September 2008 Archives

My horoscope from Sunday:
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You're the kind of adventurer who is willing to sometimes go against the grain in order to experience what only a few people ever do. You're due for another one of your brave escapades.

(This is probably one of my favorite photos that I have ever taken)

***

Luckily insanity runs in my family.

On Saturday I had to work the Opening Night Gala and Opera Ball in Chicago from about 4pm to midnight. But the Krystal Square Off was on Sunday...in Chattanooga...and a 9.5 hour drive away...and Kobayashi would be eating this year...and it would only be televised on FSN South which no one I know gets... So what's a girl to do? Why, enlist her dad to pick her up from work and drive through the night of course! (In fairness to me I would never have asked him to do it, he offered!) Yes, my whole family is insane.

So my dad picked me up outside of the Hilton at midnight and drove 600 miles in the dark and fog while I slept in the back seat.

We arrived in Chattanooga around 11am (Eastern), just in time for me to grab a prime front row, center spot. Way better vantage point than for Nathan's! No Thunder Sticks in the way of my pics this time! (just photographers and videographers and judges...but that's to be expected.)

The Marshall Tucker Band kept the crowd entertained (in fact, I think there were a few people who came just to see them and left afterwards) and free Krystals were given out to curb my hunger. I got to meet Jamie and Sadie (The HungrySisters) who coincidentally sat right behind me. Actually probably not too coincidentally as they also surely wanted to be as far front and center as possible! But after reading each others' blogs, we finally got to meet! Sadie was even there to be a Bunnette for the day and got to hold up the counter card for Kobayashi!

Soon enough the contestants arrived to Ross's Landing on their boat and one by one were introduced to the cheering crowd. After they signed a few autographs they were whisked away and the show was about to begin!

First up was the amateur contest: teams of two took the stage to try to eat 12 Krystal burgers in the shortest amount of time. Ben and Brittany Griffith won the contest by eating 12 burgers the fastest...actually I think HE alone ate about 11 and a half or so of them in 12 minutes...

Badlands came out and performed a few of his awesome songs and then, again, the contestants were all introduced, this time taking the stage for the broadcast.

Cups were set up, filled with water or Kool-Aid or whatever liquid an eater decided they wanted to work with and to dunk their buns in. Pat Bertoletti, my favorite eater (he's a Chicagoan, I'm biased), always uses red juice of some sort that dyes his hands blood red as he eats.

Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut took center spots. Chestnut won last year, breaking the 100 barrier by eating 103. Kobayashi was the previous champion but a jaw injury that year had kept him away. The same jaw injury was blamed for his loss earlier in the year to Chestnut in hot dogs when Chestnut beat him for the first time. Since then he has lost to both Pat and Joey in chicken wings and to six others when he cut out of a turkey-eating contest mid bite due to the recurring injury. From that first time Chestnut did the unthinkable by taking Kobayashi down it seems like every contest is marked by the question, will this be Kobayashi's comeback? Just a week earlier he ate 89 Krystals, a record number amongst qualifiers.

To top that off, last year, Humble Bob Shoudt edged out Pat securing a second-place victory. This year, it could be anybody's game.

The countdown counted down and the clock started and mushed meat and bread made its way from box to mouth to stomach. It was hard to keep track of who was winning. Pat and Joey and Koby and Tim and Bob were all eating strong. Each one seeming to edge out or be close to edging out the competition. Slowly but surely Joey's rate increased and he took a lead, Pat and Kobayashi were close behind though and while it was clear who won when the clock went from one second to zero, second place wasn't so clear.

Behind Kobayashi the counter board displayed 86. Behind Joey 94. And behind Pat 86. Judges conferred, debris was examined, deductions were applied and everyone waited patiently for the results to be announced. And George Shea took the stage to announce the results.

In third place: Takeru Kobayashi with 84 Krystals.

In second place: Patrick Bertoletti with 85 Krystals.

And in first place: Joey Chestnut with 93 Krystals.

***

After the competition I hung around a bit. I FINALLY met Humble Bob, who last year after Krystals posted some of my pics to his website along with a request to meet me some day. I said hi to Pat, and while I was leaving he stopped me and gave me his Krystal counter board! And I finally got to meet Kobayashi!

And then my dad and I headed back to the car for another 9.5 hour drive. In all we ended up driving about 20 hours in 26 hours. Some people may call this stupidity. I choose to call it dedication.

Lots and lots of Krystal Square Off pictures here!

Recently I've been qualifying many of my adventures with the phrase "this may be the stupidest idea I've ever had." Well, let me tell you, this weekend I indeed had the stupidest plan yet and it's going to be very very hard to top...

