Our trip to Atlanta just happened to fall on Easter weekend. I was a little bummed about missing out on the Easter festivities with Ella that morning, but my mom said she'd wait to have the egg hunt after we arrived and my sister and her family weren't coming until late in the afternoon, so we'd all be able to sit down to dinner together. We decided to leave Atlanta in the morning so we would arrive in Columbia at a reasonable hour.
We checked out of the hotel around 10:30am and immediately got on the road. About an hour and a half into the trip, I noticed the car start sputtering and jerking. I looked over at Donald and saw the gauges on the dashboard go out. Luckily we were in the right lane and there was a rest stop directly in front of us. We couldn't have asked for a better place to break down. Donald pulled into a parking spot and the car sputtered forward again as he tried to put it in park. He waited a minute before turning off the ignition. When he did, he tried to restart the car immediately, but it wouldn't start. We waited a few minutes while discussing what we should do. We were still in Georgia and quite far from home and it was Easter Sunday, so most businesses were closed. Donald was able to start the car back up again and he pulled out of the parking spot and drove down a little ways to another spot just to see how the car was driving. It sputtered out on us again, so we decided to try to get the car towed instead of driving some place (especially since we had no clue what was around us or what would be open that day). I called my Mom to let her know what was going on and she offered her AAA service to us. They tow up to 100 miles and our insurance only tows up to 16 miles, so it was a no brainer. Unfortunately, we needed the card to use the service, so my Stepdad had to drive out to meet us, which meant an hour and a half wait for him, then any additional wait we'd have to do for the tow truck. What a fabulous way to spend Easter Sunday!
We waited. And waited. And waited some more. We played a rousing game of "You know how I know you're a douche?" (when you park your Hyundai sideways in 2 spots so no one will hit your car; When you dress better than your girlfriend; When you peal out of a rest stop in your pretentious car, etc.). I played with my camera and took some really uninteresting pictures of Rest Stop No. 62. We saw some guy drive up behind the rest stop and walk into the woods to pee (at a REST STOP!!!). We commented on the numerous cute dogs we saw. We sang Flight of the Conchords songs to each other. We texted people. It was a fun filled afternoon.
Four hours later, the tow truck arrived. YAY! We punched in the address of our mechanic into the TomTom and found out we were 97.1 miles from the shop. Could we cut that 100 mile limit any closer?? Talk about luck! We hopped in Roger's car and followed the tow truck back home. I napped while Roger & Donald talked each other's ears off. We got back into Columbia after 6pm. The day was pretty much shot. We were all starving, but happy that everything was taken care of and thrilled that we got as lucky as we did with everything. My Mom had the food waiting for us when we arrived and it was quite possibly one of the best meals I've eaten in ages. My angel baby was so excited to have us home and excited about the Easter bunny. We missed the egg dying, egg hunt, etc., but we were all together and that's what counts.
My BFF asked me if the trip was worth the trouble. Yes. It definitely was. I'd do it all over again. Flight of the Conchords rocked the party! I hope they come back again real soon.
Note: For the overly curious - the alternator went out on the car, which drained the battery. Tauri is all fixed now and running perfectly.
Showing posts with label FOTC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FOTC. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Flight of the Conchords - LIVE!
This past Saturday we traveled to Atlanta to see Flight of the Conchords live at the Fox Theater. We left Columbia around 11:00am and it was a gorgeous day for a drive. We got to The Georgian Terrace Hotel at 2:30pm and checked in. The front desk service was super slow and there was a large wedding party checking in at the same time as us, which made it that much more dreadful. We finally got our room key and headed up to 604. We were pleasantly surprised by the size of the room. Apparently the hotel was previously apartments, so the rooms were more like small suites. We had a full kitchen, living room and separate bedroom and bathroom. Each room was equipped with a large flat screen tv and we had a tiny little balcony that overlooked an unattractive rooftop, but we didn't care. It was still a very nice room.
