The Week's Menu

Lots of updates to come -- especially with all of the fun to report from the past week of holiday excitement -- but in the meantime, Butch my father-in-law reminded me it's been a while since I posted the weekly menu. Let that stomach growl unleash!

• Sunday: Xmas Dinner at my Dad's
• Monday: Benito's Pizza Carryout
• Tuesday: Herbed Chicken and Dumplings Soup
• Wednesday: *Special* New Year's Eve Dinner <-- Brad and I have yet to figure this out
• Thursday: Football Food for Bowl Games! Sausage Cups, Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts and Pizza Rolls
• Friday: Hoping to have a Brad/Jeanine Date Night
• Saturday: Tofu Steaks with Red Pepper Walnut Sauce

Baby It's Cold Outside

I'm a bit snowed in at work and realized in all of my year-end madness, I haven't had a chance to blog too much. Here are a bunch of random updates though!

• We're getting hit with about 8" of snow today and you'd think the world was ending the way the weathermen dominate every second of airtime. Forget any of the national news occurring -- hello! Bush finally took some medication for his Senioritis and decided he may as well do something about the auto industry -- it's all weather all the time on TV right now. Hell, I could make a living as a weather person right now "Yup Sheila, it's really snowing out here! There's snow on the road, snow covering cars, snow on trees..." REALLY GENIUS? The good news is my bro Uncle Juniper will be able to enjoy a true White Christmas at home. :)


• Took my last vacation day this past Monday and had a blast Martha Stewart-ing it up in the kitchen (no that's not actually a verb but I just made it one). Made 8 loaves of pumpkin pecan bread, 8 jars of bath scrubs, 3 batches of truffles and packaged them up for my team members at work. Take a look at the countertop:



• Following that, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting our new niece, Brier (pronounced Bry-er). She is just SO tiny and it makes me realize that... Hunter was never this small! Okay so obviously he was at some point but I sure don't seem to remember that! Here are two quick pics of her all bundled up:



• I have yet to post about the fun we had Thanksgiving Weekend at the Macaroni/Cheese and Wine Festival up north but never fear@! I just downloaded the pics from the digital cam and will get those up in a bit.


• Saturday was our annual Bobenmoyer Holiday Dinner Party and we opted to put a bit of a twist on it this year with a Bad Holiday Sweater theme. And everyone had SO much fun with it! Here are the Nevilles, Serdas and Stropps all posing by the Xmas tree but we forgot to snap one of Brad and I! Just know Brad was donning his Grinch t-shirt. :)
• 
• The menu consisted of sausage and sage stuffed mushrooms, mint ravioli with goat cheese, rosemary and garlic breadsticks, whiskey-marinated beef tenderloin, sweet onion relish and a gingersnap-pear cheesecake. (SFX: Stomach growl)
• 
• The next couple weeks will be family-filled and we are so excited to host Butch/Susan, Ross, my mom, PJ, Bill/Cherry for some time over the vacation. We will forego our usual venture to Indianapolis this holiday season as it conflicted with other family plans but hopefully will be able to jaunt down at some point later this Spring.
• In the meantime, here's a little video to leave you with -- it's HWB and his first 'real' encounter with the Christmas tree. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Brad... Pitt!

Oh Brad Pitt... one of my favorite actors, activists and just overall faces to stare at... Happy 45th birthday! :)

Congratulations Bryn and Holly!

I'm excited to announce that Brier Mae Skelton was born Friday, 12/12 (and on her due date!) around 3:00pm. Brier (pronounced Bry-er) weighed 8 lbs and was 20 inches tall. Am hoping to see her tomorrow on my day off so stay tuned for some pictures.

In the meantime, congrats Bryn, Holly and Big Sis Schuler!

My Cup Runneth Over...

Last night was my company's annual holiday party, and this year it was hosted at the Henry Ford Museum. Being that I reside in the world of advertising, 'dressing up' for work these days typically means throwing on your good jeans with a non-wrinkled shirt and some fun boots. So it's always a blast to see my fellow co-workers donning their holiday best and glamming it up with a nice glass of wine.

We're currently in an environment where jobs are being lost, families are forced to move or face uncertainty and luxuries are questionable. My office laid off 13 folks last week and there are many agencies in our area pending layoffs as well. It's a troubling time for the Detroit market especially with the auto bailout failing and hopeful for a Presidential approval.

