Ingrid Music

Phew!  My summer concert series has been in full swing!  I 've been to no fewer than a concert each week.  I have three more left and it seems that summer will be beginning to wind down.

This past Saturday I saw Ingrid Michaelson at the State Theatre.  I adore her music and was super excited to see her live.  Before the show I took advantage of an opportunity to see her in person at a signing she did at Newbury Comics:

She signed my CD case and also this poster.  There is some glare on the poster but it's really artistic and beautiful:

I was a bit scared when I approached the State and saw a line that winded down Congress, around and down High, and finally a ways down Deering.  Luckily it moved very quickly!

Instead of posting pictures of the show I am sharing this video.  I know many people have not been exposed to Ingrid's music so just take 30 seconds to check her out.  She's a great talent!

More Pics-Thru The Years...

My mother spent a lot of time and effort and poured a ton of love into making me an incredible slideshow for my birthday.  It included pictures of me as a newborn right through a week before.  There were a few pictures that stood out either becuase they were sentimental, I hadn't seen them before or because they were just freakin' hysterical!

Here are just a few of the many she put together:

Here I am with my mom.  It's one of the only pictures of us where I don't have a finger shoved up my nose or I don't look angry.  Mom looks pretty happy too!

Here I am helping my grandfather shovel snow.  I probably even liked snow back then.  My how things have changed :)

All I can say about this is:  Those curls, that skin, that hair, that shirt.  I had it all going on :)



I wanted so badly to be a preppy girl in the early 1980's.  I even had a copy of the Preppy Handbook which is a hoot to read all these years later.  I had forgotten this picture but judging by my socks I was taking the whole pink and green preppy thing as far as I could!

This picture is going to be framed immediately!  I had totally forgotten about it.  We look like we are having a blast which we love.  The red and white striped pants though are a mystery.  An absolute mystery.  I think mom photoshopped them in :)

Hens In Print

I was looking through photos this weekend...I don't even remember why now but it brought me to pictures that my friends and I have taken on trips or taken at memorable occasions.  I flipped through them and realized that there are a few pictures that each one of us would probably admit just captures a moment of our true hen essence.  I consider them some of our classics.

This picture was taken in 2004 during a day spa trip to Lucinda's in Scarborough.  We had each had either a facial or a massage earlier in the day and eaten lunch.  We all joined up later to get manicures or in my case a pedicure. 

This picture was taken in 2005 at Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park.  We walked around the nature path and then ate popovers at the Jordan Pond House.  Later that evening I was violently ill (not due to the popovers which weren't that great but weren't that bad!) but in this moment all was right with the world.

This picture was taken during a trip to New Hampshire in 2007 where we stayed in a condo in Franconia.  The weather was great and we did many fun activities including a ride in the tram to the top of Cannon Mountain where this photo was taken.

In February 2009 one of us celebrated a milestone birthday.  This remains one of my favorite pictures.



In August 2009 we took a bike ride on some of the carriage paths in Acadia.  During the ride we stopped for a rest and I balanced my camera on the bike seat, set the timer and took this picture.

And finally in May 2012 we got all dressed up and hung out on a cruise ship.

Silly For Silly's

I've been living back in Portland for over two years and I've been eating vegan for almost two years.  Why did I wait so long to try Silly's??  Who knows but I'm really glad I chose their patio as a spot for a late lunch today.

It is a truly funky, quirky environment.  There were plenty of trees for natural shade and an abundance of patio umbrellas for even more shade on this very toasty afternoon.  I had three wait staff helping me equally.  What struck me was that while yes, the service was fantastic, it wasn't great in the way that sometimes you know a waitperson is polite and professional but behind the dead eyes would rather be anywhere else, and really you just can't help but understand and agree with them?  Well, today at Silly's the wait staff truly seemed to have a peaceful joy surrounding them.  They seemed genuinely happy and pleased to be where they were in that moment.

Now on to the food...  I told the waiter that I had never eaten there before and that I was vegan.  No problem, he's vegan too and assures me that I can't go wrong.  He answered some questions and told me about the specials. 

