U2 2009

Anyone that knows me, knows my love (ok, obsession) with all things U2. So, last night's stop of their 360 degree tour in Houston, has been a much-anticipated event since BFF bought our tickets back in May. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. They were so awesome! This was my fifth time to see them, and each time I wonder "can they be as good as last time? " and each time U2 kicks ass and the answer is a resounding "Yes!"

The building where I work shares a fence with Reliant Stadium, so I have been as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve since I saw the hundred trucks carrying the stage set-up pull into the Reliant parking lot Tuesday morning. It is said to be the biggest stage set in concert history, and it was truly a vision to behold. I can only imagine what Bono and the boys dream about at night to come up with that crazy claw contraption. So, ever since I saw those trucks pull up, and then when I saw chron.com report on the band's trip to NASA with their kids the day before the show, BFF and I wondered "what do they do all day the day of the show? Where do they go? Where do they eat?" We're nosey like that.

I get why they called it the 360 tour, with the band wandering around the entire claw during songs, but I personally think it should have been called the "Thank You" Tour. I've never been to a show that sounded so much like the liner notes on a c.d. (remember those, before we bought all of our music online?). Bono thanked NASA (repeatedly) for help with the tour's space theme and the visit the day before. He thanked the crew (who deserve it for setting up and un-setting up the claw every couple of days), he thanked the tour's sponsors (Blackberry, which made their love for U2 well known around the stadium), and he thanked the fans and other members of his band.

But my favorite thank you, was his unique "classic band shout-out to the city where we're playing tonight." He shouted "Houston, Texas!" And the crowd roared. And then he followed it up with, "Harris County!" Huh? And then "Sugarland!" ??? Followed by "Baytown!" Really? I don't think I've ever heard any band that I've ever seen give a shout-out to Baytown, and this includes when I saw Lollapalooza at the Baytown RaceWay Park. BFF and I were giggling wondering what suburb Bono was going to give a shout-out to next. And then BFF turns to me, with her usual quick-wit, and goes "I guess now we know what they did today. They bought a map." She cracks me up!

So now my own Thank Yous to add to Bono's:

• Thank you to BFF for attending yet another U2 concert with me. And this time with her being pregnant and having worked all day. You are the best friend I could have ever hoped for, and I LOVE sharing these special times with you.

• And thank you to Crush for enduring my Bono love with such a good spirit. He has heard about nothing but this concert for weeks, and yet he stood by my side and enjoyed the special occasion with me with a smile on his face and love in his heart. I tease him that Bono is my "free pass," but I can't imagine being with anyone other than you my Crush.

• And a thank you to my Bro who allowed me to redeem a "free night of baby-sitting" pass that he gave me in my birthday card. I know the boys can be a handfull, and I really appreciate it.

• And to Bono, thank you for being such a damn good entertainer!! You have brought many happy hours to my life, and I can't thank you enough for that.

Ok, I'm out. Manvel! Kingwood! Silverlake! Peace!

And Happy Birthday Girly Stuff!!

Guilty Pleasures

A friend's Facebook status got me revisiting a topic my sister and I used to love gabbing about on the phone. A high school friend used her status to "confess" her secret love for Miley's "Party in the USA" single. It's her guilty pleasure. Just like Girly Stuff admits she can't look away from "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant."



What are your guilty pleasures? You know you have them.



We all do. The t.v. show your significant other teases you for watching. The song you only listen to when you're alone in the car. The movie you secretly enjoy, but won't admit it to your friends because they all think it is the dumbest film ever made. Trashy t.v. or junk reading that is not considered "cultured."



So it's confession time. I'll go first. I'm not shy. There is no judging on this blog.



