May 2016

Hanson Day Weekend 2016

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I have started this post over and over several times but since it kind of needs to be posted… oh, yesterday (that’s when I originally had it scheduled for) I figured I’m just going to throw together some words and  hope it makes sense.

Last weekend I made my 8th trek to Tulsa, my 7th for a Hanson Day (weekend) event.  I got in on Thursday, we went to lunch at Spaghetti Warehouse (and we probably won’t be doing that again) and then waited around for registration to begin.  I was doing some volunteer work for Hanson helping them out and my first shift was registration that was supposed to begin at 4, but ended up starting early around 2:30 instead.  I realized on the flight there the one thing I forgot was my raincoat – and of course it rained.  After my shift was over we went to the store where I spent far too much money.  We took it easy the rest of the night even though there was Karaoke going on because we knew we would be jam packed the rest of the week.

Friday we headed to the gallery and while I would love an original painting done by Zac, I was not willing to stay out overnight in order to get one and that is what most of the girls in the front of the line did.  I did end up getting one of the 40 canvas prints that was done of one of the paintings and a book that showed all the artwork that was done.  While we were waiting in line, Zac was there chatting (but left as we reached where he was in the line) and later Taylor came by – but he left once we were finally allowed upstairs! Poor timing.  Then it was time for group photos, I had to do some more helping out with registration and it was time for the lectures.  The lectures are an add-on and each band member does something different.  Isaac did his lecture on “You Matter” which was motivational and about how we were all in that same room together for a reason and everything happens for a reason and if you do good it will make others want to do good too.  Taylor’s lecture was called “Unwritten” and gave us an inside look on how he wrote some of the bands songs – and how if he didn’t wake up in the middle of the night or didn’t continue writing a song while everyone else was sick, some of those songs would remain unwritten and even though there’s only a few notes or a few chords they can all be put together in different ways to create different songs.  Zac’s lecture was called “Choo Choo Trains of Thought” and he wrote a song with our help… that sounded like… a train.  It actually came out sounding really cool, a really neat beat and I am looking forward to it being released!

Friday night was also the street team leaders dinner where we had some BBQ, got to hear from the guys some things that would be coming up and then we headed back to the hotel for a Tim Tam party before the Dance Party that evening.

Saturday we met up with a friend for lunch and then got ready for the State of the Band.  During the State of the Band they talk about what is coming up in the next year (since they consider their calendar year to begin in May) and have also started doing something called “The Moeys” which are awards handed out to fans based on different categories.  This year I was nominated for MVP so I was super nervous!  State of the Band started late and to be honest I was so nervous I don’t remember much of it.  There will be a world tour next year and also a new Christmas album for 2017 with the working title “Wintery Mix” (sic)  Of course, my MOEY category was last – BUT I WON! I got up on stage (With the help of Isaac and Taylor) and accepted my award and had to give a speech. When I got back down to my chair I said “I don’t even remember what I said!” There is a huge chunk of it I can’t remember – from getting up the stairs until I got back down them haha fortunately my friends took video and Hanson streamed it as well so I can fill in the blanks 😉 It was really awesome to have won a fan voted award – especially since I have spent so much of my life being bullied and an outsider due to being disabled and being a Hanson fan. It’s nice to find a place where I “belong” and people like me enough to vote for me!

Saturday night was the members only concert as well. The first part of the show was them playing the new members only EP “Loud” and the second was them having us record elements of the companion EP that will be out in October called “Play”  The rest of the show was your general Hanson show – except the sound system seemed to be off and there were a few lyric flubs.  It wasn’t the best concert ever, but even a not so great Hanson concert is better than anywhere else I could have been in that moment.

Sunday was Hanson’s beer & music festival – The Hop Jam.  They were not performing and I was volunteering so from noon until the festival was over I was hard at work helping out the team wherever I could.   I did manage to catch part of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros set though, and was glad I was nearby for the encore when Hanson went up on stage and did “Instant Karma” with the band.  I feel silly summing up the whole festival into a paragraph, but I’m not sure you really care that I did 400% of my step goal, folded a ton of chairs and banners and took down signs from light poles all evening!

