Ah yes, the fall

Ah, fall is indeed coming. These are the days where it is in the mid-70s during the day and the low 50s at night. Where my entire body revolts against the quickly changing temperatures. Where you are never quite sure what clothes you should wear - long sleeves and pants to deal with the chilly mornings or short sleeves to deal with the warm afternoon. That is pretty much a nice way to say that I managed to get sick. My head is all stuffy and it's hard to think straight. I would really like to crawl back into bed but that just isn't possible today. Hopefully I'll be better by the weekend. Being sick over the weekend just sucks.

Fall is coming

The first day of fall is this coming Saturday. It's already kinda cold in the morning when I go to work but it's still nice and warm by the time lunch comes around. I am not a fan of the colder months. I wish that it could stay just like this - warm enough to enjoy the afternoon but not so hot that my husband complains. (Though I, personally, prefer the hot months.) Instead, it'll be freezing soon. And, from what I hear, this winter will be pretty awful. Maybe I should buy a set of Crescent Moon Gold 12 Snowshoes for those times I have to dig my car out of a snowbank. Erg, the thought of that makes me shiver. Can it be summer again?

It's WEDNESDAY?

Holy crap, it's Wednesday already? What happened to this week? My daughter joined Girl Scouts this year. For the past few years, the meetings have taken place on days that she had dance class. Somehow the scheduling gods came together this year so she can do both. It's a little weird for me because I was a Girl Scout for about 9 years and so much has changed since then. (Yes, I know, I'm old.) But I'm excited to see where this journey goes. It's quite possible that she'll only do the scouting thing for one year. At least she'll have that experience under her belt. I hope she has lots of fun.

Sound system recs please!

Does anyone have any suggestions for a decent portable sound system? I need a new sound system for my Zumba classes. I'd like to have something that isn't too difficult to transport around (since I don't have my own studio yet) and would sound decent in a basketball court-sized gym. I've been looking around at various websites (where I tend to get distracted by best effects pedals and stuff) but I'm not sure what would be ideal. I've asked other Zumba instructors and, of course, they all recommend something different. Help!

The Great Allentown Fair

Every year, I take my daughter to at least one concert. Over the past few years we've seen Miranda Cosgrove perform. This year, we went to The Great Allentown Fair to see Victoria Justice. (Chances are, if you don't watch Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, you don't know who these people are. That is OK.) For some reason, I expected the fair to be on the smaller side. Boy, was I wrong. There were tons of rides, even more food stands, and even a bunch of sideshow attractions. (My sister paid $1.00 for my daughter and I to see the "world's smallest horse." It was a Shetland Pony.) Both my sister and my daughter got wristbands so they could ride all the rides they wanted to. Unfortunately, spinning rides tend to make me nauseous so I didn't get to ride anything. To be honest, I'm not all that upset about it.

The concert itself was just OK. Max Schneider was the opening act. While he is a very competent singer, he was doing this jump/dance thing that looked weird. It kinda looked like he took dance lessons from some boy bands. Boy band dancing is OK when there is a group dancing. When it's just one guy, it looks goofy. Victoria Justice was a bit more entertaining but she doesn't have the same stage presence that Selena Gomez does. Her part of the concert seemed like a big commercial for her television show (almost every song was from the show) or her new movie (her tour bus was plastered with it) or her charities (there was actually a real commercial for this on the screen while she was changing clothes).

I know that you are probably saying "Hey, this is a concert aimed at pre-teens. What did you expect?" I have now sat through enough of these concerts to know that these performers are capable of more. Selena Gomez's concerts are engaging and fun. Both of the Victoria Justice and Miranda Cosgrove concerts felt like they were just singing at us. (For what it's worth - Gomez is a Disney kid while Justice and Cosgrove are Nickelodeon.) I know that a lot of people write off kids (tween/pre-teen/younger) but there's no reason to treat them like mindless bags of cash. Yes, they will still scream and cheer for their favorite singers either way but try to make it fun for them. They are the next concert-going generation. We don't want to scare them off with bland, boring shows.

It's Monday!

I think I finally have some things lined up to get this place updated more often. But, of course, it is Monday and today is the worst Monday ever. Things are back on track now and, if I'm lucky, things will be back to normal this week. Alas, since it is Monday, everything has been going wrong. And it all started out with the light bulb in our upstairs hallway blowing out. Normally, that wouldn't be so bad. However, this is a light that is on the ceiling so it requires standing on a chair or step ladder to reach. That wouldn't be so bad either but we are currently out of light bulbs. I have to remember to stop by the store to pick up some full spectrum light bulbs so we can see upstairs. Yes, this is the main light in the entire upstairs.

Dear Monday, I hate you. Love, Me.

Busy time!

We're heading into my busy season at work. I do have some other things to talk about. I just have to find the time to do it. My goal is to get some things straightened out this weekend and try to work out a good schedule for me. I know I can figure out a way to get everything I want to do done. (Man, that is an awkward sentence.) I vow to not procrastinate and get side-tracked by websites like www.reidsupply.com. I can do this!

Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire

Every Labor Day weekend is Children's Weekend at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. We try to go every year and this year was no different. The cast members at the PA Ren Faire are awesome. Not only are they super friendly but they seem to genuinely love playing with the children. While my daughter and her friend were in line to get their Pirate Booty prizes from the treasure hunt, the actor playing Richard Burbage (Richard Furin) had a mini-marshmallow fight with some of the children. The kids loved it and he did as well. (Though he did have to run away when the children started to seriously outnumber him.) At the "Cake with the Queen" event, the children not only get cupcakes, they also get a chance to talk with Queen Elizabeth herself! (Well, as played by Jess Eppler, anyway.) She sits under a tree with a few members of her court and gives the children as much individual time as she can. She is a very busy Queen, after all.

But my favorite part of the Faire are the entertainers. Fool Hearty are our favorites. They perform three different shows - Fool School, a magic show, and an untrained dog show. Absolutely all of them are worth watching as often as possible. Giacomo the Jester was also very funny. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see his knife show as it was scheduled against the end of the treasure hunt. We also didn't get a chance to see the big joust this year but it is usually very good.

And, if enjoying a Ren Faire isn't good enough for you, there is also a winery and brew pub on-site. They even have a wine tasting weekend, if that is your thing.

I heartily recommend that you check out the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire if you happen to be in the area during the show season. You absolutely will not regret it. As proof, here is a picture of my husband with Fool Hearty during their Fool School show.