LOTS of photos added to the friends section. Check it out.

Look what I found! Talk about a blast from the past.

I scanned over 35 pictures last night. Whew! I rendered most of them this morning, and will add them when I get home tonight before O5 is on and maybe sipping a margaritta. Callie came and collected Tim and I at 9.30 to go to the Red Line. It was open mic night, but we managed to get a good hour of conversation in before the "talent" started (it was mostly a big sausage party). It was *very* nice to hang out with Callie and chat. It feels like ages even though it was at the beginning of the month. We talked until midnight when we went home. I had to get up a little earlier than usual because Kellie (my morning ride to work, aka train girl), had a doctor's appointment and I had to take the train. Although when Tim and I walked out, it was street cleaning and our car was on the wrong side. Tim suggested that we drive to work. !!! We never drive to work for the hell of it. Cool. Since I would have been 45 min early, I just told him to go the parking garage and I would walk the 20 min to work. He bought me coffee this morning. *awww*

I am having a pretty good day.

I just got a CD from Rachal! Wahoo! Listening to it now, but just so you know...this is the listing:

1. Enigma - Carly's Song
2. Chemical Brothers - You Should
3. Rage Against the Machine - Wake Up
4. Soul Coughing - Spiral Down
5. Propellorheads - Spybreak
6. Soup Dragons - Dream E Forever (Nostalgia only 8) )
7. Violent Femmes - Gimme the Car
8. Norah Jones - I Don't Know Why
9. Smashing Pumpkins - She Knows
10. Soul Coughing - Los Angeles
11. Edith Piaf - La Vie En Rose
12. Gaelic Storm - Beggarman
13. Floating Men - Tall Stand of Pines
14. Tori Amos - Upside Down
15. Pixies - Where is My Mind
16. The Cure - Killing and Arab

Wow. I am so tired. I had an adrenaline rush after completing the layout of the site and didn't go to bed until 1:00 AM. I now have a link of "A Week in the Life of Ben & Jen" otherwise simply known as ...."Tristan's First Baby Pic's' (there are more baby pictures that you can coo at). I have to admit that this kid is a cutie (even cuter than Bob Barker if that is possible).

Oh. There was something else I wanted to say. What was it. Oh. I remember. YAH! I have friend in the super secret society of livejournal (yeah I sold out, but only to read juicy details of other people lives...and I suppose I can comment now...huh). Thanks Xtian!

Ahhh. How nice. So much cleaner. I had to do some housekeeping on this whole site for some time. BTW, I am currenty collecting pictures for the 'friends' section. If you are unhappy with your picture, let me know and I will replace it. But give me a week to scan in my good ones before you jump the gun. 8)

I just got InDesign. 8) I am going to be a force to be reckoned with in no time. Oh speaking of which, I made Tim some personal cards, so be sure to ask him for one when you see him. Make him feel important.

Rough morning. I have headache now. 8(

Last night was okay. Relaxing. After not getting mail for five days because the buzzer was broken on the apartment, the mailman was finally able to make his delivery (or hers). I got a letter from my Mom. 8) She said that Ditto quit going to calvary, got a new apartment in Connersville and refuses to talk about what happened. I wonder what happened. My poor brother. We also went over to Mischa's to pick up the server and the Mac monintor adaptor for Tim's sister. When we went to drop it off, they don't even have a buzzer and the door the building is locked. We yelled at the window for ten minutes before Tim started to get pissed off for looking ghetto. Just as we were about to leave someone left, and we got in that way. She was home and we hooked up her monitor for her, and the glow in Greg and Bekah's eyes was obvious. Good, the computer should be used.

Then I made spaghetti for dinner, watched Monk, the Chris Issack Show and Sex in the City while reading. It was nice, except I got a terrible headache just before I went to sleep. It must be stress or something. I am looking forward to visiting my Dad this weekend.

Also, a quick congratulations to Koah on her wedding last Saturday and her baby to arrive in November.

