Madonnapalooza 2006

What a crazy last two days!!!

On Monday night we went to visit Oma after stopping at the sports store to make sure I had my triathlon suit. Adam found this really great bike that he proceeded to ride around the store:
It was so hard to go to work on Tuesday knowing that Madonna was mere hours away! When I got back to Adam and Eva's, Eva was taking a power nap and Adam and I proceeded to pre-party. The first official Madonnapalooza pre-party picture:

The concert itself was absolutely amazing! When we got there a couple guys were outside protesting - saying that we were all heathens and going to hell or something like that. I figure, if God is going to smite me for going to a Madonna concert, at least I'll go out with some good music in the background... it's a SHOW!!!! Holy cow. People will protest just about anything it seems.

Thank goodness I was with Adam, Eva, Catherine and Dori who have all attended past Madonna concerts. I would have been sitting in my seat for an hour twiddling my fingers. Apparently it's known among Madonna concertgoers that she starts her show an hour late. Always. And what an appearance it was! She came out in a gigantic mirrored disco ball! It was awesome! From there it was non-stop dancing for the next two hours. Dancing, jumping and singing! When Madonna says jump, darn it, you jump! We seriously had the best time! We had nosebleed "backstage" passes... and they were a blast! We were able to see some of the action behind the stage which was neat too! Here's Adam and Eva rocking out:The big controversial part of the show was Madonna singing "Live to Tell" while hanging on the cross, with a crown of thorns on her head. I wasn't shocked, just because it's Madonna and she generally has something in a show to thumb her nose at the Catholic religion, but I didn't really understand why she chose that song for it. Either way, it was kind of impressive... Here's her rising up on the cross:
Here's a picture of the jumbo-tron with her on the cross (sorry it's blurry - my camera doesn't like taking jumbo-tron pictures... I need to figure that out):
She also did a whole disco section to the show (the new album, Confessions on a Dance Floor is all very disco/techno sounding). She came out in this awesome leisure suit and danced her booty off:
Of course, no concert is complete without the concert bling. Eva and I went all out for the Confessions zippies... they were expensive, but we rationalized that we had cheap seats. I LOVE IT! The front says "Confessions" and the back has a big purple disco ball with a pink M and the words "Confessions Tour":

By the way, Eva, I'm listening to "I Love New York" as I write this. The 'get off of my street' part just came on and I busted out our dance moves! :)

I was so sad to go back to work today and to leave Adam and Eva's house... I had the best time!!!

Karaoke Returns!

Well, it's been forever since I've gone out to karaoke (as in since I've moved home, and that's been over a year). Last night I hit the karaoke bar with my good friend Tim, the King of Karaoke. So much fun!
Today was supposed to be another lake day, but it turned into a veg-around-the-house day. Much needed rest since next weekend is going to be nuts!

I'm packing to leave for the Bay Area right now and to see Madonna herself! I can't even tell you how excited I am! I'm going to take tons of pictures - I can't wait to see Adam and Eva and hang out with them again! Woo hoo! Madonna here I come!

That's all for now.

Smithson, out.

Day at the Lake

Best day ever.

So far.

Today we braved Folsom Lake (it's had a 5 mile an hour speed limit for the last month or so because of all of the debris that have washed down due to heavy rains). It was definitely worth it! We spent about 4 hours just floating around, totally relaxing. It was awesome! The sun was out, there was a light breeze and there were surprisingly few people on the lake. It was so great that we're going to go back tomorrow! Here's Kelly and I out on the boat:

Oh, and here's my dog pretending he's an Indian:
That's a Canadian goose feather. They're all he has eyes for at the lake... he's never sniffed a real feather before! I didn't get to waterski because Kelly convinced me that a wheelchair at the Madonna concert probably isn't the greatest idea. And it would be just my luck to hit a bobbing log just under the surface. The things I give up for the sake of music... :)

One week from today - triathlon time! I can't believe it's almost here! HOLY CRAP!

I absolutely can't WAIT for the concert. I'm heading to Adam and Eva's tomorrow for two fun filled days of craziness! Woo hoo!

"Chinese Chili"

So today I decided to try out a new recipe for dinner. I get daily recipes from 24 Hour Fitness, and generally they're pretty terrible. A few days ago I got one for "Spicy Orange Beef" that actually sounded good. Oh my goodness... they weren't kidding on the spicy part. Keep in mind that I'm the girl who grew up eating her daddy and granddaddy's red hot beef jerky (they would eat it and sweat). Well, this had 6 red chili peppers in it (thank GOD I decided to take the seeds out before I cooked with them!) and my mom and I literally sat and sweat the whole time we ate. But it tasted so good that we couldn't stop! We've dubbed it "Chinese Chili". And we're making it again! Let me know if you want the recipe... I'll send it your way!

On that note, I'm off to bed... I'm a sleepy girl!

Today's Triathlon Training
Biking: 3 miles

Go Mavs!

Not that I like to see any team other than my precious Kings win, but I'm proud to announce that the Mavs sent the Spurs packing today. For those of you who don't follow, the Spurs are the team that bumped (ok, shoved) the Kings out of the playoffs this year. So I'm glad to see them out just for spite. I know, great competitive spirit.

Today was mellow. I went to the dentist, which is almost always a fun experience for me. I've gone to this dentist since I was like 10 (except for those few years in SD) and I love him. I told him about "The Great Crash of 2006" and his eye balls almost fell out of his head. He checked my front teeth "just in case". Now THAT's a good dentist!

