Hmmmm what is wrong with the above statement? All month I have waited patiently for a gentle little lamb to carry me out of March and into April. After all a beast of a lion in the form of very cold temps brought me into this month. However it appears there are no lambs in my near future. The weatherman today is predicting 8-10 inches of snow in the metro area and from the look out my office window this may be a conservative estimate! Of course having lived here all but two years of my life I know this heavy, wet dump of snow is not at all uncommon for this time of year and could, in fact, not even be the last measurable snow fall. This is Minnesota after all. From the looks of the reports and list of school closings it appears we are on the lighter end of the snowfall and that the southern portion of the state, my hometown Mankato and towns around, are faring far worse. There are lots of happy kids in the southern part of the state as their spring break (isn't that a funny title??) has been extended for another day.
Hopefully all is not lost. Much of the area needs the moisture and by Wednesday it is predicted much of the snow will be disappearing. For now however I will be cautiously optimistic on that forecast.
Oh and if you see any lambs please direct them to Minnesota. :-)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Spring - MIA in MN
Winter doesn't appear to be ready to release its grip on MN this year. And between you and I, I am really SICK of it.
The only sign of spring to be had are the return of the birds -- namely Robins. Our poor poor kitty, Sophie. The birds are simply tormenting her or so it seems to feel to her. She springs out of bed in the morning, hops up on my quilt holder in front of the window and sticks her head through the wooden slates of the blinds as soon as the birds start to chirp. Half the time it still isn't even light out so I don't even know that she sees anything -- all the more to torment her! How she hasn't totally hurt herself (or the blinds) mystifies me. Then when you open the bedroom door she bounds out to the living room and on to the back of the love seat in front of our big picture window. There she pushes aside the pleated shades to peer out the window. A cardinal couple visit one of the front yard trees every morning and Sophie doesn't miss a chance to "greet" them. Ah the life of a cat.
Today at least the sun is shining but weather forecasts are calling for a rainy/snow mix weekend and I presume grey weather. I know that along with spring will come allergy season but at this point I would gladly take it to have the weather warm up, the ice melt off the pool and to have the trees and grass start to make the transformation from bleak and grey to green and lush.
So to my friends in the south, please send your warmth and sunshine this way!
The only sign of spring to be had are the return of the birds -- namely Robins. Our poor poor kitty, Sophie. The birds are simply tormenting her or so it seems to feel to her. She springs out of bed in the morning, hops up on my quilt holder in front of the window and sticks her head through the wooden slates of the blinds as soon as the birds start to chirp. Half the time it still isn't even light out so I don't even know that she sees anything -- all the more to torment her! How she hasn't totally hurt herself (or the blinds) mystifies me. Then when you open the bedroom door she bounds out to the living room and on to the back of the love seat in front of our big picture window. There she pushes aside the pleated shades to peer out the window. A cardinal couple visit one of the front yard trees every morning and Sophie doesn't miss a chance to "greet" them. Ah the life of a cat.
Today at least the sun is shining but weather forecasts are calling for a rainy/snow mix weekend and I presume grey weather. I know that along with spring will come allergy season but at this point I would gladly take it to have the weather warm up, the ice melt off the pool and to have the trees and grass start to make the transformation from bleak and grey to green and lush.
So to my friends in the south, please send your warmth and sunshine this way!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
An Evening with Bon Jovi
Last Wednesday night Bill and I headed to the Excel Center in Saint Paul for a concert featuring Daughtry as the opening act and then Bon Jovi headlining. I had been anticipating this concert since purchasing tickets back in November -- killer seats I might add. We arrived with ample time to have some dinner and a drink prior to the show so headed to the Liffy (an Irish Bar connected to the Holiday Inn) and quickly determined we needed to grab any free spot we could find (forget seating down) where there was room to simply place a plate of food we would share. The mood was festive, Bon Jovi music was playing overhead and we felt totally in our element as we looked around the room and determined that 99% of the crowd was the same age as us. We quickly made friends with everyone around us -- as squeezed in as we were it was impossible not to strike up conversations. We shared a plate of fish and chips, tried to visit a little but it was tough over the noise level. Finally, not wanting to miss Daughtry we headed across the street to the Excel Center.