Sometimes I find myself feeling guilty for my happiness -- a husband I love, a son I adore, a job that's secure and a family life that makes me happy in my heart. And truly, my cup runneth over last night. I was awarded the Head, Heart and Funnybone Award by my office, a recognition they appoint once a year.

What does it mean aside from a killer parking spot? It means I'm excited to continue infusing some passion and advocacy into this Agency. We do have the power and strength to affect some change and positivity not only within our walls but our market and yes, this charge needs a leader. I humbly accept.

Happy Friday Everyone From HWB

Laughter Is The Best Medicine... Courtesy of HWB

Good morning everyone! Hunter and I were having a ticklefest last night and I managed to record his big belly laugh for about :30. Thought you might enjoy listening to it -- definitely perked up my morning.

Hit up this link for the download -- it will only be available online for 10 days: http://5.recordertheapp.com/2051787138755872879.

The 15-Month Checkup Deets

WOW! How is HWB 15 months old already?? Had the 15-month check-up this morning and we have one healthy Little Man on our hands, that's for sure. HUGE relief as you can imagine because it was just this time last year that his breathing started going all haywire.

Dr. Dodge was greeted this morning by Hunter throwing Kleenex boxes from the drawers in Room #6 and then trying to pull off his diaper. Fortunately all crises were averted and we found out that:

• HWB is in the 90th percentile for height and weight (27 lbs, 10 oz and 32 1/2" tall)
• His lungs and heart sound really good
• All developmental skills are on track
• All around, a healthy boy!

He did receive 2 shots to which he screamed bloody murder but quieted down after getting a helping of his favorite Tylenol flavor (grape). Of course, watching him get shots takes a good 10 years off my life... note to self: Brad will take HWB for his 18-month checkup in March.

Guess Who Has 4 New Teeth?

Our little shark, HWB!

h.b. jewelry makes a great xmas gift

I attended an in-home jewelry show on Monday night hosted by my boss' friend: Just in time for holiday shopping!

The artist's name is Mary and she owns h.b. jewelry -- All of the pieces are made from porcelain and the work is just stunning! Plus she was wearing one of my favorite sweaters so I knew I was destined to like her taste. :) A few Christmas gifts were picked up, and I also snagged this ring for myself:

Check out her Web site -- you might find something you like! http://www.hammondbay.com/ . I LOVE the Irene and Monica necklaces -- definitely on my wish list (just in case anyone wants to float the suggestion out to my hubby! :) ).

LPOTD (That's License Plate Of The Day)

For the longest time, I thought my fellow co-worker was just a really REALLY enthusiastic Jew with a license plate that read 'KOSHERM'... and then I realized it was in fact an 8. Ah well, it provided some good morning laughs!

Weekly Ruminations

Here's the word lately:

• Quantam of Solace was incredible. If you know people who didn't like it, they cannot by any stretch be considered a true Bond fan. Daniel Craig epitomizes this iconic character and I honestly wanted to stay in the theater to experience it again at the next showing.
• Brad's big bro Ross visited this past weekend and we had a blast per usual. We ventured over to Bryn/Holly's for some OSU vs. UofM football blow-out viewing, HWB playing, Thai food eating and Beckham petting. We loved having him.
• Holly's due date is less than 3 weeks away! I know I'm just one of many to say this, but I'm excited to meet Baby Bean.
• We are really looking forward to this coming weekend! The Macaroni/Cheese and Wine Festival in Traverse City will never know as much thrill as when E/Laura, Pat/Katie and the hubby and I arrive. Read up on it here: http://www.michigan.org/Things-to-Do/Events/Detail.aspx?city=G3602&ContentId=561e434b-3c43-41ff-9593-e62d2a0f0b07
• Here's what I'm bringing to Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night at the Manns: http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1548233
• As un UofM fanatic-like as this is for me to say, it is a relief the debacle of our football season has now ended. In my lifetime I cannot remember a New Year's Day without watching my beloved Wolverines in a bowl game but like any good legacy, I guess this too had to end (hint hint JoePa). The only thing getting me through the next 9 months is knowing RichRod went 9-4 in his 2nd season at WVU. (Go Blue)
• Hunter has a bad head cold this week and has officially turned into 'the Snotty Kid'. He's still damn cute though.
• We ate breakfast at Cafe Habana in Royal Oak this weekend after a 2-year drought. They've changed their Huevos a la Flamenca recipe but it's still SO enticing: how can one not like chorizo sauteed in beer, peas, carrots and garlic cloves piled on top of over-medium eggs? The potato croqueta recipe has changed some too but Hunter liked it... mixed with strawberry-flavored yogurt... ick.