Let's each list three of our Guilty Pleasures. Then they're out of the closet, out on the table, and in full view. Who knows? Maybe we're all secretly enjoying the same stuff. Then we can share our guilty pleasures with each other, even if we hide them from everybody else :)



Picky's Guilty Pleasures

1.) Cheaters: If you haven't seen it, it's the show where Mr. Cool himself, Joey Greco, exposes cheaters to their significant others who already suspected something was up to call the show in the first place. I despise cheaters (and I can openly say this, because I am not nor will I ever be in their club), so maybe I feel more than just a little bit of moral superiority sitting back and watching them get their just desserts. And of course I feel sorry for the people that are cheated on, but some of the scenarios are just so unbelievably trashy and strange that I can't look away. Last week we saw some dude's girlfriend interupt his wedding to a fiance' the girlfriend didn't even know existed. And the way Joey Greco is so overly dramatic. Love it.

2.) Hollywood Gossip Rags: Crush teases me all the time about my love for celebrity magazines, but if I leave one lying around when he's over, I will usually find him flipping through it and making fun of the stories (that he's pretending not to read). People, Star, Us. I used to subscribe to a few (which, I know is cheaper), but now I look forward to my Friday ritual of dragging Crush to the store to pick up my new week's reading.

3.) Destiny's Child: BFF knows my secret love for Beyonce' and the gang. Back at my house, this was my favorite cleaning/dancing with the mop music. Can't explain it. Not usually my type of music at all, but I cannot listen to Bootyliscious without getting up to shake my own.



O.k. Your turn.



And if anyone could give BFF tips on how to post her comments that would be very helpful. She's dying to join the party, but we can't figure out how to get her posting.

Lego Yoda

Since my friends are always sharing their D-I-Y projects on their blogs, I thought I would share mine too. O.K., so I didn't paint a piece of furniture or add tassels onto anything, but this is about as crafty as I get.

A couple of weeks ago, Crush and I spent a fun Saturday evening having cocktails and building this Yoda.

We had a pattern, but it took several hours. We watched movies and acted silly, and it was a lot of fun.

Fun nerd date.

Boo's Birthday

My baby turned four a few weeks ago. I can't believe it. He was just in the Terrible Two's like last week. O.k., he's been in the TT's since he was one and half, but still...

He had a great party at Incredible Pizza. We were honestly there for over five hours. I kid you not. The party began at 12:30pm, and Crush, the boys and I

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y hauled our tired bodies to the car at almost 6!

If you've never been to Incredible Pizza, it's like Chucky Cheese times 10. They have the pizza and token-fed video games, but they also have go-carts, bumper cars, bowling, miniature golf, and a bouncy for toddlers all under one roof. And no singing mechanical rat. Bonus!

There were several reasons we ended up staying so long. Of course, it was Boo's birthday, and we were having a really good time. And oddly enough, Crush's cousin's daughter was having a birthday party at that same place right after ours, so we got to enjoy some time with his family too. But there's another reason I think we stayed and tried almost every activity Incredible Pizza had to offer. Weird as it might sound, I think Crush and I were making up for lost time.

We had crushes on each other way back in the ninth grade. We talked a few times on the phone, wrote a few notes back and forth, and then...nothing. Neither one of us (nor the note from me that he has kept all these years) has an explanation for why we went our separate ways, but I really think we spent the afternoon of Boo's birthday having some of the dates we never had as teenagers. We bowled. We played putt-putt. We raced go-carts. We competed at ski-ball. And the whole time, with the boys by our sides, we had a blast!

And now, in honor of Boo turning four, I have four of my favorite Boo sayings:

1.) Mommy, I love you really loud!

2.) That is very in-tres-ting!

3.) That's what I'm talking about, Lady!

4.) Ok, I've decided to let my teeth fall out.

Fridays

Have I ever mentioned that Friday is my favorite day of the week?

I am lucky enough to have a four day work week. The ten hour work days can be tough at times, but Fridays off make it so worth it.

When Crush and I started dating in January, Fridays became our day. We nap, take walks, go out to eat, or just run errands, but we always spend them together. It's funny how even the most ordinary of tasks, say doctors' appointments or grocery shopping, become fun when we laugh through them together.

