Should I do it again? This could be chapter 1

 Or have you seen the Pumpkin Man? 

Newborn Billy aka Pumpkin Man

That was one of our nicknames for Bill when he was a baby because the ginger in his hair really showed up then. He did take his time getting here, labor started 2 days after he was due, and went on too long according to the doctors, not that I had enough energy left to argue with them by then, so he was delivered by C-section at 8pm on Oct. 8, 1988. I had argued with them ahead of time during the blistering hot summer (1988 set some records, a preview of the climate emergency) ; we health care professionals are the worst patients! Luckily, breastfeeding went much better, almost without a hitch, despite my mother's skepticism.  I had my best friend Patty for support, and she had also introduced me to the local La Leche League, though I knew of their good work from college nutrition classes. My then spouse, Mark, was also on board as his mother had breastfed him,  a rare thing in the 1950s. My own mother was told formula was the way, and like most others, did what the doctor said. 

It was kind of nice that my parents were there to help when Bill was born, except they were so excited they couldn't wait until he was actually born and travelled from Chicagoland to St. Peter  MN anyway, and ended up arriving when I was in the early stages of labor. So my cats, Chandra and Anoush, had someone to look after them. Since I'd had the C-section, my mom stayed for  a whole week though my dad had to get back to home to their cat and work.  It was great to have someone to cook for us while we got settled in, even if she did rearrange all my kitchen drawers. I remember she roasted a chicken one day, and the cats were VERY attentive. 

Grandma Donna, Chandra & the chicken

Billy was a fairly easy baby, a bit colicky, resulting in some extra vacuuming sessions. Car rides were also a good way to get him to sleep, but of course taking him out of the car would wake him. Luckily we had an attached garage, so I admit a couple times, if he was really short on sleep and the garage was a reasonable temperature, we left him in the car seat with the baby monitor in place! Most of the time we just did good old fashioned rocking. Chandra helped with that, too. 

    

Billy & me napping, Chandra on alert

It was a fall & holiday season of joyous family gatherings as everyone came to see him and take way too many photos- he was the first grandchild on both sides. We started solid food slowly at 4 1/2 months,, and I was determined to breastfeed at least a year so there was no hurry. He was not fussy about food at first, I could puree just about anything and he'd eat it, including Grandma Doris' pork, dumplings and sauerkraut! The pork roast part is not included, but the rest of the dish was published in a family cookbook.

Sauerkraut and Dumplings 

Recipe by Doris Otteson

1 beaten egg

1/2 c. milk

1/2 to 1 tsp. salt

1 c. flour

1 Tbsp, baking powder

2 Tbsp.  cornstarch

16-20 oz. can of sauerkraut 

.Combine egg and milk.  Combine dry ingredients, and sift together and mix well with egg-milk  In wide kettle, empty can of kraut and heat to boiling. Then drop dumplings by spoonfuls onto hot kraut. Cover and cook over medium to low heat for 15-20 min, Don't peek! Excellent served with a pork roast and flavorful gravy; serve kraut in separate bowl. The dumplings are a potato substitute. 

However, it doesn't seem fair to end this chapter with something Bill would not eat now; sauerkraut is not really his thing. In keeping with his first nickname, he does like pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Pie

Crust based on recipe in Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook\

Filling from recipe in Joy of Cooking

Pie dough for 2- 9" crusts:

2 cups flour, may use half whole wheat pastry flour\

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 c + 2 T. ice cold butter

5 T. ice water

Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Cut butter into flour until lumps are the size of small peas. Sprinkle water on mixture 1 T. at a time until dough holds together. Pat into a ball and refrigerate at least 20 min. 

Cut dough in half. Roll out each half between sheets of waxed paper, it helps if you moisten the surface underneath with a damp cloth, then it won't slide.  Roll to 1 "  bigger around than your pie pan.  Keeping dough between wax paper, pop in the freezer for a few minutes, the paper will peel right off once the dough is stiff.  After removing paper, set gently on pie plate, but allow to warm up and soften before fitting it to the plate. Trim edges and flute or decorate the edge if desired. 