This Week's Menu: Yum!

Well happy Monday. Went grocery shopping yesterday and got the goods for this week's menu (enter SFX of stomach growl here):

• Monday: Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Salad Dressing
• Tuesday: Martha Stewart's Chicken Coconut Curry
• Wednesday: Teriaki Shrimp Stir-Fry
• Thursday: Tgiving! I'm making a gingersnap-pear cheesecake...
• Friday-Saturday: Macaroni/Cheese and Wine Festival in Traverse City!
• Sunday: Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Check It Out: Timothy Orikri

Shhh! Don't tell but Brad and I are playing hooky today... well, maybe not hooky as we both officially took today as a vacation day, but HWB is at daycare and we dropped Becks off at Doggie In The Window (I think Wendy the owner was more excited to see Beckham than Becks was to be there -- they are too sweet).

Following, Brad and I saved a dog from being hit by a car on the freeway service drive and then headed to breakfast at one of our favorite places in Ferndale, Toast. It's been a long time since we enjoyed the goods at Toast -- even before H was born! I had a Spicy Cali omelet and Brad feasted on a nice array of food.

But the real reason I'm posting is because of the artist whose work is being featured at Toast this month, Timothy Orikri. His canvases of the Detroit city landscape ranged from hauntingly cold (dark blue tones with the city buildings painted in a leftward slant) to emanating almost a warmth or cheer to the city streets (oranges/yellow shades). They give life to an otherwise hidden metropolis and I just had to post them here.

We're headed to see Quantam of Solace (only the 3 movie we've seen in theaters since the arrival of one Mr. HWB)... watch for the review.

Don't Just Stand There, Busta Move!

Dancing... Hunter style!!!

Translation Please?

Apparently the Hilton Honors Club database has mistakenly classified the last name 'Bobenmoyer' in the Asian-language speaking/reading category because I was targeted today with the following eBlast (double click on photo to increase size):

Um, say what??? Apparently one Adam Burke (whose title I cannot read as it is also shown in symbolic form) needs to have a strongly-worded conversation with his direct marketing database team... or I need to quickly take up a new language in order to remain a Hilton Honors Club Member...

Planning For Xmas

I love this time of year. My penchant for 70s and alternative rock music is curbed for all-Christmas-all-the-time tunes courtesy of 100.3 WNIC. I spend most of my waking hours at Michaels dreaming of my latest holiday craft project. I bake bread. I whistle 'It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.' And I drive my poor hubby crazy.

The actual buildup to the holiday is the best part and I'm getting really excited in knowing we will build our own family traditions with Hunter in just a few short years.

Starting this year, I've decided we will take part in Operation Christmas Child http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ and make this one of our traditions. OCC handles the transport of a shoebox filled with gifts for children in 3rd world countries. We will pick an age range to develop a box for (age 2-4 since this is closest to H's age) and send it off. It's a wonderful way to give back during the holidays.

Right now our holiday schedule is planned as follows:

• 24th-25th: My mom and brother will celebrate with us at our house
• 26th: Drive to Dad's and enjoy time with 'Mimi', 'Papa' and Colby/Charlotte, Bryn/Holly/Schu/New Baby Bean who will have made a debut by then!, PJ and Rourke
• 27th: Leave for Indy and celebrate with Bill/Cherry, Ross and Butch/Susan

Also, I've had some questions on needs/wants for Hunter this Christmas and... I've made it really easy! I registered a Wish List at www.toysrus.com under his and my names. Hope it provides some good fodder for ideas!

Told Me So What?

Uncle Juniper (nee my brother) got me started on snapping pics of vanity license plates. And you know what? There are a LOT of them out there. Here's my latest sighting (double click on the photo to enlargen)... If only it was accompanied by a George W sticker next to it as in 'I told you not to elect him.'

Also, I've decided anyone (including my mom) with a vanity plate should be required to erect a plaque explaining their license choice. If you're going to force me to read it, explain why you chose it.

More funny ones to come.

For Old Times Sake

Here's a really quick vid Brad shot in the 10 minutes after HWB was born. Look how little our Munchkin is!!!

