Save the bulimic fish!

Hi. I’ve been away from this thing for a while, haven’t I? Well, now I have something to tell you about that’s too cool to be ignored. Yesterday was the Rise Above Christian music festival in Orange City Iowa. So Kevin and I set off from Brookings around 9:00 in the morning and picked up Dianna and Christa on our way through Sioux Falls. I was driving because Kevin has a hard time adjusting to a normal schedule after working nights all week.

In an effort to keep this post short enough for you to actually read and for me to not get bored writing it, I’ll only recount the most important moments. You’ll also want to read Dianna’s blog to get more of the story. Highlights included Apologetix, Remedy Drive, and the puppet man. Oh, and I managed to get sunburned again, in all new places. ;) Apologetix is just an awesome band to begin with, and they put on quite a show. Karl, the lead guitarist, wore my hat on stage and I got a picture of it :D, and they played the Devil Went Down to Jordan with a really cool electric violin, which makes me want to get one even more. I have sheet music for that song, too. :D Anyways, the band was really cool and after we got their autographs, we got a picture with them, during which Karl played with my hat again. Side note: there were video cameras around randomly and during Apologetix, they seemed to be filming Dianna and me a lot. I wonder what they were going to use that for? Probably a local news station. If that’s the case, then all the citizens of Orange City will have gotten to see us dancing like idiots. Oh well.

As for Remedy Drive, let me just say that the Zach brothers are awesome! Not only do they rock and put on a great show, but they also took the time to talk to us afterward and do a picture and everything. And the bassist was incredible! You should have heard and seen the things he was doing, I can’t even begin to describe it. And he has good recovery time. He managed to break two strings during the set, but little if any music was lost. He just kept going and put new strings on between songs. But again, the coolest thing about them is how real they were when they took the time to talk to us afterward. So cool.

And what about the puppet man? I can’t remember his name right now, so I’ll just call him that. He’s a very good ventriloquist. And he was absolutely hilarious. I realize that it may have been funnier because it was later in the day and our brains had been fried, but the jokes entailed thinking, so I think it’s just that he’s that good. His show gave rise to our newest random phrase, “I’m a corndog.” Just don’t worry about trying to understand. I think Paco was my favorite puppet. He was a Spanish pig, and he had the best jokes of the show. Such as: “You Christians are wild…you cast out demons, and you know where they go. And there’s lots of cliffs right outside Sioux Falls, SD. (in response to laughter) Now we know who reads their Bible.” I’ve discovered, in trying to write down some more of them, that they just don’t seem as funny written out. So I’ll just stop with random quotes that will make Dianna laugh and make the rest of you scratch your heads.

“You’re cheering for my thumb.”

“Fly, Paquito, fly!”

Save the bulimic fish!

You know, I think I might have been suffering from Dianna withdrawl, because we had way too much fun. In a good way. We were being Rozencrantz and Guildenstern, or Agnes and Trout if you prefer. Standing around waiting to talk to bands we just kept playing off of eachother until we couldn't take it anymore. Oh, and we decided that bulimic fish are profound (comparatively) and throwing up in a porta potty isn't. I think I'll just leave you to wonder about that one. ;)

Well, happy Father's Day. And wish me luck, I'm closing the salad bar tonight for the first time and I'm working by myself. It should make for a good post tomorrow.

-Kim

Not again...

We used to be a four-car family. Tonight, we have at our disposal one car, which not all of us can drive because it is a stick shift. Let me tell you the story.

This afternoon Kevin and I were going to look at glasses and pick out new frames. We stopped to pick up Amanda on the way so that she could give us advice, but when we tried to leave her house the car wouldn’t start. At that point all we could do was take her car to go look at glasses and wait for my our dad to get off of work so that he could help us. To make a long story short, he met us at her house later and we were unable to get it running. So my mom came to get Kevin and let him take the van to work and Amanda’s dad helped us tow Kevin’s car to Ron’s. Honestly, Ron is getting so much business from us this summer it’s not even funny. First Dad’s car went in, then we got the van checked out (not fixed yet because it does run still) and now Kevin’s car is in. And once the others are all ready to go, my car will finally get its turn. So the result of all of this is that we have to get pretty creative with our car sharing. On the bright side, I have yet to be bored this summer. ;)

And now for something completely different…

No, there are no llamas involved. ;) But I saw the most amazing sky on my way home from band tonight. We had storm systems moving through earlier, which built up some impressive cloud formations. Off to the west and north there was a stretch that looked like a mountain range in the sky. The shadowy side was stone blue. The sun was setting behind it, so the edges were all lit up golden orange. It was so beautiful!

