Lollapalooza 20th Anniversary

This is only my second Lollapalooza but it was no less amazing then going for the first time.  The biggest difference besides the acts was this time I know what to expect and how to prepare a bit better!  This time at Lolla started out like the last.  I went down early to get my wrist band on Wednesday and then when Friday rolled around I just showed up.

Two Door Cinema Club

Day 1 started out by me meeting up with Katie for some Qdoba before Lolla and went to meet up with Tim at Young The Giant.  I must say they play a great set.  It had a lot of great energy and good sound.  I only knew their one hit but I really liked everything they played.  The three of us original 3-dayers moved down to the opposite end of the festival for The Naked and Famous and Delta Spirits and Foster the People.  Katie bailed on us and went to another show but we met up with my roomie Jana and her sister Erin for Foster the People.  After Foster Tim and I just hung out at the Sony Stage for White Lies and met up with my friend Nikki and her friend Heather for Two Door Cinema Club.  They absolutely rocked; they were my favorite show overall at Lollapalooza.

Heather, Myself, Tim, and Nikki at
Two Door Cinema Club

After Two Door Cinema Club myself, Tim, Nikki, and Heather found our friend Betsy and then met back up with Katie and we all grabbed some dinner.  Most of us went to Kuma's Corner (which I still not actually been to).  It took forever to get food there but we did end up eating.  I had the Neurosis Burger which is a pretzel roll with horseradish mayo, cheddar, swiss, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and onions.  I must say it was really tasty even if it was festival food.

Tim, Katie, and Nikki at Muse

After we had our food we all moved down to Bright Eyes and Ok Go.  Somewhere in there we all meet up with Heather's sister so our group grew a little bit bigger yet.  After Ok Go we parted ways for the night. Tim, Nikki, Katie, and I all went to Muse and Heather, Holly and Betsy went to Coldplay.  We only stayed at Muse for half of the show before we all split off.  Katie and Tim went to Girl Talk while Nikki and I and her friend Ryan moved down to Coldplay.  I was very happy with that choice because both shows were amazing.

Laser show at Coldplay

It was a great first day. I had so much energy left even though I had been dancing non stop since Two Door Cinema.  Nikki and I ended up heading to a friends house party for a hot second before going to grab a little more food at Pita Pit. It was the first time I have been to Pita Pit in about three years.

Myself and Nikki

Day 2 of Lolla started out earlier then the first.  I met up with Nikki at the train station around 11 after my roommate Beth and our friend Amanda cooked me breakfast!  Since we got to Lolla early Nikki and myself just wandered around.  We checked a few of the Lolla vendors like Toyota and got free bandannas as well as getting our picture in front of the light up Lollapalooza sign.

Shows that I wanted to see didn't start till 12:45 so we slowly made our way to Walk the Moon where we met up with Tim, his girlfriend Jenn and eventually Katie, Heather and Holly.  After Walk the Moon we all went over to Phantogram and then wandered to the opposite side of Grant Park to Maps & Atlases and Friendly Fires, followed by Black Lips before we started to branch apart and check out different shows.  Tim, Jenn, Heather, Holly and myself went and checked out The Green Street and grabbed some food there as well as some awesome cheese curds with a rhubarb romesco.  I had the largest salad I think I have ever purchased.  Even after splitting it with Heather there was still a whole salad left for anyone else that might want it.  The salad also came with a shot of Wheat Grass.  I had never had one before so I tried it and found it surprisingly sweet even though it tasted just like grass.

Everyone from Michigan before the Eminem Concert
Jenn, Ryan, Betsy, Nikki, and Myself

Everyone regrouped for Local Natives and we started out in the thick of the crowd but the heat was just so much that we decided to just go sit on the hill next to the stage and relax and listen to the music.  We all headed down to Cee Lo Green after he started his set.  He came out dressed as a Roman warrior in a kilt and body armor with spikes.  I was sadly not super impressed with his set, I had expected more energy.  This again was the time we split ways with Tim, Heather, Holly and myself leaving everyone else at the stage so they could get right up close for Eminem.  While they did that the four of us went and checked out Lykke Li.  I really like her and think she is awesome and I was happy I found some people that would go check her out with me!  After her set we returned back to the South end of the park for Eminem.  Even though I do really like him we had no desire to be way up front.  We picked a spot in the center of the field and I just had a blast.

