The beast is breaking the bank...

Dropping another 1.5k on KBGB today. For those of you new to this site, that stands for Kristin's Big Green Beast, or my SUV.

That makes this years total close to 4k.

Ouchy.

However, I've not had to drop any big dime on it in the 5 years I've had it, until recently. So, I figure it's par for the course.

Externally and internally it's a sound machine. It just needs some routine sprucing, but it all happened to come down at once.

Sigh. Painful to part with that kind of green, but it has to be done.

I enjoy not having a car payment. And I like having an auto that I can take down the backtrails for camping, kayaking, etc.

So I will keep putting money into my beast until it roars no more.

Feeling ninja-tastic

I'm excited for this coming weekend. Now that my finals are behind me, I can devote some time to catching up with friends I haven't seen for awhile, have some downtime at home, and spend time with family.

On the agenda so far is hanging with my fam, movie/dinner/party Saturday night, Sunday brunch, bike ride??, cards and conversation.

In between all of that I will be cleaning out the spare bedroom, posting items on Ebay (check), and replacing the filter in my Brita (check check).

I will also be getting a nap in there...at some point.

So as I navigate through the next day and a half, my motivation will be the freedom I'm already feeling from being done with school and having some time to devote to those people and things I love.

Weekend

This weekend - fun fun fun.

Movie with my bruder tonight. Soulard & Tower Grove farmer's marketing, a pot'o'chili for lunch with friends, then on to a blogging seminar and fashion event on Saturday.

Sunday? As always, reserved for studying, spinning and football. Oh, and that luscious, heavenly sleeping in.

I am always upgrading my bed to make sure it's a toasty and cuddle-worthy. I now own the fluffiest pillows known to man. And they are covered in flannel.

Beat that!

Weekend Playlist 7/24/09

Lots of music action this weekend:

Gogol Bordello - too much to list.
Greg Laswell - again, too much to list.
Lou Barlow - Emoh
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Son, Ambulance - Key
Spinnerette - Spinnerette
Shocking Pinks - Shocking Pinks
Eels - Hombre Lobo
The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It

It was also a mixed-tape weekend. I've loaded up some of my favorite grade-school/Jr. High songs from the following albums:


Hall and Oats - Voices (1980)
This album had "Kiss On My List", and we used to skate to this and also play it at slumber parties. Totally cool to dance to, also. In your jammies.

Hall and Oats - Private Eyes (1981)
"Private Eyes" felt like a grown-up song to us. We used to sing it on the playground and the recess teachers would get mad. ???

The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat (1981)
This was my first record - I got it for my 9th birthday and my friend Julie and I memorized every lyric in every song, and made up dances too. We were so rad. What's funny is listening to this entire record, I heard definite nuances of X....

Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983)
Ha! Curt Hassebrock, who had that cool factor back in grade school before we knew what that was, would go around and sing "Domo Origato Mr. Robato" in music class and make the robot moves on us gals.

Survivor - Vital Signs (1984)
"High On You". Oh my. So dreamy. And what a great video!! Was played at the sock hops.

Journey - Escape (1981)
"Don't Stop Believin" and "Open Arms" were always on the radio. Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on Sunday's and in the car was where I heard it the most.

Asia - Asia (1981)
"Heat Of The Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell". Thank you Judd Apatow for bringing back these most awesome tunes in "The 40 Year Old Virgin". Ahhhh....

REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity (1981)
"Take It On The Run" and "Keep On Loving You" were great for couples skate. Even better when that hot older guy from Jr. High asked you to dance/skate. Man, those were the days!

Friendship

I've heard many times, from many different people, that you don't get to pick your family, but you get to pick your friends and that's what makes them so special.

I believe that. To mesh with someone so truly, and deeply, is such a gift.

I didn't attend my HS reunion this past weekend, and I've been checking out the pics. Everyone looked so good, obviously having a ball, and I wish I could have been there.

I started to think about the good times I had in high school with many of the those people:

- Shawn made sure that my 16th birthday was unforgettable - she threw a small party, the guys came over, we watched Eddie Murphy Delirious, ate and drank, and had a great time. I also remember that I "fell asleep" at one point, and I woke up on her bed and found a note next to me. It was the sweetest note, basically telling me that she was glad we were friends, and that she hoped it was the best birthday ever. It was great, thanks to her. And obviously unforgettable.

- I remember riding in Tanya's car, listening to Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It", just singing at the top of our lungs. She was very artistic, positive, and embraced life back then. It's obvious, in getting to reconnect with her via FB and seeing the pics, that she's still living life with the same ferocity and vibrance as she did 20 years ago.

- Steve is one of my oldest friends. I've known him since the 2nd grade, and he lived a few short blocks from me. I've never known him to do or say anything mean or negative to anyone, ever. One of those progressive, pure souls that remains intact as the years progress. One of those few, good men. Oh, and since his dad was a dentist, he always brought those pink tablets to school that helped clean your teeth. Very cool!

- Phil was a lot of fun back in high school. And even though I was so concentrated on getting one guy or another to notice me doesn't mean that I didn't notice what a good person he was. It doesn't seem that much has changed there - and he looks happy and content, which is exactly what I would wish for him now. And do.

- Jason P. was my prom date. What a gentleman. Neither he nor I were dating anyone at the time, so I guess is seemed like a good idea to go together. To get to know each other a bit better before the big night, he used to call me up and ask if I wanted to go for a walk. We lived close to each other, and we'd end up at his house in the basement, where his room was. He was very into lifting and heavy metal, and we'd talk for hours. Nothing ever came of it, but we did have a good time at the dance. Again, a true gentleman.