Pie filling for 2 pies:

2 cans  pumpkin

2 cans evaporated milk

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

1 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4. t. cloves

4 beaten eggs

Preheat oven to 425 or 420 for glass pie plates, which I prefer. 

Mix filling ingredients until well blended. Pour into prepared crusts. Depending on how deep they are, you may have a bit of extra filling. I pour this into a greased custard cup or small pyrex pan .   Bake pies for 15 min.  then lower temperature to 350. Bake about 35-45 min. more for a full pie, test by inserting a knife, if it comes out clean the filling is baked. Small cups and pans will get done faster. 

Allow to cool, serve with sweetened whipped cream. We like this pie all the way chilled before serving. Keep in refrigerator.

Lucky 13!

If you don't count the ill-fated 2017 Lollapalooza headlining gig, which was cancelled after 3 songs for a little rain, Friday, April 12, 2019 was my 13th Muse show. It was also the last show in the US leg of the Simulation Theory Tour, so we were kind of hoping for something extra special. We got it, in a quite unexpected way... but once again it was our fellow Musers who really made it happen.

Muse, with double extra Matt on the screen

My last post here told how I got stuck with a VIP ticket, I kept any eye out for the possibility of selling it and getting a normal GA ticket, but after the VIP early entry got messed up for the first few shows on the tour, that ticket was not looking real attractive to buyers.  So I figured I was keeping it and hoped I could save at least one spot for someone else. However, I didn't know how I'd pull off even keeping a spot for myself if I didn't know anyone in the VIP queue. Mary solved that one for me by providing an online introduction to Jose, barrier runner supreme! He also had a 2nd tier VIP ticket for Chicago.

The next hurdle was weather! In April? Yep, another April blizzard was bearing down on Minnesota just before my train was supposed to leave. Part of the reason for booking the train again was not having to sweat the weather & traffic, but Winter Storm Wesley looked bad enough that it could delay or cancel the train. So I quickly checked to see if I could leave a day early, yes I could, though not as convenient for my sister as she could not pick me up at the station that afternoon.

I think a few other people had the same idea because the train was packed. I had some free "entertainment" from a bizarre F bomb riddled phone convo across the aisle, and even more bizarre stories from my seat mate, who had supposedly died 3 times and come back, part of the time with a new identity he claimed!  He did not look well, so I hope he made it out east to see his grandchildren.

The train pulled in on time, to drizzly, but much better than Minnesota weather.

Chicago skyline from the train window

I quickly found the bus I needed to get to Diane's place, and chuckled at how much more honking goes on in the streets of Chicago than in the Twin Cities. The staff at her building had a key waiting, and then I had a few hours to myself to re-hydrate and catch up on social media ( the Empire Builder train still doesn't have wifi) . Her boyfriend was supposed to get home first, so I thought it would be nice if I got some beer. It was still light out and lots of liquor stores within walking distance, but closest of all was an "upscale 7/11" ! Very upscale- nice produce and deli stuff, plus the usual things in a convenience store, but most of all, an incredible alcohol selection for such a small space! By the time Diane and Peter both got in, we only had time for a bit of TV political comedy and then bed.

So , next was a whole day I had not planned to have free. Diane took me to a new place for lunch, Fatpour Tap Works, it turned out to be aptly named!  The drink selection was fine, but it was the food that was oversized, this sandwich had 4 pieces of grilled bread, with stuff in between all layers, so it was like a burger and grilled cheese at the same time with a ton of toppings. I barely made it through half. Diane wisely got a salad, which was also big enough that she needed a box for the leftovers. 