Holly, Heather, and Tim at Eminem

I had every intention of making it to my friend Nagy's Partypalooza Saturday night but by the time I finally made it out of Lolla and home it was so late plus I had some friends staying the night with me so I ended up just hanging out with them and talking and catching up.  Heather had recommended a couple groups that were playing on Sunday that I might like so I ended up just listening to them and finding out that I really liked them alot.

The final day of Lolla, Day 3 started with a plan of meeting up at 10:50am with Nikki.  That however was not the case.  I ended up meeting Tim at Einstein Bagels at 11 before heading downtown to Grant Park.  It rained a lot over night and even into the morning so I knew it was going to be a muddy mess Sunday.  Tim and I wandered around a little before shows started at noon.  We started in the shade at the BMI Stage for The Kingston Springs before meeting up with Katie at Gold Motel.  The three of us moved over to watch The Fences for a while. We tried to catch the end of the Joy Formidables but they ended early so we didn't catch anything from them.  Our whole group met up after that and made plans for the rest of the day as we all were doing lots of wandering.  Tim and I left and went down to Ryan Bingham who is a bit more country rock than the rest of the Lolla lineup.  They put on a great show and really got into it.  I think one of the best parts of that show was when one of the guitarist was rocking out and went to jump up on the speaker and bit it and then just played it off and just kept on rocking!  Really made for a lot of fun.

Tim and I went and met back up with Heather, Holly and Nikki for the rest of day.  Tim and I made a quick pit stop for a snack and I had the fingerling from Franks 'N' Dawgs before we met back up at City and Colour.  They were really good but it was just so hot out that it kind of made it a little hard to get into it.  Little did we know this would be our last show in the heat for Sunday.  Once City and Colours finished Nikki left us and we moved over to the Google+ Stage in the shade for Lissie and then moved across the way to the BMI stage for Boy & Bear.  Both Lissie and Boy & Bear I had been listening to since the night before so some of their stuff I could recognize.  I really enjoy both of those groups alot.

Tim, Heather, and Myself

While we were at Boy & Bear the temperature dropped and the sun disappeared.  We left their show a little early to go get food before it was going to rain.  Ended up having the cheese curds again from Bonsoiree and also grabbed the falafel wrap from Goose Island.  This whole time it had just been very lightly drizzling but as soon as we were finishing our food the rain really started to come down.  We took cover under a large tree which worked for a while but eventually it was useless and we got soaked.  We had planned to go see Arctic Monkeys but since it was pouring we just stayed under the tree and ended up listening to Best Coast because they were playing on the stage behind us.

Myself, Holly, Heather, and Tim in front of the
double rainbow after it stopped raining

Once the rain finally stopped we just stayed where we were to wait for Manchester Orchestra to start.  While we were waiting we got to see a double rainbow!  This isn't as exciting as this guys double rainbow but it was still cool.  Everyone around us was all reciting lines from the Youtube video.  Once Manchester started Katie came to meet back up with us.  Turns out she had found a tree right next to us during the rain and we never knew it. Manchester put on a good show.  This was the third time I have seen them and I must say he looks very different when he is groomed.

Mud Wrestling during Manchester

So as you can imagine the rain that lasted about thirty to forty minutes made everything muddy and swamp like and since this is a music festival, you guessed it people went mud diving.  People were just dancing in the mud as well as wrestling.  The rain may have made us all uncomfortable and wet but I think it added to the level of energy.  After Manchester we made our way to the South fields which flood regularly regardless of what kind of festival or tournament is going on.  That field was absolutely destroyed.  People had turned the hill into a giant mud slide and you couldn't walk anywhere with out getting stuck in the mud.  I just took off my shoes and went barefoot which was so much easier.

Myself, Heather, Tim, and Holly in the downpour.

We found a spot that wasn't as much muddy as just soaked for Foo Fighters.  Just in front of us however was a huge mud pit where people were sliding and trying to knock over people walking through it.  Really at this point it didn't matter there was no coming back from being dirty.  Katie decided to join them and went and looked like she had a blast (see video below).  While we were watching Katie mud dive and listening to Foo Fighters another rain storm came.  This one was much shorter but I think stronger.  The rain drops were huge yet we didn't even both to move.  We just stood there and got even more soaked.  At some point you just have to say screw it, whatever.  I will say one of the best things I own is my water proof point and shoot.  It made for a lot of fun to play with in the rain.

