Turning 3

We officially completed Phoebe's birthday celebration today.

With no family in the vicinity to celebrate this year, we kept it -- aside from some Skype calls to the grandparents on Tuesday evening -- to the three of us. Simple. But oh, so sweet.

Tuesday night, we took her for dinner to our neighborhood Applebee's. We figured she might think the wait staff singing to her is pretty cool. Not to mention the dish of chocolate cake and ice cream she was sure to get with the song. ... Although, she played coy when the time for her birthday song came around.

When we arrived at home, Phoebe was chomping to get Grandma and Grandpa H. on the 'puter so they could watch her open presents via the webcam. Technology's great.

Among the birthday gifts were some Erik Carle books, a pair of pink sandals, and a little stuffed white dog from Uncle Orrin and Aunt Kelly, which Phoebe has named Bella. She also got a Lowly Worm doll, which she slept with Tuesday night.

But the big ticket item was Phoebe's equivalent to the Red Rider BB Gun -- a classic pink Radio Flyer tricycle.

Not that we thought she was going to shoot her eye out with her new toy -- we did buy her a pink helmet, which we're going to have to exchange because it's too small -- but it was something she wanted badly ... Ok, so maybe Kates and I enabled her emotions a little bit by talking it up, too.

Kates and I spent last Friday night looking long and hard for the perfect trike. Both of us had a vision of exactly what we wanted for Phoebe. But all we could find were souped-up, multi-colored models. Some were pink and red; what kind of color combination is that?

Having no luck, we went to the interwebs late that Friday night, found the model we were looking for and bought it. Problem was it wouldn't arrive in time for her birthday. So we printed a picture of the bike and presented it to her Tuesday night as the grand finale of her gift-opening. Her giggles and cheers were so pronounced she probably would have been happy carrying that picture around for weeks.

When the box arrived Thursday night, I slipped it up to our bedroom and hit it when Phoebe wasn't looking. Then, after the Goo Goo Dolls concert last night, I took on the fatherly task of putting together my daughter's first set of wheels. Only the beginning. ... Truly, I took great pride in placing every wheel and tightening every bolt.

When I was finished, I carefully carried the bike to our living room and arranged it at the foot of the stairs, so it would be there, shining, as the first thing Phoebe saw when she ventured out of her bedroom this morning.

And when she did discover it this morning, it was like Christmas morning. Phoebe wasted no time boarding the tricycle and trying to figure out how to make it work. It took her several minutes to get her little legs working the pedals, but she didn't give up.



By the time this afternoon rolled around she was riding like a pro. The weather is cold and crummy this weekend, so we've allowed her to keep riding inside. ... And she's riding in circles. Seriously, the way our new house is laid out, she can ride in circles.

The fun doesn't end.

Going Goo Goo

Two things about our great adventure have had a deeper impact on me than I anticipated. The first is the distance from our family, and the second is my concert attendance, or lack of it.

In K-town, we lived in a mecca for entertainment. More than a half-dozen top-notch concert venues within 45 minutes driving time. I lived for -- first, the concert announcements, and than -- those concerts. I find few things more exhilarating than hearing a musical act I greatly admire performing live just a few yards in front of me. Not that I ever took that for granted.

I just underestimated the possibilities in The 'Ville. Now, the quality concert venues are a good 90-minute drive and they're not as accessible. The acts that do come to this region don't rise to the quality of those that tour through the northland. I was spoiled, I guess.

I still shudder every time I see an announcement about a concert in the old neighborhood that I would make if we still lived there. Oh, this last year has been agonizing.

Last night, I got a bit of redemption.

The Goo Goo Dolls performed live on our small campus. 

When the announcement was made on the campus radio station one night in January, the university's social media pages lit up with excitement. On the morning that tickets went on sale, students skipped classes and the line stretched far down a hallway and out the door.

I got my hands on a ticket of my own a couple weeks later -- $14, baby -- and last night, as I watched the band perform, I could hardly believe what I was watching. The Goo Goo Dolls were playing live at my alma mater. Not to mention mere blocks from our house.

* * *

Doors to the arena opened at 6 p.m. Show started at 7:30 ... Before the show, our group hit up a popular bar and grill, where it was Greek night. ... I'll tell ya, nothing puts you in the mood for a rock concert than some loud Greek music.

* * *

Vedera opened the show ... A four-person band with a female, Kristen May, taking the lead on vocals. I'd never heard of them, but I liked what I heard. A sweet-sounding balance of pop and rock.

I couldn't put my finger on any good comparisons, though, which I suppose is a sign of either their uniqueness or my inability to keep up with the music landscape lately. Given that my mind has been stretched insanely thin the last couple months, I'm thinking it's the latter. ... The best comparison I could come up with was Avril Lavigne, or the Cranberries, but I think that's stretching it.

That said, I counted eight songs in a span of their 40-minute set. And near the end, all of the songs started sounding the same. For me, the only stand out was their slow cover of the Beatles' "Taxman." Sweet.

* * *

At around 8:45, the Goo Goo Dolls took the stage and broke into "Sweetest Lie," a classic rocking tune from their new album. The all-ages crowd was instantly engaged and the atmosphere was electric.