Next years event should be bigger and better since it will be 20 years since Middle of Nowhere and 25 years as a band! I am looking forward to it.  I’m also looking forward to them coming back to CT for the first time in 5 years this summer!

 

Love With Food Box April

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Joy is an almost perfect word for the almost indescribable idea of love. It’s pure happiness and utter excitement. And both of those things apply to delicious snacks too, right? Obviously. This month’s box is jam-packed full of goodies that we know you won’t be able to help loving. So spread the love (and joy) around!

 

Coconut Oil Kettle Cooked Potato Chips by Boulder Canyon
These will change everything you thought you knew about the humble potato chip – without any GMOs, cholesterol or gluten. Boom.

These were really great, a great addition to our memorial day cook out!

Fruit snacks by Go Organically
Organic. Authentic. Delicious. We believe Fruit Snacks should be made with real fruit. You’ll like what’s in it. You’ll love what’s not.

Brother tried these and enjoyed.

Black Rice Crackers by Laiki
Would you believe only three ingredients could make a cracker so addictive? Just one of these oh-so-simple crunchy snacks and you’ll be hooked.

Mom tried these… “they taste like nothing, but they are good. Not too salty. They are good” I tried one and have to agree.

Blueberry Acai Flax Oatmeal Fruit Squeeze by Munk Pack
Your preconceived notions about oatmeal are about to go down the drain with the first taste of this fruity, nutrition-packed deliciousness.

I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but it was in another box and I enjoyed it so I am sure I will feel the same way once I get around to this one.

Green Tea Latte Candy by Bali’s Best
Your favorite refreshing drink made into a sweet-but-not-too-sweet, soothing, utterly mouthwatering morsel.

These were good. A little bit different since I’m not used to tea flavored candy but a nice change of pace.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti By Biscotti Di Suzy
Picture this: You + a warm cup of tea + this perfect crunchy, rich, sweet cookie. Sound too good to be true? Not anymore.

So good! Probably tied for my favorite in the box.

Gluten-Free Waffle by Honey Stinger
Waffles are’t just for breakfast anymore. Not when they’re a perfect balance of sweet, crispy, and gloriously gluten-free goodness.

The other favorite in the box. Can’t get enough waffles.

Banana Bar by Nutryttiva

You’re going to do a double take when you realize all this huge fruity flavor is packed into only two ingredients. True story.

This one grossed me out. It didn’t look appetizing and the lime included in it was probably what made me make such horrid faces once I did take a bite.  I didn’t manage to take more than that one bite.

 

Book Review: Saints + Sinners

saintsSaints and Sinners is an anthology of short fiction from the Saints + Sinners literary festival.   There are several stories in this book and all of them are pretty short, 8-10 pages or so.  There are 14 authors that contributed to this project. I like books like this because if I want to I can read it all at once or I can pick and choose which stories I want to read each day.  All of the stories were really great and I’m not sure I can pick a favorite.  Stories that were winners or runners up are noted before you start reading them. It’s fun to decide if you agree with the ones that won as being some of the best in the compilation or not.

I received a free e-copy in exchange for this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

An anthology of short fiction featuring the finalist selections from the 2016 Saints+Sinners Literary Festival.

Throwback Thursday: Jonas Brothers 3/18/08

Headliner: Jonas Brothers
Opener(s): Valora, Rooney
Venue: Oakdale Theater
Cost: $150

Setlist:

Year 3000
Just Friends
Goodnight and Goodbye
Australia
Hello Beautiful
Take a Breath
Underdog
Don’t Take My Heart And Put It On a Shelf
Pushing Me Away
That’s Just The Way We Roll
Games
Take On Me
Still In Love With You
Hollywood
Burning Up
When You Look Me In The Eyes
Hold On
A Little Bit Longer
SOS

Recap:

I started this blog in 2008 and went back and recapped most of my concerts from that year. You can see the post for the show here most of the photos got lost when the site crashed a few years ago, so here are some highlights…

