End of Summer - Ed, Camping, Birthday

The end of the summer was a whirlwind.  Of course, for most of us, life is a whirlwind, but it usually consists of days upon days packed with minutiae and before you know it, it's practically November and you have no idea where the year has gone.  Fortunately, my end of summer was the kind of whirlwind full of lots of good times with people, times which I can point to for many seasons to come and remember fondly.   (And also minutiae.)

Ed

I wrapped up the summer concert series with an Ed Sheeran concert in D.C., accompanied by Elaine Crossfit.  Ed was fantastic.  

Opening act was Christina Perri, who has huge musical guns.  Her enviable vocal talents are some of the strongest I have ever seen.  

Our seats were not so bad...

But even still, in typical Veronica fashion, I talked to some people and so we were upgraded to like the fourth row from the stage.

We got out of there and decided to hang back from the crowds for a bit, and it was a good thing we did, because the Metro line broke, and we would have had to walk through the tunnels to get out of there.  We didn't even know about it till we were already on a train, about 30 minutes later, when one of the Metro workers happened to tell us that we were on "the test train" but that we were probably safe at that point.  

Camping

Kake got married at the end of September, and she looked beautiful.

Before that, we went to Shenendoah to fit in some camping before married life began.  It was actually awesome weather - the warmest I have ever experienced in Shenendoah.  

We didn't even need a fire for survival purposes - just for recreation.  That's not to say that we didn't need our survival instincts. 

We spent the day at the apple butter festival, which was lovely. 

Then we set up camp, and then drove around until we found a good perch for sunset, and (later) for sunrise.

We did find a good perch for the sunset... and an even better one was off the side of the road and down a cliff.  Realizing that there was no safe way to walk down the hill, I found one way particularly effective.

Thus, the invention of Mountain Slide.

After sunset, we made our way back to our campsite.  

Within moments of arriving and starting to set up our fire, the campsite next to us caught on fire.  I mean.... caught... on.... fire. 

There's a phrase folks use often: "Adding fuel to the fire..."

PEOPLE.  THIS IS A VERY DECEPTIVE PHRASE.  Please, under The Laws of Science and Physics, do not, under any circumstance, ever ADD FUEL TO A FIRE.

The kids at the campsite next to us decided that it would be a good idea to enhance their campfire using fuel.  This, of course, resulted in literally everything catching on fire.  The fuel can immediately caught fire, and then the kid holding it started flinging fuel everywhere, which caught evverything on fire.  Within seconds, it was so lit up that it seemed like daylight.  

Fortunately, folks from all around came running out from the woods to assist.  Of course, pouring water on fuel only made it worse, so all anyone could do was stand around and watch and wait.  God bless the guy behind us, who had a gigantic cooler of water, and soaked the ground all around the flames so that the fire didn't spread any further.  For a good 20 minutes, all we could do was wait for queue of fleeing whilst their campsite burned.  

Accurate representation of the camping fire scene.

Other than the few moments of absolute terror, the trip was rather lovely.  We spent the next day touring several vineyards and vast spaces.

A bear!

Cows!

Sheep!

Birthday

I had a rather quiet birthday, with a few small but wonderful surprises and gifts.  Some colleagues were really sweet, and Kake sent me a fruit thing!!

Also popped up to NYC for a weekend to celebrate my great-aunt's 80th birthday.  Before we did that, we did some tourist-y stuff and saw a show. 

 I want to take another trip up soon, because I always feel rushed when I am there.  Being given 45 minutes in Macy's is nothing... it takes 45 minutes just to make it to the department I want.

It was noted that it's somewhat of a talent that I can go up 9 flights of elevators without touching the handrails.  

One of the best parts of Macy's is the old wooden escalators.

Also around my birthday, Sara and I got VIP tickets to the Maryland Million race.  It was my first time at the horse races... and I had so much fun!  I really loved it.

VIP tickets allowed us all-you-can-eat and open bar.  Yeah, I'm spoiled, I know.  But let me just set the record straight on one thing:  I am all set on the oyster consumption front.  I do not need to eat oysters ever again. 

PSA: Do not ever serve me an oyster.  Thank you.

Prepare your house and your life - I think we are in for a brutal winter.

