And why is this fun again?

This Sunday, my friend Jon "helped" me fulfill another of my 100/10 goals:

61. Ride on a roller coaster

Yep, I did it. Pigs have flown and hell has frozen over. Actually, I got on THREE roller coasters, count 'em THREE. But my reaction was progressively less positive. We started out on a fairly simple one and my eyes were open about 80% of the time. The next one, oh, about 50%. The last one 0%. The 80 foot drop at the beginning scared the crap out of me and for the rest of the ride I tried to find me happy place, to no avail.

Thus, while I have in fact fulfilled this goal, I plan on never getting on one again. I am convinced that the most frightening part of Six Flag's Frightfest, is that the fact that people actually find this alleged roller coaster-ing fun.

I stopped hating Jon Tuesday evening, and now appreciate his patience and fortitude in helping me fulfill this goal, although I still blame him for coaster #2 and #3.

Done and done.

I heart Halloween

I mean, who doesn't? Granted, I'm not a dress up in a skanky costume and go partying sort of Halloween girl. I'm more of a "Hey, the History Channel is running a bunch of history of witchcraft specials and I can wear my skull gloves around," sort of Halloween person. I love scary movies even though they scare me to death and the brisk fall weather only adds to the ambience of the holiday. And Halloween deserves to be celebrated - numerous church leaders over hundreds of years have tried to suppress it and still it goes on!!

But the month of October in and of itself is also a wonderful time. I can finally break out the hot spiced cider, hooded sweatshirts, knitted hats, and enjoy the fall leaves. In my youth, the annual trip to the orchard was always hotly anticipated, but sadly most workplaces don't sponsor those kind of trips.

Yet there is another, equally entertaining, October tradition - the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, Indiana - home to the world famous grandparents/aunt/great aunt/cousins of yours truly. And it is good. No one can resist the siren song of hot, sugary crullers. This past weekend I hopped the Megabus to Indy and joined the parental units as we journeyed west for crafts, fall foliage, farm country, and great food. What could be better?

But seriously, nothing is better than fried dough covered in sugar...nothing...

Tuesday Morning Cuteness

Real post coming soon, promise....

Try not to cry when you know...

I had read reviews of the book and was intrigued...

I entered the bookstore never intending to buy it...

I read the dedication page standing in the biography aisle...

I purchased it immediately and left the store...

I eyed it during work, wishing I was reading it instead...

I went home, talked on the phone, made some dinner, and cleaned...

I settled down late to read a few chapters...

I read about the struggle of growing up in Cambodia...

The violence, the terror, and willfullness of the Khmer Rouge...

The struggle of a young girl and the obedience her culture demanded...

I read her story of abuse and forced prostitution...

Of the pain, the filth, and the terror...

I listened to her speak of escape, shame, and the difficulty of recovery...

I followed her as she rose above it, and began to help others...

I felt her disgust at the increased violence that girls as young as five face every day...

Of the blind eye turned by the government and the corruption at every corner...

I read of her journey to overcome and the generosity of others...

Two hours later I had finished the book...eight hours later, I can't get it out of my mind.

Bizet's Beefcake...

...or how I learned to stop worrying and love Nathan Gunn's bare chest.

Kidding.

Sort of.

This year, a friend and I have season subscriptions to the Lyric Opera of Chicago. While I know that we're currently in an economic downturn and I should be cutting back on spending, I see opera has a "need," not a "want." So, last night, off we went to see Les Pecheurs de Perles, or The Pearl Fishers.

Admittingly, the only thing I knew about LPP before going to see it last night was the famous Act One duet between Zurga and Nadir (two of the main characters).

What I also didn't know was that Zurga, played by baritone Nathan Gunn, is required to remain half-dressed for the duration of the opera. At first, I could see right through the obvious staging that resulted in his stripping - does he really need to offer his shirt to the other fisherman in order to confirm his leadership? But then, cursing my lack of opera glasses, I decided to sit back, and just enjoy the view from my upper balcony seats.

I know the woman sitting next to me was also enjoying the half-nekkid Zurga as she made the brilliant decision to wear approximately 82 bangles on her arms, so every time she lifted up her opera glasses for a better view, I got to hear my own petite percussion section.

The other thing I noticed was that while there is much gnashing of teeth over keeping one's vow, in practice, I'm not sure any of the characters fully understood the concept. Or, in the words of the brilliant Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Let me explain further: Zurga and Nadir had vowed several years before to never act on their love for Leila so as not to ruin their friendship - Oops, Nadir lied and went back to woo and love Leila; Leila took a vow to stay a virgin and pray for protection day and night for all of the fishermen - Oops, she has sexy times with Nadir instead. And then out of nowhere Zurga has some other vow in Act Three that hasn't been mentioned, but I'm pretty sure that he broke it, so in the end he saves the lovers Nadir and Leila to keep a vow that was really a hazy one in the first place. Good times.

Up until now, I might be giving the highly critical impression that I did not enjoy the opera.

Au contraire mes amis!!

The music was absolutely gorgeous. Plus bonus points for this girl!! I totes recognized the reoccurring musical theme that was initiated during the aforementioned Act One duet. All thanks to the extremely demanding professor I had in grad school for the hysterically difficult 500-level opera literature course.

