Headbanger's Ball

So. After only a mere three years of patient waiting since OzzFest 2002, Nikki and I finally got to see System of a Down in concert tonight. Holy crap, it was awesome!! First of all, I love it when mohawked, tattooed, pierced, heavy metal rocker dudes say to us, "You girls better be careful, cuz this shit is about to be crazy, I wouldn't want you to get hurt." And we say, Um yeah, have you met us? We're Nikki and Maria, we paid the same $50 you did to be here, so f*ck off. Don't let us knock you out when we're moshing. Oh, and you can remove your hand from my ass now. Thanks. And then we headbang and all the boys say, "Damn, we wish you were our girlfriends." Sorry boys! Better luck next time. Hahahaha, I gotta say though, a couple times I was thinking, Man, Shaun would probably be afraid of me if he could see me right now. My baby. I was safe boo, I promise!! The bruises will fade in a few days... I hope. Otherwise people will think I got caned.

We ran into Katie D (as in Kira's little sis) and her boyfriend Justin and some of their friends, who we hung out with for a little bit. Oddly we did not see any of the people we planned to meet up with at the show. No Adam, no Elin, no Nate. Oh well! The opening bands were Hella (worst name for a band in the history of the universe, but appropriate for them since they hella sucked a whole hella lot), and The Mars Volta, who were *amazing*. I just bought their CD Frances the Mute last week and although it is a hard CD to listen to (because each song is like 7+ minutes long, with these bizzare intros and outros) the band was incredible live. They're from Mexico so they added bongos and horns and a DJ to the traditional guitar-bass-drums-lead singer equation. Very, very good. All in all, quite a fantasitc show. Even when my bra broke and I said, Screw it! and just threw it up in the air, it was OK, cuz I needed a new bra anyway and that one was Crap. (With a capital 'C'.)

We got The White Stripes tomorrow night at the Masonic Temple, which will be waaayyyy more chill. (And honestly, thank God, cuz my arms are seriously going to be bruised for like a week.)

Hey man, look at me rocking out, I'm on the radio.....!

Republicans for Voldemort

How funny is that for a bumper sticker? (For those who are saying, "Huh?" Voldemort is the über bad guy from the Harry Potter books. Basically, he's about as evil as Satan.) I saw that on my drive home from Shaun's place this morning. There I was in my car, minding my own business, headbanging to System of a Down bright and early at 8:30 am when BAM! The funniest bumper sticker I've seen in a while just makes the day that much better. I love it.

If you are sitting there reading this saying, "Jeez, Harry Potter is so lame," be advised: I will convert you! My mom was a doubter only a few short months ago. But she sat down to start the first book and she can now say that she has read all six. She's going through Harry Potter withdrawal. It's a serious affliction.

In other news: Nik is home today for System of a Down tomorrow night (!) and then The White Stripes on Friday. How badass is that gonna be??

Time to go back to sleep now.

Little Hellraisers

So lately A. and I (see her link to the right) have traded some thoughts on bad parenting, and crappy children, and when these two things merge with normal, logical people in public places, and how the result is often disgusting, disheartening, and excellent anti-kid advertising. This reminded me of a story I sometimes tell about a time when I was exposed to a particularly vicious little brat once upon a time ago in Borders in Ann Arbor.

First, some background. I love Harry Potter. I own all the books and have read them all multiple times. Months prior to the release of the 5th one (which came out in the summer of 2003) I visited my local Borders store and pre-ordered the book so that I'd be sure to have my shiny new copy as soon as it hit the shelves. So the much anticipated day came and I went to Borders and went to the check in table where they crossed my name off a list and gave me a number written on a small piece of paper, then directed me to another area where all of the books were behind a gimungous table which was being guarded by two employees of Borders. I traded my precious number for a copy and was holding the book, reading the inside cover, when a father approached with his 10 year old son. This is what he said:

Father: Hi. I didn't pre-order the book, I had no idea this was this big a deal, but I promised my son I'd get it for him today, we've already been to three other bookstores and nobody has it, is there any way you can give me one of these copies. (Of which there were literally stacks upon stacks, I mean probably at least 500 copies, if not more.)

