Weekend Review {09/23}

FRIDAY

#Humblebrag: Still feeling awesome about my run on Friday morning with that pace under 10 minutes.  Yes, just barely, but it still counts.  Even if I was sore AF for the entire weekend.  #WorthIt

Friday was school and work.  I left the office at 3 and went home and took a nap.  I had considered going to the gym, but I was le tired so I took a le nap and I was not sad.  When Teh German came home, we agreed to stay in for the evening and invite the Cool Kids over for a backyard fire since it was relatively cool outside.  There were almost regrets when we became a mosquito buffet prior to the neighbors arriving, but the mosquitoes eventually went to bed and the neighbors came over and we socialized and I made smores and toasted marshmallows and good times were had by all (I assume).

Those ears!

Look at these Beggar McGee dogs trying to prey on my marshmallows!

Moose got tired of standing to wait on his treats (I was dispensing stale marshmallows to the beasts), so he finally plopped down and made sure to keep an eye on me in case more marshmallows were forthcoming.

By the power of my nap, I was able to hang until after 11.  I think it was almost midnight when we finally flopped into bed.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning was a lazy morning.  Meri woke me up early, as she does, and I fed the beasts and came back to bed.  Teh German got up around 9 and I was awake, but I stayed in bed until 11 finishing a book.  Meri helped.

Let me set a scene for you, Gentle Readers.  Teh German has this box of crap that he's been telling me he's going to sell.  And well.. I know that I kinda married my dad, so the fact that Teh German hoards a box of crap really doesn't surprise me.  This box has been around for almost the length of our relationship.  It moved in with Teh German and it moved to House with us.. so since 2015, Teh German has been telling me that he's going to sell this crap.. But that's not the worst part.. The worst part is that he's been collecting MORE crap in the passing years.  We've had many discussions about this box of crap and each time I suggest that maybe he photograph the crap and post it on Marketplace or wherever he wants to sell the crap, he gets pissy with me because he doesn't feel like it or whatever excuse he gives that has ultimately made me STOP talking about the box of crap and start pretending like it doesn't exist.

Granted, when we moved into House, the box was stored under Teh German's work bench in the garage, which was fine... except that other stuff that could have been stored under the work bench that was out in the garage that I regularly trip over or have to move around to get to other things.  So he said that it wasn't bothering me and I let him pretend that was true.

So, scene set. 

Imagine my surprise when I finally came downstairs on Saturday and Teh German is rummaging around in the office looking for something to write on/with so he could price the items in the box of crap and get them posted.  I tried not to act surprised, which probably was unsuccessful, but I assisted him in finding the items he needed.  After I ate breakfast/lunch, I went out to the garage to check out the situation.  Honestly, I not only took a picture for blogging purposes, but also to come back later and prove to myself that 5 years later, this really happened.

While Teh German did his garage things, I worked on homework and school things.  We had dinner and a concert planned for the evening.  Since it's restaurant week in Charleston, we went to The Establishment for dinner.  It was good, but not "I'd be a regular here" good, IMO. 

Top, left to right: My food: gnocchi appetizer, swordfish on beans, chocolate cake
Bottom, left to right: Teh German: duck appetizer, rib-eye, flan

Teh German's steak had a LOT of gristle for me, especially considering they added $19 on top of the "special" price.  I didn't love the beans with the swordfish.  I would have preferred a veggie.  I'm not really a fan of chocolate cake, but I didn't want flan, soo I got chocolate cake and then didn't even finish it, which is mostly unheard of considering my reputation with dessert.

We ended up finishing dinner a LOT earlier than expected, but that was fine since it meant we got to Music Farm early enough to get a decent standing space.  It wasn't cool in that, it meant standing for even longer than we'd already planned.  Oh well, #YOLO.

TL: A Beautiful Lie, TR: Hyde, BL: Palisades, BR: Starset

The only band that wasn't really my jam was Hyde.  There were some technical difficulties during the shows, but the show went on.  Overall, the concert was enjoyable.. although I did have some anxiety/stress from having too many tall people surrounding/crowding me at one point.  Teh German considers this a normal part of any concert, but as someone with a crowding issue, I was having some pretty bad anxiety about it and ended up putting on my dude stance with my legs spread far apart in with my bouncer pose to get the dudes that were crowding me to give me some space.

I'll be honest, Music Farm isn't my favorite venue, but it's one of the more popular venues in Charleston, so I just deal with it when we go there.  The crowding is one issue, that I've probably mentioned before in other posts about going to concerts there, but the acoustics aren't that great, IMO.  The music is always too loud and you can barely hear the singer.  Ear plugs really help, but we forgot ours.  /sads.

The concert ended shortly before 11 and we headed home, tended to the beasts and then it was bedtime.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning, Teh German got up with the beasts, thankfully, because I wasn't feeling it.  I was up by 9ish and we walked the dogs first thing.  I like to get that out of the way first on the weekend, so that way the batteries are drained (or at least Pax's batteries are drained) for a short while.  I really should just accept that Meri's batteries don't drain.

When we got back from the walk, Teh German pulled Suzi out of the way so I could retrieve our other 4-legged family member from the storage closet.  We're officially decorated for fall.  You are welcome, Neighbors, I didn't activate the motion sensor thing where the dog barks.  When I set up the dog, Meri and Pax were extremely concerned as they watched me through the storm door, and I made sure to tell them that's what they looked like without fur.  Neither was impressed.

