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Don’t Recreate Old memories – Create New Ones

On December 16, 2010

Last weekend Wonder Boy and I went on a short getaway to celebrate what I think is our only free weekend for a 3 months stretch. When selecting our getaway locale, we had some specific criteria:

We wanted to go somewhere we knew no one
We had to go somewhere only a short drive away
We didn’t want to spend a lot of cash

At the suggestion of Wonder Boy, and I need to stress that he was the one to bring it up even though it sounds like a very Me idea, we went to Athens. It was perfect! It even had a Holiday Inn where we could redeem some points and get a free night’s stay.

Now I know I have discussed the infinite fabulousness of Athens and Ohio University on multiple occasions (here, here and here). You could say I’m obsessed. But I can’t help it. When I go there I just feel happy, accepted and comfortable.

We were lucky enough to have our weekend getaway on the same weekend as a nice snowstorm. And Wonder Boy was recovering from a wicked cold. So, our outings were even more limited. We walked around town, explored the old sanitarium, walked through the Kennedy Museum of Art and drove down back country roads. We also enjoyed some of the best things Athens has to offer, in my opinion: great places to eat (Mmmm Casa!) and many, many great places to drink.

Prior to going I had a little checklist in my head of the bars we had to visit, the specialty drinks I had to have, etc. On our second night, a Sunday evening, we went to my absolute favorite Athens bar, the Cat’s Eye. As soon as we walked in I went to the jukebox and played the tow requisite songs: Hurricane by Bob Dylan and Crazy Game of Poker by OAR. I can’t describe how many times I listened to those songs in that bar at college.

So here’s the thing about going back to your old college. Now you’re old. But the students aren’t. So I was very self-conscience about my song selections and how they would go over with the 10 or so bar patrons. A guy walked into the bar and the first words out of his mouth were, “Who picked this song?” I sort of held my breath and waved. He came over and gave me a high five! Turns out I might be old, but that 21-year-old boy (as of Friday night) and all of the other folks at the bar loved my music tastes. Wonder Boy’s, too. I can’t stress this enough. We got lots of high fives and requests to pick more music. At one point everyone in the bar (all 10 of them) was dancing!

I went to OU wanting to go back to my old haunts and remember all the great times I had in college. Instead, I made memories there. Fabulous memories. And I think Wonder Boy (not an OU grad) made some of his own. If he can get past how he felt the next day…

I’ve already posted this but here is another link to a song I couldn’t get out of my head all weekend: Tilt Ya Head Back OU.

I’m Famous, Yo!

By Kate

On September 23, 2010

In travel

I got interviewed recently by a travel writer and the story just went online. That’s right, I’m famous: “How to Travel Without a Plan” by Andy Hayes.

Vacation With the Fam

By Kate

On September 22, 2010

In family / friends, travel

I just returned a few days ago from a weeklong vacation with my family (parents, siblings and their significant others). My dad scored us a great house right on the beach and the weather was beyond perfect, especially for September. Every day was in the high 80s or low 90s and it only rained on our first day – the travel day that no one cared about.

My goals for the trip were simple: lay out and soak up sun, read, sleep.

Prior to the trip, Wonder Boy and I created an emergency word that we could use if we needed alone time. If I uttered this word in his presence he was committed to getting me to someone place quiet, and vice versa. I only fell back on this once and Wonder Boy never did, not surprising since I tend to like to hole away and having 10 people in one house doesn’t give you a ton of opportunities for that.

The fact that I read 6 books and started a 7th was probably my saving grace. It achieved one of my goals (read) and let me zone out a little. The books I read were really all pretty good:

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez

4 out of 5 stars … I learned a ton about Afghanistan but did not find the narrator very likable.

Things I’ve Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi

3 out of 5 stars … This book was meandering and hard to read but very informational’

The Whole Truth by Nancy Pickard

2 out of 5 stars, at best … Pickard just seemed like a Picoult wannabe in this book.