All of the things, all of the stuff

Things

I have a theory that any typical woman has on her person at any given time between 8-12 types of lip stick/gloss/liner.

The real truth that will come out is how many lipthings a woman has in total, including the collection she keeps at home - the collection that rarely comes out.  I would call it "the lipstick graveyard," but I know just as well as all women do that wouldn't be an accurate statement.  There's a time and a place for all lipsticks/glosses/liners which are not in a trash can.  

Go ahead and have a woman walk through her "lipstick graveyard."  You'll find the funniest stories on why a woman will not throw out old lipsticks. 

"This one is about 8 years old, but they don't sell it anymore and I love it."  

"This one totally dries out my lips and flakes, but if you combine it with a few different kinds of gloss, the color is really beautiful."   

"This one is way too dark; I didn't realize how dark it was when I bought it, but it cost $9, so I'm going to keep it, because one day I might wear it, like as part of a Halloween costume or something."   

"This one I never wear except for very special occasions, because it cost $45."   

"This one has a really gross texture to it, but it smells soooo good."

Trust me.  It's true.

They are all about to act like it's not true, but it's true.

You know it, I know it, and the American people know it.

Go ahead, next time you are out at a casual meal, ask the women with purses on them how many lipthings they have on them.  Go ahead.

Are you ready to see my collection?

You have no idea how long it's going to take me to scatter all of this around my house again back to where I found it all.

Yup. That's it.  I'd say the left 1/3 of the circle is on me at all times in my purse, and the rest is in the home-based graveyard.

Update: I just found 6 more in my make-up case.

ADDING YOURS!
Here are the self-confessed submissions I've received... send me your lipstuff collection, and I'll post it!

Rachel

 Thanks for your honesty, Rachel.

Melissa

Thanks for your honesty, Melissa, 

and for the truth about your eye shadow collection.

I also have a collection of sunglasses.  Someone else might have just said, "Veronica has entirely too many sunglasses," but again, there is a time and a place for all sunglasses.

I didn't even go out and search my car, but let's assume we'd add about 5 more.

I don't know how this happened. My educated guess would be that after years of being used to losing every pair of sunglasses, I just kept buying them, and somewhere along the line got better at not losing them.

The best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned are the ones in that front row in the middle.  They are... believe it or not... the sunglasses I bought at the Taylor Swift concert, and they are polerized.  I can see things invisible to the naked eye in them - they have been amazing for archery and for all of my water things I've done this year, LIKE TUBING!

Side note - I want to go tubing all of the time.  I went again recently, this time down the Antietam Creek with my mother and stepfather for her birthday, and it was a blast.

The only slight problem is that I am a delicate flower and get injured very easily, and I flipped my tube a lot this time, resulting in pretty bad bruises.  

I took this photo literally 2 weeks 

after tubing, and it was still this bad.

But I digress... 

The good news is that I am the easiest person in the world to buy presents for.  Just get me lipthings, sunglasses, tea, or and soap.  

I'm not getting up to take a picture of my soap collection, but those who know... know. 

When Melissa was living here, she came into my bedroom one night, and sat down on my bed, with a straight and totally serious face said, "Hey.  So, if you die suddenly...  :: pregnant pause :: what would you like me to do with your soap collection?"   I still laugh about it at least once a week.  She totally called me out, and caught me off-guard, but she definitely got me nailed down.

One other area where I am well-stocked is my collection of tools, and house-y things.  

What single young female has this many tools and things?

This is ONE of my tool drawers.

I have so many tools and house-y things that I have to store things all around the house.  Don't be surprised if you are spending the night and there's a sledgehammer, crowbar, and hammers under the guest bed.  Be careful opening the linen closet, because spare curtain rods and (mounds! of) electric cords will probably fall on you.  I NEED IT ALL.  

Stuff 

I've said before how people must think I have all of the  money, with how much traveling I do, and, now that you know, how many things I have.  The truth is that I just acquire things... it's amazing, really.  People gift me things, or people move and let me have their things, or people just hate their stuff and know that I will take your things 90% of the time.  

Before you even finish your sentence, "Hey, Veronica? I am redoing my kitchen, and I have some things I'm going to get rid of, do you..." I'll be ready with, "YES I DO what time should I be over to pick up everything?  What else are you changing?  Do you have like, a nightstand?  Lamps you don't want?" 