Our seats were fantastic -- first level, about 10 rows up from the floor and at about midway point in the stadium. The only bad part was the two guys sitting to my left. Clearly they were drinking way too much and as the night progressed the one directly to my left managed to spill his beer down the back of my sweater and jeans, hit me in the head THREE times while he was dancing and finally lose his balance and fall right on top of me pushing me face first down into my seat! Bill, to my right, was unaware of most of this but couldn't figure out why I was very much invading his space. :-)
Daughtry was really good. Not being an Idol fan I never knew of him or his music until it started playing on the local airways. My iPod happily houses many Daughtry songs and obviously get played often as Ryan and Anna sing right along with me to the music. The only comment I would have is that this sold out (18,000) stadium seemed a bit overwhelming for him. I would imagine getting comfortable in a setting that large takes time. My pictures aren't the best but here is Daughtry on stage.
Bon Jovi hit the stage not long after and did not disappoint. This was their 2nd show at the Excel having played the night before as well. I was concerned that they might be tired. I couldn't have been more wrong. I think it also helped that they were fueled by the excitement of a 10-day tour break beginning the next day (sadly I think Richie Sambora is enjoying his time off too much given the DUI he received earlier this week). They kept up an energized and steady pace for two hours. They certainly know how to play to their fans. About mid-way through the show Jon noticeably disappeared from stage and Richie took over front and center and performed a number. I was very excited because thanks to my dear friend Katie I knew exactly where he would reappear -- on a platform strategically placed at the bottom of the section next to us. What a close up view we got! Several numbers were performed before a throng of security guards escorted him back to the main stage.
One of the final highlights of the night was when Chris Daughtry joined Jon on stage and they sang "Blaze of Glory" together. It was fantastic!!
Bill and I left and headed for home both completely thrilled with the show we had seen.
Our seats were fantastic -- first level, about 10 rows up from the floor and at about midway point in the stadium. The only bad part was the two guys sitting to my left. Clearly they were drinking way too much and as the night progressed the one directly to my left managed to spill his beer down the back of my sweater and jeans, hit me in the head THREE times while he was dancing and finally lose his balance and fall right on top of me pushing me face first down into my seat! Bill, to my right, was unaware of most of this but couldn't figure out why I was very much invading his space. :-)
Daughtry was really good. Not being an Idol fan I never knew of him or his music until it started playing on the local airways. My iPod happily houses many Daughtry songs and obviously get played often as Ryan and Anna sing right along with me to the music. The only comment I would have is that this sold out (18,000) stadium seemed a bit overwhelming for him. I would imagine getting comfortable in a setting that large takes time. My pictures aren't the best but here is Daughtry on stage.
Bon Jovi hit the stage not long after and did not disappoint. This was their 2nd show at the Excel having played the night before as well. I was concerned that they might be tired. I couldn't have been more wrong. I think it also helped that they were fueled by the excitement of a 10-day tour break beginning the next day (sadly I think Richie Sambora is enjoying his time off too much given the DUI he received earlier this week). They kept up an energized and steady pace for two hours. They certainly know how to play to their fans. About mid-way through the show Jon noticeably disappeared from stage and Richie took over front and center and performed a number. I was very excited because thanks to my dear friend Katie I knew exactly where he would reappear -- on a platform strategically placed at the bottom of the section next to us. What a close up view we got! Several numbers were performed before a throng of security guards escorted him back to the main stage.
One of the final highlights of the night was when Chris Daughtry joined Jon on stage and they sang "Blaze of Glory" together. It was fantastic!!
Bill and I left and headed for home both completely thrilled with the show we had seen.
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