Tunes Tuesday: Lollapalooza Edition

The third and final day of the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza - we were there, wallowing in the mud with 90,000 other music fans. Right before my personal favorite Arctic Monkeys took the stage, the sky opened up with a thunderstorm that was downright Biblical. We were more prepared than most. As soon as the drizzle started, I scrambled to poke a hole in the top of a Hefty garbage bag - the engineer's raincoat. You know what? Combined with an umbrella, it did the job. The girls who had on crop tops and rompers without fancy trashbag raincoats looked pretty miserable.

You gotta love the setlist Arctic Monkeys picked out when they finally took the stage after the rain: Brianstorm, She's Thunderstorms, and Crying Lightning. Who knew they had so many weather-related songs?

Joe's photo of the rainbow during Arctic Monkeys' set

But by then, our great spot in front of the stage had turned into an island in the muck. Flip flops and broken sandals were stuck in the mud, abandoned by their owners. What a mess. These pictures are an accurate depiction of conditions.

We thought the storm was behind us, but the clouds darkened, and just as Dangermau5 Deadmau5 took the stage it started pouring again. Instead of scrambling for an umbrella, the crowd started sprinting toward the stage and dancing in the rain. I thought poor Dangermau5 Deadmau5 might get electrocuted. Luckily not. Instead, it was a great Lollapalooza moment and that's why I've chosen this homemade video as this week's Tunes Tuesday. I was not as brave about iPhone video shooting in the rain.

PS - The Joy Formidable rocked really hard, go see them if you get the chance!

Urban Farming Fail

Remember my tomato plant experiment? All summer long, I watched as a tiny green bud on the non-cherry tomato plant grew a little larger, a little larger, than stopped growing altogether and just sat on the vine for weeks. Finally it started to turn red and ripe for the picking.


My yield thus far! One plum-sized tomato. Plum-size might be a generous description, it was a wee little tomato.

I was so proud and happy as i deposited it in the fruit/veggie basket on my counter. I then promptly went on vacation for the weekend. "I'll eat you when I return," I thought.

But it was not to be...

"N000000000000000000000000....[pause for breath] 00000000000oooo."

That's what I found when I got back. Just so you can get this straight - I watched that little tomato grow every day for 2 months give or take, and then when the moment was right, I bobbled!

Maybe I'll get another chance. You all were right, I needed a larger container. But I have managed to keep them alive thus far, knock on wood.

Tunes Tuesday: "Rough Gem," Islands

This song was playing over the weekend on a restaurant soundtrack, and I knew that it was in my iTunes with a playcount over 20, but who was the band? Why couldn't I remember that? And why do I so often jam out to restaurant and grocery store soundtracks? I refused to be ashamed of said jamming out, though.

I remember midway through the song, it's Islands, of course! Circa 2006. The name might've escaped me, but I didn't forget the melody. Take a melody that's in-your-face peppy, then add woodwinds, strings, handclaps and slide whistles and I'm sold. "Instant happiness," as one YouTube commenter said.

I Don't Know How to Quit You, Diet Coke

Last month, I once again tried to give up diet soda and artificial sweeteners altogether. And it stuck for the longest amount of time yet - a month. Previously I couldn't make it a week. Diet Coke is my raison d'être so a month felt like a long time. But it felt good. I felt virtuous.

A few weeks ago, I fell off the wagon and I'm back at the vending machine. You know what happened?

I was walking in my old neighborhood and I saw a group of nuns returning from the grocery store. One of the nuns was carrying a crate of Diet Coke. Fading sunlight glinted on the familiar silver box as she crossed the street. And I thought to myself:

"This woman has given up the majority of the pleasures in this world, and even so, she has allowed herself to enjoy Diet Coke. Why are you depriving yourself?"

I'm back to one can a day. Ok, maybe two.

L.A. Vacay, Continued

Here are some pictures taken with my iPhone. Despite June Gloom, we had a great time!

Everything seems more colorful on the West Coast. I love how even a blah gray concrete wall can be jazzed up with some painted flowers. (Your taste may vary).

The Getty Center is absolutely gorgeous and worth a trip to Los Angeles.

Look how steep that driveway is! Good thing it doesn't snow there. I made Debie do all the driving on this trip, poor thing. I even made her drive on Mulholland Drive, which was a terrible, terrible idea. It was all hairpin turns with no guardrails, and I pictured our rented Suzuki sailing off the edge. Motorcycles and bikes kept passing us, even on the left, and the road seemed to go on forever.

That drive took 5 years off my life, not sure how many it took off Debie's life. Possibly more. She stayed cool, calm and collected, with just a tad bit of screaming. She may never listen to an idea of mine again, though.

Fun street art and graffiti. The underwear-clad, tattooed hipster in the above photo looks bashful. Maybe it's a depiction of one of those dreams where you go to class and later realize you forgot to put on pants?

We met up with my friend and study abroad travel buddy Emily - so wonderful to see her again! Here she is with fancy sunglasses and a mustache, via Scoutmob's iPhone mustache app. It looks quite nice on her!

Emily was kind enough to give us her take on LA and what we should eat. That's pretty much all we did on this trip. Time well spent.

Fish tacos.

Note to self: Don't order something if you don't know what it is. I just liked the name, Michelada. This goblet was the size of a beta fish bowl, and was way too spicy. You win this round, Michelada!

Check out my previous adventures on the West Coast here (namely driving a lawn mower-sized vehicle in San Francisco traffic).