I just heard a bunch of readers "amen"ing, because if you are reading this, I probably have things that were once yours.

I admit to being out of touch with what my friends would consider normal shopping, primarily because I am pretentious and snobby and won't go to Wal-mart.  I recently tried to go to Aldi for the first time, because my friends (with families) swear by it.  But once I was there, I got snobby, and the conversation would go: 

Friend: "Look, these strawberries are so cheap - this is like a whole dollar less than the grocery store!"
Me: "Yeah... are they organic?"
Friend: "Umno."
Me: "Well... are they even remotely local? Where is this food coming from?"
Friend: "Um... I don't know, the [expletive] strawberry farm??!"
Me: 

 There's definitely a disconnect.

But I know when to call BS... and I'm calling it.

I did go to WalMart the other day because it was on my way home and Target would have been an additional 10 minutes in the car.

Here is the reason America is so obese: 

Basically the same price for ONE fresh pepper, or a whole box of garbage food.

If I were a single parent, or a parent with many kids for whom I am responsible to feed, guess which one seems more practical.

Are you kidding me?!

There's got to be a solution.

TAYLOR SWIFT And The Summer Concert Series 2015

Have you seen Taylor's most recent video?  You must.  She is flawless.  And she recruited Scott Eastwood.

SCOTT. EASTWOOD.

Lawdt jezus it's a fire.

Did I never tell you about our concert experience?!  Oh my word.  My apologies.

Long story short, it was hands-down the best concert I have ever attended in my life.  We started with pretty awful seats for having paid almost $200 per ticket (this is why it was a life-experience... ) and we were on the opposite side of the stage, with an obstructed view.

She would have been a little dot

After the first couple of opening acts, I was forced by Kate because she wouldn't do it able to...erm... acquire not only FIELD tickets, but actual PIT access bands!  It was incredible.  We went from being on the other side of the zip code from her, to literally 5 yards away.

AND... guest performer LORDE!

It was incredible.

I can't wait to go see Taylor again.  I have really had to do some serious self-talk to avoid just going to see her anywhere on the East coast.  The struggle has been real.

I carried around the bracelets from Taylor's concert for a few weeks until they died.  Even Larry got down with the bracelets.  

I've gone to lots of concerts this year.  Of course, I saw the Great Bette Midler, Taylor Swift, Bryan Adams, and I've got Ed Sheeran is coming up soon.

I know that you are probably wondering where the update is regarding the Bryan Adams concert, since it was such a life-changing event, and you were probably expecting the entire story about how Bryan and I met and became best friends and how we are now happily-ever-texting relationship, but alas, my fate was thwarted.  

I spent most of August really sick, battling laryngitis and a terrible cough.  Lost my voice entirely for about a week, and had to work from home a lot.  I felt okay, I just couldn't, you know, breathe or talk.  I was okay as long as I didn't have to attempt to do anything except breathe normally and not speak.  Alas, it seems that even if you specifically tell people that you can't talk, they will still talk to you.  The conversation would go like this:  

Veronica: :: inaudible noises indicating that she has no voice ::
Colleague:: Oh, okay.  So what is the status update on the project with Roger?
Veronica: 

Seriously, just send me an e-mail.  In fact, let's go ahead and make that a best practice.

This means that at the Bryan Adams concert I went to at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, (Please let it be noted that I drove 9 hours to see him,) I had to sit in my chair quietly, with my hands folded in my lap. This was at the peak of my illness, and if I even so much as opened my mouth, I would be set into a coughing fit.  

Bryan is the type of performer who really interacts with the audience, so he called everyone to come closer to the stage, and sing at the top of their voices.  I, however, stayed planted and basically felt like this.

But it's okay.  Now I have seen his performance, and I was able to observe what it will take to get backstage.  Now I have a plan developed for the NEXT time I see him. Mwwaaaahahahaha.... 

I did get to spend some quality time with my cousin up in Connecticut.  I spent a lot of my childhood in Connecticut, and it really is lovely.  My cousin lives in a beautiful area.  You'd have to see it to believe it; it's much different than Maryland.  AND... she lives right behind cows.  COWS!  We love cows.  

Cows!