Punk, Pimples and Fireworks...

What a weekend!

I can’t believe that summer is unofficially over!  I’m disappointed that I went on vacation in May, because I really could use another one now.  I’m feeling the itch to get out of town. 

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. Mine was pretty good.

Friday I decided to be productive and rearrange furniture.  Which I did, then a moved it all back.  So, it was all for naught.

Saturday I shopped my ass off early in the day.  Thrift stores, antique mall and a discount store.  I bought a whole carload of stuff, clothes, books, glasses… it was a productive shopping trip.

Saturday evening I attended a show at the Taft Theater to see The Legendary Shack Shakers.  I’d never heard of the band, but I won the tickets and I love checking out new music.  Before the show, we went to Keystone Bar and Grill in Covington (http://keystonebar.com/covington/).  They are famous, locally for their mac-n-cheese creations.  I had the Black Sabbath, mac-n-cheese with steak and mushrooms.  It was sooooo yummy!

After dinner we headed across the Roebling to the Taft Theater.

The show was held in the bowels of the theater… The Ballroom.  The only seating was a smattering of sofas and love seats.  I enjoyed a Moerlein OTR and plopped myself on a sofa beside a father and son.  As I waited for the opening bands to start, I found myself wishing the lights were turned up as I would have liked to have been able to see the architectural details of the room.  But, alas, they weren’t.  So I occupied myself by people watching, which was also hindered by the lack of illumination.

The first band was The Tillers (http://the-tillers.com/).  I believe I’ve seen them before.  They played some nice bluegrass; I wish they thumped the upright bass a little more.  There isn’t anything much better than an upright bass in my opinion.

The second band was The Dirt Daubers (http://thedirtdaubers.net/).  They were awesome! There was plenty of bass thumpin!!

Then, the Legendary Shack Shakers (http://www.theshackshakers.com/) took the stage.  The frontman and the bassist were from the Dirt Daubers! But, wow! What a different sound.  Their music is a mix of bluegrass and punk.  It was fantastic! You can’t look away, especially when J.D (the lead singer) pulls off his shirt and bounces around the stage all Iggy Pop-esque.  He mostly sang through an old timey microphone and I had a little trouble understanding the lyrics, even though I cut my teeth on 70s and 80s rock.  It was, altogether, a really great show.  I will definitely try to catch them the next time that they’re in town!

Sunday it was Riverfest in the Ohtucky!!  This is a big party on both sides of the river to send the summer out with a bang!  The party is topped off with an amazing fireworks show.

This year I had tickets to the Fireworks Party on The Purple People Bridge.  Which wasn’t technically ON the bridge, but was on the ramp to the bridge.  There was a BBQ dinner, craft beers, blues music and RAIN.  And it rained like a mother fucker.  Water ran down the ramp like a small river.  Everyone at the party huddled under the tent as monsoon passed over.

The Turkeys setting up to entertain.

The party was sponsored, in part, by the Cincinnati Beer Fest folks, so there was a good selection of craft beers.  I love trying new beers, but the first one I had was the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  I've had plenty of it before, but it is soooooo yummy!!!

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Then I had a Rivertown Roebling Stout, which I’ve also had before, but I really like it as well.  I think I have one of these in my fridge…hhhhhmmmmm…

I followed up with a Red Ear Mad Alex Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (http://www.redearbrewing.com/our-beers.html) ooohhhh damn was that ever good!  And it’s brewed right here at home in Covington!!  Do yourself a favor and find this beer, you won’t be sorry.  Dark, smooth, not too sweet, with no bite at the end.  After checking out their website, I see that I can visit the brewery and pick up a growler of fresh brew, OH YEA!  This is absolutely on the TrippyBeth agenda!

Red Ear M.A.D. Alex Oatmeal Stout

I followed these up with a Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA.  I’m generally not huge on the pale ales.  I’m definitely a dark beer kinda girl.  I like beers that you have to chew!  The monster was a good ale, super duper hoppy with just a hint of sweetness.  Not bad, not bad at all.

Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA

The rain, thankfully, let up somewhat in time for the fireworks show to begin.  We stood at the end of the bridge, in our ponchos, to watch.  I didn’t get a lot of photos, as I didn’t want my iPhone to get as soaked as my bones were.  But I did manage a few.

I actually really like the juxtaposition of the bridge against the fireworks, makes the photos a lot more interesting to me.

Now that you’re all caught up on my excitement for the weekend… I have a little rant.

I work with all women, minus our administrator, who just doesn’t count.  If you walk into the office with, heaven forbid, a new top or slightly different hair, it’s LOUDLY announced to the entire office. ”IS THAT A NEW SHIRT?”  It annoys me sooooo badly, but I do my best to shake it off and head back to my desk at the far end of the office.  But they also seem to take pleasure in pointing out the negative.  Case in point, I am sitting innocently at my desk trying to work, diggin on some White Stripes, minding my own business.

M walks up to my desk to ask a legit work question.  But then it rolls right off of the track.

I had a pimple on my chin, it is healing, but there is still a red spot remaining.  Yeah, it sucks, but pimples happen.

M “Is that a pimple on your chin?”

I don’t reply to the question about my physical deformity, I just answer the work related question.

M “Right there on your chin, is that a pimple?”

I close my eyes for a moment to suppress the urge to stab her with my Office Depot letter opener.

M is an older lady, old enough to be my grandmother, and I try to be respectful to older folks.  But sometimes they mistakenly get the idea that they can say whatever they want because of their age and the respect that is due them. This is not cool.

I continue to try and ignore the pimple query.

Then she reaches out and nearly touches my face.  It has previously been established that TrippyBeth doesn’t like being touched.  And touching my freakish pimple affliction, well that’s not gonna happen.  I recoil.

“Is it really necessary to point that out?  Do you honestly think that someone could have a pimple right in the center of their chin and not know it? I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish other than possibly embarrassing someone, and if that’s it, you’re going to have to try harder.”  All of that spewed out before I realized it.  M is not accustomed to that, most people just think she’s funny, when sometimes I think she’s being mean while wearing the grandmotherly/comedian mask.

I think that the next time I get a pimple, I’m going to make a sandwich board and wear it into the office “I HAVE A PIMPLE AND I’M AWARE, SO FUCK OFF”

Do you think that would be rude?

Me either….