****

Once upon a time in the far off land of Chicago there lived a princess. It was the night of the ball, which she could not miss. Unfortunately, her princes were not at the ball but 600 miles away preparing for battle the very next day. The princess was determined to fulfill her royal obligations to attend the ball but also desired to see her heroes perform. Could she dash away by midnight before her coach turned into a pumpkin...errr...in order to see a hamburger eating contest in Chattanooga?

So Saturday night was the Opening Night Gala and Opera Ball at Lyric. I, of course, had to work, but really I love it because it gives me a chance to get dressed up and when else in my life am I ever going to go to a ball?

My job throughout the night was to do videography, capture interviews, get some footage of people in ball gowns walking the red carpet and getting out of their limos, people dancing, and the Grand March when all the stars arrive to the ball.

After the gala we headed over to the Hilton for Opera Ball.

After a bit of filming we were free to enjoy the party! We had our first course of Smoked Duck Breast, Triangle of Clafoutis, and Petite Mache Salad and main course of Mustard Herbed Filet Mignon with Truffle Sauce, Potatoes Daphinois, Carrot Mousse, and Haricots Verts.

Unfortunately, midnight approached quickly so I had to dash out before the crème brulee was served, but I had a nine and a half hour drive ahead and a hamburger eating championship to get to...

Gala and Ball photos here!!!

Happy Birthday Nadia!

Nadia's Birthday celebration in 10 items or less...

1.Dinner at Macaroni Grill. I made my own pasta dish of penne with garlic cream sauce, parmesan crusted chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and caramelized onions. YUM. I'm glad I didn't go with the garlic cloves as the sauce was mighty garlicky already (although you can never have too much garlic).

2. Singing happy birthday in Italian :) And free cake :)

3. Bowling cosmic style. Cosmic style apparently synonymous with 80s hair metal.

4. Jen gave nad the cutest owl shaped oven mitt ever. EVER.

5. I lost the card I was going to give Nadia (and the New Kids ticket I bought her). Luckily I found it later, but I wasn't able to give it to her.

6. NKOTB playing on the cosmic bowl screen made me so psyched for next weekend!

7. Nadia does well at bowling on her birthday.

8. We tried to get Jen to stick with the score of 69 but she hit more pins and got 72.
Me: I don't think Adam can bend that way.
Jen: You'd be surprised.

9. Nine is for my nine pound ball that kept getting stuck in the ball machine thingy.

10.Power Rangers: Jungle Fever

Pictures here!!!

one.
Josh and I met up for dinner on Tuesday for dinner at Irish Times. I like that place because they play real Irish music and the people who work there are actually Irish. I ate Irish stew and bitched about my life. It's good when friends actually are there to listen when you need them.

We decided on a few things:
1. We're both getting Vespas and are scootering across the country. Mine is going to be pink.

2. We both had thought about buying the Cock Robin. I suggested we also buy the empty place next door and open Cock Robin After Dark (90210 anyone?). Although...that may sound a tad too much like a gay nightclub.

3. I agreed to hustle up the Hancock with him if he polar plunges with me.

two.
Speaking of 90210...Does it mean that I'm old that I relate more to the teachers relationships on 90210 than the students?

three.
In an example of just how fast technology changes...I'm reading a book on photography published in 2008. A line in it says "Because of the ways DSLRs operate, movies are beyond their capabilities." Both Nikon and Canon have just introduced DSLRs that are able to capture movies.

four.
I feel guilty when I get in an elevator and press a button for a floor lower than a person who got on before me.

five.
Jury duty has forced my rate of text messaging to go way up because I am desperate for outside human bonding throughout the day.

six.
I like foreign films because since I can't understand the dialogue anyways I don't have to turn the volume up to deafening levels just to hear it.

seven.
jeff: did you see Diving Bell?
me: no
jeff: you should add that to your netflix queue and put it at #1 it's beautiful and sad and amazing and unlike anything you have seen
me: it is on my netflix queue
jeff: make it #1 get it soon
me: i added it as #8
jeff: #1
me: #8!
jeff: 1,1,1,11,1,1
me: EIGHT!
jeff: lame
me: you should be happy I added it at all. I move movies up for no man.
jeff: cept me #1
me: i a couple of weeks it will be #1 :)
jeff: today
me: and hasn't anyone ever told you not to pressure girls once they say no :)
jeff: nope i always heard no means yes

That was well over a month ago and it finally made its way to number one and I finally watched it. I agree that it was an excellent film.

eight:
A guy stands outside of the Daley Center every day with this sign:

"Senator Obama Spare My One and Only Child For Me Please"
Honestly I have no idea what this sign means and whether it is pro- or anti-Obama.

nine:
I bought some expired film online. What came was film that doesn't expire until December. I emailed the company and they said "Yeah, the film you ordered is out of stock, so we just sent you that. The film you ordered was more expensive so we'll give you some credits for it." WTF?!?!?!

