twice), Old Chicago, Good Times, Table Mountain Inn, Paradise Cafe, The Cheesecake Factory, etc. Also tried one of my dad's "regular" places, Joe's Cafe. Which has amazing pancakes. Sadly, none of these places are in Utah *sigh*
• Seeing my good old friends, the Flammers. Seriously - it had been ENTIRELY too long ago that I hung out with these guys. Kathy was also good friends with them when she lived with us 8 years ago, so her being in town also provided a good reason for me to freaking finally get together with them again! The last time I had seen Amy and her mother was at my wedding reception. The last time I had seen David and Gordon could quite possibly have been early high school. Way too long. It was SO much fun hanging out with them a few times while I was home.
• Such as doing Karaoke. We went out to this Asian Karaoke place in Aurora, and it was a blast. If only all you faithful blog readers could have heard our rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody." Just...wow. Haha!
• The Coors Brewery Tour. I grew up literally 5 minutes from it, seriously. Growing up, I always hated the smell of the hops that would waft throughout Golden. Going home now though, ironically, it's a smell I miss. Smells like home. Kathy had never done the tour (which is honestly, quite interesting), so we decided to go for it. Some people just go just for the free 3 8 oz. samples at the end (or just take the "short tour" straight to the lounge). I was just fine with my free Dr. Pepper, thanks (:
• The Denver Aquarium. Another attraction Kathy didn't have a chance to visit when she was in CO 8 years ago, as it was still being built. It has been since bought out by a Seafood Restaurant (there is something inherently disturbing about that...), but is still an AWESOME aquarium! I think so at least, for being in the Rockies ;) Rod and Andrea came along as well, and it was just so fun!
• Our little Boulder day out. Boulder is definitely an interesting place. Some even refer to it as the "People's Republic of Boulder." But I think it is great. We walked around Pearl Street Mall, and met up with my friend from high school Jules and FINALLY met her fiance Daryl. Such an awesome guy! We all ate at the Cheesecake Factory, stuffing ourselves silly. Mmmmmmmcheeeeeesecake. And I was amazed - no free spirit college students asked me for my leftovers afterwards! It was a first!
  
• You know those little sponge capsule animals that you put in warm water? Kathy had never heard of those. I decided we needed some to ensure she wasn't entirely deprived of this childhood delight.
  
• My poor dad having to get a shot IN HIS EYE the day I got there. Poor Guy. He has bad glaucoma/complications resulting from diabetes in his right eye, and is doing everything he can to help his vision. I sure hope this shot clears it up for him. It was so sad :(
• Tennis on Saturday afternoon. Once again, with the Flammers. Just awesome (:
• Getting to see my mom's new "boobs." I think I have mentioned this before, but my mom had a full masectomy when she first had breast cancer in 2004. I have gotten pretty used to seeing her "boobless", so it was quite humorous to me that she went and bought some new ones! They are these cool silicon inserts that are really quite realistic. She wanted them to help fill out some of her dresses and such, since they don't fall quite right otherwise. I think it's great (:
• The Classic Car Club Fall Tour. My dad is a total car nut, seriously. And one of the clubs he belongs to had a little tour where we went to the Golden Railroad Museum (which is really neat, btw), and drove up Golden Gate Canyon to see all of the beautiful changing leaves. It was seriously so amazing driving up there. We had lunch at the Black Forest Inn, which was delicious! One of my favorite things to do ever since I was little was riding around in my dad's old cars. I'm glad I had the chance to while I was home (:
• I finally bought myself a new cell phone. It was about time, for sure. My old one had been around for 5 years, and had reached "crap" status. My new one definitely has no frills, but it's like a new technological wonder for me. I mean, it's COLOR. Color! Wow.

I am sure I am missing some things. Curse my horrible memory! Chrissy or Kathy(when I finally email her my blog URL), if you happen to think of anything I am missing, please comment with it. Because my brain struggles.

Alright, I am now thinking I will do a separate post with pictures, as this one is long enough already.

Now Playing : BT - 1.618