In 5 straight days if you did not sit in your own beer at least once, you did something wrong.
This year’s Country Thunder lineup was the worst looking lineup on paper going into the event. It wasn’t that the performers weren’t talented, it was that the vast majority were there last year, but not as headliners. Oh yeah, and for some reason Jessica Simpson was there too. I guess whatever it takes to get Tony Romo to come is what we’ll get.
Despite the lineup, this was definitely one of my favorite Country Thunder’s and it was all about the campgrounds; without all my friends and all the chaos created, I probably would have gone home early. From beer pong to sticks to beer darts to bags to port-a-parties to sand volleyball to mudslides it was an all around fantastic time. Even though I lost in bags, I played against professionals and now have complete confidence that I will massacre any of my friends that I play against at home…it may sound corny, but losing to some of the best almost felt better than beating some of the worst .
There was volleyball at Country Thunder? Yes. This awesome guy named Joe, who had the quietest generator you’ll ever hear (or not hear) brought in his own sand and made a sand volleyball court. Not only that, he was nice enough to let us use the court as well as provide us with cold beer, which is more than perfect on a 90 degree day.
Do not buy tents from Kmart, they are as cheaply made as they are priced. Not only did one of the polls in our tent break on night one, but it also rained, from the top, inside our tent on 2 separate nights.
Best food creation of the trip was a hot dog with barbeque sauce and salsa con queso cooked over an open fire. Also good were eggs and bacon in a tortilla, lots of marinated chicken, cheesy brats, hard-boiled eggs, baked potatoes, Velveeta shells & cheese, deep fried turkey, and grilled pineapple.
Best performers by far were Sugarland and Dierks Bentley.
For all of those who do not go to Country Thunder because they don’t like country music, that is just silly. From a music genre perspective within the campgrounds, this year I probably heard more non-country music than actual country music. As long as you stay in the campgrounds, it is going to be the best time you make of it. It is seriously, fun and games 24/7 and pretty much everyone is nice and friendly.
Bubby for short had a rather short, but great life with me. All good things come to an end, as did Bubby for short’s time in this life, but he had a fond memorial flushing and is now in a better place.
Prior to this week it had been a long time since I’d seen a band play in an indoor facility and now I know why. First of all, I made my first trip to the Congress Theatre on Tuesday with all the other high schoolers for the Metro Station/Good Charlotte/Boys Like Girls show and there are not many good things to report. Starting with the good, I did not have to stand down in the mash pit and was able to sit in the balcony, even though once the show started sitting wasn’t really an option if I wanted to see anything. Metro Station played “control” and Boys Like Girls played “thunder.” End of good things. The Congress Theatre is a horrible venue for music as it is round and sound does not bounce off nothing very well. It is also a horrible summer venue and it was hotter than sin and I don’t generally enjoy sweating for 3 hours straight with thousands of other people. $5 Miller Lites, enough said.
Last Month I was at Soldier Field for the Gary Allan/Keith Urban/Kenny Chesney show and that was fantastic. Not only were the performances themselves great, but the acoustics were very good as well. Plus, I must say, anywhere you can tailgate before the show will always earn bonus points. A completely complimentary outdoor performance by Jake Owen will never hurt either. Speaking of country music, the blog will be on hiatus now until after Country Thunder.
Now it’s time for the Nice Peter show at Cubby Bear. RED LINE TRAIN!
Carnival goldfish are special goldfish. They are the true orphans of the goldfish world and have the ability to thrive when given the proper environment to do so. This is my theory.
Last night I became the proud owner of a carnival goldfish named Bubby for Short. Bubby for Short did not look so healthy after our car ride to work this morning as we came up the elevator, even the man in the elevator agreed. He has some white spots that may indicate a sickness and tends to swim backwards more that forewords, as his fins seem to move at twice the speed of normalcy. We stopped at target for food which I promptly gave him when we filled his bowl, but Bubby for Short didn’t want any part of it. He didn’t move around a whole lot either…just kind of chilled at the bottom, barely moving.
Feeling sad for Bubby for Short I decided to eat lunch with him today. The moment I started to eat, so did Bubby for Short. It was like a miracle. Even though I’ve been watching him eat, throw it back up, and eat it again, for the past hour, he seems much happier now as he swims around the bowl trying to get a grasp on his new surroundings. Even though I’m pretty sure he hasn’t, to me it definitely appears like he’s gotten bigger and more golden.
Stay tuned for updates. Bubby for Short is a stud.
No lights on my modem, The Dove, A Man lying in the Street...
These are all random things that I have come across on this random Wednesday prior to 3pm. I woke up to a single light illuminated on my cable modem. When I wasn't able to connect to the internet in any form, I called Comcast. The "troubleshooting" they were able to do left me with absolutely ZERO lights on my modem. Just great. They'll be by in 2 or 3 days to take a look. No worries. Lucky for me the day took an upturn with free lunch from Corner Bakery on a pretzel roll. Yum.
On the train ride back to the Bucktown, I got "The Dove." That's right, "The Dove." You know, on the Metra each conductor has their own "punch" so to speak. Well today I met the man who has "The Dove." I was unsure of the shape when he punched my fare card so I pleasantly asked him what his shape was and he pleasantly responded, "The Dove." I then asked him if any other doves existed and he said, "No, everyone has a different shape." We had a brief conversation and then I told him I hoped to see "The Dove" again.
Next, I'm working from a remote location in the Bucktown area and I think I hear out the window, "put your hands in the air" so I, of course, get up and go look out the window in hopes of seeing some solid action. Nope, no solid action. Instead there is some dude, probably in his mid-20's laying in the middle of Damen Ave severly hindering the flow of traffic. I'm still not sure whether he was actually hit by a vehicle or he just collapsed. The paramedics were attending to him, but nothing really seemed to need my immediate attention so I aborted the mission.
Even though I am rather agitated that Spring came and went like a layover, I sure am happy that it is outdoor festival time!
I got the opportunity this past weekend to see the cover band, Hi-Infidelity and really enjoyed them. I feel if they stick to the Journey, REO Speedwagon, Bon Jovi, etc. they are much better than trying to tackle the newer stuff, i.e. Hinder. Needless to say if they come back around, I will definitely attend another festival they play. I believe this was my first outdoor fest of the season and the combination of the music, Amber Bock, hot wings, and tater tots really made it a great night. Honestly, when I wasn't stuffing my face, I may, or may not, have been singing along to the music at the top of my lungs...not to mention the rain dances I performed during the intermittent rain...that always worked to clear things up quickly.
This is what it is about Chicago that allows me to rationalize living here all winter long, complaining about the coldness and all the snow...I live here for this -- summers in Chicago.
I've been gone for a long time and now I'm back, starting fresh and I couldn't be more excited about it.
Life events can weigh heavily on which directions we take in life and often times we have little control over them. One thing we have some control of is our internal motivation. Although it may sound simple, I've come to realize that internally motivating myself can be more difficult than dealing with many life events.
So I've started fresh in hopes a fresh start will assist me with my self-motivation and so far it is definitely working. I've got a new apartment that is small but suits me well. I'm surrounding myself with people who are important to me and vice versa. I've taken on a new project at work that is incredibly challenging, yet incredibly enjoyable. And when it comes right down to it, I'm doing things that make me genuinely happy.