The concept of a bath is lost on me.

Yesterday, on lunch break from jury duty, after a stressful night, after a stressful morning, I decided to ditch out on going to work and go to Macys to stuff myself with Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. The last time I was in that particular Macys was during Lollapalooza when Lindsay dragged us along so she could stock up on her favorite Lush bath products. While eating my lunch I got the idea in my head that I should buy a bath bomb and that I should take a bath. Baths are supposed to be relaxing and I needed to relax. So I went to lush and bought myself one, it was powder green with flecks of purple flowers and smelled like a garden.

After jury duty, after ditching out on going to work, after dinner, I filled up a tub with warm water. When aptly full I dropped the bomb in and watched it fizzle like an Alka-Seltzer, dissolving, depositing a trail f flower petals and confetti and mesh objects and turning the water the color of Ecto-Cooler.

I stepped in, one foot at a time, into the too-hot water, watching my skin instantly go red. I immediately felt like a human tea bag. I contemplated what exactly you're supposed to do while "bathing" and just how long I had to sit submerged in water until I could justify that the $6 bath bomb had been appropriately cost-effective.

I thought maybe I could read, but in order to peruse my Martha Stewart Living without completely soaking it I had to hang out over the side and be almost completely out of the bathtub or hold the magazine so far above my head that my arms ached and my neck creaked and my eyes strained to read it. I gave up on that idea.

I thought maybe I'd just lay back and close my eyes which may have been a good idea if the bathtub was padded and my head wasn't resting in a soap dish with no where to look but down at my naked body and contemplate how much weight I've gained in the past four years.

I think I spent about ten minutes in the bath after ten minutes of filling it and before the ten minutes I spent wiping the tub of flower petals and tin confetti and cleaning the drain of flower petals and tin confetti. I figure that ten minutes is at least longer than it takes me to suck down a $5 pumpkin spice latte, so I guess the price point is about right.

I'll give Lindsay credit that watching the bomb dissolve was probably the most exciting moment of my day and it smelled and looked mighty pretty. But I don't know if I'm a bath girl. Or maybe I was just doing it wrong.

So, I'd been asking MK for the last two weeks if we could get ice cream together and talk. First, I needed a financial meeting because I was really upset when my funds dipped over $1,100. Second, I justified that this meeting should include him buying me a sundae to make up for him losing my money. And third, I've just been feeling generally shitty about a lot of things lately and just really wanted someone to talk to and a shoulder to cry on. So for two weeks I've been asking for ice cream and he always said he was busy. Last night he finally sent me a text saying I could come by if I wanted to go get some.

So I drove to his place and was greeted at the door by his friend Scott. And then Ken gave me a hug because he said I looked as if I needed one. Matt left to the other room to go play the piano and when I said "let's go get ice cream" he said "We have to wait for Ken to be ready." So I went in the other room and sat around and finally Scott came by and said "We're ready to go get ice cream, come on."

So I get up and go to my car and drive away. I was just fucking pissed. I'd been miserable lately and had been trying for two weeks to talk to a friend and then when I finally get him to make time for me he invites others along and basically ignores me. I had tried to make plans with him because I needed someone to talk to and because I needed a financial meeting. Adding others to the mix was not what I needed.

So I got in my car and drove away and ended up in a parking lot a few blocks away sitting and crying for half an hour because I couldn't drive home like that and because I was kind of hoping MK would call me back to talk after his initial "So...you don't want ice cream?" text when he realized I was gone. I didn't hear back from him though (despite texting him back and trying to call him twice).

So I know I shouldn't run away every time I get upset but sometimes I know that it will just make me feel worse to stay. I called Jeff from the parking lot because I needed someone to talk to and he at least assured me that it's better than being somewhere you don't want to be.

And yeah, I know I'm emotional and a bitch and completely overreact to things. But I don't think it's too much to ask to have a friend who actually wants to hang out without always inviting others or is actually willing to listen to you or help you when you're feeling depressed.

I still want ice cream.

15 minutes into Season 5 of 24 and already way too many of the good characters are dead. :-( And I'm already crying over one of the characters who I know is going to die later in the season :'(

When I run out of clothes to wear I should stop buying new ones and just do laundry instead.

I wonder how many nose studs are lodged in my brain.