Hokay. I got a cup of coffee in me, and I am starting to feel a little more comprehensive. That only took an hour and half. 8)

This weekend was fun. On Saturday Tim and I packed up our stuff and headed up north to Kettle Moraine for the Second Annual Camping Expedition Although we got a somewhat late start, we were the first ones there (much to our surprise). It was a beautiful, warm August evening as our guests started to arrive. In attendance this year: Sarah and Dave, Tim's co worker James and his wife Amy, Eric and Kate, brother's Ben and Phil (with the dogs: Ludo, Hoggle and Wrigley) and Matt and Sigrid. Unfortunately for Matt and Sigrid they arrived just as the 10% chance of rain turned into a two hour downpour. They managed to set up their tent in like 15 minutes, and keep it dry. At one point, several people retreated to their tents to stay out of rain, which left a few of us...mainly the Benninghoff's and Kenosha folk to stand out in the rain and hold a garbage bag over the fire to keep it from going out.

But the motto seemed to be "We can still get drunk." Which we did, I will have you know.

Eventually the rain stopped. Matt scared away a naked man (who was going to streak us, but chickened out at the last minute and stood by the road watching us, mere feet from a disturbed Sigrid). The fire was surrounded by a moat of water, which we drained, and then covered the mud with weeds which created the terrific mess the next morning. All the moles came out of their holes and sat around the fire and dried off, or at least steamed. All in all, everyone was good sport about the rain, and accepted it as part of nature.

Sunday most everyone left. The brothers, Eric and Kate, the dogs and Tim and I all went to look at the Ice Age Museum (with James and Amy who left us here) and then continued to do some hiking on the Zilmer trail. Along the way, I found some blackberries and started to pick them. When the hike was over and we sat down on the benches in the front to water the dogs, I put my camera down. When we left, I was concerned about the blackberries, and we were all too tired to be aware and look behind us. Thus, I didn't realize until 15 minutes later that I forgot my camera. We went back....not 40 minutes after we left, and it was gone. Although the water bottle that Eric put next to it, was still there. That camera was a birthday present to me from Tim, the first year we were married when money was scarce.

That was the firs time I have ever lost a camera. I felt better later when I learned that virtually every Benninghoff has lost a camera. I guess I just joined the ranks and we really are family now. ;) But the moral of this story is ...no pictures. Not for awhile. Although I did develop a roll last Friday, which has some pictures on it that I might get around to putting up soon.

Monday, the core Roger's Park group (Us, and Eric and Kate) drank cowboy coffee in the morning sun, packed up and went home. I was SO happy to take a shower when we got back. I had brought only one pair of pants, which had gotten covered in mud on Saturday night. When we stopped at Burger King for a potty break and food on the way back, nobody stood close to us in line. After the shower, I watched Murder She Wrote, took a nap and then got up to see Investigative Reports "Wage Slaves: Nickled and Dimed in America." Afterward I thought about the life I live now, and how different it is from when I grew up...and how few people I hang out with now know about the real hardships of life. I also know, not to get a divorce after I have kids. That seemed to be the key indicator that threw most of the people on the program, and that I know in real life, into real problems.

Hey Congratulations to Ben and Jen Geisler (and Bob) who welcomed Tristan into their family on Wednesday! Details to be annouced. Thank God Tim and I didn't have to do that first. *whew* We still have to catch up on the house.

I was reading this about Bush's war against fat kids and the "Verb: It's What You Do" campaign when I came across the interesting tidbit that the red dye in candy, soda and make up is made out of bugs. Can it be?? Sure enough.

Here are the details to the train distaster that I spoke of yesterday. The Middletrain is Kaput. Which is such a shame, because there were some neat little ideas happening, and Tim and I were considering going on a trip. But we decided to hold off our House on the Rock getaway until the first week of November because you can save a little over a $100 bucks. That's worth it.