Today was a typical fun Crush and Picky Friday. We started with a nap. We had a nice Chinese lunch, and then went shopping for Boo's birthday, which is Sunday. Crush went with me to pick the boys up from school, and we came home and played with the kids until Crush had to go home. Doesn't sound that exciting on paper, but we had an absolute blast!! We just really enjoy our Fridays.

And now, a Picky Shopping Tip: The party store is a great place to get fun, inexpensive birthday gifts for young kids. Some of the best toys I've gotten the boys were party store "goody bag" finds (inflatable lightsabers, Star Wars finger puppets, Cars slinkies). And they don't cost much either. I got the birthday boy several fun light-up bouncy balls and assorted toys today and spent less than $20.

And Crush and I had a blast playing with the various toys like children.

I heart Fridays!!

Prop Cat

Ok, I promised BFF I would blog about this.

Stacy Haiduk, an actress on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, walked the red carpet for the Daytime Emmys with "her co-star" a prop cat?!

WTF?!! Seriously, on what planet is this a good idea?

BFF and I wonder how this idea came to fruition. Who goes, "Well Stacy, I know you don't have a date for the event and don't want to go alone, so let's check the prop closet?"

Ok, I get that it's likely a publicity stunt, and it worked. People were talking about it. But does dignity matter at all to this woman?

You can only look so cool wearing a stuffed cat

These are a Few of My Favorite Things....

Girly Stuff wanted to know all of her friends' favorite things. You know, favorite products, favorite stuff, or the little things that just make life worth living. Here is my list.


1.) Arm and Hammer Sensitive Laundry detergent-Free of Perfumes and Dyes-My youngest had a bad case of eczema when he was a baby and still has very senstive skin. Also, I hate perfumes and floral scents. I love this detergent because it has no smell but gets the clothes clean.


2.) author Lisa Jewell-Her books are the best chick-lit around. I have never read one where I can stand to put the book down from the half-way point on.


3.) Phineas and Ferb-My boys and I LOVE this cartoon. We are constantly asking each other, "Whatcha doin'?" and reciting other favorite quotes. The soundtrack comes out Sept. 22nd and I can't wait to add it to my iPod.


4.) http://www.mommyjewelry.com/- I bought myself a silhouette charm necklace from this site for Mother's Day one year, and I get tons of compliments on it. It's so cute yet so simple.



5.) iPod Shuffle-Whoever thought back when we would lug our casssette walkmans or portable C.D. players to the gym, that there would ever be such a small, convenient way to listen to tunes while you work out? I love mine.


6.) Chick-fil-A lemonade-Best. Lemonade. Ever. I don't drink coffee, so while others are stoppimg at Starbucks in the morning, I'm at Chick-fil-A getting a large lemonade. And on the weekends when the boys are with their grandparents, I've been known to bring a spiked version along to get-togethers.


7.) The Big Bang Theory-I haven't really been into sit-coms since Friends ended, but I really like this show. I've always been into "nerds" (ask Crush), and I totally dig this world of hanging out, eating take-out, and talking Star Wars. Jim Parsons totally deserves an Emmy.


8.) 200 Cigarettes-I absolutely love this movie. It's partially the 80's nostalgia. And it's partially the fun soundtrack. And the cast is great (Kate Hudson, the Affleck brothers, Christina Ricci, Courtney Love, Paul Rudd, etc.). But it's the fun New Year's Eve party storyline that has me watching this one again and again.


9.) Crave cupcake shop-It's in Uptown Park, and trust me, it's worth the drive. They have some flavors daily (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), and different special flavors each day (Pumpkin, Banana, etc.) Their white-chocolate macadamia nut cupcakes are to die for!!


10.) Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center-O.K. Shameless plug, but I really do believe in my work's mission. If you are able, please give the gift of life.