burger, beer, fries and salad at Fatpour Tap Works

Then I tried to make progress in the book I was reading, "Democracy In Chains" and ended up nodding off for most of the afternoon. The book is plenty engaging, I was just that stuffed. Meanwhile, Diane was prepping sous vide flank steak and chicken wings, to be finished on the grill. Though it was snowing hard in Minnesota, it was quite spring-like in Chicago.  Luckily I woke up in time for the news, first relayed by Laura (a French friend I have yet to meet) that the Jaded Hearts Club Band might be coming to Chicago this weekend!! This band is Matt Bellamy's side project, a bunch of musician friends had gotten together to do Beatles covers for a birthday party, and had so much fun they kept doing it and occasionally playing proper gigs. Chatting among fans revealed that other members of the Jaded Hearts were indeed on their way to Chicago,  and for a while we did not know exactly where or when, but someone finally turned up the info- they would play Friday night after the Muse gig at the HVAC Pub, a small bar near Wrigley Field. Excitement was growing, could we get tickets? They were $50, but most of us Midwestern Musers never dreamed we'd have a chance to see them and considered it well worth it. Yes! there were advance sales! Big thanks to Jae for printing my ticket out since my sister had no functioning printer.

With a VIP ticket, I got to sleep in a little since I did not need to be at the venue until 3:30 at the earliest.  I had hoped to visit the regular GA queue with snacks, but they didn't have to queue all day either. The United Center finally got wise to the numbered wristband idea, so people came as early as they could, got their number, and went off  to relax elsewhere, or in Mandy's case, go to work! I showed up at 3, hoping to find someone, and quite accidentally ended up inside by going into the Bulls' team store and asking where my entry gate was. This gate used to open to the outside, but is now enclosed with the Michael Jordan statue in the center of the area.  Not many people were around, but I did run into a few of the Muse dancers! 

Muse Dancers

Jose arrived soon after this. I went back outside for a while to join him and we hoped to see some other Musers we knew, but they had not come back yet. So we went in, checked in for our poster and lunchbox gifts and started the tier 2 VIP queue. Only one couple was ahead of us, so I am still glad I showed up early. We had nearly 2 hours to kill, so we got to know the people near us in our much smaller queue. Contrary to what many hardcore Musers feared, they were mostly enthusiastic fans, too, if not long term ones. Jose and I held our spots for bathroom and merch buying breaks; I have to say it was nice to be that close to a bathroom! I was still waffling on what spot to go for on the barrier. Jose liked the end of the B stage. Others had told me it was easier to see everything from the catwalk sides, and others liked being by the main stage though that barrier was set back farther.  I think it was Maria's photos of "full frontal Matt" that she took from the B stage barrier at an earlier show that convinced me 😁 I had told Mandy I would attempt to save her a spot, so I let her know I was going to that place first, but if it was too high and I could not see, I would move to the catwalk.  After a lot of  being herded around and waiting in a couple more spots, they finally let us on the floor! Jose and I easily got center end of the B stage, a great spot. I felt I was tall enough to see , so I spread out and stayed there!

Jose and I snag the B stage spots

Mandy went for the catwalk with some of my other Muse friends though, so I un-spread and let a short girl behind me get to the front. After what seemed like forever, but was probably only 90 min, Walk the Moon took the stage. I had heard them often enough on local radio to know about half their songs.

Walk the Moon

They are quite good live, a real rock band with energy and stage presence, and excellent musicianship. During the break, Jose got ready for Muse!

Jose in Moonglasses

At last, we heard the opening notes of Algorithm and saw the Muse Dancers! Then Matt rising up from under the stage right in front of us. His Power Glove is part of the light show. 

Muse Dancers

Matt rising up out of the stage

Matt multitasking- singing, throwing light beams around, with a guitar on his back

Matt seemed to enjoy running around all parts of the stage. Soon the jacket was off during Break It To Me, another track from Simulation Theory. 

Break It To Me, one of my favs on the new album

The dancers were back for Propaganda, which has a bit of Prince influence, but my eyes and camera tended to stay on Matt.

Propaganda includes an acoustic slide solo

Most likely during Plug In Baby

I sometimes put the phone down, so I have no photos during Pray, Matt's new song for The Game of Thrones soundtrack. He was back in a jacket for The Dark Side, think he must have used 4 different ones!

a more basic leather look 

blurry, but I love the slight smile

Matt has been doing a guitar solo with his tongue during Supermassive Black Hole lately, 😈 This happened on the main stage, and was shown on the big screen, this is someone else's video. 

https://twitter.com/isabella_muse/status/1117596623989813248

and someone else's still photo

tongue action!