Hunter Reads A Book

Thought this was too cute -- while hanging with HWB last night, he picked up one of his 'night-night' books and started reading it. :)

At the very end, you'll hear him say 'uh-uh' (which you might recall means uh-oh) as he drops his book on the floor. Enjoy!

Brunettes Have More Fun

Or so I'm told. Happy bday to me!

And why does this photo make my nose look enormous? Maybe I should ask for a nose job on my next birthday...

GO VOTE! Don't Vomit!

What a way to kick off Election Day... I'm standing in line at Keller Elementary School in Royal Oak, minding my own business (well truthfully I was reading up on handmade Christmas ideas courtesy of Martha Stewart Living Holiday magazine) when the absolute unthinkable happened...

So picture this: The line of people wrapped around the school hallways, past displays of pumpkin seed people and posters about werewolf books. It snaked through a small coat room and around the cafeteria (which no matter what school you visit, the caf can only be described as smelling like 'Hot Lunch'). And it zagged before entering the gym where the voting booths were set up. It was a sad day once I realized all of the people I believed to have voted and left were in fact herded like cattle into the packed school gymnasium. Note to self: In 2012, take Election Day off and sell newspapers and magazines to people standing in voting lines. Make millions. Retire.

Finally I start chatting up one of my neighbors when a woman ahead of me in line gets out and starts to cross the empty gym floor. I'm thinking, where on Earth is this yahoo going? I don't care how bad you have to use the Ladies Room, I'm not letting you back in line!? Suddenly I hear the sound of water dripping... followed by her immediately launching her breakfast into a nearby garbage can. DOESN'T EVEN LEAVE THE GYM -- mind you she's in full view of 200 of her closest neighbors -- but proceeds to keep throwing up in a gym where a shoe scuff sounds like the piercing scream of a banshee.

I was mortified. To say the very least. Head Precinct Guy walks by me, I flag him down and say 'is there something we can do? This woman is getting ill over here!' which apparently in Head Precinct Guy Language sounds like aqiucoij209835! because he looked at me like I had 3 heads.

An open letter to Head Precinct Guy: Yes, I know cleaning up vomit isn't your job. You thought you arrived today simply to point at the next available voting booth and deliver phrases like 'Last names A-L over here please!' But alas, this is what you have been dealt with. You are standing in an elementary school. I'm positive that not only are cleaning solutions on sight, but so is that horrible orange-smelling powder they used to cover up puke with as I'm sure it hasn't changed since I was in the 4th grade. Go get some. Go get this woman a glass of water. Or just plain pull her out into the hallway (that garbage can looks transportable!) and away from the 200 people who are now trying to contain themselves from gagging on this morning's eggs and bacon. No seriously, do it now.

Trick Or Treat From Hunter!

Thank you to Aunt Laura and Uncle E for helping HWB have a fabulous "1st I Actually Kinda Know What's Going On' Halloween. We hit just a few houses in the neighborhood last night before heading home to pass out candy at 1502 N. Altadena.

Here is a small collage of the evening -- the one below with Hunter standing on the sidewalk is of the first house he trick o treated at. Hope everyone had a great holiday! :)

Happy Halloween Everyone From Hunter The Lion!

Why Jeanine Doesn't Sleep

Here is how Wednesday went:

• 7:20am: Drop off Hunter at daycare, hurry to pick up Laura
• 7:40: Pick up bagels
• 8:05am: Arrive at work; delegate set-up of Agency's Pumpkin Carving Contest
• 9:15am: Meeting #1
• 10-12: Field phone calls/attempt to get desk organized
• 12-1: Meeting #2
• 1:15-3: Cancel Meetings #3 and 4 in hopes of getting some work finished
• 3-4:30: Meeting #5
• 4:30-5:35: Meeting #6
• 5:40-6:05: Grab Laura and race to daycare to pick up HWB
• 6:10: Arrive at home and greet baby-sitter
• 6:20-6:35: Frantically race around house trying to get dressed for high-class affair at MGM Grand (Detroit Steakout); forget to tell sitter Hunter is now drinking Whole Milk only
• 6:40-7:05: Race down 75, miss the exit for the Casino, somehow end up on the Lodge, turn a 10-minute turnaround into 2 minutes, pass 2 extremely old biddies on the up-ramp at the MGM (they deserved it), screech into a parking spot and adjust hair whilst running to affair
• 7:10pm: Answer work call on escalator
• 7:15pm: Wine in hand, enter event
• 10:25pm: Pull up to ATM, question why baby-sitters don't accept credit/debit cards
• 10:47pm: Arrive at home, interestingly enough Hunter has decided to wake up
• 10:50pm: Try to undress while Brad entertains an extremely grumpy Hunter
• 11-11:40pm: Get smacked in face by Hunter while sitting in his chair in the dark -- he isn't interested in sleeping
• 12:05am: See video below