All Together Dead Harris by Charlaine Harris

5 out of 5 stars

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

5 out of 5 stars

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

5 out of 5 stars

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

5 out of 5 stars … Aaaack — now I’m done with the Sookie Stackhouse novels! What will I do?!?

One aspect of the trip that went really well was the tradition we have around our dinners. For the sake of saving time and money, each couple cooks one meal. After that, you don’t have to cook anymore. Pretty fabulous, right? This year people tried to step it up and do theme nights. We had a Gilligan’s Island theme, with prize for best costume, a Jersey Shore theme with assigned roles and a Mexican night. Wonder Boy and I threw a classic party complete with invitations and lots of glow jewelry. It looked like an old school rave in the dining room!

Now I am at home, tanned, mildly better-rested and definitely experiencing some post-vacation blues. If this isn’t motivation to start planning the next trip for Wonder Boy and I, I don’t know what is!

The Concert Trifecta: Josh Ritter

By Kate

On August 7, 2010

In rock, travel

For the final leg of the concert trifecta Wonder Boy and I left Columbus for Cincinnati, Ohio, so we could see our third concert on three consecutive nights in three different cities. For both of us this was our fourth time seeing Josh Ritter play and we knew we would not be disappointed. In fact, we had already seen him play on this tour down in Louisville, Kentucky, so we thought this show would just be an extension of that great evening.

We ate dinner across from the venue and then headed over to the 20th Century Theater right when doors were supposed to open thinking we would get a better place to stand or sit. The doors had opened early and the place was already packed for the sold out show. We got to see several friends who all teased me about my crush on Josh Ritter but I defended my stance. He’s the happiest, most gracious performer I have ever seen and when he plays he makes you just want to get up and dance. Lyrically his songs are amazing and musically the entire band is so talented.

The show might have been the best one we’ve seen for Josh Ritter yet. At one point he slipped into a Talking Heads song. At another he had everyone in the audience grab a partner and slow dance grade-school-dance-style. For one of my friends this was his first Josh Ritter show and he summed things up perfectly with two comments.

“I keep thinking this is the lat song and then he keeps going!”
“Is he always like this? Is this legit?”

Josh Ritter is always good, completely legit and I claim my crush, thankyouverymuch.

The Concert Trifecta: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

By Kate

On August 7, 2010

In rock, travel

For day two of the concert trifecta, a venture where Wonder Boy and I would see concerts on three consecutive nights in three different cuties, we left Nashville, Tennessee, for Columbus, Ohio. We were stoked to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes because we had seen them so recently and they had been fabulous.

After we checked in at our hotel, we headed down to the Short North District to meet our front DPG for dinner. Before I go into details about concert, which is the main point of my post, I need to diverge for a moment.

What happened to the Short North? People, how could you let this happen??? When I left college, one of my best friends, Delicious, moved to Columbus. He was immediately drawn to the Short North because it was full of cool, young people and had a great hipster vibe. Now it seems to draw all sorts of pretentious douche bags. Barf. Later in the evening we drive down High Street for our show and I know that the street has been “improved” but barf again! Why do people prefer some genetic, gentrified nonsense over genuine charm?!??

But I digress.

So, we ate with DPG and heard about his job and the baby that is on the way. We ate entirely too much grease and realized how much more time we all need to get together, shortly after which we realized we needed to scoot to get to the show. The irony.

The concert was Newport Music Hall, which is nice but no Ryman Auditorium. The show was sold out, as it should have been. Wonder Boy and I were able to snag great seats up at the top of the venue and get an ariel view of the stage. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes were really on a good run that night. They came out posing as another band and were their own opening act and sounded awesome playing songs that no one knew. Next they came out as themselves. Maybe they were tired. Certainly drugs were involved. The show spiraled quickly into a mess. Most of the band kept their stuff together but the lead singer was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. At one point he HID while the rest of the band kept playing. Then he came back out on stage and said, “I’m back! They’ve all been here the whole time but now I’m back!”

The crowd was crazy for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes but Wonder Boy and I were disappointed. I won’y go so far as to say it was an awful show or a bad show, but it wasn’t their best work by any stretch.