Plan for next weekend: Go to Opening Night Gala and Opera Ball in Chicago on Saturday. My dad is going to pick me up at midnight downtown. Then we're driving to Chattanooga (9.5 hour drive) to go see Kobayashi eat a bunch of hamburgers Sunday afternoon. Then we turn right around and drive back (9.5 hour drive). Then I go to court Monday morning.

You know a camera is good quality when the instructions include "use electrical tape to hold the batteries in place"

Friday I got back to work around 5:30. Luckily my coworkers were still there drinking. My boss kept filling my glass with whiskey. I felt pretty drunk by 7:30 when I left and went home and fell asleep at 9:30.

Saturday I met up with Alina and Joe and Heather and Kelly to grab some Gino's East. Note to self: the slab sausage pizza is way too much sausage. The spinach pizza was tasty though. So were the spinach sticks which were kind of like cheese sticks but with spinach instead of cheese. Then we went to Martini Park to see Daily Special perform. JoeJoe knows some of them from college. They were pretty awesome because they play a lot of 80s covers. Despite looking classy the bar was pretty skeezy because there were old men grinding up on young women. My peach bellini was tasty though.

'cause we all have wings. But some of us don't know why

I liked the Rules of Attraction the first time I saw it. But after reading the book the movie was horrid.

Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream doesn't make everything feel better. But it helps. It would help more if the person who promised me ice cream to actually follow through. It sucks to feel like not only a second-rate client to someone but also a second-rate friend.

My photos were not in the magazine they could have been in.

Last night my financial panther (happy Ron?) threw a wine tasting. I needed wine. Then I kind of got to see his new place but I really only saw two rooms.

Ummm, that was really the last thing i expected...I don't know if I can listen to it.

1. Sometimes life goes from bad to worse. I had jury duty today and was selected to serve on a jury that is set to last about THREE WEEKS. And it's right in the middle of opening night at work. My boss is going to be pissed. And in light of some of the problems I've bitched to some of you about you can see that this is one of the worst things that could happen at this point.

2. Despite the fact that I'm pissy about jury duty I also have a major problem in life with people who think they are better than everyone else and that their time is more important than anyone else's. Like when I am driving I hate the people who speed and cut you off and don't care if you have to stop as long as they don't have to. I kind of felt the same way in the jury room. I could have lied or said the right things to get out of it, but everyone in this country does have the right to a fair trial. And if they think I am the best person to help decide on someone's fate, so be it.

3. I guess that is all I can say for now. I'll report back in three weeks...

4. I saw this ad on the el. It's scary:

5. Why I am voting for Obama. It's even more pertinent of an issue than Hillary's stand on American Idol.

6. Sunday night I met up with Joelina for dinner. Got me some yummy crab cake sliders at Fox and Hound and we all shared a cookie. JoeJoe sat by me because he likes me more than he likes Alina. OK, so maybe it was because he likes the White Sox more than he likes Alina. Details. After dinner Alina and I played guitar hero. I don't think I will ever be able to play it on medium. Damn blue key. Joe interrupted us by putting on the end of the Cubs game. Apparently a no hitter is a big deal?

7. Scotty was in town so Monday was Froggy night. Alina ordered drinks for herself. There was a really sloppy football game on TV. Every time I looked up someone was dropping the ball. I beat up MK because he was losing all my money. Scott was tall.

Weekend in Champaign in 10 items or less

1. Alkaline Trio makes me happy.

2. Blind Pig totally had a mace attached to the wall just with little nail. Seriously good to know if there is ever a bar fight. And no, not the kind that sprays ;-)

3. Put a jigsaw puzzle in front of my and I will make some major progress.

4. If I see something on food network I will inevitably crave it.

5. Pushing Daisies is apparently an awesome show. Made of Honor was not an awesome movie.

6. Rock Band is awesome. Until Lindsay breaks the foot peddle in half. I like singing. I think that is the only game I have ever played on "medium" skill level. I also noticed I sang about four times as loud as everyone else did. It's called projection people.

7. Whiskey Sours are my tranny juice (or tranberry cocktail) because Whiskey is a little bit manly and sour is a little bit girly

8. I forgot how delicious pokey sticks are at 3am

9. Lindsay's always promising me drunken debauchery and wild nights...then we're always too tired to follow through.

10. Hurricanes=record rains=flooding=horrible drive home=missing the jalapeno-eating contest :(

1. Pumpkin Spice lattes are back. This is bad because it means fall is here. This is good becuase they are so yummy. This is bad because I spend too much money on them.

2. I miss this:

3. Seriously, what else could be wrong about my life right now?

1. I went to visit two men in a hotel room last night. Use your imagination.

2. In case you have no imagination I went to visit Sid and the guy he works with in their hotel room. I brought them brownies. We watched Wipeout. It was funny.