Carving Out A Good Time

For the past week I've been overseeing the Agency's Inaugural Pumpkin Carving Contest and would be lying if I said it hasn't been a total, smashing success. Here's a snapshot of what you get when Creative ad execs spend their lunch hour carving pumpkins:

The white pumpkin is actually a 'Donor' pumpkin (play on my company's name, this gourd has donated all his time/energy/effort to working at Doner).

Here is the one Laura's team created on behalf of the Expedia Client -- by the way, the pumpkin has landed on and 'killed' the Travelocity gnome:

Pumpkin sushi platter -- I watched these guys hand 'roll' all of the sushi themselves from the guts of the pumpkin:

One of our Agency's Clients is Serta mattresses so we had a lot of Serta sheep entries:

And finally, one of my favorites -- a pumpkin pictoral of former Mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick behind bars:

YUM!

This week's menu:

• Sunday: Leftovers
• Monday: Chicken Sausage and Bean Casserole with Sage (soooo good!)
• Tuesday: Leftovers
• Wednesday: Steak Out Dinner Event at MGM Grand <-- Mrs. Hillary comes to hang out with HWB!
• Thursday: Egg and Proscuitto Paninis
• Friday: Halloween! Sausage and Musroom Penne Gratin
• Saturday: Crabmeat Ravioli with Red Clam Sauce

When Hunter Says No...

Hunter can now say 3 words. Their monikers and his baby translation are as follows:

• hi: 'heh'
• bye: 'bah'
• uh-oh: 'uh-uh'

But it's what he does when someone says the word 'NO' to him that really makes you smile. Take a look:

The Inaugural Bobenmoyer Chili Cook-Off!

Last Saturday... total blast. The Nevilles, Serdas, Stropps, Pinnells and Corneliuses indulged us in the Inaugural Bobenmoyer Chili Cook-off.

As you can tell by the above menu, there was some serious spice kicking it in the house and the Tums were readily available after our tastings. We had 5 dishes to choose from and some cornbread to help soak up all that chili goodness... after 2 failed attempts at fancy recipe cornbread, Sandra/Katie and I relented and ran to the market for a box of Jiffy Mix. (It was spectacular). After it was said and done though, Heath and Dee's Texas Cold Beer Chili was declared the winner (Bo and Sandra took 1st Runner Up).

The Grand Prize award was the love and company of a spotted border collie named Beckham but strangely enough, was left behind when they parted... will have to ship him to the Stropps first chance I get. Here are Heath and Dee basking in the glory of their victory:

I know! Heath has really changed his look since you saw him last! Either that or they were on their way to a costume party following the ICCO and were dressed as characters from Dazed and Confused. Naturally this lead to some whisky drinking before the night was over...

We also enjoyed some hillbilly golf in the backyard and watching HWB's curls blow in the wind. He's really hamming it up for Aunt Katie's camera in this photo:

The night ended with a drum solo from Neighbor Dave. We think he secretly is pulling for Hunter to become a drum fanatic as evidenced by this photo... remind me to tell him we once kicked around the name 'Bonham.'

I'm demanding the Texas Cold Beer Chili recipe. Stay tuned!

It's Been A While

... and for that, I apologize. It's been an extremely hectic few weeks with my account in planning for 2009 and all. I don't think I've ever experienced such a crazy planning session as this!

I have a lot of updates: Announcing the winners of our Inaugural Chili Cook-Off last weekend, showing off some pics of HWB in his very first Halloween outfit (today was the annual Halloween party at Brad's work) and more, but first, I owe many of you the opportunity to see Hunter on the move.

HWB is no longer containable -- he's a menace to society and uses every bit of it to his advantage. Shot this little video with our digital camera tonight as he was tearing around the house. He's definitely become MUCH faster in the past 3 weeks! Enjoy and stay tuned for more!

