Just arrived back from vacation. All in all, pretty groovy.
Left Friday, December 30, 2005 around lunch time. Dropped our dog, Rosie, off at grandma's house. We had to take our cat, Rolo, with us because he was sick and needed to take some eye medicine every day.
Let me tell you, Rolo does not like cars. He doesn't like travelling. He doesn't like being anywhere other than home unless it's on his terms (ie. one day he decides to sneak out the door when no one's looking and makes us go crazy looking for him for days until he decides to just show up in our yard). Anyway, he MEOW MEOW MEOWED the ENTIRE time. Five hour drive. Lovely. Good thing I had my music.
We didn't have too much trouble at the border, except we realized once we were a few cars away from the booth thing that we didn't have enough gas to make it across the bridge. And so, back we go to find a gas station. Luckily, we found one and went to another border booth place and it was a lot less busy. The guy asks "how many people are in the car?" or something to that effect and my dad says "Four people… and one cat" and then Rolo goes "MEOW!"
Well. I guess you had to have been there. But we all laughed. Oh, how we laughed.
And of course once we were safely (?) across the border, my brother and I made jokes about "we're all American - every one of us!" and "you found me! you win a beer!" (That 70s Show jokes, for those who don't know). ;)
We let Rolo out of the cage eventually and he started meowing even more! Eventually, once he had thoroughly explored the van, he shut up and sat on my lap for the rest of the trip. Aww.
I think it was on the way there that we found a used CD store. I bought Roger Daltrey (Rocks in the Head), Pete Townshend (Empty Glass & White City), The Kink Kronicles, Best of The Beach Boys, and a live John Entwistle CD. Pretty cool because I got one free. :) Haven't listened to then all yet, but I was majorly surprised I found the John CD.
The rest of the drive was pretty boring. We stopped at the Outback for dinner. HUMONGOUS BURGERS. Gah. I ate like 1/4 of it and maybe 3 fries. I have to say, I really don't like American food. Well, actually, I don't like any food not at home or a fast food or breakfast or dessert restaurant. Food. I just hate it. I don't know why. And Americans give you bigger portions. I'm glad I learned my clever trick to put my napkin on my plate to indicate that I'm finished. ;)
So, arrived at the hotel. Pretty tired. Watched That 70s Show and Whose Line. Went to sleep.
Next day we went to a few malls. Nothing special.
But then… cue crazy far-out nonsense freaky loud drum roll…
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
We were all wearing our Tommy shirts. It was a little embarrassing, but cool. I was probably least embarrassed though, hah.
First we walked around the first level and went to the little Mystery Train movie thing. We'd seen it before, but I've gotta say the second part was a lot better because they did a little thing on the Who and when we were leaving they played "Join Together". He he he. Pretty awesome. They actually had a bit of James Dean and Jerry Lee Lewis and Neil Young throughout the museum, but I mean, no one cares about *those* guys, right? :P
We were about to go upstairs after the movie to see the Tommy exhibit, but I wanted to see the middle bit with the costumes and whatnot. Good thing too, because they had…
DRUMS FROM KEITH'S PICTURES OF LILY KIT!
They also had an outfit and freaky shoes of Keith's and a jacket of John's and I think they had one of Pete's guitars and amps. But it the Pictures of Lily kit was the best. And it said it was the one from The Smothers Brothers Show!!! Wow.
It was great fun. I got to see naked Keith drums up close.
But I mean, really. It would've been funner if you could actually *touch* the things. It's like a part of me died. Well, not really. But I'm probably not going to see the things again, and if I do I'm not going to care as much as I care now. I mean, if I did touch them it's not like anything would happen. I'm not going to get an electric shock going through my body. I'm not going to travel back in time. I'm not going to suddenly be able to play like Keith Moon.
But I mean, there's gotta something special about making out with instruments. Whats-er-face in I Wanna Hold Your Hand seemed to enjoy it. But seriously, Paul's bass? Come on, girl!
Anyway. Then we went up TO THE TOMMY EXHIBIT.
Absolutely beyond doubt absofreaking awesome!
There was a Tommy pinball machine, I think it was the one with Roger and Ann Margaret on it. Then, inside pinball shaped cases, they had some letters Pete sent to Ken Russell about casting choices and what not. It was totally weird, none of the original people were the people that played that part! Well, apart from Keith Moon, I believe it said something like "preferably drunk" beside his name. Ha ha ha. But there was Mick Jagger or Pete playing The Acid Queen, Ringo playing someone, Tiny Tim… just… wow… crazy.
There were some other pinball machine cases, but I don't recall what was in them. Up on the wall they had the guitar Pete smashed during Pinball Wizard. I found it hilarious that it was called a "fragment". They also had drumsticks and a tambourine fragment and a bass and maybe a few other things.
They were showing Tommy in one of the room and they had a TV outside showing clips of each song and also clips from the musical.
They had the shirt Roger wore in the last scene (well, second to last I guess, since the last since he doesn't have the shirt) - just like the ones we were wearing! Well, ours weren't torn up and bloody. It was pretty cool, my shirts were pretty close to the real thing. I noted a few little differences and plan to change them. :)
There was a poster kind of thing explaining who the characters were on the wall, it was pretty cool. There were little promotional items in a case. Oh yeah, and they had a pile of REX BEANS CANS! Totally awesome. I wanted to take one, but there was a security guard right there. Oh well. They had a white suit Roger wore in the movie, it said in the Go To The Mirror scene, but I thought he was wearing just a white sweater. Hmm, have to watch it again. Though.. actually, I think I do recall him wearing it during Tommy Can You Hear Me?.