3. Apparently the last guy I actually dated is engaged.

4. Not that that bothers me in the he's getting married way or why not me way (I actually think they make quite the perfect couple and am very happy for them). More just in the I seriously need someone in my life kind of way.

5. TV has pretty much ruined me because all these shows show all these cute couples getting together and being all cute. I want to be cute with someone. Maybe I just need to stop watching the CW.

6. I am having a terrible week. I just don't know what to do about it. At least Lindsay and James will be happy that I am sure to be "fun Val" this weekend. Although I don't think drinking actually makes me fun. I think it makes me Pukeahontas (Dear Sid, thanks for reminding me of that nickname you gave me)

7. Reactions to my brownies at work:
- Magda and Emily (said they) loved them.
- Mary said she was a vegetarian and Jack said he's on a diet.
- I think Ron thinks I am weird. He thought that before though.
- Eric is mad at me because he was on the phone so I just left one on his desk without telling him what it was. He did not like it.
- Christian thinks bacon goes with everything and sent me this.

Val's Special Pink Piggy Brownies

Ingredients:
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
6 slice of maple bacon, cooked crisp and crumpled into small pieces
Frosting (see recipe below)

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish, preferably glass.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Heat, stirring often, until melted, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. Stir in the chips and bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out almost completely clean, about 30 minutes (longer if using a metal pan). Do not overbake. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Frost and cut into squares.

Pink Piggy Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 drops pink food coloring

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter and continue to beat for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until smooth and no lumps of sugar are visible. Add the vanilla and food coloring and beat until combined.

I still can't tell if this is delicious or disgusting. The frosting was kind of melty though and that made it really messy. It was definitely one of those things where you don't really realize that there is bacon in it until you pick something out of your teeth later and think, hmmm...where'd that come from?

Eric: if i know you, which i dont, you will be wearing pink
(I love how people who don't know me know me so well)

***

Val: What do you want on your cake?
Jen: How about babies playing football. I know you can make a football cake.
(I love the confidence my sister has in my ability to decorate a cake)

***

My sister threw her annual tea party today. I say annual but I think it's actually been a couple of years since she's had one.

The invitation said for everyone to wear hats so I showed up wearing a pretty pink winter hat.

At least it matched my outfit. Jen gave me a different hat to wear and I wore it sideways because it looked better, I could see better, and I looked a little less holly hobby.

There was a lot of food and a lot of tea. By lots of food I mean lots of food. Aren't tea parties supposed to be dainty?

And the dog was there. And a kid who stole Jennifer's camera and I'm sure took many lovely photos of the dog. She kept giving me Jen's film camera and asking if I could show her the pictures. Ah generation gap.

More tea party photos here!

1. A guy in line at the bank asked me if I had just gotten back from delivering newspapers. Apparently my purse looks like a newspaper carrier.

2. I hate the Cubs even more. 90210 the New Class was supposed to premier uesday at 7. Because of a Cubs game it was pushed back to 10:30. Because the game went over time it didn't premiere until after midnight. And my VCR doesn't work so I stayed up till 2 watching the premiere on Tuesday. It wasn't until 1:30 that they started showing a banner that they would rerun it at a decent time later int he week :( Over all the show was crappy but I liked it, because I only like crappy TV.

3.
MK (11:54pm Thursday, online): You could come over.
Val: OK, I'll come over.

Val (calling from in front of his place, 12:20am): I'm here let me in.
MK: Wait, you're actually here?
Val: What part of "OK, I'm coming over" did you not understand?

4. I shot a party at a swank condo in the sky. It seriously had a balcony with a wrap-around garden on the 26th floor. This was the view:

5. Tonight was Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park. I went around filming interviews and the concert. Natalie Dessay was amazing. Maybe I'll be able to post some video some time. My arm is really tired from holding a video camera up the entire time. A couple of photos I managed to get:



And of course, I can't go near the Bean or Crown Fountain without taking photos:

I totally forgot to tell you all the wonderful things I learned about Black Pickle on day 3! First Emily was opening my center console and accidentally pushed the top forward. She thought she broke it but then we discovered that the console turns into an arm rest! Who knew?

Later I was in Glen's car (we have the same car) and I asked him if the little dial that I play with all the time but doesn't do anything does anything. Apparently it does. It turns the lights on the dashboard of the car brighter or dimmer. Who knew? I guess I never played with it in the dark. But in retrospect I do recall that every once in a while I'd turn the headlights on and think that the dashboard was either brighter or dimmer than I remember it being...