So, as the Borders employee is telling the guy, "No," I was doing two things. 1: Wondering how anyone on Earth could not realize how popular these books are, especially if their kid is a fan. And, 2: Contemplating handing my copy to the kid, since he was just a kid and his dad was obviously trying, and he looked so bummed and brokenhearted and I could've brought the biggest smile to his face and saved his dad's butt. At that point the dad turned to the kid and said, "I'm sorry little buddy, we're just going to have to wait a couple days, noone has a copy for us."

Cue the biggest temper tantrum I have ever seen. Little man went crazy on his dad. First he was crying hysterically, then he was screaming and yelling, and then he started hitting and kicking his dad in the store!! I could not believe it. At that moment all my thoughts of handing my copy over to the little tyke evaporated and were replaced by thoughts for some serious, serious discipline. Followed by thoughts of how if I had ever behaved that way in public my ass -- as the saying so colorfully goes -- would have been grass. Followed by thoughts like, "Wow, how could this dad have driven to four freaking bookstores for this little shit?" and, "Jeez, what happens when he doesn't get exactly what he wants for his birthday?" and, "Boy am I glad I'm not his mama!"

Things like this make me wonder what in the sam hell parents are doing to discipline their kids these days. Personally, I got spanked. My mom also used the rinsing-your-mouth-out-with-soap punishment, which my kid brother suffered multiple times, whereas I cleverly avoided it. I don't see anything wrong with a swift little spank to the ass every once in a while. It was the proper combination of fear, pain, and shame to keep me in line most of the time. Although I suppose my mom will have to weigh in on that one. Maybe parents are just too tired to parent at the end of the day now. They have TV and video games and computers and the Internet to babysit their kids for them, so they don't put forth nearly enough effort or make nearly enough time. Pretty sad. But helpful for those of us that endeavor to be better parents than that, when we eventually do become parents some day -- in the very, very distant future!

Everything is Better in *My* Car

So yesterday it stormed. It rained, and it thundered, and there was lightning and even a flash flood or two. Normally I like a good storm -- but not when I have to be at work, at the cable company, on the night that ER and Smallville are set to premiere. Let me just say that I had NO IDEA there were so many people in Flint who just could not live without their ER. I had people cussing me out. About freaking ER! It's not even that good anymore!! I had a conversation with one woman that went like this:

Woman: My kids have been waiting all summer to watch the season premiere of Smallville, why isn't the WB working?

My thoughts: Well, I dunno, could it be something to do with THE GIGANTIC, EARTH SHATTERINGLY LOUD SYSTEM OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAS BEEN POUNDING DOWN ON US FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS NOW??!!

What I actually said: I do apologize, but right now because of the storm both WB and NBC are out indefinitely. These issues are both being worked on by NBC and WB, as they are provider issues, and regretfully there is nothing Comacst can do at this time.

Woman: Well can you force the WB to re-air the season premiere of Smallville???

My thoughts: What do I look like, friggin' Superman over here?? Seriously, you actually expect the WB to re-air a season premiere of one of it's most popular shows because you and your three kids missed it because of a storm? [expletive deleted] Yeah, lemme get right on that for you.

What I actually said: No. But you can contact the WB network if you'd like to voice your complaint. I'd be happy to give you their contact information!

Lately at work we've all been sharing the Oh-God-I-want-to-stab-myself-in-the-eyeball-with-my-pen look. Recently Comcast threw a job fair and OVER A THOUSAND people showed up!! I almost wished I'd been there, because I would have been slipping people notes telling them to seek employment elsewhere; but I wasn't there because I had the day off, and I'd rather have a day off from that place than save others from getting in over their heads. I'm sick of them forcing me to work mandatory overtime, I'm sick of working til 12:30 at night, and mostly I am just sick of people being rude jackasses to me on the phone when all I am trying to do is help them and keep some health insurance.

Talking to Shaun the other day I realized that I really need to get on my grad school apps if I'm serious about it. I need to sign up for the GRE and the LSAT, and actually study for them instead of just buying the prep books and stacking them up in my room so that I have something to set my Vogue and Cosmo on every month. He asked me, "So, do you want to go back to school?" Yes. "When? Where? What would you study?" Good questions baby! I know I want to go back to school, but for what I'm not sure. I'd really like to swindle Comcast into paying for it (or at least part of it), so it's gotta be something that they'll see value in. I've also been thinking about saving to buy a house, because having my own car is amazing. Everything is better in my car. Music is better, the AC is cooler, McDonald's fries are crispier. Because I bought it, it's in my name, and I pay that bill. I feel like it's a first step towards *gasp* adulthood. So it's time to take the next step.