The Muse Dancers may have been at their best during Thought Contagion. The zombies even left the stage twitching in character!

Thought Contagion

"You've been bitten by someone who's hungrier than you"

Not the best photo of Chris during Hysteria, but I kept if for having a good view of Dom's Bulls jersey on the screen. The United Center gave the band Bulls & Black Hawks jerseys.

Chris in lights, Dom on screen

Dig Down , the gospel version, was a quieter moment, where I could capture all 3 of our boys, though we were singing the choral parts.

Dig Down, gospel version

with extra Dom!

Some of us knew what to expect during the next song, Mercy. Matt comes off stage to greet people along the barrier, and we get blasted with confetti and streamers. I didn't get to touch him this time 😞 but I did get this rather amazing shot. I am not sure how it managed to be in focus! 

Mercy!

The confetti was glow in the dark multi-colours this time! 

Matt in a blizzard of confetti

In this production there is no real encore break, the last part kicks off with the original version of Algorithm including Matt on piano, then the Metal Medley. Jose got a much better photo of Algorithm, showing Matt's LED jacket.

photo by Jose Fernando Ochoa Coello

 Then Murph the giant inflatable robot appears! No picture does him justice, he looks much more awesome in person!

Murph

Murph tries to grab Matt throughout the Metal Medley, especially during the Handler, but Matt either evades him or attacks with his guitar. 

a safe distance from Murph 

possibly during Newborn

Reapers fingers!

Man with a Harmonica is still the beginning of the finale with Chris looking heavenly.

Chris in the vapor

One last epic song to rock out to, Knights of Cydonia.

Knights of Cydonia

They came down to the B stage to toss out picks and drumsticks, and Jose got a drumstick!  For those who haven't been following this tour, here's the set list, it has been the same at all the American shows.

Mandy quickly made her way over, we had another show to get to! But Jose got separated, I think he may have had a faster trip grabbing an Uber anyway. We had to catch a train to get to Mandy's car, and since she lives near the 2nd venue , it only made sense to take it there. 

I don't think I had fully processed that I was actually going to see Matt Bellamy in a tiny dive bar. It truly was, complete with liquid of unknown origin on the bathroom floor and servers having to shove past you. It was super packed in the HVAC Pub, but Mandy wiggled us close to the front of the stage, and Jose was already there, phew! One of the servers miraculously managed to bring me a club soda, I was so impressed I gave her $10 for it! Not long after we got in place, the Jaded Hearts began with I Saw Her Standing There.  Matt stayed mostly behind Ilan Rubin, between that and the crowding, my photos are very poor, but I could see he was having a great time playing bass and not being the frontman. Chris joined them to play guitar on She Loves You, and Dom was watching this time- he has stepped in on drums before. 

Matt Bellamy with the Jaded Hearts Club Band

Someone up front got a much better photo. Good thing, because I had given up and was singing along and dancing my ass off! 

 Matt, possibly looking up at Dom?

We got 11 songs, not bad for an aftershow! Muse Historical Society has them all on YouTube. Some free drinks were being passed around as we made our way out, so I downed a celebratory Jameson's, but booze was quite unnecessary, we were all on cloud 9 as you can see here!

Beth, Jae & me after the Jaded Hearts

There was some slight hope of meeting the band by the back door, so a small crowd gathered there, but most of us knew we needed food and water at this point. I decided to head back to my sister's for that, but would hang out by the door until my Lyft arrived. It only took 2 minutes! So I had to say good byes fast, and was soon headed south with a friendly yet professional driver, a foreign student at one of the local colleges.  I heard later the band finally came out at 4 am, and only a couple fans had stayed that long!

I chugged 3 large glasses of water, nibbled on leftovers and had a first look at my photos before going to bed. I'd forgotten my real camera, but the phone did OK. 