The beginning of getting muddy

After about the first hour of Foo Fighters we were all a little curious about Deadmau5 playing back on the North stage.  I for one could have stayed a Foo Fighters all night but since Tim, Katie, Heather and Holly were all going I decided to join them.  We got to Deadmau5 and I just sort of stared.  So many lights and the smell of weed was so strong and people everywhere just dancing like crazy.  The five of us started to move our way into the thick of the crowd before Heather, Holly and myself stopped and let Tim and Katie keep moving their way in.  This was not my normal scene at all but it was great to just break out of my comfort bubble and just go with it.  I really had a lot of fun dancing and just stomping around in the mud.  This is the only time I can say I have walked around downtown Chicago in Grant Park barefoot and it really scared me alot that I might cut my foot open on something in the mud.

I am really happy with my three days of Lollapalooza and the old friends I got to hang out with and the new friends I made.  Overall, I still think I like Lolla better in 2009 but this was just as fun in different ways.  I hope to make it to another festival again next year.  I don't know if it will be Lolla again but I definitely want to go to another festival.  I really want to thank everyone I went with, Tim, Katie, Nikki, Heather and Holly for making this weekend so much fun!

Collection of things on my wrist by Sunday night

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Here is a video that I compiled from the weekend.  Be nice about the editing as this is the first time I have ever done anything like this before.  I welcome all tips and suggestions about this.

Note: I have not proof read this post.

Change your mind

It's Thursday night, the night before Lollapalooza starts and I find myself with a few major dilemmas.  Coldplay or Muse, Bright Eyes or A Perfect Circle? What should I wear? what should I be Packing?  Hell who am I actually going with?  I just had to do my 14 mile run mid week instead of on Saturday so I can enjoy the full 3 days of Lolla.  Right now I am listening to the Killers who I saw the last time I went to Lolla in 2009.  My ringtone has been Smile Like you Mean it ever sense and currently I am listening to Change Your Mind.  Great song!  Wouldn't it be nice if people actually told you if you stood a chance.  That was such a great experience!  I had no idea what to expect from Lolla and by day 3 I was so worn out and yet the Killers came out and played a kick ass show that I am still thinking of two years later.  They had a crazy stage set all done up in lights spelling out Killers and they had a firework curtain that came down all around them with sparks.  Just a very well put together act.  I made some really good friends that year and just had a blast.  

I have come along ways since then.  I no longer live in a high rise in the South Loop and I no longer work in the far South suburbs. Though I don't work in the city yet I atleast get to take the train everyday. That alone has helped me feel like I truly live in Chicago.  My car now just mostly sits parked on the street out in front of the brownstone I live in.  Some other things that have changed are the fact that the last Lolla I went to I probably weighed 210ish and now I weigh around 175 so I think moving to the North side has been a great idea.

The 3 Dayers, Tim, Myself, and Katie in 2009!

The last lolla I went to I had just moved here and didn't really know anyone yet and the people I did know were not going so I had to make friends. I went with a girl I had met once through her roommate and her neighbor Tim who lived up stairs who I had never met before.  Two years later Katie is one of my go to friends when ever I want to go do things. One of the best things we did was our urban hike.  We walked 6.5 miles in 22 inches of snow all over Chicago on snowpocalypse.  This year I will be going with Katie and Tim again that is assuming Katie gets a 3 day pass before tomorrow at noon.  I will also be going with Nicki as well as possibly a few others.  First of all I have to get through a half day of work in the morning before any of this fun can really begin.  See you all at Lolla

Hike during Snowpocalypse in Feb 2011 

Falling, Yes I am Falling and she keeps calling me back again

You know those weekends that are just so great that you wish they never ended.  Well this weekend was one of them.  It all started out on Friday when my sister flew into O'Hare from Wyoming on her way to a wedding up in Wisconsin.  I have not seen my sister since January for my dads 60th birthday so it was great to get to see her.  Her friend Dana (my pseudo sister) also joined us for lunch.  We went to this little Thai place called Golden Elephant and then went and hung out at McDonald's while we waited for their ride to take them to the wedding.  It was the first time I have just hung out in Rosemont which was a weird concept but it wasn't really about where we hung out it was with whom I was hanging out that mattered.

After that I returned to the city and went downtown to meet up with my friend Kathryn who came into town to visit with her friend Kristin.  Showed them around a little bit and grabbed a drink on a patio at a bar in the loop and just caught up and watched people walking by.  I met Kathryn back at MSU during Izzone Campout but have not seen her since I graduated college.  It was really great to get together and catch up; almost felt like it was only a couple weeks ago that I had last seen her.  We continued the evening after drinks to one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago.  We went to Twist up in Wrigley and one of Kathryn's other friends who lives in Chicago came to meet up with us for dinner.  I have been going to this place even before I lived in Chicago and I have shared this with lots of people.  I was kinda bummed to have to go home when we finished dinner, which is when the restaurant asked us nicely to leave because they were trying to close.  Not the first nor the last time that will happen to me at Twist.