The Neville Baby

No, Eric and Laura aren't having a baby, but if they did little Neville would look like this...

Wondering how I came up with this? Received an eBlast from Oddcast yesterday bragging about the new Babymaker3000 program found on the VW.com Web site. Check out and have some fun of your own! http://www.vw.com/vwhype/babymaker/en/us/?mId=28267344.

It's Wednesday, Which Makes Me Wish It Were The Weekend

Take last weekend for example: Another fun time in the Bobenmoyer household.

Friday: Brad and I put Little Man to bed and caught up on our movie viewing with Forgetting Sarah Marshall. In a nutshell, blah. And surprising given it was coming from Judd Apatow -- typically we find his efforts pretty funny but this one seemed like it was written by the machine and definitely 50 minutes too long. At least we've seen it and can cross it off the list but if one wants to debate the better part of the plotline with me... I'm out. But let me definitely mention that Brad surprised me by making the most delectable, amazing, mouth-watering lobster macaroni and cheese EVER. Laura came over on Monday night to help me devour the leftovers.

Saturday: Let's just say I'm petitioning the new President to officially expunge Saturday, October 11, 2008 from the record. And if you have anything to comment on perhaps a football game that hypothetically would have taken place that day, please refer to my aforementioned REALLY?! commentary. E and Laura came over for dinner and to help distract me by throwing in Iron Man to watch. Not bad!

Sunday: BDB's 32nd bday kicked off with a trip to pick out our pumpkins at Miller's Big Red. HWB had a blast! And if you like this picture, you'll love the 8 others it took to capture this exact pose of our little Squirmy Worm. ;)

This little 'Stinkerpot' face as I put it is definitely HWB's clever, I'm-too-cute-so-don't-look-while-I-stick-my-toys-in-the-garbage-can act he's putting on lately. But with that scrunched up nose, who can resist?

We left Hunter with Miss Lyssa and hit Royal Oak for some football viewing and beer drinking (some of us more than others, ahem Bradley Douglas!). Had a nice turnout to celebrate Brad's bday though and ended the night with some sliders and chocolate malts at Comet Burger in the RO. Even Hunter joined us for that part!

Well, it's late and I should try to catch some zz's while I can. It's Planning Month on my account right now and it is quite the energy zapper. :P Love to you all!

Picasso HWB

Nope, I didn't do anything special... this Picasso-ish pic of HWB is courtesy of my crazy iPhone.

BOO BIG BLUE

My following commentary is modeled after Saturday Night Live's 'REALLY?!' segment and speaks to the recent University of Michigan football loss to Toledo:


REALLY?! Michigan, you posted a loss to TOLEDO on Saturday, REALLY?! What, Rich Rodriguez couldn’t get you fired up for a football game the caliber of neighborhood kids gathering to throw rocks at a tree? REALLY?!

Let me explain what Toledo did to prepare for Saturday’s match: They rolled out of bed. There were no windsprints, no films; they knew they were walking into a Bloody Saturday Massacre. And why? Because you’re Michigan football and that is what you do to lowly MAC teams.

Did you hear that loud banging while you slept Saturday night? It was Bo Schembechler yelling ‘Rebuilding year my as*!’ from his great bed in the Sky. Or could it have been the resounding hurl of pens from sports critics everywhere after having written their collective ‘we miss the days of Appalachian State’ missives?

And Rodriguez REALLY?! You think this is an acceptable loss for this storied program? Do you truly believe this one can be tucked under the mattress along with your $2.5mm UoWV payoff? Repeat after us Rich: TO-LEE-DO. I don’t know what the West Virginian educational system taught you but in the Mitten State ‘Toledo’ isn’t pronounced ‘rival.’ It’s pronounced ‘game that still draws 100k to Ann Arbor and allows college students an excuse for too many beer bong hits.’

So to my beloved Wolverines, all I can offer is my unending support and the hope that the gap between our current state (Hell) and our future state (Improvement) shrinks. Quickly.

But Rodriguez?
REALLY?!
Huh.
WOW.

"The Kettle Sings Its Tortured Songs"

Brad and I broke out of the usual weekday mold, left HWB with Mrs. Hillary and saw Ray Lamontange perform at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on Monday night.