Recovery day at my sister's included another quick trip to Fatpour, just for drinks this time, and we grabbed our Pizano's pizza on the way back, real Chicago deep dish- Diane does know how to send me off right! The next day it started snowing in Chicago, not a blizzard, but kind of annoying, and a factor keeping Peter from getting the car back in time, so I got to Uber to the train station. My trip back was quiet & calm and I finished "Democracy In Chains". My tour poster is on the wall, and my lunchbox is just the right size for my hair scrunchies. Post Muse Syndrome has not set in yet, but I don't know when I'll see them again. Will there be fall shows in Denver or maybe even Minneapolis? Or will it be Chicago again when I see them next? 

Lake Michigan from my sister's high rise

The Night Muse Stole Christmas, so they could bring it early!

 

Muse at the Aragon Ballroom

Early in November, as we Musers were having eargasms over the new album, Simulation Theory, we got news of official tour dates and ticket pre-sales, but a number of cities did not have dates yet, including the big 3 of NYC, LA and Chicago. Minneapolis was not even on the radar this tour. So I thought I was off the hook for ticket buying stress the morning of Nov. 9, but then we saw tweets from 101WKQX announcing Muse headlining night 5 of their holiday shows- The Nights We Stole Christmas, exactly 1 month away! I had to think fast, well OK, not much thinking was involved, though I was responsible enough to check my credit card balances first. A little nudge from my original Muse queue buddy, Mandy, was enough to convince me to do it, and I bought the ticket.

Transportation was up in the air for a few days, but knowing how nice riding Amtrak had been in April, I decided to get in on that if I could score the cheaper tickets, which I did. Driving myself in my ancient car was not an option, and parking is scarce at my sister's (but lodging is free!), she actually prefers fetching me from Union Station.

The weeks flew by, and despite some home repair strife, I was on my way early in the morning of Dec. 8. I got closer to finishing As Always Julia, and did the dining car for lunch, where I got seated with 2 older men, one a Vietnam vet, the other having just returned from Vietnam as a tourist! So I mostly listened to them compare notes, fascinating! But I didn't eat too much because I knew Diane was going to take me out for REAL pizza- Chicago Deep Dish.

Deep dish pizza at Pizano's

Diane also chauffered me to meet up with Mandy at what I considered an ungodly hour the next morning,  It was not really too cold for Chicago in December but we were layered up anyway, ready to spend the whole day outside the venue, the Aragon Ballroom.  It had been 40 some years since I was last there for my very first rock concert.  We were 15 & 16 in the queue.

early morning queue outside the Aragon

We soon discovered the handy Starbucks across the street was not going to be so handy- their bathrooms were not available on Sundays! We were able to find other places nearby though, and spent the time catching up with friends, some we had not seen since previous Muse gigs in Chicago. We also tried to fix it so the maximum number of people would get early entry for donating a child's coat, by pairing up plus ones, but this fell apart when the WKQX folks came out with the wristbands before we had it sorted.

Sean Kelly's magnificent Matt-like shoes

Having the wristband reduced anxiety a little, and Mandy, Jae and I decided after that was a good time for last bathroom run. Unfortunately, that meant we missed Muse leaving the venue for dinner between sound check and show time 😔 So some other lucky fans got to meet Dom, though Matt & Chris slipped away.  I seem to have a real knack for missing out on these opportunities.

It got darker and colder but excitement kept us warm. Soon staff separated those of us with wristbands into a separate line.  Then after not much longer they lined us up to go in first as promised.  We had to stop on the stairs once inside and Salty the Snowman , WKQX's mascot kept us riled up. Then some idiot decided to let the rest of the queue in behind us with no attempt to keep people in order.  They all pushed forward of course, and there easily could have been a stampede. One of my friends did fall twice running to the barrier, but she made it and so did I. However, people who should have been right next to us ended up behind. Not as bad as Detroit 2016, but still, stupid and dangerous. Still, we were in our happy place now!

barrier in blue

                                                            

Mandy & me , very ready for Muse

I don't remember if the venue was quite as charming back in the 70s but the ceiling was certainly lovely now.

Barns Courtney opened with an energetic set. His stage presence reminded me of Jim Morrison, but not the music, still it was kickass rock n roll and he's a powerful singer.

