Hungover? Who Me?

So, I bet you're thinking, "Oh, poor Manic, she must have been so useless and hungover today with all that wine she drank last night. She must have spent the day in bed, with that dumb dog lying between her legs, and Wizard of Oz on autoplay, and running back and forth to the toilet."

Think again friends!

And move over Melanie Lynne Hauser
... THERE'S A NEW SUPERMOM IN TOWN!

Here I am... Super Manic Mom.


(We interrupt this post to tell you to check out Mel's book,
Confessions of Supermom, just released in paperback!)


So, you know how I was talking about my favorite band, Poi Dog Pondering in this post last November? Well, I'm on one of the band's fan's Yahoo groups and there happened to be an impromptu intimate show today being held in Chicago with just four of the band members (there's usually like 10 or 11), sponsored by XRT Radio Chicago and Potbelly's (sandwiches that kick butt!) Fans won tickets by answering a couple questions, but by the time I heard about it, there were no tix left.

So, I got on the Yahoo group and some of the awesome internet people you always talk to but never meet in real life banded together to get Manic Mom a ticket... AND her three kids.

Now, you all know me as a soccerish-type suburban SAHM (even though I hate soccer), but I got brave today and ventured out into the big city and took the kids to the show! It was so cool, held in a Motorola showcase store that used to be a museum near The Magnificent Mile that is the shopping hub of Chicago. And the other Poi fans took me under their wings, helped with the kids, let them go up front, and we listened to some really great music. If you wanna get a sense of what/who they are, check out this site here: Poi Stuff, and listen to some of their songs. They're really cool, and they're performing at
Lollapalooza 2006 next weekend here in Chicago (which, I sadly, will not be attending).

And it was so fun to meet up with some of the guys who are always on the loop chit-chatting about the band. It's a place where "you hear it first!" and I love that about this group of people.

The band is just incredible.



So, the kids got a little tired of it all toward the end (possibly because they stayed up too late last night too!) so I bribed them with the promise of ice cream. We went for ice cream after the show, me feeling all brave in the big, big old city of Chicago, and then, when we were coming out of the ice cream place who do I see walking down the street?

Lead singer Frank and lead female vocals and violinist Susan!

WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO! This is like Jackpot!

I go up to them and they recognized me from the show (really hard to do, only one of like two other moms crazy, brave, psycho enough to bring kids!). I asked if we could get a picture, and I also reintroduced myself to Frank, and he was so cute, he shook my hand and said, "I'm Frank." Like DUH!

So, that was such a highlight, and here's a picture of Frank and Susan, and Ajers, Diva and Tukey. Doesn't it look like they're a little family? Ha.



After ME getting to have some fun, the kids needed a little fun too, so we bravely walked (remember, I'm a chicken in a big city!) to Navy Pier and I let them run around in the fountain with their clothes on. Then we went inside and saw a cool performance of these guys dressed up like pirates and it was like a take on Mama Mia and they were singing all ABBA songs, but changing words like Sailor Queen instead of Dancing Queen.






And then, of course, I wouldn't be SPOIL-MY-KIDS-ROTTEN Mom without just one more treat so they all got Italian Ice and we went to wait in line for the free trolley to take us back to our car.

And we waited.

And it was hot.

And waited.

And sweated.

And waited...

In line for more than an hour. For the free trolley. Now I know why it's the free trolley! I think there's only one in the whole dang city of Chicago.

We got the trolley finally, got back to our car, which interestingly enough, I had parked at the exact same parking garage as the night when this NIGHTMARE happened. You'd think I'd go into a seizure just by the proximity and have a flashback or something. I'm pretty sure the hotel staff got all the vomit cleaned up off that wall by now.

So, car, drive home, rainstorm, traffic, more rain, finally, arrive home at 7 p.m.

There was one good thing when I got home; and one bad thing--

Good thing: I let Evil Doggy Lovey have free reign with limited roaming ability while we were gone, for more than seven hours, and we came home to NO accidents.

Bad thing: My Tim Tams did not arrive today! But that's okay, that gives me tomorrow to look forward to. And besides, seeing as I have not even ordered Ramblin' Rose's Reese's yet (say THAT fast three times), then I shouldn't be complaining that my treat's not here yet!

And tomorrow, check back for the list of you five lucky winners of free chocolate!