Initially, I was nervous the band was going to load the show with new songs to promote their new album. Instead they pleased the masses with a healthy dose of their hits and the strongest cuts from their latest album, "Something For the Rest of Us."

The lighting was spectacular, while the backdrop reflected an illusion of the band playing against the rock wall of a cave.

Here's the night's set list ... With a few video clips.

1. Sweetest Lie
2. Big Machine
3. Slide ... John Rzeznik looked at the crowd and said, "Here we go." Then he delved into the opening guitar riff, and the crowd roared.




4. Dizzy
5. Here Is Gone
6. Smash
7. Another Second Time Around
8. Can't Let It Go
9. Black Balloon ... Arguably my favorite Goo Goo Dolls song. The crowd batted black balloons for the duration of the song.
   
   


10. Home ... Haven't been able to get this song out of my head for weeks. I like it a lot.
11. Better Days
12. Stay With You ... See "Home." Ditto.
13. Now I Hear 
14. Tucked Away
15. Name ... Ah, the one that started it all, and the song that always makes me think of my high school marching band days in the fall of 1995. ... Before launching into it Rzeznik leaned into the microphone and asked the crowd, "Are you happy?" to which the crowd shouted, "Yeah!"  Rzeznik answered, "That's great 'cause this next song is really f***ing depressing!"




16. As I Am
17. Iris
    
    
    
    Encore
18. Notbroken 
19. Broadway ... Rzeznik opened it by singing the chorus a capella. The band also included a sax solo.

The music was tight, and I could not have been more pleased with all of it. This one far outdid the night we saw them in a pouring Chicago rain with the Counting Crows. I'd say I got my money's worth.

A test

So I just took this personality test ... which is perhaps the weirdest, most mind-boggling test I've taken ...

Here is my diagnosis ... 

Handy in the real world manipulation of objects and events, you are easily enthused by practical projects. You often ignore or conveniently forget rules and boundaries that limit your freedom. This need for freedom extends even to the personal sphere and though you are kind and gentle, you will often be hard to pin down to a monogamous lifestyle. Because you tend to verbalize so seldom, you can be seen as phlegmatic or impassive. In moments of high tension you can often surprise those around you with a lighthearted or humorous remark. Because of your facility with the physical world, you are often engaged in sports that require dexterity, such as motorcycling or hang gliding. You will rarely have time for flights of fancy or unproductive discussion. Constraints on your freedom will be regarded as a personal attack.

I'm hardly a fan of motorcycling ... But the rest of it is pretty accurate.

Speaking of Phoebe

Continuing my posts in honor of Phoebe's birthday ...

Some of the best things about Phoebe these days are the things that come out of her mouth.

Simply, she's a chatterbox. She come up with the most creative and imaginative stories, out of the blue. Often, her stories carry multiple themes and she's spills them in one breath. And they make no sense. Seriously, they're hilarious.

Perhaps the highlight of my weekdays are the period of time I spend getting Phoebe ready in the morning and driving her to preschool. Between her fascination with the sky and the things she observes as we drive, that's when she produces some of the real gems.

Here are some of greatest bits we've collected during the last few months. ...

That's crazy! (This is her catchphrase. She picked it up from me)

Me: Phoebe, can I have a hug?
Phoebe: No, I can't.

(Phoebe, while looking into an opening for a buckle in her booster chair) There's something in there, so it goes in there.

(Phoebe speaking to me, all in one breath) Mommy went poop on the potty! She did a big one, so she gets a sticker. You don't get a sticker.

(After a bath) My hair's wet so we can all touch it.

Phoebe: Daddy, I pooped on my shirt a little bit.
Me: You did!?
Phoebe: Yeah, I did.
Kates: No, you didn't.
Phoebe: Daddy, I peed on my shirt a little bit.
Kates: No, you were helping Shelby clean and you got a little wet.
Phoebe: Daddy, I got wet on my shirt a little bit.

Phoebe: Daddy, the sky has snow on it!
Me: No, Phoebe, that's fog.
Phoebe: Fog?
Me: Yep.
Phoebe: Oh, well we need to wipe it off so the sky is blue again!
Me: (laughing) Oh, Phoebe, well you get to work on that, ok?
Phoebe: Ok.

Phoebe: You wanna play a game wit me Dad?
Me: Sure.
Phoebe: Ok, Come on! (as she takes my hand and pulls me to the couch with no regard for what I'm doing)

Mommy, turn the light on. I can't see my eyes!

Me: Phoebe, c'mon it's time to eat.
Phoebe: (all in one breath) Not yet. I'n still coworing (that was coloring). I'n not wanna talk wight now.

Phoebe: I wanna go to Wal-mart.
Me: Ok, what can we get?
Phoebe: Um, cucumber? Apples? Corn? Might have canned corn? I wan some!

(All in one breath) It’s snowing! We gotta put our coat ons! We gotta put our hood ups!

(Referring to an afternoon of playing in the leaves with Kates) I played in it and it was big and it swallowed me up.

(All in one breath) You have your over dere so you eat yours. I’m workin’ on something.

Get out Daddy, so I can cwean da kitchin!

Phoebe: We can walk outside and I can poop outside.
Kates: No, Phoebe just doggies do that.