Yoga in the Park

Kathryn, Myself, and Kristin at the beach

 I ended my Friday night a bit early so that I could get my 7 mile run in before it got hot out on Saturday.  Brittani and I grabbed our yoga mats and ran down to Millennium Park to do yoga and pilates after our run.  The sun kicked my ass but it was a great work out and its so nice to work out in the park.  The run was rough as well as the pilates (first time doing this) but I am glad I did it.  I was finished with my morning workout by 10am and had the whole day left to have fun.  I gathered my things and met back up with Kathryn and Kristin and continued to show them around Chicago a little bit more.  We went to Oak Street Beach first.  I had never been to this beach but it was quite nice though a little more crowded then I am used to and it also had a european feel to it.  I have always know there is a park right next to this beach but I have never explored that until now.  After we were done at the beach we wandered around Olive Park.  I think we saw 5 or 6 weddings all out there getting photos taken.  We felt a tad out of place because we know we were in the background but there wasn't really anywhere else for us to go and after all it is a public park so whatever.

Oak Street Beach

Living in Chicago I try avoid touristy areas but I must say this time didn't annoy me like I was afraid it would have.  We walked over to Navy Pier and purchased tickets for the Architecture Boat Tour and then wandered around weaving our way though people.  Kristin pointed out a Mexican restaurant I never even knew existed so we went up there and tried that.  We split the nachos and a pitcher of margaretta and enjoyed the afternoon overlooking the city while we waited for the tour to begin.  When it was time to go find our tour boat I felt like a tourist as much as the real tourist.  I was lost by the directions the guy gave us and I had no idea there were more docks outside of the gated area of Navy Pier. 

Wrigley and Tribune Tower

Marina City

Once we found the boat dock and boarded we started out on our architectural tour.  Everyone has told me this is a must do activity and since I have lived here over two and half years and never done this I left it was time.  I know a good amount about the history and architecture of Chicago so I wasn't sure if I would really learn much but to my surprise I did learn a few new things.   I personally think I could have given a better a tour even with out those few things I learned.  I did not know it was the railways that started the paying for airspace above the ground here in Chicago and that the building that stands on the site of Fort Dearborn was one of the winners of a design contest.  I was disappointed in the fact that there was no mention of the uniqueness of the bridge houses.  There are 30 some draw bridges in Chicago and each one has a bridge house that is built differently than any other on the river.  Overall the tour was really good and enjoyable and it was just a great day to be out of the water.

Architecture Tour

We took a little break for a while before we all met back up to go grab hot dogs and watch the fireworks at Navy Pier.  We found my go to vendor on the pier with the cheap drafts and we wandered down to the end where we found a spot to sit and watch the fireworks.  I forget how many great things Chicago offers that are free!  The firework show was pretty nice and had music playing in the background.  I can not recall if the fireworks went to the music, I assume so, but I'm not really sure.  After the fireworks were finished we headed back to their hotel and then out to Kate's place in Wicker Park and joined her for some wine of her rooftop.

Me, Kristin, and Kathryn after the fireworks

We would have been just fine staying at Kate's house drinking some wine but we decided it was a better idea to do shots and head over to Nick's Beergarden at 2am.  Once we were there what else are you going to drink but the $5 shot and a beer deal!  So after 2 of those and not even finishing the second beer I was a pretty happy kid.  The night was filled with dancing, singing along to songs, and hanging out with everyone.  Eventually we pulled our selves away from the bar to Jimmy Johns for some late night food before hopping on the blue line back to Kathryn and Kristin's hotel.  I hope everyone else on the blue line was drunk cause I am sure we were a little obnoxious judging from the pictures.  After I grabbed my stuff from their room and said good bye I headed home.  I got off the train at Belmont and I had a shadow.  Yup you know its a successful night when the sun is rising and you are just walking in to your house at 5:10 in the morning.