Last night I went to see 24 Hour Party People at Piper's Alley with Kate, Eric, Coldwar and Eric's cousin, Bo. The movie was okay, learned alot about Joy Division, New Order and Manchester. Afterwards we went to this terrible bar for a beer and watched the Golden People walk around on the Gold Coast scenery. I really didn't like that part of town. Just made my skin itch. Got home, and the thunder and lightening put on a spectacular show.

Hello? Are you listening to me?
Hello? Why don't you speak a word to me
I tried to see you in my future
I tried to find you in my past


---DoD, 1 of 18 Angels

Oh, sweet Adrian. When will you come back to the United States? When? I am waiting.

On another note, my friends Booked for Murder Mystery Train hit a milktruck yesterday! Details pending....

I updated the links a little today. I guess I don't have all that many friends with webspace that they want to show off. Oh well.

I almost took a personal day today. Almost. Tim and I stayed in bed until we had to be out the door in 10 minutes. We didn't want to leave. Just stay home. IT's a beautiful, gorgeous day too. Sunny, cool end of summer niceness. But then I would have just stayed inside and let it all go to waste, which is really no different than me sitting here and letting it all go to waste.

Last night I was reading my one of my grandmother's journals. It is the last one that she wrote in, and stopped writing in it in 1991. One entry. I am just struck by how lonely she was and how few friends she had. Friends that were...real friends that would stop by and visit, send a card, pick her up for church, go rummage shopping, etc. My little ol' grandma was out in the middle of the woods for about twenty years, occasionally shooting porcupines, groundhogs, and raccoons while waiting for the mailman. She was very sad that she had no children living by her (for many years). You could say my Dad was, but he was still in his drinking phase up until about 1991 or 92, and just caused her more grief and was out most of the time with various girlfriends. But then, my brothers moved back there for awhile...and my Dad did clean up his act, and Andrew came along....so she did have company near the end. I wasn't doing much in high school, I should have convinced my Mom to let me go live there for the summers. But then there was the war with my Mom and Dad, and I would have been *such* a traitor to go and live with Dad, after my brothers had already done it and thereby completely abandoning my Mom.

So I felt lonely last night. First I made dinner, and then I decided to clean up and organize my stationary table. I went through all the cards, and have the paper and letters to sort now, then I am all done. It was looking so much better by the time I went to bed. I finished my letter to my Mom, and gave Tim a card to send to his Dad for his birthday, and sent my brother his birthday letter/card late to my Mom to give to him (I was waiting to see if that church he goes to would give me the address of the co-op he lives in, but those hippies can seem to use a computer).

Now.
Here I am at work.
Not working.

Camping is going to be fun...we are going to Kettle Moraine. I will take pictures and they will be here. On this site...soon. The event still has to happen first. Dig?

Let's see. What has happened since August 7th....that was a little over a week ago. Just barely.

I went to GenCon last weekend. We went kind of late in the afternoon, but it was still plenty of time too look around, and discover I didn't want to buy anything. There weren't even any good T-shirts! I think that they changed the schedule of when the costume contest was, because it was on Saturday this year. It was great because there were *so* many freaks walking about dressed up. I saw some pretty great costumes and some pretty awful ones. My picture documentary of running into people was very small this year compared to last year. Once I develop this lastest batch of film I will post it (I have a picture or two left to take). Basically I ran into Leif and Rebekah (all dressed up!), Chad B., Tim's friends Vicky, Dimitri and the other guy, kind of looked for Xtian but didn't find him. And I think that is about it. Small group.

After nerd watching for an hour, we met up with Chad B, and went to eat the Rock Bottom, where Tim's brother Ben showed up. I had fish and chips, it was good. It was also a very nice converstation with good company. Afterward we went to Ben's, and plans fell through so we ended up at YNot II, until bartime. The next morning we went to visit Rev. Benninghoff, and took him out to lunch. I realized that day, that Denny's is a sad, sad little resturant. Perkins and Country Kitchen are so much better. We had a nice visit and saw their latest dog...a miniture Datuschund named Schottse (that spelling may be a little off). Anyway, it's a cute little dog. OH, I saw two more pugs that weekend too, and decided I have a real affection for pugs. All because of Sigrid's dog Schnitzel (not its real name).