Today's Triathlon Training:
Running: 1.5 miles

Products I Love - Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer

Thank you, thank you, thank you Adam and Eva for recommending Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer to me! You see, this weekend I'll be houseboating with Brigitte and Amber, who both already look like bronze goddesses. Me, I'm white. Really white. So, rather than trying to "catch up" (which we all know will never happen), I've officially hit the bottle. Of self tanner, that is. I've been weary since "The Bahamas Experience" (self tanner + shower = streaky white girl). However, Jergens has come up with an amazing combination - it's tanner and it's lotion all in one. It works slowly (I'm on day two and starting to see some color) and you don't end up with it all over your clothes (or shower). GREAT stuff! Now I too can be a bronze goddess! Woo hoo, houseboat here I come!

The rest of the weekend (that I wasn't applying lotion) was pretty mellow. I went shopping on Saturday and just relaxed today. I took my first nap in FOREVER... it was so nice!

I seriously can't believe that the triathlon is officially two weeks from today! I'm feeling pretty good about the distances, but I'm nervous because I've never done one before and I know it's going to be a lot different than working out at the gym or even biking/running by the river. I guess we'll just wait and see!

On that note, I'm off to read and go to bed. Good night!

Movie Etiquette

So I went to the movies tonight with Brig and Amber to see "United 93". Great movie (see reviews) but horrible movie-mates. The lady next to me sits down about 10 minutes into the movie with a big smelly hot dog (eww! - love the taste, hate the smell!). Then she starts coughing. And coughing. And coughing. It gets to the point that the lady in front of us asks her if she needs water or fresh air. It gets to the point that I begin counting the seconds between coughs. Approximately 20-30 seconds for the entire hour and 51 minutes. I am not kidding. She had a napkin held up to her face for the whole time - she didn't even bother to take it off between coughs. This brings several things to mind:

1. What the heck kind of disease do you have that makes you cough for 2 hours straight?
2. What the heck kind of disease do you have that requires you to cover your mouth with a napkin for an hour?
3. Why the heck would you go to the movies with this mystery disease?!

So, I will take it upon my self to educate the free world through my blog. I assumed (and we all know what happens when you ass u me...) that people understood movie theatre etiquette. I now know that this is incorrect. Here's a little refresher course:

1. When you go to the movies, turn off your cell phone. I'm trying to get into the movie, which is why I'm in a dark theater, watching it on a ginormous screen. The last thing I need is your Britney Spears ring tone killing the mood.
2. Don't talk.
3. Don't bring smelly food. You're at the movies... it's time for a snack, not a meal! Eat some popcorn, some Mike and Ikes, but for God's sake, leave the hot dogs at home!
4. Stop kicking my chair. Now. Once, I'll overlook. Twice, I'll forgive. Third time and you're getting a glare.
5. Do not go to the movies if you're sick. Common sense says that if you have some disease in which you're coughing, vomiting, sweating profusely, feverish, gassy or even vaguely feeling nauseous, STAY AT HOME. The last place you need to be is crammed in a room with a hundred people in close quarters.

Thank you. You may now go back to your regularly scheduled movie.

Good night! :)

Nanners to Earth...

Well, well. Sorry to be gone for so long... it's been a crazy last week and a half! I spent a chunk of time performing, a few days travelling on business, a day doing manual labor in the yard and the rest of the time just trying to catch up. :) I know, you missed me.

Today I had my audition for the Choral Society (you have to re-audition every other year - this year happened to be the women, so I had to audition again). All went well, I'm still in the group! Woo hoo!

To top off today (and it's been a long one), I thought I'd pass on some wisdom from Dave Barry (thanks Eva!):

16 THINGS THAT IT TOOK ME OVER 50 YEARS TO LEARN
by Dave Barry

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
5. You should not confuse your career with your life.
6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
7. Never lick a steak knife.
8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.
12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person
14. Your friends love you anyway.
15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
16. Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.
FINAL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2030, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

Today's Triathlon Training:
Biking: 13 miles

...and we're done...

I'm sad to announce that the Kings are officially out of the playoffs. I know, sad but true. I think part of today's loss is to blame on the fact that I wore my unlucky Kings shirt (I remembered about half way home from dress rehearsal tonight... too little, too late). *sigh* Well, here's what I have to say:

2006-2007 Sacramento Kings Baby!

Just you wait. We're gonna have a great team!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Would You Rather?

A powerful deity descends from on high and informs you that, for reasons beyond your understanding, your life is about to change. He allows you to choose between two possible fates, and he asks you...

• Would you rather: Be stuck in an elevator with sweaty sumo wrestlers or talkative accountants?
• Would you rather: Be mechanically induced to scream at the top of your lungs for an hour or have your eyes glued shut for a day?
• Would you rather:
  Have eyes that always smile or a voice that makes people calm?
• Would you rather:
  Have the ability to foretell the future or have all the money you could ever need?
• Would you rather:
  Hit every red light for the rest of your life or always be wrong?
• Would you rather:
  Eat only fruitcake or drink only eggnog?
• Would you rather:
  Have to live in a house infested with mice for the rest of your life or permanently have hair lice?
• Would you rather:
  Be famous or be rich?

Feel free to add on! :)