Product Review: Fineliner Pens

Fineliner Pens from Platinum Art Supplies is a great collection of 60 fine tip pens.  These are great for writing out notes, setlists or journal cards for scrapbooking or coloring in adult coloring books.  The tips of the pens are very fine so you will have no trouble getting in those tiny intricate details.  Here you can see an owl coloring book page I started using these pens.  My only complaint – which is more of my own fault than anything else – is that the lighter colors show up so lightly you feel like you need to press harder in order to get a deeper color to show up and it kind of makes the pen tip fall apart a bit.  I need to keep that in mind when using the lighter shades included in this collection.  I absolutely love the colors included and how there are different variations on the same colors which makes everything look awesome and shaded!  There are 60 pens included in this set but only 30 colors – 2 of each is included.  These are available on Amazon and make a great gift for a friend or yourself 😉

I received a free product in exchange for this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

Music Monday: Hanson.net EP “LOUD”

LOUD

Ooh La La La
Stop Me In My Tracks
No Rest For The Weary
Something Loud
Siren Call

Each year Hanson releases an EP to paid members of their fanclub.  This year they came up with the concept of “Loud” for the EP and I have to say that this is one of my favorite EPs in a long time.  I have been playing it on repeat on the way to and from work since I got it. (I can’t play it at work because the CD player on my work computer is busted, figures right?)  This EP also has a companion piece called “PLAY” which we recorded elements of in Tulsa last week and will be released on October 10th.  At the moment it will be available as a digital download or vinyl only, though we are “fighting” for a physical CD to be released as well since Loud is a CD and the cover art are supposed to be companion pieces.

I’m not sure what my favorite is on the EP – it seriously changes every hour – sometimes I’ll have Stop Me In My Tracks stuck in my head, most of the time it’s Something Loud (loud loud), I think the one stuck in my head the least has been Ooh la la la which may be because that is the one that they didn’t do a stream of when they were recording it, so I am the least familiar with it but that doesn’t make it any less great than the rest.

If you want to get your hands on this CD, and I recommend you do, you’ll have to join Hanson.net in 2016.  If not, it will go into the vault until 2018!

Book Review: Kill The Boyband

killtheboybandWarning: This review may contain spoilers. If you don’t want to know about the plot of the story before reading it, you might want to not finish reading this review./

You know that when I saw a book titled “Kill the Boyband” I just had to read it right away. The writeup was about how fan girls get a bad rap – and that others just don’t understand.  This was something I could definitely relate to and being that I love me some boybands, I was hoping I’d end up loving the book.  And I did! I actually read it super fast because I couldn’t put it down.

The book follows 4 “fangirls” – Apple, Erin, Isabel and our narrator.  I’m not exactly sure what her name was or if we were ever really told her name because her and her friends all seem to take up aliases based on 80s movie characters.  They all met because of the band “The Ruperts” who were put together on a British talent show and are all named, you guessed it, Rupert.

The band is in town for a show in New York City and the girls end up getting a room in the same hotel as the guys in hopes of getting a chance to be close to them.  The girls are some of the more over the top fan girls (I feel like I can talk – even though I have done some of the things they have done -but I mean… just like getting a room in the same hotel and having a website. Not like… the rest…) and when Apple heads out to get ice she comes across Rupert P and knocks him out and drags them to the girls room where they tie him up.  They think keeping his eyes covered will keep them in the clear – he won’t know who to blame if he doesn’t see them, but of course Apple being the Rupert P fangirl of the group at some point decides that they should uncover his eyes.  The girls end up getting his room key and loot the rest of the bands room while they are off at soundcheck for the show.

Later they come back to the room to find that Rupert is dead – and all begin to turn on each other trying to find out who did it.  They decide to move the body to the band’s room in hopes of getting the blame off of them and on to the band.  Of course, this leads to the band being arrested and tons and tons of fans claiming they are alibis or they did it instead. (Those poor cops)   The truth does come out – even though there seems to be several cover ups along the way (I won’t give away everything)

While the author claims she is not a boyband fan girl – she seemed to get a lot of things right on.  I especially LOL’ed when she talked about how the tweets had bad grammar and spelling.

