Screenwriter Richard Chapman

I usually have the most fun when I go out by myself. Last night was no exception.

I ventured out to the Schlafly Bottleworks micro-brewery and restaurant to try and complete a coloquium for school. The lecture I attended was hosted by Washington University's "Science on Tapp" series. The lecture started at 7pm and was to go until 8. I arrived a whole hour early and the main bar was empty, so I sat down for a pilsner glass of Schlafly's Razz Hefefeizen.

I managed to muster up a conversation with the bartender.

I began this post in April. It is now July. In summary, I had a great time and Richard Chapman is an incredible guy.

California, There I Went

Well, I am back from Cali and my return to normal life is starting to feel less and less like a bad dream, but I will share trip details and pictures when I get my pictures back...

California, Here I Come

I start my week-long vacation tomorrow. My goal is to be a minimalist and pack light--yeah right! I just hope to do the majority of my shopping in California. I want to hit as many thrift stores as I can. There is a shop on Sunset that I have to go to.

I plan on eating as many Wahoo's fish tacos I can get my hands on, but most of all, I cannot wait to see my two best friends, Scott and Kim. the three of us used to hang out together after we graduated and we have not been in the same place at the same time since 1998.

I hope to keep up with my blog and post pictures as I get them.

xoxo

Jen

Low-Fat Yogurt Good, High-Fructose Corn Syrup Bad

Lately, I have been wondering how Yoplait can make low-fat yogurt taste so good, with flavors like banana cream pie, lemon, and key lime pie. The answer is high fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup was invented in the seventies, when the price of food was on the rise. It replaced sugar in most food and soft drinks, thus bringing down the price of these foods. Unfortunately, the human liver can not process high fructose corn syrup, like it can glucose and sucrose, so it immediately gets stored as fat and it is also to blame for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is responsible for Type II Diabetes, which has been on the rise since high-fructose corn syrup was introduced into the common foods we consume.

It is so important to read labels, especially if one is on a diet. Many foods, such as light or fat-free yogurt may seem healthy, judging by its cover, but actually read the list of ingredients, and it will tell a different story.

Stratford Inn- Fenton, MO 4/15/06

Softball Practice

Tonight is "Team Aerospace's" first official softball practice.
I will say, once again, that Russia was called the Soviet Union, the last time I played ball. I am certain to be sore tomorrow, needless to say.

Severe Weather on 4/2/06

Here are some photos from the severe weather that the Midwest experienced on Sunday, April 2. Doug and I were at a birthday party/jam session in Tillis Park when the tornado hit. I feel like we were the lucky ones that afternoon.













The winds took down the top of a tree about ten feet from our pavilion. This tree is about the size that took the life of a young man in Castlewood Park.









The storm, to me, was sort of like a metaphor for life: A calm nice, sunny day, followed by treacherous winds, leaving one to wonder if she will make it through, and then at the end, a beautiful rainbow. I guess I am trying to say, that although a situation may seem bad at the time, in the end, it will always be okay.

You can barely make out the rainbow.



















A fading rainbow in the distance.

Envious and Excited

I am both envious and excited, with regards to American Idol next week. I am jealous that the contestants get to work with and sing the music of Queen. I am excited, however, that the music of Queen will reach a whole new and younger audience. Go show 'em how to rock, boys!

Eddie Money's Cereal

I think I will eventually collect enough material to compile a book about what certain national acts put in their dressing room rider.

Friday night I walked into the dressing room at Ameristar casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar. I noticed that the band's usual food comps were nowhere to be found, but on the makeup counter lay a basket full of single-serve General Mills cereals. The assortment included Honeynut Cheerios, Golden grahams, Lucky Charms, and Total. I thought to myself, "Who's dressing room rider included dry cereal or are they giving us dry cereal in place of our food vouchers?"

I found out, after speaking with Andrew the sound guy, that the basket of assorted cereals were Eddie Money's leftovers. Eddie played at the Bottleneck on Thursday night and he apparently likes dry cereal. I think he likes Golden grahams the best, because there was a ton of Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Total left over, but only a couple boxes of Golden Grahams.

I also found out that either Eddie has a strange sense of humor, or he is a bit senile. Andrew ran monitors for Eddie on Thursday, so Andrew was positioned in the stage-left wings, which is also about where the dressing rooms are located. It is a small area, with two tiny dressing rooms and a bathroom. The stage is easily seen from either dressing room. Andrew said Eddie was standing next to him, smoking a cigarette, when his band started playing. Eddie asked something to the effect of, "Does that mean it's time to go on?" Andrew was like, "I guess so, man." Then Eddie asked where his wireless mic was. Andrew said that he and Eddie looked everywhere, but Eddie finally found it in the pocket of the pants that he had on. Finally, Eddie asked, "How do I get out to the stage?" Andrew replied, "You just walk out there, man."