A terrible pic of me in those sunglasses I *loved* and somehow lost, and my sa-weet ride!

Without Further Ado...

I always loved the word, "ado." There is rarely an appropriate occasion upon which one can use it these days without sounding pompous or arrogant or overly fond of Shakespeare or just moronic. I have my dear friend Aubrey to thank for affording me a much needed chance to use it, for without further ado (yes!!) she has decided to create her own blog, the link to which is located on the right and should be used immediately and with frequency after that. The gal is brilliant, although she may shudder to hear me say so, but that just makes her all the more wonderful. Best writer I know, one of the funniest people on the planet; it's needless to point out at this juncture that your life will be missing a tiny little something every time that you elect NOT to click on the link to her site. So get with the program.

Sweetness

A pic that Shaun's friend Diane took at BW3's the night before Kira's wedding. I went to meet up with them since Shaun skipped his 10 year high school reunion the next night in order to come to the wedding with me. Thanks baby!

Big Brother Is Out of the Office

So here at Comcast they use Websense to block our internet access, but every once in a while Big Brother will turn a blind eye and we'll get unrestricted internet for a few days -- or weeks if we are very, very lucky. I came in today to discover that I could check my email, which was awesome because since Shaun doesn't have internet at his new apt yet (and I've been spending a lot of time over there) I've been kind of AWOL with the email recently. Amidst a bunch of junk in my inbox I had 3 real emails, which was cool.

This afternoon before coming in to work we had lunch with Kira and Jeff, who returned from their version of Honeymoon in Vegas on Wednesday. It was really nice! One of the best parts of their wedding and the whole process leading up to it was just how much I got to see Kira. After high school when she went to K'Zoo and I stuck around here our visits were few and far between. Jeff was, um, mentioning (I refuse to call it complaining, because who would ever complain about making babies with Kira??!) the recent onslaught of questions regarding the arrival of a new member of the Putt family and I said, "Well hey, I gotta different question for ya, when are you guys moving to the D???" Which Kira asks him every single day, so it wasn't really much of a relief, but it was funny....

Shaun drove me to work after that which means I have yummy leftover Mexican from Monterrey Cantina to eat for dinner, yeah!! Tomorrow we are going to BW3's in Ferndale to watch the Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan football game, which will be a gross spectacle of complete and utter humiliation for Eastern, but I gotta hope they put up a good fight since my cousin Steve Bednarik is on Eastern's team. I wish I'd thought about it a little sooner than Wednesday, cuz I probably could've gotten tickets!!

On Sunday we are goin to Zoo after I have my all employee meeting at "The Crap" at freaking NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!! Sucks! But at least we get paid for it. Love y'all!

Nuttin' Honey

So this weekend was pretty chill. And thank GOD for that! On Saturday I worked a little 5 hour shift at the Gap that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. We finally have a new permanent Head of Store, so things are operating normally again, which makes me optimistic about the decision to continue working there. That horrible transitional phase when we had no real leadership was terrible. I dreaded going into the store because I just knew I'd be buried under a pile of wadded up clothes in the fitting rooms. But it seems those days are gone -- knock on wood!

After work on Saturday Shaun and I had dinner with my mom and then headed over to Shannon's to babysit for the kidlets. What cuties!! I swear it has been FOREVER since I've seen them; I can't even remember the last time! Shaun was really sweet with Hannah, she kept throwing books at him and he just kept reading to her. The kids went to bed after about an hour and a half so most of the night was taken up watching TV on Shannon and Daniel's couch and massaging Shaun's aching neck. This may sound incredibly silly and girlish, but it meant a lot to me that Shaun came to babysit with me, and that he actually seemed to enjoy it -- as opposed to just tolerating it because he felt obligated to be there. It's just another of his qualities that make him almost impossibly sweet.

