Wendy DeCora.com

As a reward for her not biting anyone at the vet, and also because she’s old and spoiled, I got Mac a window perch for my office. I think she likes it.

Saturday was the 2008 Iowa Spring Game in Iowa City. A time for friends to gather, practice their tailgating skills, and cheer for football. It was a semi-warm and damp day. I joined the gathering in one of the lots behind the rec building around 10am. How lovely to be able to find a free parking spot in the nice lots and see how the big donors live for one day of the year. There were lots of friends with a lot of kids running/being carted about. Much cuteness ensued. The Iowa Hawk Shop also has a big clearance sale at Kinnick on this day, so I went with the Kollasch’s to see if one could have too much Iowa apparel. I am happy to report that the answer to that question remains a resounding NO.

There was grilling, there were beverages, and there was a cooler to be ridden. You’d be amazed at how fun it is to roll through the parking lots on a motorized cooler.

As for the practice/scrimmage/game itself, it was misty out. There is something cool (or possibly crazy) about sitting out with several thousand other fans in slightly unsavory weather just to watch your team practice. Jerry and I were cheering for football. It didn’t matter what was happening (do you cheer if the quarterback throws an interception because the defense did its job well?), it was just great to get back to the mindset of football season. The rain did pick up and become unpleasant just as most of us were heading for the car.

I posted many photos on Flickr that I’m sure the parents of the children in attendance will want to check out. Here are a few highlights:

Josh, Colleen, Doogie & Ben

Jenniffer & Muiread

Jerry & Taly ready for a ride

Colleen & Ben, Doogie, Josh, Jill, Sara, and Margaret

Diane & Lindsey at Kinnick

Its raining quite heavily here today (my umbrella suffered an unfortunate injury on the way in from the parking lot). But I wasn’t prepared for how hard it was raining until I went to walk out the door of my apartment building. There was a duck huddled next to the door looking in through the window like it was trying to escape the weather.

When the ducks are looking at you with a “please make it stop” look, it doesn’t bode well.

Random things that made me happy so far today:

• More live Bonerama recordings. Bonus happy points for ‘Lost My House’, ‘Hard Times’, and ‘Folsom Prison Blues’
• Best Game Ever: Fun and heart-warming.
• Iowa is thisclose to having a smoking ban! Woo! [Though I honestly wonder what will become of The Deadwood.]
• Spending time online with Lisa looking at hotel rooms for Mardi Gras 2009…
• Finally, this clip from SNL last week continues to crack me up:
  

That is the question for the day.

Like the Amazing Race, my apartment has both pros and cons (but sadly no Phil).

Pros:
affordable rent
can have my cat
already moved in there
nice closet space
close to movie theater

Cons:
shifty neighborhood
far away from most stuff (realizing that “far” is a relative term in Iowa City)

So I don’t know. I swore I’d move out as soon as my lease was up in August, but as I start to look at places the idea of spending $1000 on moving and deposits and all that jazz becomes unappealing.

What do you readers think? People who live in the area, do you never visit because my place is too sketchy?

Mac looked especially photogenic this morning so I took a bunch of pictures of her. If you’d like to see more (including some extreme close-ups), click the picture:

I have a lot to write about, but I thought I would start with the visuals to help add to the narrative structure of my crazy five day trip.

Photos from four of the five shows (nothing from Madison, more on that later…)
If you click on a photo when it is the big photo, it will give you the caption for the photo, with the option to click over to Flickr and see all the sizes.

All my video clips (some short, some long) in one big playlist:

And now a trip overview:

Last Wednesday, my boys of Bonerama came to Iowa City and enjoyed the cozy surrounds of the basement of the Iowa City Yacht Club. Huge thanks to all my friends and family from many parts of my life that came out to enjoy the fabulous music. I know it was tough since it was a Wednesday, but I hope the music and fun was more than worth it for everyone. It was very cool for me to get to see even more people I know see the guys for the first time or get a second or third (or more) taste. I can’t wait for them to come back in July and play the Iowa City Jazz Fest! Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 5th at 6pm! Bring the family!

On Thursday, Julie and I headed for Minneapolis. We stayed with the Whitworths and got a chance to enjoy the cuteness that is Muiread. There was dinner and BC dropped by for a few drinks before the show. Brandon went to the show with Julie and I. I think he enjoyed himself. The Cabooze was a cool club in Minneapolis and the show was great with an enthusiastic crowd.

Friday, we rolled eastward to Madison to our one night in a hotel. I hadn’t been to Madison before and expectations were a little high since the city was so highly recommended, but Wisconsin managed to not disappoint. Jewels and I had a great dinner at a wonderful restaurant called ‘The Icon’ that was across the street from the theater. Highly recommended for both before and after show fun. The concert on Friday was in a real theater. It was sold out and packed with around 900 people! Julie can report on the show as I mostly heard it from the lobby. I was helping out the band and selling merchandise. It was nice to be thought of and asked by Mark. Yes, I know I said ‘yes’ three times, but wow, it was crazy!! I liked getting to talk to people about the show as they came in and out for drinks or the restroom, but after the smokin’ encore, it was pandelrium! So many new fans!! And the guys came out and signed autographs and talked to the eager people. I complained, but they know I loved it. Anything to help out and share the joy of the Bone!