After resting for a few minutes, we ventured out onto Peachtree St. NE. The Fox Theater is directly across the street from the hotel. Perfect location! Neither of us is familiar with downtown Atlanta and we didn't have a map, so we just walked down the street several blocks, then turned back around and headed back to the theater. I took a few pictures of the hotel and theater (was disappointed to see signs saying NO CAMERAS ALLOWED at the show) and Donald walked around checking things out. He came running to me and told me he saw Bret McKenzie across the street, but I didn't believe him. I looked over and we saw 2 guys crossing towards us, one of which looked remarkably like Bret, the other one had a huge 'fro and was looking quite disheveled. I thought they were super fans and just dressed the part, so I ignored them and continued my photo taking. Donald rolled his eyes at me, convinced that it was Bret. We walked over to the side of the theater, where we saw the 2 guys go and saw the tour buses, followed by 3 girls with their ears pressed up against the theater doors. We asked them what they were doing and it turned out that the guys were in there doing a sound check. You could hear everything through the doors. And it WAS Bret that we saw running across the street! If only I'd listened to Donald! Oh well. We stood outside the theater for a good hour, hoping the guys would appear and we could talk to them, but no such luck. Our stalking did pay off eventually, though, when we saw Kristen Schaal (who plays Mel on the show) walking towards us. She stopped to talk to a group of people who were also waiting the near bus, then we got our chance to talk to her and have our picture taken with her. She was so cute and sweet and more than happy to talk to everyone gathered around. She finally went into the theater and we stood around for a little while longer before finally giving up and heading back to the hotel to change clothes and get ready for dinner.
Dinner was at Baraonda, which is one block over from the hotel/theater. My friend Jenny recommended it to me and you really couldn't beat the location. Apparently everyone else in the area had the same thought because the restaurant was packed. We were told it would be a 20 minute wait, so we found a spot at the bar and ordered drinks. It was a really festive, arty atmosphere. I really enjoyed people watching there. We didn't have to wait for long before we were seated; they really did an excellent job of moving people in and out quickly. We were seated on the covered patio and ordered another round of drinks. Donald got the Spaghetti Vegetali (whole wheat pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, eggplant, onion, plum tomato sauce) and I ordered the Bianca pizza (mozzarella, olives, goat cheese, pancetta, parmigiano). The food was delicious! I'd definitely recommend it.
After dinner we headed to the theater for the show. There was a formally dressed man outside the theater welcoming everyone to "the historic Fox Theater Atlanta". I thought it was a nice touch and I loved hearing him greet everyone that passed by - that's Southern charm at its finest. We entered the theater and I was surprised there was no bag search. I was afraid to try to sneak in my new camera (with the excellent zoom feature), so I smuggled in my crappy point & shoot. If I'd known, I would've brought the good camera! Oh well. We scoped out the tshirt sales (loved the Band Meeting shirt) and bought beer, then headed to our seats. The theater is gorgeous! Words can not describe its beauty effectively. The entire ceiling is painted to look as though it's the sky and the decor is a Morrocan theme. You really feel like you're back in time at a theater under the stars. It's quite lovely. Our seats were in the Orchestra section (row S, left, seats 9 & 11). They were decent seats, though I wish we were more in the middle instead of off to the side. A couple of slightly obnoxious teenagers sat in front of us and the 2 girls kept trying to scream "you're so hot you're making me sexist" throughout the show, but every time they did it, something would happen to muffle their voices and the guys didn't hear them. It was annoying, but you had to admire their persistence.
The lights went down and Jemaine's voice introduced Kristen Schaal, which was actually quite comical. I wish I could remember everything he said, but I assure you it was funny. We weren't sure what to expect of Kristen's standup, but we were delighted by how absolutely hysterical she is! We laughed throughout her entire set. She introduced the Flight of the Conchords and the room went dark as Bret & Jemaine walked out in their homemade robot costumes and sang a hilarious version of Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor. It was a great opener! The entire show was just funnier than I can describe. I laughed so hard that I cried. Their live shows just really showcase their talent. Their comedic timing is brilliant. Jemaine's ability to improv is genius. The whole show was amazing. I was hoping I could remember the set list to share, but they sang so many songs, it's impossible to remember it all. They did 2 encores and ended with Bret running into the crowd and then just disappearing. Everyone was looking around wondering where the heck he went and then the lights came up. Too funny.