Me, Kristin, and Kathryn on the blueline home

Promontory Point

My body hates me and will not let me sleep past 10:30 ever so I got up and just said screw it.  I called up my friend Bri and went down to Hyde Park to visit her for the day.  I have never been to Hyde Park other then the Museum of Science and Industry so this was a first for me.  I really love exploring the city of Chicago and all that it offers.  I was very impressed with Hyde Park and its appearance.  There were lots of really nice parks and some unique looking shops and lots of friendly people.  There was a festival going on so we wandered through that for a bit before heading over to the beach.  I was most impressed by the beach that isn't really a beach.  It is on Promontory Point and its not really a beach at all.  It looks to be some sort of remains of a pier that is half submerged which makes for great access to the lake.  There were just so many laided back chill people down there enjoying the 90 degree day playing in the water.  Since this isn't a real beach there were lots of dogs around playing too.  I wish I could bring my dog down there he would have loved it.  This is a great place to grab a tube and just float around all afternoon or if you want to actually swim in water that is over your head where life guards are not yelling at you.

After my weekend and afternoon in Hyde Park I was pretty tired but my friend Rachel called me up and asked if I wanted to listen to the Paul McCartney concert from her rooftop so i went up and joined.  We got to listen to the first 5 or 6 songs before some creeper came up.  He was filming us and then asking my friend what unit she lived in and just all around a little sketchy so we ended our viewing and went inside.  I left shortly after and rode my bike home and went right under Wrigley Field.  While I was biking past Paul McCartney was playing "I've Just Seen A Face" which is probably my favorite Beatles song and now it has been stuck in my head and I just keep singing "falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again."  It was just one of those weekend I wish would never have ended but since it did end I hope that real soon I can have another weekend as awesome as this one was!  Thanks everyone who was involved it was really great!

Tiny

You know that tiny feeling you get when you wear a hoodie that is about three sizes too big for you, when you walk through a really oversized doorway, or when you walk along a trail in the woods with really tall trees towering over you?  Well I really love that feeling.  It brings on a certain feeling of humility.  So many times it seems that people think they are invincible and have a sense of entitlement.  Don’t get me wrong I am right there with them (especially at cross walks) but that is why I love this feeling.  It brings me back to reality and to the fact that I am vulnerable and without those around me I am nothing substantial to the world.  I alone make my own path that shapes my future but I have a responsibility to act with respect to others and to help those less fortunate along the way. 

I can move from Michigan to Pennsylvania and on to Chicago and it ultimately only affects me.  My moving around did not do anything to change what happens for anyone else.  At the same time that we are all alone we are all connected as well.  Moving into a new neighborhood adds you to a community.  You are still yourself and have the power to do what makes you happy but you also have a responsibility to leave whatever place you are in better then when you arrived.  Most of us make smart choices that better out lives but not everyone chooses as wisely and some people need a little help.  I am not saying everyone needs it or deserves it because there are some straight out nut jobs in the world that do not deserve our help.  I still refuse to give money to a homeless person on the street but I have no problem helping cook food at a homeless shelter.  There is a big difference between looking for a handout and looking for help.  The shelter I helped out at last winter and will be again helping at next month assists homeless people get past the hurdle that lead them to that lifestyle and get them back on their feet, independently.



Image from Postsecrets.com



So many of us get wrapped up in our daily life and forget these things that connect us all.  I saw this on my friends twitter and I really liked it and saved the image.  This image came from Post Script which is a site I had never heard of before.  This picture goes very well with this feeling of tiny that I love.  I had one of those moments this past weekend.  I was out on the boat on the lake with my neighbors and we shut off the engine and just floated.  It was so still and quite it just made me feel so tiny and that any issues I was having just melted away under the sunset and then the stars that came out.  We all need to remember that we are not the center of the world and that while we are alone we are all part of something bigger.  Just because we may be having a good day doesn’t mean the person next to us is.  Smile! It is the easiest way to make the world a better place.

Harry Potter

I was a late bloomer in terms of Harry Potter but do not let that sway you to think I am not one of the biggest fans out of my friends.  I might have been late, and by late I mean I didn't have a clue what Harry Potter was all about till the summer after my Sophomore year at Michigan State.  I had taken an additional summer job working as a pool monitor at IM West Outdoor Pool so I had lots of time to sit outdoors and be bored while collecting your money! 

I was not a reader at all at this point in life however I was a puzzle person so each day I would do the daily sodoku out of the State News.  As you can guess a sodoku puzzle takes up about 15 minutes out of a 4 hour shift so that didn't really solve the boredom issue.  A few friends suggested reading which at first I was like blah no way I hate reading.  I mentioned this to my sister who told me to read Harry Potter.  I gave it a shot once before.  I made it through Chapter 1 of the Sorcerer's Stone in about 3 months before I gave up but I figured what the hell that was a few years back lets try it again.  So I started out that summer at the pool with a second attempt of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone but skipping ahead to chapter 2 or 3 (I can't remember which one) to start.  It was a little slow at first but by the time I finished that I went straight on to the next and so on.  The series became and obsession; I finally was seeing what so many others were seeing.