On Sunday Shaun and I went to the Bridal Salon at Marshall Field's in Somerset to watch his little sis Kristina (who is a few months younger than me) try on her two potential wedding dresses. Of course she looked gorgeous in both of them (the girl is so beautiful she'd look amazing in a trash bag, see her and Shaun to the right) but the one that she picked out seems like it is perfect for her. I don't know her that well, but when she came out in the dress it just seemed like it was made for her to wear. Shaun and I were talking about how he has two major weddings to be in next year, his cousin (and one of his very best friends) Matt's in June, and then Kristina's in the fall. After just having gone through the ginormous event that was Kira's wedding I can understand his thoughts on starting to save for it now! I totaled it all up and ultimately I spent about $1400 on Kira's wedding.

It seems like everywhere I turn people are getting married. In my life as well as other people's. When Shaun and I went to the Peach Festival in Romeo we bumped into a couple guys he went to high school with -- all getting married. His cousin, his sister. Kira just got married, I know a couple of Stephanie's friends are engaged. I keep wondering who will be next. Six months ago I would have had some very different predictions about which of my friends would be headed down the aisle. Things have changed for a lot of them, and I'm clueless as to who will be next. Steph and Brian maybe?? It's caused me to do a lot of thinking about my own life, and I'm starting to wonder if I should feel more pressure to tie the knot. I feel absolutely no rush whatsoever (because my mama has taught me well!). Knowing what a huge, gigantic, enormous, life-altering decision it is, and how totally afraid I am to end up divorced someday, I just want to make the perfect decision. And only time will allow that. And time I've got.

Bon Voyage

Well, it has certainly been an interesting week. Shaun moved into a new apartment last weekend, in the midst of my recovery from Kira and Jeff's wedding, (I fixed the link to their pics by the way, FYI) so now he is an official resident of Royal Oak. It's sooooo nice to have him living closer! Not that Rochester was all that far away, but when gas costs an arm and a leg those few extra miles make a big ass difference!!! Plus I just like having my baby close by. :)

This morning Nikki left for Washington D.C. I think she'll be there for about three weeks looking for an apartment and then she'll come back to get the rest of her stuff and go see System of a Down and The White Stripes with me (cus she got me Stripes tix for my b-day, how SWEET is that!!??) and then she's a D.C. resident permanently. Last night was her little going away party. We started at Shield's Pizza in Southfield and then took the party to Woody's in Royal Oak, which is a lame bar unless we're there, when we make it awesome by our undeniably awesome awesomeness. Hahaha.... Just kidding there. (About the gross use of the word "awesome," not about how we actually are awesome. And then some!)

This weekend I have to work at the Gap (or as Elin fondly refers to it, "The Crap") on Saturday from 12-5 and then Shaun and I are going to babysit for Joey and Hannah on Saturday night. How cute is that? I told him he might have to help me change diapers and he looked at me like I was on crack.... No diapers baby, I promise!! But I am really excited for him to finally meet my sis and bro-in-law and the babies!! Plus I haven't seen the kiddies in ages so I am looking forward to kickin' it with my niece and nephew.

Kira and Jeff leave for their honeymoon in Las Vegas tomorrow, so let's wish them (as well as Nik) a safe trip and lots-o-fun!!

What a Party!

Partying it up royal!

If you want to see more pictures from Kira's big day check out the link at the right. A combination of Nik's, mine, and my mom's pictures. Shaun's got some too, which will be added as soon as he sends 'em to me. Enjoy!

Newlyweds

Well, Kira and Jeff are officially married. The wedding was on Saturday and it was beautiful. Somehow, in spite of everything trying to go wrong at the last minute, things worked out perfectly. All of the bridesmaids had dresses (and they all fit -- sort of), noone objected at the crucial moment, and every tear that was shed was a tear of joy.

The day began at 8:00 am when all the ladies met at the salon to get our hair done. I have to say, I never thought that so much hair could be curled, twisted, knotted, pinned, and hairsprayed so gorgeously in such a short amount of time. Shannon and the girls at Trim did a great job, thanks again sweetie!! From there it was off to get Kira's makeup done, then to the church, and it continued on in a blur of fancy dresses, tuxedos, tears, laughter and A LOT of partying.

Congratulations to my best friend and her husband, I love you guys and wish you all the happiness in the world.

XOXOX,
Maria