Madelyn’s Neighborhood

If you read my blog, I must insist you turn your speakers all the way up to 11 and rock one of these in your living room.  I don't care who's watching.

Come On, Come On

Cheap Trick

She's tight

cheap trick

Auf Wiedersehen

cheap trick

Cheap Trick Collection

But you know what, when all is said and done -  Cheap Trick will ALWAYS win out as my favorite band.

Har Mar Superstar - Game Night Har Mar Superstar Tour Dates 11/08/09 Aquarium* Fargo, ND 11/09/09 Waiting Room* Omaha, NE 11/11/09 Brick Kansas City, MO 11/29/09 Oxford O2 Academy 3, UK 11/30/09 Relentless Garage London 12/01/09 Thekla Bristol, UK 12/02/09 Wedgewood Portsmouth, UK 12/03/09 Cabaret Voltaire Edinburgh 12/04/09 Bodega Nottingham, UK 12/05/09 Brickyard Carlisle, UK 12/06/09 King Tut’s Wah Wah Glasgow 12/07/09 Ruby Lounge Manchester, UK 12/08/09 Plug Sheffield, UK 12/09/09 Academy 2 Dublin, Ireland 12/10/09 Stiff Kitten Belfast, Ireland 12/12/09 Concorde 2 Brighton, UK 12/13/09 Barfly Cardiff, UK * with Bang Bang Eche Read More Har Mar Superstar http://weheartmus... Har Mar Mall - I mean Superstar - is back, after five years of absent since 2004's The Handler......

Parking in the college area known as "Dinkytown" in Minneapolis can be kind of hard, especially when the meters on 4^th Street runs until 10pm. I didn't mind walking a few blocks to the beautiful Varsity Theater as the weather was nothing less than perfect that Friday evening.

Opening up for Har Mar Superstar are three very different genre and acts. Starting with Koo Koo Kangeroo (official / myspace), whose music styling is that of hip hop - for toddlers. Their songs are dead simple, like "AOA" (sample lyrics: "aye oh aye oh aye") and "Cheh Cheh Chi" and "LMNOP", but they're catchy and easy to sing along. The highlight of their set was when they threw down a white tarp-like covering and the audience was dancing under it like a party fort.

Wow, Bang Bang Eche (myspace) are young. Someone told me that they're about 18 years old, but they certainly look much younger. Their music is very punk high-energy and reminds me a bit of Arctic Monkeys influenced. My easily favorite song from their set is "Fist Full of Dollars", perhaps a reference to Sergio Leone classic film? They ended their setlist with "Die Hippy Scum". Oh, also, it's worth noting that bassist T'Nealle sported a three keyboard cat moon t-shirt. Adorable.

The odd group on the bill was two-person group, Lookbook (myspace). The band is basically guitarist Grant Cutler, who plays guitars and handles the pre-recordings, with vocalist Maggie Morrison. Their music sounds like 80s pop, not exactly the "body-moving" type of music that you'd think Har Mar's audience would demand. Not really much to say, except I think Maggie looks really cute and I will be talking about them in further detail on my "book"-theme news on Sunday.

Har Mar Superstar ♥ Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11/06/09)

Compared to the last time I saw Har Mar Superstar, which was basically a man and his undies and boombox - he now has a full band, all dressed in white with a red cross on the back. Also, the last time I saw him, he basically stripped down after the first few songs - this time, he started off very heavily dressed with an African cover, hat, etc.

After the first song, he took off his hat. After "DUI", he took off the overall to reveal a Prince "Purple Rain" shirt. He kept taking off articles of clothing as the night went on. From "EZ Pass", to "Girls Only", to "Creative Juices"... the audience was loving it all.

Har Mar and Melinda Park singing "Powerline"

By the time "Brothers & Sisters" was played, he inevitably took off his shirt. The pants disappeared with "Apple Sauce", followed by "Turn it Around". The finale song was "Tall Boy", which Zach, from Bang Bang, and some woman called Melinda Park (or was it Mindy Park?) joined on stage to help sing the song. Park would later turn up again to help sing one of the encore, "Powerline".

The very last song, Har Mar sang an a cappella version of Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday". He would pretend the song ended and everyone would clap... only he would continue to sing the refrain. After the third false ending and after he said "goodnight", he came back and sang some more.

Har Mar's latest album is Dark Touches, available from Dilettante Recordings. Read Andrew's review of the album, pick up a copy at amazon

 11/07/2009 04:22:06 ♥ vu () ♥ harmarsuperstar.com ♥ myspace.com/harmarsuperstar ♥ twitter.com 

No, not Ron.