We filed out of the theater and headed over to the tour buses to wait for autographs/pictures. It was surprisingly cold outside and we left our jackets at the hotel. A mass of people joined us by the buses and we all began our vigil. Time passed and no one came. Occasionally the theater door would open and you'd hear a mass of "WOOOOOOOO" as someone stuck their head out, but it was all just a ruse. We watched the crew come in and out and load things onto the buses. We joked that they were just carrying the same boxes back and forth just to fuck with everyone. At some point we started to actually believe that's what they were doing, especially as one roadie after another would stare at us like we were all freaks for freezing our asses off. I think someone even said Bret & Jemaine weren't coming out and we should all leave. Every now and then you'd see a few people give up and we'd all cheer quietly because that was 2-3 less people keeping us from our goal. We chatted with other people waiting and debated whether or not we should leave. Donald gave up long before I was even close to ready, but he's such a trooper and stuck it out just for me. Finally, around 12:30, and after I was sure my toes were going to fall off from hypothermia, the guys showed up. Waiting paid off! There was a mass of people, but everyone was very cordial. Donald joked that it was the nicest mob he's ever witnessed. Bret stood on one side of the barrier and Jemaine stood on the other, so you had to push your way through one crowd to get the autograph/picture, then turn around and push through another one. But it was worth it and I have the photographic evidence (which I'll post later). The guys were so freaking nice and gracious and you can tell they really love and appreciate their fans. It was so awesome. We finally got back to our hotel room around 1:30. It was a good day.
After resting for a few minutes, we ventured out onto Peachtree St. NE. The Fox Theater is directly across the street from the hotel. Perfect location! Neither of us is familiar with downtown Atlanta and we didn't have a map, so we just walked down the street several blocks, then turned back around and headed back to the theater. I took a few pictures of the hotel and theater (was disappointed to see signs saying NO CAMERAS ALLOWED at the show) and Donald walked around checking things out. He came running to me and told me he saw Bret McKenzie across the street, but I didn't believe him. I looked over and we saw 2 guys crossing towards us, one of which looked remarkably like Bret, the other one had a huge 'fro and was looking quite disheveled. I thought they were super fans and just dressed the part, so I ignored them and continued my photo taking. Donald rolled his eyes at me, convinced that it was Bret. We walked over to the side of the theater, where we saw the 2 guys go and saw the tour buses, followed by 3 girls with their ears pressed up against the theater doors. We asked them what they were doing and it turned out that the guys were in there doing a sound check. You could hear everything through the doors. And it WAS Bret that we saw running across the street! If only I'd listened to Donald! Oh well. We stood outside the theater for a good hour, hoping the guys would appear and we could talk to them, but no such luck. Our stalking did pay off eventually, though, when we saw Kristen Schaal (who plays Mel on the show) walking towards us. She stopped to talk to a group of people who were also waiting the near bus, then we got our chance to talk to her and have our picture taken with her. She was so cute and sweet and more than happy to talk to everyone gathered around. She finally went into the theater and we stood around for a little while longer before finally giving up and heading back to the hotel to change clothes and get ready for dinner.
Dinner was at Baraonda, which is one block over from the hotel/theater. My friend Jenny recommended it to me and you really couldn't beat the location. Apparently everyone else in the area had the same thought because the restaurant was packed. We were told it would be a 20 minute wait, so we found a spot at the bar and ordered drinks. It was a really festive, arty atmosphere. I really enjoyed people watching there. We didn't have to wait for long before we were seated; they really did an excellent job of moving people in and out quickly. We were seated on the covered patio and ordered another round of drinks. Donald got the Spaghetti Vegetali (whole wheat pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, eggplant, onion, plum tomato sauce) and I ordered the Bianca pizza (mozzarella, olives, goat cheese, pancetta, parmigiano). The food was delicious! I'd definitely recommend it.