Anyways. Day 4 we woke up bright and early, bid adieu to Glen and stopped at the Kum & Go for gas. Yes, it's called Kum & Go. And when I paid the guy at the counter said "sorry you had to kum and go so soon." Brilliant. Oh, and not so Brilliant I totally tried to exit where there was no exit and crashed into the bumper. It was early OK. Val=dumb blonde.

Spider Made Out of a Volkswagen
Avoca, IA
Since everything we did apparently involved cars, why not a stop to see a giant spider made out of a Volkswagen?

10-Foot-Tall Rotating Ear of Corn
Coon Rapids, IA
You know what's awesome? Giant corn. You know what's even awesomer? When giant corn rotates.

I even took a video of this one so you can see it rotating:

As we drive on I hit another milestone: 20,000 miles on black pickle!

WOOHOO!!!

World's Largest Truck Stop
Walcott, IA
As our last stop and our last stop for gas on our zany road trip where else COULD you go but the World's Largest Truck Stop? It has gas and food and shopping and a nap room and a barber shop and all kinds of stuff. It even had VHS tapes on sale. Crazy!
Oh, I also managed to try to drive out of the gas station with my soda cup still on the roof. Oops. Luckily some people stopped my car to tell me...

And with that one last stop we left Iowa and headed on home. I had tons of fun and was happy I had Emily along for the ride. I hope she had fun too (even with my dumb blondeness)! She said she would write a guest blog to explain her side of things. Maybe you'll see that...

p.s. I took way more photos but haven't had a chance to format them all yet. I'll let you know when I do!

Sunday we woke up early and grabbed a continental breakfast and checked out and hit the road. You know you're in the middle of nowhere Nebraska when the roadside attraction that is first on your list is also first on the list of "things to do in the area" section of the Days Inn Guide...

Carhenge
Alliance, NE
So you know that thing in England? You know that thing where all those rocks are laid in a circle on top of each other? Yeah, that was totally based off of carhenge. And carhenge kind of totally rocks.



There were also a bunch of other car and random art things around it.

And then I drove. A lot of driving. There was so much driving for so long that I had to let Flopsy take over for a bit

World's Largest Porch Swing
Hebron, NE
I don't know about you, but when I heard that there was a world's largest porch swing I was kind of imagining an Edith-Ann like wonderment in the sky. Something to the likes of:

I guess I was therefore a little disappointed when instead of that I got this:

But it was still pretty awesome. And holds like 16 people or 24 children. And probably a couple thousand Flopsies.

World's Largest Time Capsule
Seward, NE
This is the world's largest time capsule. There is a Chevy Vega buried in there. It was buried in 1975 and is to be opened in 2025. The pyramid on top of the time capsule was built in 1983 and contains another car.

After stopping at the time capsule we headed over to Omaha to meet up with Glen. Read: free night's stay. Unfortunately I am a dumb blonde and transposed some of the numbers in his address and we wound up at the wrong place. For the record, Glen does not live in a tree. We finally found his place though. So we caught up with Glen and went for dinner to Romeo's Mexican Food and Pizza. Because, well, it was a Mexican food and pizza place. How can you go wrong?

Saturday we woke up early and grabbed a continental breakfast and checked out and hit the road. We decided to bypass a few things and just drive to the big stuff as we still had a few hours to go. The drive was breathtakingly beautiful and allowed the freedom of me going somewhere between eighty-five and a hundred the whole way. I don't know if they planned it this way or not but as you're driving westward on I-90 and see an overpass bridge and the mountains are behind it and slowly reveal more and more of themselves until it's all you see.

We stopped at a Sinclair Station for gas and said hello to their dinosaur.

And stopped at a "scenic overlook" that didn't really overlook anything.

Wall Drug Store
Wall, SD
So if you've driven westward on I-90 you probably know what Wall Drug is. OK, so you might still not know what it is but you damn well know that it exists. And how can you not go somewhere that advertises for hundreds of miles with sign after sign after sign? So after nearly killing my car on a pothole and parking we headed in to the tourist trap of all tourist traps! Basically Wall Drug is a big store. They have souvenirs. I got a pressed penny (I collect them), a shot glass, and the cutest little stuffed jackalope ever! His name is Flopsy. Add him as a facebook friend. Wall Drug also has touristy things you can take your picture with and jackalopes galore and a chicken machine.

Men Made from Tires
Rapid City, SD
After Wall Drug it was on to Rapid City, which was kind of a mecca of cheesybreezyness. First up were some tiremen in front of a tire store.