Well, I thinks that's enough griping and gushing for one day. Back to work tomorrow. Joy. ;)

God bless.
-Kim

Suprises are wonderful!

In case you couldn't tell by the title, I had an awesome day today thanks to the random happiness caused by one Jesse Worthley. So there I was at work, doing my thing, getting the salad bar ready. Now, we do almost all of our work in a back room next to the deli, so I generally can't see what's going on out in the store. So all of a sudden the deli ladies come over to Amanda and I in the back and ask us if either of us know the young man who's been wandering about, trying to see into the back room and smiling a lot. And then he walks by again and I run out and say something along the lines of "oh my goodness, what are you doing here?" So it was fun. It was just funny how excited the deli ladies were that I had a visitor. So then he came back when I got off at 1:00 and tailed me home. So I took the scenic route. ;) And Jesse, don't worry, I only drive like that on the roads here in town that I know are safe for it.

After lunch and random hanging out, there was the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Tripple Crown, though no horse was eligible to win said title this year, which is beside the point. Afleet Alex proved once again that he is truly a spectacular horse.

If ever you visit Brookings and need to eat, you must visit Mad Jacks. There are two locations in town, though the decor is much more fun in the original store on 6th street. But the one near my house is good too. I should know, we tried it out tonight. Though if one has less time or wants something more like a snack than a meal, I would suggest Bagel Works. Hmm, maybe I should just put together a brochure or give tours. ;)

So anyway, Tarzan was on TV so we watched that because it has awesome music and so many great lines. "Is this water sanitary? It looks questionable to me!" ;)

Oh, and I'm sorry we missed the car show here, but it was raining almost the whole afternoon anyway, so I don't know how fun it would have been to walk down mainstreet and see them.

Tonight my parents attended a banquet to celebrate the 50th aneversary of Bethel Baptist Church here in Brookings. This event and other recent events have given me reason to pause and contemplate my churches here in Brookings. But I'll get into that another time, as it is getting late and my dad just gave me some string cheese.

Tired I am.
-Kim

Cinderella Man shines

I just got back from seeing the movie Cinderella Man. I had heard good things about this movie, but it far surpassed any expectations I had. I mean, who would’ve thought a movie centered around two men hitting each other could say so much about people in general. Of course, it’s not actually about the boxing. It’s about the strength of the human spirit; it’s about family relationships; it’s about succeeding in the world against all odds. It’s about a family fighting to survive the Great Depression. Saying that Cinderella Man is just a movie about boxing is like saying Seabiscuit was just another movie about a horse. In fact, Cinderella Man and Seabiscuit ought to be sold as a set. If you’ve seen one, that’ll tell you something about the other. If you haven’t seen either, you will need to fix that. And I will help you. ;)

I guess I really don’t have anything else to say tonight, I just wanted to put in a plug for an awesome movie.

The Still-Sunburned One
-Kim

Should I get new glasses?

Well, I've just gotten done with another busy day of work at the salad bar. Hoestly, it seemed like the whole city of Brookings decided to patronize us today. But I don't really feel like talking about work. Except to say that I got my first paycheck today. Woot! It's only got two days worth of hours, but still, it's exciting.

So I was at the eye doctor yesterday and I may be getting new glasses. My prescription really hasn't changed that much (in fact, my left eye, which I learned yesterday is my dominant eye, seems to be improving) but they have a two-for-one deal and Kevin is getting new ones so I might as well. So I've been looking through all the frames they have to try and find some that fit my personality as well as the ones I have now. It's been interesting. Glasses are really fun to try on because they change one's whole perception of a person.

And now for something completely different...

So I've discovered that I don't have to work next Saturday, which just happens to be the day of the Rise Above free music festival in Orange City, Iowa featuring Jeff Deyo, Everlife, and Appolagetix, among others. Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?

-Kim