After dinner we headed to the theater for the show. There was a formally dressed man outside the theater welcoming everyone to "the historic Fox Theater Atlanta". I thought it was a nice touch and I loved hearing him greet everyone that passed by - that's Southern charm at its finest. We entered the theater and I was surprised there was no bag search. I was afraid to try to sneak in my new camera (with the excellent zoom feature), so I smuggled in my crappy point & shoot. If I'd known, I would've brought the good camera! Oh well. We scoped out the tshirt sales (loved the Band Meeting shirt) and bought beer, then headed to our seats. The theater is gorgeous! Words can not describe its beauty effectively. The entire ceiling is painted to look as though it's the sky and the decor is a Morrocan theme. You really feel like you're back in time at a theater under the stars. It's quite lovely. Our seats were in the Orchestra section (row S, left, seats 9 & 11). They were decent seats, though I wish we were more in the middle instead of off to the side. A couple of slightly obnoxious teenagers sat in front of us and the 2 girls kept trying to scream "you're so hot you're making me sexist" throughout the show, but every time they did it, something would happen to muffle their voices and the guys didn't hear them. It was annoying, but you had to admire their persistence.
The lights went down and Jemaine's voice introduced Kristen Schaal, which was actually quite comical. I wish I could remember everything he said, but I assure you it was funny. We weren't sure what to expect of Kristen's standup, but we were delighted by how absolutely hysterical she is! We laughed throughout her entire set. She introduced the Flight of the Conchords and the room went dark as Bret & Jemaine walked out in their homemade robot costumes and sang a hilarious version of Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor. It was a great opener! The entire show was just funnier than I can describe. I laughed so hard that I cried. Their live shows just really showcase their talent. Their comedic timing is brilliant. Jemaine's ability to improv is genius. The whole show was amazing. I was hoping I could remember the set list to share, but they sang so many songs, it's impossible to remember it all. They did 2 encores and ended with Bret running into the crowd and then just disappearing. Everyone was looking around wondering where the heck he went and then the lights came up. Too funny.
We filed out of the theater and headed over to the tour buses to wait for autographs/pictures. It was surprisingly cold outside and we left our jackets at the hotel. A mass of people joined us by the buses and we all began our vigil. Time passed and no one came. Occasionally the theater door would open and you'd hear a mass of "WOOOOOOOO" as someone stuck their head out, but it was all just a ruse. We watched the crew come in and out and load things onto the buses. We joked that they were just carrying the same boxes back and forth just to fuck with everyone. At some point we started to actually believe that's what they were doing, especially as one roadie after another would stare at us like we were all freaks for freezing our asses off. I think someone even said Bret & Jemaine weren't coming out and we should all leave. Every now and then you'd see a few people give up and we'd all cheer quietly because that was 2-3 less people keeping us from our goal. We chatted with other people waiting and debated whether or not we should leave. Donald gave up long before I was even close to ready, but he's such a trooper and stuck it out just for me. Finally, around 12:30, and after I was sure my toes were going to fall off from hypothermia, the guys showed up. Waiting paid off! There was a mass of people, but everyone was very cordial. Donald joked that it was the nicest mob he's ever witnessed. Bret stood on one side of the barrier and Jemaine stood on the other, so you had to push your way through one crowd to get the autograph/picture, then turn around and push through another one. But it was worth it and I have the photographic evidence (which I'll post later). The guys were so freaking nice and gracious and you can tell they really love and appreciate their fans. It was so awesome. We finally got back to our hotel room around 1:30. It was a good day.
Friday, June 13, 2008
This is funny stuff
I feel the need to tell the world about the hilarity that is Flight of the Conchords. Seriously, these two guys are brilliantly funny. They're a pop-folk parody group from New Zealand with a television show on HBO. If you do a quick search, you can find tons of their stuff on YouTube, but here is a recent video they've made for one of their songs:
Their album is available on iTunes and in stores, as well as Season 1 on dvd. Please check them out. I cannot sing their praises enough.
And no, I'm not getting paid. I love them enough to discuss them for free.
That is all.
Their album is available on iTunes and in stores, as well as Season 1 on dvd. Please check them out. I cannot sing their praises enough.
And no, I'm not getting paid. I love them enough to discuss them for free.
That is all.
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