Over the course of my junior year and into my senior year I read The Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire as well as watched all of the movies.  I was lucky and could borrow all the books from my sister.  I didn't purchase a book myself till The Half Blood Prince.  I was pretty disappointed in myself that it took me this long to get into this series and actually just reading as well.  Considering the first book was released in 1997 and the first movie in 2001 and I was just starting out in 2005 I was very late to the wizarding world.

By 2007 I was a huge fan and could talk Hogwarts, Muggles, Voldemort and Dumboldore with the rest.  Hell, I dressed up as Harry Potter for Halloween like 2 years in a row and you know I was a member of the Facebook group Fuck This...I'm Going To Hogwarts.  I think I really became a die hard fan when I was kicked out of the midnight showing of Goblet of Fire at NCG Cinemas.  Before I get into that story I should talk about how I got to that point.  I was still reading the book Goblet of Fire and talking about it with my friend Michelle.  We had decided to get tickets together for the midnight showing.  A few weeks later my roommates had asked me to get tickets with them but I turned them down as I was going to get them with Michelle.  Well someone ended up buying Michelle tickets as a gift so I was kinda left high and dry with no one to go with.  I talked to my roomies and I was just going to get a ticket and go with them.  I went over to NCG one afternoon to make this epic purchase as this is the first movie I have ever gone to a midnight showing for!  I talked to the lady at the desk and told her my situation about my roommates having tickets and I wanted to be able to sit with them.  She said that wouldn't be an issue, that the tickets work as a voucher system and you just get there with your group and turn them in and go into one of the available theatres.  I thought that's easy, sure, lets do this. So I made my purchase of a single ticket.

That faithful day of November 17th, 2005 arrived and I still had 3 chapters to read of the Goblet of Fire and the movie premier was quickly approaching.  I have a vivid memory of sitting on my bean bag chair in my room at 622 MAC scarfing down dinner and reading as fast as I could (I was still new to this whole reading thing so I wasn't very quick at the time).  My roommates were telling me it was time to leave and I still had just a few pages to go so I quickly finished that off and hopped in the car to the movie theater.  Now this is where things start to get really interesting.  So I drove us to the movie and we got out and went to get in line when we found out even numbered tickets are on the East side and odd numbered tickets are on the West side.  Everyone in my roommates group and Michelle and her friend were all even numbered and I was an odd number all by myself.  I kinda panicked for a second before deciding this should be a simple fix let me go and talk to the ticket people. 

While everyone got in line I went to get things situated.  The ticket person was useless and overwhelmed so I asked for the manager and he came right over and we talked.  The manager and I both started out very friendly and I explained how I had asked how the tickets worked and everything before I bought the ticket.  His response was I can't help you this has been our policy since day one.  Since that was not the answer I wanted to hear I restated the question and got the same response.  This went on for about 5 minutes of me finding a new way to rephrase my question and getting some variation of the same no response.  I was starting to get annoyed as was the manager so finally after getting a no response one too many times I go well clearly you are not a good manager if you can not get all of your employees to follow your rules and looks like me coming to this theatre just about every week since the day it opened means nothing guess I'll just have to start going to Celebration (NCG's rival) to get him really pissed off.  His response to that statement took me off guard a bit when he told me I could leave his theater and if I did not leave on my own he would have the police remove me.

As you can imagine by this point I was just pissed off for a number of reasons but I felt defeated and didn't know what else to do.  I walked back to my roommates in line to tell them what was going on and that since I drove to give me a call when the movie was over and I would come back and pick them up.  While I was talking to them the manager started walking toward me and I started to think I am really screwed now that I didn't leave fast enough or something.  As he approaches he starts to talk to me and to my huge surprise he is not still trying to kick me out.  Instead he is doing the complete opposite.  First he apologizes which I in turn do as well for calling him a bad manager and then he goes even a step further.  He offers to help me out and gives me a couple options.  Option 1 he has a VIP theater but can only fit 7 of us in that and our group was 13 or option 2 he will walk around with me and try to find someone in a similar spot to trade tickets with.  I elect for option 2 which took maybe 3 minutes to find.  Still not sure why he didn't just do that first instead of fighting and taking up 15 minutes of his time.