Then, upstairs, a whole 'nother floor with Who stuff! :D:D:D This is as close to heaven as I'll get unless I die, of course. Not because we were so high up, heh heh.
"Pete!" I eeked as we went up the stairs, they were playing the Tommy bit from Isle of Wight on a big projector screen. They had lots of cases with records and letters and lyrics sheets and whatnot.
They also had some of Pete's guitar and Keith's silvery chrome drums and a freaky jacket of Roger's. I know I've seen a picture of it somewhere recently. Pretty cool, but once again, you really need to be able to touch it. And wear the jacket. AND SWING THE MICROPHONE AROUND WEE OOO!!!
Sorry, I'm still a bit hyper.
I love reading the lyrics sheets and scripts to see all the stuff that was cut out. I could've spent all day there. I found out what the one line in "Bernie's Holiday Camp" is - "I'm in chalet number 11!". I knew it was something about 11, since they were passing by the little house that said 11, but I didn't know he said "chalet". I wish I'd have known in advance all the lines I couldn't figure out so I could check them all as well.
There seemed to be a few scenes with Ernie in it that were cut, which I would've LOVED to have seen, because, well, Keith Moon, right?
There was a little thing on the wall that you could put on headphones and listen to Pete talking about Tommy and stuff. It was pretty long, so I only listened to the one section about "Glow Girl". It was pretty cool, because I knew at the end it was all "It's a girl Mrs Walker, it's a girl", but I hadn't realized it was about a plane crash and the chick going through her purse and then WHAM they're dead and then it goes to the "it's a girl" bit, and it's all like reincarnation. And I was just like "WHOA…". Very enlightening.
So then we went down to watch the "It's Only Rock N Roll" movie again (again as in we'd seen it the last time we were here, not a second time that day). I said we *had* to see it because Pete was talking about how "they're your f'in icons but they were my f'in friends!". And I was right, he did say it. :) And I think they played My Generation at the beginning bit. At the very beginning, they had a quote about how "Rock N Roll is the hamburger that ate the world", incorrectly attributed to Peter Tork. The first time we saw it I was like "WHOA!". But this time I knew better. It's actually Peter York. What a nerd.
Anyway, it was a double feature and they also had a movie about TOMMY!!! I think it was like an hour long. TOTALLY AWESOME. There was quite a bit I'd already read or seen (like the part where Pete freaks out and does an impression of the early Who and something about nosebleeds, which I always think is hilarious, but no one else laughed :(), but there were quite informative bits. I found out who Ken Russell is, and everyone always says how he's a psychopathic Father Christmas or something like that, and yes, I agree. He's actually in a bit from "The Kids Are Alright", so when I saw him I realized it and was like "wow, I thought that guy was strange!". Now Lisztomania seems a tad more perverted though. I mean, not that it ever wasn't, but… I don't know. I've tried to block it out of my mind.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but all in all… TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME. Best birthday ever.
We went down the the store and I saw a Who book and ran over, but it was $40 and it was kind of beaten up. Instead I got a video about "Who's Next" and George Harrison's autobiography, "I Me Mine", for a present. When we came in, there was a woman who'd said they had Tommy shirts or something in the gift area and I was like "oh crap… I spent hours on these stupid shirts!". But it turned out they were different. Phew. Mine are much cooler.
I kept seeing this one dude wearing a Who shirt the whole time we were there. Mom and my brother and I were waiting out front for dad to bring the car up and I said to my mom "I kept seeing that dude…" and then, wouldn't you know it, HE WALKS OUT THE FREAKING DOOR! So I shut up immediately I looked away. Then when he was gone I burst out laughing. Hilarious. But potentially embarrassing and making me seem stalkerish. But hey, we weren't following him! Come on.
Anyway, so we went back to the hotel. Watched TV Land's most Unexpected Moments, which was awesome, because The Who was at #5 (Smothers Brother's show!). Saw the ball drop in New York, not too exciting.
So we came back today, stopped at a few malls. I got a Happy Days calendar and a little Beatles calendar for 50%, pretty cool. Got across the border, no problems, no word from Rolo this time though. Got Rosie from Grandma's. Rolo was a lot better on the ride back, he sat with me or on his own chair most of the time. Grandma gave me a photo album with pictures from when I was little, it was very sweet.
So now we're back here and I'm writing this.
Now just some general thoughts.
I think this year my resolution will be to blog every day. In December I was thinking about resolutions and how they're stupid and if you're going to do something you should just do it, don't wait until January. I don't know why I've changed my mind, but I have. So there's my resolution.
I've got quite a bit to do this week. Man, only one week 'til school.
I've absolutely got to, #1 thing, learn to play some songs on guitar for class. Then I have to move DFL over to Neopets. That's all I really need to do. Got a few small things I should do as well, but I'll live if they aren't done right away.
Should I make a to do list? Or should I just start doing? I think I might spend too much time making the lists and not enough doing.
And I always start writing on here and get distracted.
I think right now I've really got to check DFL boards and see what chaos has erupted. :) Ta.