Plus more bonus points for all of the French classes paying off. I didn't understand everything, and the surtitles definitely came in handy, but I actually could follow the opera pretty well. It only became a real problem when I started thinking things like, "Ooh, that verb was the plus-que-parfait tense, " or "Huh, that translation isn't really close to what he's singing."

But overall, I have to say I was pleased with a) remembering some importants things from a class I had three years ago and b) remembering some important things from a class I had three days ago. Alas, high-fives all around were not appropriate...plus bangle-woman might have injured me during the course of said high-five.


Lastly, I have to mention that LPP was the fourth opera I have seen at the Lyric since moving to Chicago, and for every single one I have had a tiny 3-hour love affair with the stage design: the richness of La traviata, the ingenuity of Falstaff, the starkness of Eugene Onegin, and this year's incredible use of space for LLP.

And yes, in case you all are wondering, you will be subjected after each of the seven more operas, to my slightly erratic "reviews" of each one.

Bon chance!

American Girl

So, this Friday, I did what every typical twenty-something single girl does - I attended the opening of the new American Girl store.

Yes, you read right, American Girl. Me, one of the least girly, doll-loving people I know. I had some Cabbage Patches in my day, and so did my sis. But instead of carrying them around or putting them in a stroller, we created scenarios like "Cabbage Patch Hospital" or "Cabbage Patch Kidnapping." I'm pretty sure our mom was a little concerned more than once.

However, we both were big readers and did in fact read most of the American Girl series during our local library's summer reading program. If I remember correctly, Em always preferred Molly, a spunky girl growing up in World War II America. I preferred Felicity, the fourth girl in the series whose story is set during the America Revolution. The books were well-written and being the history buff that I am, I enjoyed the facts about the time period included in at the end.
Em and I used the receive the catalogues in the mail when we were little and it was always fun to look through.

That said, I'm still slightly scared by the phenomenon that is the American Girl Doll empire.

Last Friday, however, I put my fear of the American Girl store aside and attended the opening of the huge (and I mean huge) new store in Water Tower Place on Michigan Ave. Seriously, it was like walking into a different world. Two stories and I don't know how many square feet later, I had seen an entire section dedicated to just the "historical" dolls, an AG photo booth, two more sections of "baby" dolls, then on the second floor, I witnessed a doll salon, doll craft area, doll hospital, doll sweets cafe (with doll-sized treats), and a restaurant that sported doll size chairs so a little girl could eat with her American Girl.

I'm pretty sure somewhere along the way, my jaw literally dropped. The concept of a recession was nowhere to be seen inside this new store as parents indulged their fashionable daughters' need for dolls and accessories. I don't necessarily say this with a negative tone. Most of the little girls I saw where very well behaved - no tantrums, no crying - but they were genuinely dedicated to their dolls and equally protective. My favorite was a girl watching her dolls face get cleaned at the doll hospital - she was very concerned and kept a watchful eye on the doll like any good parent.

And, while part of me was overwhelmed and slightly horrified by the sheer number of doll items surrounding me at every turn, overall, it was a pretty cool experience. After awhile, I went and picked out a few things for my AG-crazy cousins, and then made my way over to the area where Felicity and her accessories were displayed...I still coveted the green riding habit that she wore, even after all these years...who knew?

But as I grabbed my goody bag and headed out, I realized that inside that store was a complete fantasy land for little girls and their moms...or the several indulgent dads I had just left behind. And I wondered what the attraction was...for me, I had always loved the books and the stories that had been created. I saw no one that night carrying around any of the books behind the dolls, something I find a little sad.

At the end of the night, I shook off the saccharine sweetness of the American Girl Store and hit up a Borders to get some equilibrium. I'm definitely glad, however, that I got a peek inside the new store and the pure craziness that is the American Girl empire.

Some Friday Hilarity

Thank you, Liberty Mutual

Please watch the below commercial, first.

Alas, now that you've seen this brilliant commercial from Libery Mutual (thanks, Dad, for remembering the name of the company!), I can tell you a story.

First of all, I've fulfilled another one of my 100 goals...39) Help a perfect stranger.

When I landed in JFK from Lucerne, I needed to grab my baggage, go through customs, then re-check the baggage for my flight to Chicago. Waiting for my suitcase, I was really tired, very hungry, and slightly irritable. I was waiting, waiting, waiting for my suitcase when all of the sudden the tiny, elderly lady next to me put her hand on my arm and said "Oh dear, I don't think I can reach that." I quickly asked her which suitcase was hers - it was a huge red one stuck on top of another suitcase. I lunged for the suitcase, which had to weigh as much as she did, and set it down on the floor and popped up the handle for her. With a "thank you" and a pat on my shoulder, she was on her way.

But the tale of goodness doesn't stop there!

The guy next to me had seen the whole thing. He grabbed his suitcase and left the luggage claim before me, but then he paused at the door to customs, and held it open for a guy whose hands were full.

Then that guy, I saw later on after customs. He saw a child in a stroller throw a toy on the floor - and bent down and picked it up and handed it back to the kid.

JUST LIKE THE COMMERCIAL.

After I paused to wonder if the Liberty Mutual commercial was actually an exercise in brainwashing, I realized that that situation was so cool! I had seen three of us help strangers, and it actually felt good. In a world where more people would probably run you over, than lend a hand, I was heartened to see that a few acts of simple kindness can make the day a little easier for someone.

I was still tired and hungry, but no longer irritable.