Teh German continued with his box of crap work in the garage and I did school things.  We had another concert to attend Sunday, but these tickets were free AND the concert was only 10 minutes away from home, which was perfect. 

A new hospital is opening up in our county, for the first time in several decades (I'm not exactly how many years it's been) and they put on a "Parking Lot Party" and Lee Brice was the headliner.  The opening acts were 2 Charleston artists and local high school talent (choirs/band).  We showed up for the last 2 acts, Warrick ??? and Lee Brice. 

Saw this cutie on the way to the concert.
I informed Teh German that a Dalmatian was in the options for next dog, after Scottish Deerhound and Irish Wolfhound.

Concert selfie.

Lee Brice

My plan to NOT have to take the shuttle to the concert area was successful and I wasn't sad.  Teh German was pretty disgruntled over how hot it was just sitting in the sun, despite the breeze and that it was only in the mid-80s(°F), which is cool for Charleston.  Once Teh German was in the shade, he perked up some.  I was annoyed at all the people that kept walking in front of us, because I'm me. 

I worked extra time into our arrival, in case my shuttle-avoidance plan didn't work out, so we ended up sitting in the sun for longer than I had planned.  Had I know the plan would be successful, I would have pushed back our arrival time a bit more.  Oh well.  I had to deal with crowding, Teh German had to deal with heat.  #YOLO bitches.

The concert was kinda like the River Concerts in MD that I used to attend.  Bring your own chairs, there were food trucks on site.  The Parking Lot Party had a kids area with activities.  Oh yeah, I should mention that Teh German was quite disappointed when he learned, on the walk from the truck to the concert site, that there wouldn't be beer.  Truthfully, it hadn't even crossed my mind... because I don't drink beer.  Teh German tried to pass it off like it wasn't a big deal, but the heat + no beer = disgruntled.  Fortunately, he just kept quiet and scrolled on his phone for most of the time we were there.  I did finally pull Teh German up from his chair for the last handful of Lee Brice songs and I think that helped for several reasons... 1- he was distracted from his mulling over how hot and sweaty he was, 2- our camping chairs do NOT have a good air flow situation, so being in the chair was actually making him more sweaty, 3- standing up meant the breeze hit his sweaty wet shirt and cooled him off some, 4- he got into the concert rather than just sitting there like a lump.

I really like Lee Brice and always have.  I will admit that I cried when he performed "I Don't Dance" because I love that song.  I also admitted to Teh German before we went to sleep that if he had started dancing with me while that song was being performed, I would have probably sobbed and swooned for him all over again.  He said, "I was holding you."  He did do that... even if I had to pull him up from his chair, mostly against his will.  When he realized I was crying, he put his arm around me.

The only other time I've cried at a concert was when the Goo Goo Dolls performed "Come to Me".  Apparently, I'm a sap in my old age.  You get what you get.

The concert was over by 6:30ish and we walked back to the truck and headed home to tend to the beasts and eat dinner.  After dinner, we watched an episode of The Americans and then it was time for bedtime chores and bedtime.

______________________________________________

I didn't really make much progress on the school front.  Programming assignments (PA) have me blocked right now.  I did manage to finish one PA that was so stupidly simple I was angry that I had wasted so many hours trying to puzzle it out.  ANDDDD even more angry that I had went to speak with my professor about the issues on Friday and I walked out of his office with more confusion than before AND he couldn't be bothered to look at my sudo code on the paper in my hand and tell me that ONE line was ALMOST the answer and I just needed to work on that.  No.. instead he was like, "You're not functionally programming."  Well, fucking duh.  Siiiiiigh, 228 more days.

It was fun and exhausting going to two concerts on the same weekend.  It was fun because they were such extremes.  Starset is electronic-rock and Lee Brice is country.  I won't lie, I enjoyed the Lee Brice concert a lot more because I know more of his songs and you can actually sing to them.. and that's why I go to concerts, to sing along with the artist.  Also, "I Don't Dance" has been on my Starred playlist (which is playing 80% of the time when I listen to Spotify) since it came out.  Teh German was worried he wouldn't know who Lee Brice was, but he quickly recalled most of the songs he heard, even if he didn't know the words.

It was also great having the Cool Kids over to the house for a fire. 

This week includes:
-Teef cleanings
-Having to reschedule my laser hair treatment because of the BJB
-Exterminator on Weds
-Hopefully getting my labs done on Thurs morning.
-Meri's birthday on Friday
-Skyping with Nephew on his 1st birthday!  Teh German forwarded some videos of him this morning and we don't need to have kids because Nephew looks EXACTLY like baby Teh German and well.. 2 of them is enough, lol.

Teh German and I discussed attending an Oktoberfest activity next weekend, but we'll see what pans out.  There are plenty of school things that could keep me busy, but I'm trying very hard not to let school rule my life... and I'm also trying to balance that with not failing.  Anddd based on some of my quiz grades for Anal Professor, maybe I should at least read through the notes before the quizzes...

Also, Fake Fall is over and now it's back to high temps in the 90s again and I hate everything, as always.  I enjoyed Fake Fall while it lasted.  Although, I did not enjoy the mosquitoes.  Happy last full week of September (finally), Gentle Readers!