Dinosaur Park
Rapid City, SD
Dinosaur Park is kind of like the movie Jurassic Park, but much cooler. It is on a mountain and has dinosaurs! They are GREEN! And it has a store that has a 99cent hot dog and soda combo. Yum lunch!

Storybook Island
Rapid City, SD
Storybook Island is a park that is full of fairy tale and storybook statues. You can totally tell the difference between the old statues that have been there forever and the newer ones (hint: Disneyized). As a faerie myself it was a fun site to check out.

Cosmos Mystery Area
Rapid City, SD
Cosmos mystery area is a phenomenon of a place where balls roll up and gravity seems to be out of whack. We watched as a ball rolled and water flowed upwards on a ledge. And we walked into the house and were instantly dizzily stood sideways in the shack and stood on the walls. As much as I love these silly mystery spots, I also pretty much don't believe in them at all. Emily is insistent that it is real. I am insistent that everything is built on angles and is an optical illusion. Take for instance these photos of the ball rolling up.

Now look at this photo tilted so that the boy is standing straight and not on the "fucked up gravity" angle.

See, the ledge is actually pointing downwards. Val=smart. Don't get me wrong though, I'd visit every mystery area in the world and still have fun.

Mount Rushmore
Keystone, SD
Finally halfway through Saturday we made it to our ultimate destination: Mount Rushmore! It really was awesome to see it up close. We hung around and took a little walk with a park ranger who told us more about the history of the monument. And then we got presidential sodas. Because they make presidential sodas. I had Martin Van Buren strawberry.

After Mount Rushmore Em and I headed over to Flintstone's Bedrock City campsite to set up camp for the night. We checked into our Flintstones-themes campsite and tried to set up tent but it was way windy and we didn't have everything we needed to properly secure the tent down. So after a bit of debate Em and I discussed it and decided that we should just ditch out and continue driving and find a hotel room instead.

Chief Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse, SD
Before leaving South Dakota we stopped at Crazy Horse, which is a huge memorial that is still in the works. They've been building it for 50 years and still have 50 to go. It's actually pretty cool and pretty huge and is funded privately and through money spent to get in and in the gift shop. We watched a video that showed how it was made and is being made and it was neat because at first it was entirely done by hand.

After Crazy Horse we took off for Nebraska in probably the most backwards fashion ever. But we passed buffalo roaming and managed to get someone else pulled over :-)

We drove finally made it to Nebraska and drive until we saw lights. We pulled off into Chadron, Nebraska and stopped off at some diner to get food. They totally had rocky mountain oysters on the menu. I did not order them though because they surely would have made me sick.

After we ate we went around looking for a hotel room for the night. No place had any rooms at all despite the fact that they had no cars in their lots. The Super 8 had a room that was out of commission that they could move the furniture back into, a jacuzzi suite they tried to sell us, and three really really creepy looking men at the front desk. We decided to pass and drive an hour more to Alliance.

There we checked into a Days Inn and were given a room that had all the towels used, ice in the ice bucket, and a used bar of soap. We didn't care though because it was late and we needed sleep. What we did care about though was the damned air conditioner that made a buzzing sound all night and kept waking us up...

Friday morning I ditched work for the last time all summer, woke up even earlier than I would have if I had gone to work, cut myself shaving, bled all over the place, cleaned up the blood that got all over everything, packed up black pickle with way too much crap, and was off only twenty minutes late to pick up Emily. That is Emily the person, not Emily the electronic device, mind you.

So we were on the road by 7:30am, which was not too shabby as we had 2,300 miles to drive and our first stop was 2 hours away...

Bessie the Cow
Janesville, WI
Our first stop was Bessie. Bessie is a giant cow and lives in front of a Del Taco.

Mousehouse Cheesehaus
Windsor, WI
How can you not stop at a place called Mousehouse Cheesehaus? Especially one that has a giant mouse on its roof. Em and I got some cheese curds there that were yummy but didn't squeak. I've decided that I have to use the phrase Mousehouse Cheesehaus more often in every day conversation because it is pretty fun to say.

Sissy the Cow
DeForest, WI
Sissy the cow is another giant cow. She sits in front of another cheesehouse. There is a speaker in her jaw because I guess she used to be a talking cow, but she doesn't talk anymore.

Pink Elephant
DeForest, WI
Down the street from the big cow is a big pink elephant. A big pink elephant that wears glasses. Val likes things that are pink!

Forevertron
North Freedom, WI
So we pull up to this shack of a surplus store and Emily is certain I have the wrong place. But I am certain we do not. So we go into the store and she asks a guy where the stuff is and he points us out back. Behind piles and piles of junk, we see it: the Forevertron! It's a huge scrap-metal alien landscape of space-age sculpture. Pretty darn cool. We also saw some pretty scary-looking dentistry chairs and such. Kind of creepy.

