(it's taken me this long to post it because I hadn't downloaded my pictures...Sorry!)
Birds at the nature museum where I went for friends A & S's super-fun wedding.That Friday morning: Lois discovered a dead squirrel at the foot of one of the backyard trees, and then I went to the dental specialists, and was seen and talked over by both the endodontist and the periodontist (and three of their helpers), and the conclusion is that it's time for me to have my troubled tooth (the one that hurt so bad the last time I blogged) pulled, and have an implant put in, and possibly I'll have to have that happen to the tooth next to it soon as well. This was a big, HUGE bummer. A 3-to-5-thousand-dollar-out-of-pocket-per-tooth bummer. Seriously. I have no idea how I will swing this. No idea. I don't even have that much freed credit on cards. I wanted to go back to school, but that's up in smoke. I am really freaked out.
This is what the center office of a German American membership organization office looks like just before Oktoberfest (note giant stein).Then, a few hours and much lost will to live later, I rode my bike to my Friday volunteer gig - where I am trying to organize the files of a German-American membership organization, the one that houses my German language school. It's sort of hilarious - a) ME organizing files (but I sorta get into it) and b) the state of these files - yikes. I really like the people there and the place is calm/quiet and interesting. I feel like I am really helping and it's a good thing for me, too, as this project is my partial scholarship towards taking German.
Amazing set by Giant Sand with perfect weather and crowd.I then interviewed some pilates teachers for the real job (yes, on my day off - erg) and then rushed home to do some laundry. It was actually a great thing to do on a Friday night - as Saturday and Sunday were filled to the brim with working and the Hideout Block Party, which was awesome. It's a two-day music fest that I've ben volunteering for for like 11 years, from pouring beer to selling tickets to chaeking ids, it's such a fun festival to be a part of and the Hideout people - owners and staff - are the best. I registered voters on Saturday, and worked backstage on Sunday, and ate REALLY delicious organically grown vegan food from one of the vendors called Urb Garden - from Iowa City, Churlita! - and saw a really great set by Giant Sand, and took myself and my friend J on a tour of the City of Chicago's Fleet Management Department - basically 3 city blocks of enclosed warehouses for the city's thousands of vehicles. It was awesome. And that was all before Neko's set!
J in the Fleet Management center. We just asked, and they let us walk around unsupervised! Don't try this at home...On my dog walking break I went and got a pedicure at a new place to me, recommended by a work friend who knew I owed myself this treat post-triathlon, and it was the best EVER. They give you tea, they use salt scrub on your legs, give you good foot, leg and shoulder massages at varying points, pour hot milk on your freshly scrubbed skin, use hot towels at least twice, and are super nice. It wasn't even expensive. I am definitely going to go there from now on for my 2x a year pamper treat...
Fellow voter registrars S & E in the goofy red shirts we wore.I also grabbed the crappy child bike trailer from my back yard that's been sitting there for 2 years since I tried riding with Lois in it and she got out. I attached it to my bike and pedaled back to the Block Party, where Working Bikes was set up to take donations, and I hope someone there will make good use of the thing - maybe make it into a cargo trailer. I love the bike people, as you may know. But mainly it was fun to get rid of the thing, since I recently bought a super expensive fancy new dog trailer.
Zombies assembled backstage getting ready for their Thriller dance as part of an AMAZING Michael Jackson tribute show that was the musical highlight of the Block Party.When I think of all the things I would like to do with my time, it's overwhelming. I've been realizing lately that being poor is a real time game - you're not only broke with regard to money, but time is just not available to you like it is to others. I think I'll dedicate a whole post to this...money stuff is making me think a lot about life and priorities. I know I am handicapped in that arena and I wonder just how much it is affecting things like my ability to meet guys...
So, yeah, the block party was great this year. Super great. I had a blast and sort of just felt right at home, which is fun, esp. when I haven't been out almost all summer because of that triathlon phase. I even got up on stage each night and encouraged more voter registrations, so that was fun. Now if I could only meet some of the hot hipster guys I saw there...