If you are a fan girl and love the boybands and murder mysteries (kind of) and humor – then I think you will definitely enjoy this book. It was a pretty quick read for me.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Fangirls get a bad rap all the time – people say we’re weird, hysterical, obsessed, certifiable. But those people don’t understand. Just because we’re fangirls, doesn’t mean we’re crazy. It’s important you know that up front. Because everything I’m about to tell you is going to seem . . . well, crazy. From thrilling debut author Goldy Moldavsky comes Kill The Boy Band, a pitch-black, hilarious take on modern fandom and the badass girls who have the power to make – or break – the people we call ‘celebrities’.

Throwback Thursday: Jonas Brothers 3/16/08

Headliner: Jonas Brothers
Opener(s): Valora, Rooney
Venue: Arena at Harbor Yard
Cost: $60

Setlist:

Year 3000
Just Friends
Goodnight and Goodbye
Australia
Hello Beautiful
Take a Breath
Underdog
Don’t Take My Heart And Put It On a Shelf
Pushing Me Away
That’s Just The Way We Roll
Games
Take On Me
Still In Love With You
Hollywood
Burning Up
When You Look Me In The Eyes
Hold On
A Little Bit Longer
SOS

Recap:

I started this blog in 2008 and went back and recapped most of my concerts from that year. You can see the post for the show here most of the photos got lost when the site crashed a few years ago, so here are some highlights…

Nick Fradiani at College Street Music Hall

May 13, 2015 – Nick Fradiani wins American Idol.  May 13, 2016, Nick Fradiani does a headlining set back home in Connecticut.  Which if I’m not mistaken was his first headlining show in the state – not including the Idol tour.  On the bill for the night also included some other great acts from Connecticut – Sarah Barrios, Ian Biggs and The Alternate Routes.

This was my first trip to the new College Street Music Hall in New Haven and I have to say I was very impressed with it.  I opted to get tickets for the balcony, but the floor was split GA and chairs and has several levels to stand on so I think it would be a great place to see some other shows as well and I will definitely consider returning! (It helps that there is a parking garage directly across the street as well!)

Unlike previous Idol winners, Nick’s debut album was not rushed out shortly after the season ended.  It has been a year and it is not out yet despite many of us pre-ordering it shortly after the season ended.  Nick announced that the album would be out August 5th with music starting in July – a song a week to those who preordered until the release date.  It will be called “Hurricane” and he did several songs which I assume will end up on the album.

His set was a combination of original songs and covered.  His band was made up of his Beach Avenue band and his father.  Throughout the show he was struggling with a mic that kept turning off and in ears  that didn’t seem to stay in his ear that he had to keep fixing throughout the show.  He alternated between standing behind the mic with his guitar and leaving all the music to the band and walking around the stage grabbing hands.

My only “complaint” was that he didn’t mention all the song titles.  It seems that someone else has been paying more attention than me though, since Setlist.fm has the entire setlist with the exception of one song (You’re still breaking my heart?) but the great thing about setlist.fm is that if someone updates the list – the list I have posted here will update as well.

Nick also promised to come back every year to play for as long as he is playing music.

Product Review: Sambrosa

This is probably true for most offices – but in mine it seems like everyone is always sick and it just cycles through us all over and over again. Sharing might be caring but not when it comes to a cold!  I’m always trying to find ways to combat the cold and was interested in checking out Sambrosa Sweet Dreams Sleep Syrup.  It is made with real honey and helps you with sleep, coughs, colds and allergies.  I’ve tried other sleep aids that claim that they would put me to sleep, but more often than not, it doesn’t work.  With Sambrosa within about half an hour there was no way I could fight the sleep and my eyelids were HEAVY.  I woke up feeling refreshed after having a good nights sleep and whatever cold I thought I might have been getting seemed to stay away.

Sambrosa has natural ingredients, honey and organic herbs and it is GMO free. The main active ingredient is Doxylamine.  Each bottle has over 20 nights of sleep in it!  This is one of the most popular nighttime syrups in Europe and it is now available in the US.

I have to say, that I did not like the taste – but I usually follow up on any of these liquid syrups with a big glass of water too.  It looks like honey, tastes a bit like honey but also a bit of black licorice which made me make all sorts of faces.

I received a free product in exchange for this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

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