I decided before I sat down that I would be having the deep fried pickles.  Just because they are a delight and these came with a tangy sauce.  I have no idea what was in it but when you combine the crunch of the pickle with the soft coating dipped in a creamy, tangy dip...so glad there were plenty left to bring home!

After the pickles I was glad I opted for a small salad.  It is a green goddess salad that was a daily special.  The greens (spinach, kale and collard) were crunchy fresh and the dressing a perfect compliment.

I know I'm going to seem like a glutton but I also ordered strawberry coconut cake to go.  Check out the size of this thing.  This whole meal was such a rare, wonderful treat that I did indulge.  And I will be back!

Cinderella

Last night my friend Liz and I went to Hampton Beach Ballroom to hear the band Cinderella. They were one of if not my favorite band in the 1980's.  They were also Liz's favorite.  I had never been to Hampton Beach before and was surprised at what a nice venue it is.  Here we are just after we arrive.  I tried to fix the red eye and could not.  Well, I did feel devilish last night!:

I loved seeing the band's activities of the day!

We decided to secure a spot at the front just one spot beyond the security gate that separated the stage.  That meant that we were "thisclose" to the band which I love!  It also meant I can't hear much of anything today and does not bode well for my hearing given that this was just concert number one in a series of seven over the next six weeks!


Here are a few of my favorite shots from the evening.  I don't really have a favorite moment.  It was just a really fun, amazing night overall. I just kept thinking to myself...Here I am in a room in 2012 listening to Cinderella and being close enough to almost get sprayed with Tom Keifer's sweat.  The 1988 me would have simply died!

Freston Frenzy

Last night I went to Whole Foods where Kathy Freston was appearing to promote her new book The Lean.  I will admit that I'm not a super huge fan of hers..  I think that she focuses too much on processed foods such as fake sausage or bacon instead of creating healthy, whole foods, unprocessed meals.  However, it was too great an opportunity to hear her speak when it was right in my own backyard!

I had reserved a spot and paid $25.  In return I got an autographed, hard cover copy of her new book:

I also got this goody bag from Whole Foods.  It had several full size products including a really expensive brand of multi vitamins-score!  The bag also had a bunch of coupons and literature.  And the bag its self is pretty cool as well!



The talk was an interview question and answer style format.  Local wellness devote Meg Wolff asked the questions and it was comical that her very first question was probing into the whole processed foods issue.  Once that was out of the way Kathy spoke for about 45 minutes and she really was interesting to hear and she gave a lot of really good advice and tips about eating healthier in a plant based diet.  Already today I've had a breakfast of steel cut oats and am drinking a ton of water.  Both things I knew would be big health improvements but it took a little talking to for me to make it happen.  These pictures are dark as the sun was blazing bright behind them.

After the talk she did a meet and greet.  Isn't she beautiful?  Clearly she is doing something right! We spent several minutes talking about sugar and tips on how to reduce my intake.  Fabulous!



Does This Store Know What Decade It is??

Today at work I started a conversation with a co-worker by saying "Listen, don't take this the wrong way but...Do you know where I can go shopping to buy slutty attire?" You see next Friday launches the start of my summer concert series with the band Cinderella down in Hampton Beach. I couldn't figure out anything that felt right to wear. I wanted something a little edgier than I normally wear! So, one co-worker answered "You can go shopping in my closet!". Love her. Another answer was "Deb". So, this afternoon off I went to Deb down near the mall.

This is the sight that greeted me when I walked through the front door...Subtle it is not!!

I turned my head and saw this:

Holy neon! So, Deb clearly has 80's pop down but what about 80's rock.? You know- The kind of clothes that require a hairstyle with a ton of hairspray, clothes that sparkle and shine, clothes that would make a groupie out of anyone of us??

I found them!

And this just for good measure:

After an hour and a half of shopping (including two trips to the smallest dressing room known to me) I walked away with enough clothes to leave me appropriately attired for all of my summer plans.