Did you miss me yesterday? Psh, now, don't tell fibs to spare my feelings.  Thanks for stopping by. :-)

The good Reverend MiamiShyner is not in attendance today but she wishes you all a ROCO Friday nonetheless.

As we all may know, the countdown now stands at 20 days until I try to run this 5K.  I have faith that I can do it.  I'm training and I can do the distance.  I'm just hoping that it's not excessively hot/cold/windy that morning. 

Even though formerly Hurricane Ida, currently TD Ida and probably Hurricane Ida again in a few days is a ways away from us, we're still feeling some of her effects, namely wind.  Due to the wind, I was surprised to have come in at under 28 minutes this morning.  Not super quick by any means, but way better than I ever imagined I would be when I started the program 8 weeks ago.

You should stop reading here if you do not want to read my sappy relationship stuff.

Who has so many countdowns going on at once?  No one in their right mind which means me.  :-D 

• Turkey Trot in 20 days
• Vacation in 48 days
• Graduation in 92 days
• And the latest addition to the list, 218 days until the wedding

Vegas seemed cool but it was also a little bit of a hassle.  I'm not all for the details, I just want the end event to be nice (and I don't want to hire a wedding planner).  Vegas fell by the wayside.  I found a place closer to home.  Literally 5 minutes away from our house.  It was beautiful.  It was perfect.  It was.....$20K!  WTF man.  For one day!  I am not ballin' like that.

At that time, I basically scrapped all wedding plans.  I am just stubborn like that.  I want it all or I don't want anything.  I'm pretty sure that my mom was bummed about it but I was done.  I figured that the money I was saving for a wedding could be used for several other things.  I was a little sad but I've really never been the one for tradition.

Fast forward to yesterday.  Whilst perusing the internet, I came across something that just blew my mind.  I could have a ceremony that was far from traditional in a place that was far from home for a price that was far under the place that I had been so excited about.  SCORE!

So now, it's back on.  Mom's excited.  Lovey's excited.  Kiddo's excited (this will be her first time out of the country). I'm excited.  I get to have a beautiful beach ceremony in the country I love most right under our own.  Seriously, I love it so much that I feel like it's like going home.  I get to spend 9 days being treated like a princess and I can't wait.

Now, to search for that perfect dres....remember, buck tradition!

Have a great weekend, folks!  There's football to be watched.  Let's go STEELERS!

blooming outside my garage. Can you say unseasonably warm?

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    It is November already!  It is hard to believe.  We have made 2 trips to Disney this month.  On Monday we went to Epcot and spent time eating and drinking around the world at the Food and Wine festival.  I also renewed my annual pass. I got 15 months for the price of 12.  Florida residents can do that! Hehe.  Tuesday we went to the Magic Kingdom.  We met the newest princess.  Princess Tiana and Prince Raveen form the story   The Princess and the Frog.  It has a New Orleans theme to it.  
     We have also started the shuffle season.  On Monday I won both of my games, but today I won one and lost one and unfortunately lost the overall.  Oh well it is all in fun.  Ok, that is all for now so til next time.......Enjoy Life!

Do you like stories about twins?  About Scotland?  Then you might like THE SCOTCH TWINS (1919) by Lucy Fitch Perkins.  It made me clap my hands with excited anticipation many times.  I can't explain why very well... I knew what twists were coming but it was told so well I felt like I was a fly on the wall the whole time.  You know what's coming, but you aren't quite sure that's exactly what IS going to happen.... 

There are other books in the TWINS series, but this great little easy read was an immense delight. 

Here's a sample from the Gutenberg E-text:

"At the very moment when Jock and Tam came flying over the fence and down the hill like a cyclone after the rabbit, Angus was kneeling beside the brook to get a drink. His lips were pursed up and he was bending over almost to the surface of the water, when something dashed past him, and an instant later something else struck him like a thunderbolt from behind, and drove him headforemost into the brook! It wasn't Tam that did it. It was Jock! Of course, it was an accident, but Angus thought he had done it on purpose, and he was probably the most surprised as well as the angriest man in Scotland at that moment. He lifted his head out of the brook and glared at Jock as fiercely as he could with little rills of water pouring from his hair and nose, and trickling in streams down his neck.