This week has been going by pretty slowly. I got an email from Melissa R. today! She's back in Maryland, and I am going to call her this afternoon and see what she has been up too. I am little excited about that. I called my Mom the other day and she said Shane came back home and got the big TV. Yah for him. What else....working on writing emails to those I haven't spoken to in awhile. Beadweaving (literally...I figured out to do the old fashioned method of beading that actually weaves the beads...no needles. I am excited, I don't know anyone who knows this style, other than my Mom who figured it out by taking apart an real old piece of bead work. I will talk about it later....give a little demonstration that kind of thing.)

I also think I will work on my website a bit. It needs a change. This upcoming weekend I might go out with Mr Coldwar on Friday. Saturday is a dinner party with Mike and Rachal. Other than that... next weekend is the big camping trip. Looking forward to that.

Wedensday...sweet Wednesday. Gamer day, and Callie said she wanted to hang out tonight. We'll see how that pans out. If it doesn't then, I might...eh. I don't know. I wouldn't mind seeing a movie, I heard Signs is good (in a scary movie kind of way). I saw Farewell my Concubine on Monday...it was okay.

This weekend is Gencon! The last year it is going to be in Milwaukee. We *have* to go. I am looking forward to the White Wolf party afterward...I always seem to have fun at it. Although last year we didn't get in because they moved it to a really small venue, and it was croweded. I think we just ended up going to Club Anything. Which is okay...it's definitely better since they remodeled. Crap. Must go to boring meeting....at least I can work on a letter. Or something.

Today was a pretty good day, despite missing my friend Paul. (Sorry about that again). I woke up at nine, and stayed up. Tim wanted to go shopping and we did. It took us tons of searching to find the item that he was looking for (mech warrior IV expansion pack). But finally, we found it. I bought some stationary at the mall. When we got back, there were two books at the front door (Thanks again, and still sorry about missing you).

Since I didn't have to clean this weekend on account of it being in great shape due to the visit we had on Wednesday...(Tim's Uncle he hadn't seen in twelve years, and his lovely wife), I decided to write. It feels like it has been awhile since I have written, and the letter to my mother has been side tracked a bit. So I wrote to Sarah Cloud, who wrote me a later at the end of June. I thoroughly explained the how and why July was a particularly bad month for me, and how I am glad that August is here....it feels like a new beginning. A new start on life, a new breath of fresh air. I also wrote a language guide for my Dad to follow in making me a Ho Chunk language tape. I used it based off a spanish conversation book I got. I think it would be a good way to learn the language...by learning vocabulary and short sentences with the words in it. OH, and I did a FB to include in Sarah's letter. Watched A Beautiful Mind and was disappointed (it just wasn't that good), and then...croqueted a bit.

Last night I finished American Gods (thanks to Sigrid for that suggestion), and loved it. Just the whole town of Lakeside (aka Menomonie) descriptions, and Ho Chunk references made me happy. Very happy. I just feel bad that the book is done, and I don't know what else to read. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I was going to go out tonight, but decided I didn't feel like coming home at 3 in the morning on the blasted CTA, tired, sweaty and feeling all around icky in this humidity. I don't really relish the idea of wasting tomorrow either. I have had such little time to myself, and so many projects piling up in my head, and the need to do...things that I like, no matter how inconsequential they are. Although I am going to a BBQ tomorrow at four. It's for the train girl I met a while back (Kellie) because of her completing another year of life. We really need to go grocery shopping before that.

Last week, and most of this previous week...I felt, drained. Like life was just there and overbearing, and I had no choice in any matter, and that whatever I said, did or thought was all just going to be misinterpreted, taken for granted, forgotten, meaningless, empty. While I still feel that way to some degree, I think there is an element of acceptance seeping in. I certainly hope that this acceptance of mine is based on courage, understanding of duty/responsiblity and not defeat.