The venue was jam-packed and Brad and I took refuge behind a lot of seeming giants up on the balcony. Not a big deal for my 6' 2" hubby, however my visuals of the concert consisted of am armpit glance when the people in front of me would adjust their standing position. Truthfully though it didn't matter because Ray's voice reverberated throughout the theater like a soft lullaby.

Before you click on the video below, keep in mind the following: Ray is a notoriously shy artist which is evident in even his stage set-up -- he stands at the tip of an arch, facing in to his band rather than the audience; he has been known on occasion to darken the stage so he cannot see the audience; this clip is of Winter Birds; a yet unreleased song (Gossip In The Grain drops on Tuesday). Although this clip was pulled from his set in Chicago, it's a mirror of his RO performance: solo, dimmed spotlight glow and hauntingly soulful.

I sang this to Hunter as I was putting him to bed tonight. Who knows? Maybe this will become my Joni Mitchell Circle Game for him (thanks Dad).

Shhh! Brad's Bday!

Okay, maybe not so 'shhh' but as you know, Brad's 32nd bday is coming up this Sunday (the 12th). I have received a couple questions on gift suggestions so just thought I'd throw them here as thought-starters:

• Gift card for DSW? Brad is in the ongoing search for the perfect pair of hip, brown shoes
• Gift card for Gap? For a new pair of jeans
• Gift card to Barnes and Noble? You know how much he loves music/books!
• Guarantee of a Led Zeppelin reunion tour
• Reincarnation of Hunter S. Thompson
• IU to win the 2009 NCAA Basketball Championships

SO maybe I got a bit carried away... we all know IU is facing the same sort of rebuilding year as UofM football.

Rain O'Er Me...

Also wanted to give a shout out (how very Sarah Palin of me... hmm) to my cousin Larraine and her hubby Mike. Mike -- a California policeman -- was involved in a very serious car accident last week while on-duty. Please send some good thoughts and prayers their way! We love you guys.

So What'd We Do This Weekend?

We enjoyed a fairly tame weekend aside from my prized iPhone going on the fritz and my beloved Wolverines falling to those lowly Illini... ah well, at least we made a mockery out of the Badgers (said to get a rise out of my father-in-law ;P). Now repeat after me everyone: REBUILDING YEAR, REBUILDING YEAR...

The Royal Oak area was fortunate on Friday evening to have Disney swarm in on the community with character showings, bounce houses, a drive-in movie (fabulous idea!!! Hopefully the city of RO will adapt this concept full-time?) and vacation giveaways. Little Man was pretty tired but scored a yellow Mickey Ear balloon out of the whole deal.

Side note: Whatever happened to drive-ins? The only one I recall on record is the Cherry Bowl Drive-In in Benzie County (i.e. 'Up North' <-- perhaps Brad's most hated terminology of our beautiful Mitten State). Mom packed PJ and I into the Suburban and we headed to the Cherry Bowl. Was that the time we saw the movie Twins? PJ will have to correct me on that. Back to the weekend... Saturday: Watched the debacle of a football game at Bryn and Holly's. The picture above is what happens when Brad starts poking fun at Rich Rodriguez... Hunter and Schuler attack! Had a blast with the Skelton clan though (am including Case and Kate in that bunch). Can't believe Baby Bean is going to be here in 2 months! Holly looks great and Schu was more than happy to announce she is going to be a 'SIS-TAH!' :)

On Sunday Brad headed to the studio for a TV edit while H and I hit the grocery store. How fabulous is it by the way to complete your entire grocery trip, be standing in the checkout lane and realize that horrible smell emanating through the checkout aisle is in fact YOUR SON??? I had to ditch our groceries STAT and go change him in the car. For such a little guy he definitely knows how to make a great big, smelly mess! Finally, after Brad returned we snuck downtown past all the Lions traffic to peruse The Heidelberg Project in Detroit. (Web site: http://www.heidelberg.org/) THP is an artistic outdoor experience; a block of perhaps one of the most interesting platforms of recycled expression, literally.




Most of the 'collections' for lack of a better term incorporate items discovered on the streets of Detroit -- shoes, wayward stuffed animals, tires, etc but when placed with other like items, take on more of a modern community of sorts. Very compelling to stumble across in this hardened Detroit neighborhood. I encourage you to visit the Web site and see more -- you'll be interested to learn this small block actually become the subject of a well-received HBO documentary.

So that's it -- what did you do this weekend?