h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Seven Days 'Til Christmas

I haven't really made plans for the week yet, but since I've still got so much to do common sense would dictate I make some PDQ.

So this morning my plan was to go to my sister's to take her a present she ordered that was delivered to my house. I was going to wrap some while I was there because most of my presents are at her house since that's where we'll be having dinner.

While I was in town I was going to go by my parents' house to find our Christmas stockings which haven't turned up yet - I assume they're still in a box somewhere in their basement. And there was a friend who wanted us to visit because she has a gift for the baby. Then I was going to stop by the grocery store on the way home and get the rest of the ingredients I need for baking this week.

First things first: to take care of some business. I called the exterminator because we're due for a follow-up treatment this week and it hadn't been scheduled yet. They had also never called us back to tell us what kind of critter it was they were spraying for (we couldn't identify the bugs, we just knew there were A LOT of them). They told us today that the bugs were from some variety of dry goods - like pet food or some kind of grains or a pantry item. They will be back to re-treat tomorrow, but that won't solve our problem unless we can find out where they're coming from.

Instantly I knew where it was.

They were in a bag of bird seed that had been at the bottom of the coat closet for about two years. And they had made the most insane mess.

So I spent the entire day cleaning out the closet and reorganising it. The nice thing is that when I swept the floor by the front door there weren't bugs all over it again a half-hour later like there has been for the last month or so!

The bad thing is that I didn't get anything else done today.

Ho Ho Ho.

I really had intended to kind of chronicle my preparations, but as I was so busy doing stuff I never sat down to write any of it. I can hear your whines of disappointment from here.

So, the Cliff's Notes version: I bought everything, baked everything and wrapped everything before 1:00 am Christmas morning (this is actually a pretty good record). We got to sleep in a bit Christmas morning, since broe jr spent the holiday with his dad and SuperChunk doesn't know the routine yet. As a result we ran late for everything during the day.

Everyone had a nice Christmas and got lots of things they wanted or liked. After wanting my own copy of the Firefly DVD for the past 4 or 5 years, I finally got *two* this year. I took Mr B and broe jr to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for their present, and SuperChunk got a couple of riding toys to scoot around our miniscule living room.

We capped the week off by having family portraits taken, my sister and I had been wanting to have portraits with all four generations while there are still four around.

And I returned the duplicate copy of Firefly and got the first season of The Muppet Show instead.

(broe jr doesn't think muppets are stupid anymore.)

They never were

You gotta love Sweetums

Ooohhh. Trans Siberian Orchestra. I am so I love their music.

The muppets rock! And since I haven't seen them in almost 30 years, it's like a whole new show. Certainly better than anything on the tube today. We watched the whole first disc in one go last night, but I'm playing with the idea of watching one a week like a regular show so it lasts longer.

The Trans-Siberian show was pretty good, but as far as I was concerned not their best. We've gone every year save one since they started touring (we missed last year, it just wasn't in the Christmas budget). I think I enjoyed our first two years the best; the first year they stopped here they played a little 700-seat "club", so everything was up-close and personal, the second year we sat in the front row at the Fox, a 3,000-seat theatre. It seems like every year since, though, they try to out-do the year before, but parts of it are just the same show with louder music and more pyrotechnics. It's still a very good show, but I've gotten where I appreciate the quieter numbers more now.

If you have the opportunity to go next year, you should

They (TSO) haven't made their way to this little corner of the world. The Cosmosphere usually has a Mannheim Steam Roller Concert (not live, unfortunately) in the Imax Theatre, complete with light show. I didn't hear a thing about it this year though.........

Do you like Celtic music? There is a KC based group named Tullamore that we really like. They tour, but don't know if they are going to be anywhere near you this spring or not. They will be in Weston, MO, north of KC in January, February, and March so they may be sticking close to home for the winter.

Probably the only Celtic music I've heard much of is that Celtic Woman program they run on PBS, which is pretty nice. I would probably enjoy something like that.

Silly me, I keep confusing Kansas with Kansas City
Well, if TSO should happen to come within a couple of hours driving distance - especially if they're having an afternoon concert - it's well worth the drive.

Mr B and I were discussing the possiblity of going to see TSO out of town next year, or in a couple of years, maybe to Nashville. Here's why: The group is *huge*. To cover as much of the country as possible during the 6 weeks or so that they tour they have two bands - and east band and a west band. When they first started touring it was the east band that stopped in St Louis, and after about three years they changed it to the west band (as far as I know we're the only town that's had both bands). Thing is, we liked the east band better.

Given the time and the funds, we'd probably go see both bands one year for comparison.

One nice thing is that every show, even as big as the venues have gotten and even on days when they're performing two shows, the entire band sits out and meets the fans and chats and signs autographs after every show. They're really a great bunch of performers.

I should try writing a guide entry about them sometime.

No one ever comes here. If anyone did, it's for sure they would be so pathetic I wouldn't want to see them.

I was always surprised by some of the acts that played at SEMO, does no one ever play in Springfield? I would think that would be a bigger stop than Cape Girardeau. I've seen Aerosmith, Guns n' Roses and Poison (back when they were a big thing) in Cape. And I noticed TSO stopped there.

Come to think of it, I know a lot of bands play at Mizzou, too.

What about at Missouri Southern? PSU had some good Homecoming Concerts when I was there.

Out of purely random curiosity as a result of this conversation, I went to check the calendar for UMSL's performing arts centre. I've never been to a show there, but a few years back The Canadian Brass had a show there I would have enjoyed seeing but couldn't afford at the time (if they come anywhere near you, btw, go see them. They're fab!).

And what did I find???

The end of April Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will be there! YAY!

Thanks guys, I'd never have found that without this discussion.