"I'll make you smart for this, you young blatherskite," he roared at Jock, who stood before him frozen with horror. "I'll teach you where you belong! You were running after that rabbit, and your dog is yelping down a hole after her this minute!" He was such a funny sight as he knelt there, dripping and scolding, that, scared as he was, Jock could not help laughing. More than ever enraged, Angus made a sudden lunge forward and seized Jock by the ear."

I posted about Flea Treats awhile back, let me update you on my experience.

The best thing I can tell you about the FLEA TREAT method of flea control is that:

1. You have to be PATIENT and CONSISTENT.

2.  It took 4-6 weeks for it to have the desired effect on my cats.  However, they were infested with fleas.  I thought it wasn't working and even called the company to inquire WTF?  I spoke to the owner and he encouraged me to be patient and consistent.  I stuck with it and found it really does work IF you are patient and consistent.  I've had success with 2 indoor/outdoor cats for more than one year on this program of 2 treats a day.

2-1/2.  You MUST give it to your pet EVERY DAY and at the same time of day if you expect it to be effective.

3.  I only have 2 problems with Flea Treats, and they're really only in my head.

3A.  My biggest problem with them is the size.  I feel like I have to cut them in half to make them more bite sized.  It's not like they're so big the cat'd choke on it or anything, but they are hard treats not soft treats and my cats seem to prefer the bite-size it so I do it.  I had a pill cutter from forever ago, but they are only like a buck at the drugstore.

Let me preface number 3B with: You do not have to put it in their food.  You can give it to them as a plain treat, but like I said above they're hard treats not soft.  My cats have only ever eaten soft treats so they are not at all interested, but they eat crunchy food so in the dish it goes and they eat it like any other food morsel.

3B.  My other problem is I have two cats that eat together and I now have to watch them eat and make sure they ate the treats - because if they don't eat their treats and walk away the other cat'll come over and eat out of the other's dish thereby getting the other cat's dose.  If you only have one cat, no problem.

4.  It's more than cost-effective.

5.  Funny thing... my cats KNEW what the Advantage/Frontline package looked like, and when they'd see it they'd [expletive deleted] RUN from me.  I kid you not.

My one cat had his fur burnt off and skin made raw from one of those insecticides.  That's how I discovered FLEA TREATS.  It broke my heart to know I was putting something that evil on my cats, so I searched the internet with terms like natural and chemical-free and found Flea Treats.

Anyway, I literally had to chase them down, hold them down and force it onto them.  I felt like I was honestly physically abusing them.  I am not exaggerating for effect - I felt like I was actually harming them.  And I had physical proof with his fur gone and skin broken open, red and raw.  How could I conscientiously not at least TRY this thing called FLEA TREATS?  I had nothing to lose but the cost of return postage to send the bottle back for a refund.

What would you rather?  A poisonous toxic chemical solution poured on your skin OR a tasty * liver flavored B vitamin treat to eat?

*Ok, I don't  really know if it's tasty, but they eat it so I guess it is.  It's gotta taste better than [company redacted] 's Napalm in the Morning.

Wow, you are going to get SO tired of hearing about this!
But you just can't stop reading. You think you might miss something cool or funny, don't you? Of course you do, so first, let me reward you with something I find highly amusing:

WE CAN LEVITATE!

Okay, I can't. I didn't get the Evite for training and whatnot. I would be nothing but trouble if I had a superpower like that. Oh, wait, I'm already nothing but trouble. Huh.

It's Wednesday and that means it's a circus kind of day. While I had gone back to flying, I'm now heading back to "under the tent" type activities. I realize that you may not know what the heck I'm talking about, but if you're interested, leave a comment and I'll explain. Otherwise I'm just talking to hear myself talk, or writing to see the paper fill up.

Somehow, I've just realized that I can take a yoga class and an under the tent once a week for the same price of flying once a week. You do the math.

This morning, I finished my run 16 seconds faster than yesterday's run. That isn't a lot, but it's a start.

.......by the way, I'm having my lunch right now and I am so, so disappointed with the plantain chips from the vending machine. I wanted salty and crunchy but got kinda stale and plain instead. Should've gotten the Sun Chips like the original plan.......

It's already November 4, folks. Do you know how much of my NaNoWriMo project I have done? You guessed it, zero words. I don't know why I sign up for that torture every year. I have yet to complete it...or start it for that matter. Life keeps getting in the way. Shame too, because the story is rolling around up there just waiting to get out. Maybe one day, grasshopper, you will snatch the novel from my head.

Let me take a moment to thank you for stopping by and reading my extra grey matter. I'm going to keep writing it, so you can just keep reading it. :-)

Until tomorrow....