Saturday (and we were surprisingly feeling good, other than some lingering/developing colds), and we had a nice short drive to Chicago. There was cheese and wine tasting along the way (isn’t that required by law in Wisconsin?) and we settled into my home away from home in Chicago, at my friend Scott’s apartment. We went out for a fabulous seafood dinner at a restaurant that I can’t remember at the moment, and then grabbed a tasty (and properly filled) drink before Julie and I headed to the club. Bonerama had played Martyrs last July and I was there and it was a good crowd: dance floor in the middle with tables on both sides and it was all comfortably filled. Obviously the second time around had built up a following because when we walked in at 10:45pm it was a sweaty madhouse! Totally packed from wall to wall with people fired up to see the guys and they definitely brought the goods. The people were dancing and loving it all night. I hadn’t been to a hot, sweaty club show in quite awhile. That’s what they’re like in NYC or NOLA. It was fun. And hot. The music was so good. Seriously, watch some of my shaky video. Revisited the Green Mill, site of one of my best Harry shows ever, later that night which was a great way to end the day (or start Sunday).

Sunday, we hung out with Scott. There was brunch and a lot of walking. Then we headed to DeKalb for an evening of contrasts. A slightly smaller crowd, but no less appreciative. It was kind of like a fan appreciation show. It was nice to have time to chat with people in a calm fashion and be able to sit back and enjoy the show. Though the music was so good I pretty much wanted to crawl out of my skin. What was really cool about the setlist was that it included both ‘Moby Dick’ (with a crazy 13+ minute jam) from the first Bonerama album, which I hadn’t heard for quite awhile, as well as a brand new arrangement of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ that they had just rehearsed that afternoon. Its going to be so awesome.

And then we said our goodbyes. I cried a little bit on the way home, more from joy than sadness. What an adventure to get to take. We got back to Iowa City around 1:30am on Monday.

I can and will say more… its coming!

… is not the day to get back online to my normal routine after a rather extended absence. I trust no one and nothing I’m reading today.

A tons of posting is coming very soon. So much media to process and upload. So much sleep to find time for. So much joy to still attempt to contain and process. My five day tour was some of the absolute most fun ever. Bonerama is the greatest. I love all of them so much. The music was just beyond. How do they keep taking it to the next level? Julie and I had an indescribable amount of fun in so many places. I am a very blessed person to get to follow my bliss even if its just a few times a year.

How am I supposed to work today? I’m still a musical mess!

I’ve got a completed timesheet, 1/2 a glass of water, and I’m not wearing sunglasses.

Hit it.

Its time I come out of hibernation since spring officially started yesterday. That was the longest. winter. ever. I had things to blog about over the last few months but yet I didn’t. I will next week for sure. For now, everyone join me in a brain dump from the last three months, some of which I’ve previously mentioned:

• Iowa Caucus was very fun and exciting to participate in. Yes We Can! Go Obama!!
• I went to Columbus for training. My brain was educated on MySQL. The Iowa basketball team sucked epically.
• Thumbs up to Cloverfield, I Am Legend: IMAX, and 27 Dresses
• LOST came back on! Yea!
• The Writers’ strike sucked and then ended and I hope the writers got something that they deserved in the end.
• I worked 100 hours in one week (it felt more like in 3 days) at the end of January/beginning of February and finally finished our server migrations that I have seemingly been working on for the last 15 months.
• I saw BB King at Hancher. It was so great. I needed a live music fix.
• Bonerama was on Letterman!
• I got a new camera (Canon S870)and improved my standings in the camera category of the technology arms race:
  
• Doogie turned 30 and there was tasty eating out. Ben remains cute.
• As per usual, I saw all the Best Picture nominees. For once the Academy agreed with me and I was very pleased when No Country for Old Men won Best Picture.
• I read a bunch of books. I need to keep better track of those.
• My mom turned 60 and Sara turned 30 on the same day.
• I surprised my mom with a new iMac from myself and many family and friends. It was a great surprise to her and it was fun setting it all up. She also came up and spent part of her birthday weekend in Iowa City hanging out with me.
• I met a woman at my caucus who introduced me to a local hospice knitting group. They make prayer shawls and blankets for people in hospice. They find me amusing and I am nearly finished with my first shawl for them.
• Last week I joined Weight Watchers and after one week I’m down 1.5 pounds.
• I’ve started rewatching The X-Files in its entirety before the new movie this summer. One season down, eight to go.
• I upgraded my Mac to 10.5

And there you go, that’s what I’ve been up to, mostly. Quality time has been spent with Netflix and Turner Classic Movies. MacGyver is hanging in there. She’s rather thin for my taste (but you can’t really tell unless you pet her because she’s still very fluffy) but the vets think she’s as good as she can be, so she continues to be very spoiled.

Hopefully I’ll be more consistent going forward. I also must catch up with my pictures. I got out of the habit of taking them when my old camera was so flaky. Now I have to start posting them again.

If you haven’t already seen my favorite band, Bonerama perform, today is your lucky day as they will be the musical guest on Late Night with David Letterman tonight!!

The guys will be performing with the lead singer from OK GO to support the release of a five song EP entitled “You’re Not Alone.” The album is available exclusively from iTunes for only $3.49 with ALL money raised going to support New Orleans musicians as they continue to recover from Hurricane Katrina. Do yourself a favor and get this album today!

They’re going to be hitting several midwest locations in March, hopefully many of my midwest readers can join me for a show or two.

Dig the Bone!