Birthday Blog
Yep, I'm "old." Not really, just 38. And as usual, it feels no different today than yesterday. Birthdays get boring as you get older, get more of them!
But, all that said, this birthday week has been so much less than boring. It started on Wednesday (I think I'm a Wednesday's child, actually, so that's appropriate)--we went up to the Cities to see Linkin Park! Okay, so Jim's REALLY not into them (though I may sway him with Minutes to Midnight), so Pete and I took the two younger kids to their first real concert. I can't imagine a better first concert to see, can you say "broken?" Barry Manilow with the 'rents certainly pales in comparison. Dude.
Anyway...there was an opening band for the opening band! They weren't so great, and I didn't even catch their name for all their screaming and f*ing. I think you can find their name on the LP website, but I'm not so motivated. Coheed and Cambria was up next, and they were pretty good. I'd have liked them more if I'd known more than two songs, and known those songs better than just barely recognizing them! But the lead singer's hair, man, that's a show in and of itself. What a serious mop! I wonder if his hair has its own manager.
I was totally impatient for Linkin Park to come on, and the set change took forever. There was a big stage piece that descended from the rafters. I was suddenly reminded of Stonehenge from Spinal Tap (!) although this one was actually built to scale. Then I was bugging out a little, because there were no major instruments set up on stage! We gathered they'd be coming up out of the stage, and we were right, it was very cool. I can't begin to give a set list of everything they did, but it was all fantastic. Focused heavily on the new album, and I was sad I didn't know it better. Listening now to it, the copy I bought at Wal-Mart the next day, and dangit, it's the clean version. WTF. But anyway, the boys came back for two encores--one of them included "My December." The stuff they did from previous albums just plain rocked, I screamed myself good and hoarse!
We had great seats, high up, but not in the nosebleed section, with a great view of the floor. We were off to the right side of the stage as you're looking at it. Fun to watch the kids moshing down below, in their little corrals on the floor. That's so not for me though, I plead age and stodginess. I was shocked to see that the Excel Energy Center was not sold out! That bites. But a good crowd, and I think they went away happy. I know I did!
We ended up driving back to Madison on Thursday. Ugh. We did our due diligence and checked weather online, in Eau Claire and Tomah, worried about snow. They promised none, and they were right. But we didn't realize that the "snow line" now starts at the southern state line of Wisconsin--we got whacked with snow from about Tomah down to south of the Dells. It was a Long Drive. Jim was a trooper and a great driver. We counted cars in the ditch all along the drive--we ultimately counted 20. Most of those were in the northern part of the state, though, where the snow had been previously! But there was certainly a snafu with at least one semi truck near Portage--we were glad to not be going north. We ultimately got home, safe and sound and exhausted.
And I nearly forgot to plug for the San Pedro Cafe in Hudson, WI! We stopped there on our way up to the concert for a late lunch. We've been going there for years now, and we're always so happy it's still there. Hang a right into Hudson just before the WI/MN state line at the St. Croix--it's on the right side of the street, and worth the trip. They have a wood-fired oven in which they make superior pizzas and some of their other Carribean-inspired food.
We had the Puerco Diablo pizza this time, with this crazy habanero aioli and pulled pork--yum.
Also enjoyed a crab cake with a coconut milk sauce.
Topped it off with the tres leches cake--not too heavy and seriously delicious.
And then, as if we haven't eaten enough lately, we decided to give Osteria Papavero a try last night. OMG, yum. Their website is not nearly as impressive as actually being there. They had several specials that weren't on the web menu, and they looked and sounded fabulous. We dragged C-Vo along with us, kicking and screaming. I think she had fun. I regret that I didn't bring my camera, but you're probably as sick of my food shots as I am. Besides, you just gotta get there. Thanks for the heads-up, Kathy!
Today is Ham Fest, if the weather will allow, so I'll report on that when I'm able.
So yeah, if this is high-holy days, I'm all about it. It's been a great birthday week.
But, all that said, this birthday week has been so much less than boring. It started on Wednesday (I think I'm a Wednesday's child, actually, so that's appropriate)--we went up to the Cities to see Linkin Park! Okay, so Jim's REALLY not into them (though I may sway him with Minutes to Midnight), so Pete and I took the two younger kids to their first real concert. I can't imagine a better first concert to see, can you say "broken?" Barry Manilow with the 'rents certainly pales in comparison. Dude.
Anyway...there was an opening band for the opening band! They weren't so great, and I didn't even catch their name for all their screaming and f*ing. I think you can find their name on the LP website, but I'm not so motivated. Coheed and Cambria was up next, and they were pretty good. I'd have liked them more if I'd known more than two songs, and known those songs better than just barely recognizing them! But the lead singer's hair, man, that's a show in and of itself. What a serious mop! I wonder if his hair has its own manager.
I was totally impatient for Linkin Park to come on, and the set change took forever. There was a big stage piece that descended from the rafters. I was suddenly reminded of Stonehenge from Spinal Tap (!) although this one was actually built to scale. Then I was bugging out a little, because there were no major instruments set up on stage! We gathered they'd be coming up out of the stage, and we were right, it was very cool. I can't begin to give a set list of everything they did, but it was all fantastic. Focused heavily on the new album, and I was sad I didn't know it better. Listening now to it, the copy I bought at Wal-Mart the next day, and dangit, it's the clean version. WTF. But anyway, the boys came back for two encores--one of them included "My December." The stuff they did from previous albums just plain rocked, I screamed myself good and hoarse!
We had great seats, high up, but not in the nosebleed section, with a great view of the floor. We were off to the right side of the stage as you're looking at it. Fun to watch the kids moshing down below, in their little corrals on the floor. That's so not for me though, I plead age and stodginess. I was shocked to see that the Excel Energy Center was not sold out! That bites. But a good crowd, and I think they went away happy. I know I did!
We ended up driving back to Madison on Thursday. Ugh. We did our due diligence and checked weather online, in Eau Claire and Tomah, worried about snow. They promised none, and they were right. But we didn't realize that the "snow line" now starts at the southern state line of Wisconsin--we got whacked with snow from about Tomah down to south of the Dells. It was a Long Drive. Jim was a trooper and a great driver. We counted cars in the ditch all along the drive--we ultimately counted 20. Most of those were in the northern part of the state, though, where the snow had been previously! But there was certainly a snafu with at least one semi truck near Portage--we were glad to not be going north. We ultimately got home, safe and sound and exhausted.
And I nearly forgot to plug for the San Pedro Cafe in Hudson, WI! We stopped there on our way up to the concert for a late lunch. We've been going there for years now, and we're always so happy it's still there. Hang a right into Hudson just before the WI/MN state line at the St. Croix--it's on the right side of the street, and worth the trip. They have a wood-fired oven in which they make superior pizzas and some of their other Carribean-inspired food.
We had the Puerco Diablo pizza this time, with this crazy habanero aioli and pulled pork--yum.
Also enjoyed a crab cake with a coconut milk sauce.
Topped it off with the tres leches cake--not too heavy and seriously delicious.
And then, as if we haven't eaten enough lately, we decided to give Osteria Papavero a try last night. OMG, yum. Their website is not nearly as impressive as actually being there. They had several specials that weren't on the web menu, and they looked and sounded fabulous. We dragged C-Vo along with us, kicking and screaming. I think she had fun. I regret that I didn't bring my camera, but you're probably as sick of my food shots as I am. Besides, you just gotta get there. Thanks for the heads-up, Kathy!
Today is Ham Fest, if the weather will allow, so I'll report on that when I'm able.
So yeah, if this is high-holy days, I'm all about it. It's been a great birthday week.
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