Giant Mouse with Cheese
Oakdale, WI
You can't go wrong stopping at another big mouse!

Tastee Treet
Sparta, WI
By this point we were pretty darn hungry and wanted to stop at somewhere more local. I guess local doesn't always=good. I waited ten minutes as the only guy working there made Emily's food and then made my corn dog. And then my corn dog came frozen on the inside and goopy on the outside. I couldn't eat it.

World's Largest Bicyclist
Sparta, WI
We apparently drove past this several times looking for it before we actually found it. It's a giant fiberglass bicyclist. It talks too and tells you all about the town!

FAST: The Fiberglass Statue Factory
Sparta, WI
This was one of the coolest places ever! It is a factory that makes fiberglass statues. They just keep everything outside though so you can see them in various stages. It looked like a huge massacred graveyard of fiberglass statues.

World's Largest Six-Pack
La Crosse, WI
I thought Emily would appreciate me adding this one to the itinerary. I was correct. They fashioned the big things beer is held in into a huge six-pack. How cool?

Culvert Man
Nodine, MN
And we made it to Minnesota! This is a big corrugated metal man!

Next up we wanted to go to the Spam Museum, but it was a bit too far to get to on time. Alas, some other time :(

Sprout, Jolly Green Giant's bud
Blue Earth, MN
We stopped off the highway to fill up black pickle at a gas station. The gas station had a little green sprout with beer and pizza pie!

Jolly Green Giant Statue
Blue Earth, MN
I'm not exactly sure if Blue Earth has anything to do with the Jolly Green Giant other than the fact that they have a pretty kick-ass statue of it. But they have a huge statue of it.

Tiny Church
Luverne, MN
So we went in search of this tiny church. What if God Was One of Us led us there. It was pretty tiny. I looked at the door and declared that I was kind of afraid to check if it was open or not. I thought either an alarm would sound if it wasn't or that a rabid squirrel or a bear or a ghost would jump out if it was. I slowly turned the handle and it opened. There were no bears or ghosts but there were free bibles for the taking.

Concrete Outline of USS South Dakota
Sioux Falls, SD
The town salvaged pieces of a battleship and arranged them as they would be if the battleship was in one piece.

Muffler Man - Mr. Bendo
Sioux Falls, SD
You can't have a road trip without finding a muffler man. So we went to see this one.

After that we drove another hour or so to Mitchell where we found a Super 8 and totally crashed. We needed a good night's sleep to prepare for another day of searching out roadside attractions...

I have this photo. It's a picture of Mount Rushmore with a face missing that my grandparents took a very long time ago while it was still under construction. It's my favorite photograph that I own.

I'd never seen the monument in person, so, as I happened to have a four-day weekend over Labor Day I decided that it was the perfect time to pack up black pickle and head on over to South Dakota. Em and I took off on Friday morning and by Saturday afternoon we were standing in front of the carved Black-Hills Mountain and four complete presidential faces.

While there we also went to see Crazy Horse, which is another monument that's been in the works for 50 years and still has 50 years to go. Who knows, maybe some day my grandkids will find this photo and be inspired to take off on a roadtrip of their own.

Our road trip was totally mousehousecheesehaus (read: awesome) and full of fun roadside attractions, monuments, and plenty of blondo moments. Recap to come...as soon, of course, as I go through all my photos...

Ooooo...I somehow managed to have my most pointiest month yet!

9. Order Room service (2)
Done...wasn't really my plan, but I needed food.

10. Get my hair cut more than once (1)
I think this is the first time I've gotten my hair cut more than once in a year in a long long time.

12. Crazy Fun Road Trip of another state (4)
Crazy fun road trip of FIVE other states!

44. Learn photography for real (5)
I signed up for a photo class. Starts this month!

61. Watch all the seasons of 24 (3)
I finished season 4. Two more seasons to go!

62. See 5 Dario Argento films (2)
I watched Phenomena and Tenebre! That brings me to five!

63. Watch 5 Bond movies (2)
I watched one, Goldeneye, with MK. We should watch more.

64. Watch all the Indiana Jones movies (I have honestly never seen a one of them) (2)
Watched all of them, including the newest!

76. Go camping (3)
Yeah, didn't happpen.

94. Superdawg (3)
Josh and I got our dawg on.

110. See a concert (a real concert) (0.5)
This was already crossed off...but I think I deserve extra credit for going to Lolla!

August total: 14.5
July total: 10
June total: 3.5
May total: 13
April total: 0
March total: 1
February total: 5
January total: 13
Total Points: 60