After that fiasco the movie went off with out an issue and I was able to watch The Goblet of Fire with all of my friends and enjoy it!  I don't think reading the book just hours before the film was a good idea but that is what it is.  Reading the book so close to the movie kind of kills the movie because one you already know what is going to happen and two the whole time you are comparing the movie to the book and as everyone knows the book is always better than the movie!

Since that point I have now seen the Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Part 1 all at Midnight.  I have never purchased a book at midnight but I think 8am when the store opens kinda counts.  I purchased Deathly Hallows at Toys R Us in Time Square the morning the book came out and they gave me an awesome glow in the dark poster which I framed and hung over my bed.  And then spent most of my day just reading in Central Park.

Friday at 12:01 AM I rounded out my Harry Potter Midnight showing experience.  I went with a few friends to Pequod's for dinner before heading across the street to Webster Place to watch the final movie in the book series.  While we were at Pequod's we took the Harry Potter quiz that was in the Red Eye which was incredibly hard.  The best part of that quiz was that it lead to very in-depth conversations about how things work and what is what as if it were real.  I really wish the Wizardling world was real!!!!

It is a very sad day as there is no longer anything to look forward to.  Perhaps I will just have to go back to the beginning and start over again.  Or perhaps the best thing I can do is make a trip to Orlando to the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.  And also there is Pottermore though I'm not entirely sure what that is but I also don't know what Google + is but what the hell I gave that a shot so I will do the same for Pottermore.

The movie I felt kept to the book very well.  I was pleased that I made it to the finally at midnight but I am very sad it is over.  This series has been such a part of my life.  I do not agree that is was shown in 3D however and I feel that those who go to see this movie in 3D are not true fans.  The beginning was not in 3D so neither should the end.  I have seen some movies in 3D and its cool if it is intended to be done in 3D like Alice in Wonderland or Avatar but this is a standard movie that gets 3D as a make more money gimmick.  The epilogue in the book was really good cause I could use my imagination and picture the scene but the movie did ruin that image for me.  Watch the movie and you will know what I am talking about.  The whole theatre burst out laughing at that point because it was horrible.  Good in concept but bad in execution.

Here is an awesome image of the timeline of the movies and books
http://codyrapol.com/~BigBangTheory/2011/06/Harry-Potter-Time-Line.jpg

Just some funny Shit

So we all know what gchat is.  If not then I feel sorry for you.  I think for most of us it is what helps us get through a day.  Well I have some friends that are bit more active then others in this category and well unbeknownst to them a lot of times I click on the links in their status bars (like most of them do, I presume, to my status bar).  Over time I have found some really funny stuff.  I have no idea where some of them come up with it but I figured we could all use a good laugh today so here are some fun links I have found via my friends.  Some of them I can remember why or how I found them while others are just a complete crap shoot to where they came from.  So enjoy!

This is the site I am currently reading which came courtesy of Theresa's gchat status so we can all thank her for this!
http://thebloggess.com/2011/06/and-thats-why-you-should-learn-to-pick-your-battles/
From this post I went off and read the about me and off to the regular home page and so far I just keep laughing!

This one isn't as funny as just really awesome.  My friend Karen had this posted one day and I think this guy is really sweet and very talented.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/18/time-lapse-milky-way-video_n_850607.html
Check his other stuff here: TESO Photography

Some other fun ones I have have come across while chatting with friends:
http://www.someecards.com/workplace-cards/id-be-much-more-into-this-project
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3vO-QiEGJ8

This one I came across myself and it also provides some funny stuff
Work Fails
Facebook Misspellings

And here is just a well known one damnyouautocorrect

There are so many more that I have been to but I just cant think of them right now.  So if you have some just add them to the comments!

Update:
So here a a couple additions.  One I dont know how I forgot. The Oatmeal! This is still one of my favorite posts from them.  How Twilight Works

This other one was triggered by a talk of how my friends bike was stolen today and she found this which is awesome!  This image comes from the site ihateyoubikethief.  Enjoy!!!! Missing Poster

Great Lakes Great Times

Every year my family spends atleast a week at the cottage and this year was no different.  I spent my 4th of July at the cottage in Houghton Lake.  Leaving Chicago Thursday night was a bit interesting.  I played in my last kickball game with Kick in a Box for the spring 2011 season.