- I'd also known Jodi R. since 2nd grade. Always into sports and full of energy, we were in Bluebirds together, played softball and she never failed to do the right thing, in any situation. She still looks very full of energy, and I don't doubt that she still carries her glove everywhere she goes, ready for that pick-up game.

- Carter. Well, what can I say. Always the life of the party, and from the pics, that moniker remains true. Wondering what he won the trophy for?

These people, who I spend the better part of my childhood with, are now adults, such as I am. And while we are very different people now, we surely still possess many of the same traits we had back then. It would have been so interesting to catch up, and really see what's changed and what's remained the same about us all.

I will definitely be making my 25th - no doubt we'll all be even wiser by then, but will still let the crazy out!

My Hometown

As I won't be making my High School reunion this weekend, I've included a few interesting facts about my town.

You know you grew up in Dickinson, North Dakota if you...
- are proud to be a "Midget".
- were friends with "Titans".
- Scraped the outside AND inside of your windshield in winter.
- went to The River.
- made out at The River.
- passed out at The River.
- thought going to "the beach" was fun.
- rode your bike across town...in 15 minutes or less.
- planned a big vacation to Bismarck to go shopping.
- went to Regionals and don't remember going to games.
- had a season pass to Whitney Pool sewed to your suit.
- don't mind mosquitos much.
- worked at Bonanza or Hardees or Pizza Hut or Country Kitchen (didn't everyone?).
- thought eating at Bonanza was a special occassion.
- had a Cheese Amigo.
- Thought Sergios had great Mexican food.
- Read "The Beat" before anything else in the newspaper
- know what a beer garden is.
- pulled over on any random street to pee after the beer garden.
- avoided riding your bike up water tower hill.
- purposely rode your bike up water tower hill so you could coast down.
- went to the carnival everyday it was in town. EVERY DAY!
- had your birthday at Happy Joes, and got the Barn Burner.
- rented videos at Music Hut.
- trick or treated with a pillow case for 4 hours and pretty much hit every house.
- thought coming out of Patterson Lake all green was normal. (algae)
- shopped at Tempo or Vanity.
- had your after-the-game celebration at Pizza Hut.
- ate pizza at A & B's then went rollerskating. And stayed for Late Skate.
- hit both Taco John's in one day.
- went waterskiing in the day, played softball at night and went to Green River later.
- had to wear your parka underneath your Halloween Costume.
- went to both drive-ins in one night.
- called lunch "Dinner" and dinner "Supper".
- went to Wibaux to be "legal".
- listened to more AM radio than FM (Thanks Jody).
- helped your neighbor, because that's what neighbors do.
- never heard of soccer.
- had a late night breakfast at "The Ho" or "The Gon".
- took part in one of the Roughrider Days events.
- bought your PE uniform from Big Sky Athlete.
- cruised Main, I mean Villard,...did you even know "Main" was Villard until later in life?
- bought Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen before it was the Dairy Barn.
- sledded down Watertower Hill before they built houses and apartments on it.
- played pool at Classic Lanes.
- Rock-a-bowled at the Paragon.
- went to the stock car races with your whole family and knew at least half the drivers.
- listened to Swap Shop and Dialing for Dollars.
- went swimming at the Ramada Inn or Hospitality Inn when you weren't a guest there.
- before you partied at the Riv, you bought a couple six-packs so when the cops pulled you over and confiscated your beer, you were free to buy the real stuff and they'd let you go

Recollections Pt 2

I chatted with a good friend on the way home from work today. I grew up with her, and we got to talking about the shenanigans we got into during our youth.

Then I started to think about some of my favorite memories from growing up. Here are a few:

1. My aunt Deb was only 12 years older than my brother and I, and used to babysit us alot. She would play this "game" with us, which would bring us to giggles, but if you did this to a kid now, it might be considered torture. She would put one of us in a pillowcase, drag us around the house, up and down stairs, and ask us what room we were in. If we answered wrong, the dragging would continue. It was fun! And back then, teachers didn't question where bruises came from, so no worries.


2. I used to dress up in my grandma's Carol Burnett outfits (chiffon sleeves, pastel colors, 60's dresses), put on pairs of her long gloves, maybe a rain scarf (the plastic kind that tied under your chin), don some orange lipstick, and play fashion show. I looked a little like this.


3. We used to get on our bikes at sunrise, ride all over town, only coming home to eat, and would return just before dark so we could play kick the can. It was such an easy, freedom filled childhood, I feel sorry for kids these days. Not a care in the world.


4. My aunt Donna would take my brother and I to A&W for fries and root beer. There's nothing better than an A&W root beer poured from a tap directly at the restaurant. So good.

5. There used to be a show on NBC in 1987 about these orphan girls called "Rags To Riches". One night, my brother and I were sitting at the counter in the kitchen watching my mom make cookies and the show came on. The orphan girls started singing, "Rockin' Robin", and my mom started to sing and dance along with the tv. It was great! She knew all the words, and boy can my mom sing. My brother and I got the biggest kick out of that. I'll remember that always.

6. My uncle Don used to give all of the kids haircuts when we were toddlers. We would take turns sitting on a high kitchen stool in my grandparents driveway. I think that would be a funny sight to see today, a bunch of kids taking turns sitting on a stool in the driveway, but back then it was a normal thing to do.

7. I used to stay at my cousin Steph's house for sleep-overs, and her mom let us build the most amazing forts, both upstairs in the living room and also in the basement. We're talking rooms, hallways, every blanket, cushion, tv tray and crate in the house was used. We would sleep there also, and tell ghost stories. This would freak Steph's brother Troy out, and he would run upstairs crying and tell his parents we were mean. I guess we were mean. But it was fun.