The second support band was Jungle. Most of us were not impressed, and I didn't take any pictures. All of their songs sounded the same to me, and would maybe be OK background music at a party.

Finally it was time for Muse! Knowing they had not opened with Algorithm a few days before, I wasn't counting on it, but they did open with it. Besides being an all around great song, it allows Matt to be extra theatrical. 

Matt Bellamy

Crystal's video of Algorithm, she was just a bit to my left.

Next up was Psycho, which got everyone jumping.

"your ass belongs to me now"

The Wolstenbeast

The Aragon is a smaller venue than Muse usually play, but Matt still did plenty of jumping.

Matt Bellamy

I had friends all around so it was not too hard to take close ups, except for the lighting issues. 

Matt Bellamy looking bright & shiny

Next came  Break It To Me, another new song I was hoping to hear. I don't know the videographer, 

but I suspect they were right behind me.

The jacket came off, and some of us hollered for more 😉 knowing Matt has suggested Chris & Dom perform shirtless!

Matt Bellamy

Matt Bellamy

A few guitar god moments

Matt & Chris

Matt belting out a note, possibly during The Dark Side, an early fav of mine from Simulation Theory.

Matt Bellamy 

Some classic Matt pointing, not sure if this might have been during the US debut of the "Metal Medley". Fans were not too sure about this concept when Matt first mentioned it, it's parts of a good number of their heavier songs, but we found it works quite well.

Matt Bellamy

I can't remember where in the show Matt asked how many of us had been at Lollapalooza in 2017. Sounded like a lot of us had been, then he said "fucking weather!" So I think this was in part a make up show for that sad occasion when they were yanked off stage after 3 songs because of rain.

Matt Bellamy

I tried to not take too many photos and be present,  though you can see I kind of failed at first.  As usual, the closer, Knights of Cydonia came too soon, but was a bit less bittersweet since Matt had told us they would be back for the regular tour "Marchish"

Chris, Man with a Harmonica

Matt Bellamy

"you and I must fight to survive"

Matt & Dom at the end of Knights of Cydonia

It seemed the band were really enjoying this gig, and it was a very full show for a short holiday set. 

Several of us who had stowed things in Jae's car agreed to go straight there after the gig,  That took a while, and I wondered if I was missing a chance to meet the band again. Some friends were waiting in the alley hoping for the best, though I could see they had the SUVs behind a barricade. When Mandy got to the car she told me they had been shooed away from that spot, so we gave up on "stalking" Anyhow, Mandy had to get up for work the next day, and I was ready to get to my sister's where I knew there might be some pizza left. I was kind of sad to not join up with others partying after, but knew I needed to save my money for another ticket, not to mention my home repair problems. 

From their social media posts, it seems Muse did stick around Chicago for a day to rest up. So did I , and went out for a walk in the mild weather, but not far enough to run into them by Lake Michigan. Chicago was lacking snow, but looking pretty festive, especially in my sister's swanky neighbourhood. 

South Loop holiday decor

Anyhow, we soon heard that Muse was coming back to Chicago April 12 at the United Center, and the pre-sale would be tomorrow! I was grateful my train did not leave until afternoon so I could deal with that. I texted  my sister right away to make sure it was a good time to visit again!  Yes, it was , and I double checked which of my accounts actually had money left in them, got my cards updated at TicketBastard and thought I was ready.

Diane spoiled me with spinach quiche for brunch, and I was ready at my laptop promptly at 10 am. I was not in the "waiting room" long, but somehow there were no regular GA tickets left already. I took a deep breath and went for the cheaper of the VIP packages. I had no business spending that much on a ticket, but it was the only show this next tour that I know I can get to, and while there was another pre-sale later, it was too close to my time to pack up and leave, and I had no way of knowing for sure if there would be more regular GA tickets. As it turns out, there were some, and even in the regular sale too. Perhaps I'll trade down later,  unless it seems like I can use the VIP ticket to help a friend or two get to the barrier.

See you in a few months, Chicagoland! 

Chicago skyline as seen from the Empire Builder