Kick in a Box

Shot of lightning from the gas station in Indiana

After our game I left and started my drive to Michigan.  I did not make it very far before things got very intense.  I made it to the Kennedy and looked at the city which was almost black.  By the time I made it onto the Skyway I panicked and had to pull over because I was getting bombarded with dime sized hail.  I had no idea what to do so I just pulled over for about 10 minutes.  Which I think everyone else did too because I was only passed by 3 cars in that span of time.  After the hail subsided my drive was quite electrifying.  I have never seen so much lightning before.  Every second almost another flash.  By the time I pulled over to get gas the rain had stopped but it was still lightning.

Michigan State Capital

I worked from home Friday and did a couple store checks for my company.  Apparently I am the only one who has ever been to a Kroger store before.  After work I ran some errands and wandered around Lansing.  I went to lunch with my friend Whitney at Spotted Dog Cafe.  Since I still had some time in my meter after we finished lunch I ended up walking around Lansing taking some pictures.  I ended up walking through the Michigan State Capital.  I had not been inside the capital since I was probably 8 years old so it was all new to me.  It is a very impressive building with a lot of detail through out.

House of Represenatives

Dome of the capital

FJ's in a line

I also made a relaxing trip out to my old "office" where I worked in college.  I went out to visit my old boss at the MSU Sailing Center.  This was a great place to work and I miss the life style.  Since I worked there they have expanded into also doing canoes and kayaks.  This is a must visit spot in Lansing for recreation.  Growing up in Lansing I never knew about it which is a shame because it really is a true hidden gem in the area providing a place to learn skills that not everyone knows but anyone can learn if they just try.

Sky Lantern

Friday evening I made my way up to the cottage where I was able to get in a lot of water skiing and relaxing.  Well the relaxing was relative to the constant hanging out with the family, the neighbors, and playing yard games, board games, and water sports.  We set off a few sky lanterns which I think I had more fun taking pictures of my parents doing that then myself setting one off.  And of course it wouldn't be Northern Michigan with out a few games of Euchre and bon fires by the lake.

My family is big on sunset cruises so of course we went on quite a few over the span of the week I was there.  We also really enjoy our food and I helped cook a few dishes this time.  I tried fixed a few go to meals I know like Grilled Pizza and Capresse Salad but I also tried a new recipe for Green Chile Stew that I found online.

My Grandma

Playing Cornhole

Since it was the 4th of July we had to celebrate a bit right?  Well we ended up having most of the neighbors over at our place drinking through out the day and just enjoying the perfect weather.  I had purchased a few fireworks in Indiana on my drive home Thursday night and we set them off.  I only got the big sparkler fountains which have come a long ways since the last time we bought fireworks.  These lasted a long time and had some really cool effects.  One of the fountains was really large and actually came a little too close for comfort as it got really close to everyone watching with the spewing sparks.

Throughout the week we mostly just hung out and lounged on the tubes and went boating and golfing and just lots of hanging out.  I actually own my own boat.  Now before you start asking me why it isnt in Chicago and why I havnt invited everyone out on it know that it is a 1978 Hobie 16.  I do love that boat and it is all mine which isnt worth much but its still a lot of fun to sail.  Its also a lot of work so I don't really use it as much as I should.  I only ended up taking it out once this week but that was because we did not really have much wind.  The no wind was a bad thing for sailing but worked out to be a great thing for water skiing because it kept the water flat.  I am really happy I was able to water ski as much as I did.  Almost everytime I went I had perfect flat water to ski on.

Mom hitting out of the sand trap

Me Water Skiing

Nice putt Dad

Like every year we try to make a trip to somewhere in Michigan we havnt been in a long while.  This year we went to Tahquamenon Falls up in the UP.  My friend Denise came with us and we made a few stops along the way.  First we stopped in the Straits and took some pictures and then made our way across the Mackinaw Bridge to St Ignace to get pasties from Bessie's.  We continued further north and made a couple stops along the way at some road side parks before reaching the falls.  Went went to both the lower and upper falls.  Michigan really has a very impressive park system and there is just so much to see and its super super cheap and very unique.

A view of a view of the bridge

Best Pasties!!!

Me and my parents and Denise at Tahquamenon Falls

Lower Falls

Upper Falls

My Mom and Dad

Road side park at the Cut River Bridge

Mackinac Bridge at sunset

Overall this week was perfect however I do miss my sister being there.  Yes, I might fight with her but its just not as much fun with out her there.  Liss when are you moving back to the Midwest?

The Cottage in a new color

Hi Mom!

Captain Bob

My Parents are pretty good at landscaping