2015: Books I've Read

I had the best intentions this year to really start incorporating more book reviews here, but time slipped through my fingers once again. Thanks to audio books, book club books, and Harry Potter I was able to complete my goal of finishing 40 books this year. Below I've included a list of my favorite books I read and some that I never want to see again.

Best Book Club Book:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Book I Couldn't Stop Thinking About:
An Untamed State by Roxanne Gay

Best Wintertime Read (besides Harry Potter, because, duh.):
Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

Best Audio Book:
Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Most Disturbing Scene:
All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

Most Challenging Read:
A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride

Most Inspiring Read:
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Funniest Read:
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

Best Re-Read:
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Not Great, But Not Terrible:
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

Worst Book, Best Burn-This-In-Case-of-Emergency Book:
Outline by Rachel Cusk

Biggest Hype, Biggest Let Down:
How to be both by Ali Smith

Fall 2015: Festivals, Apple Orchards, and Pumpkin Farms

It's that glorious time of year when the temperature drops and all you want to do is curl up on the couch binge-watching Gilmore Girls while binge-drinking pumpkin lattes until Netflix asks, "Are you still watching?" Of course I'm still watching, Netflix - it's Fall!

September was an extremely jammed packed month of Fall fun. 

Riot Fest (September)

Riot Fest is like the cooler, older brother of Lollapalooza. Where Lollapalooza has a Converse-nation of tweens with metallic temporary tattoos, Riot Fest has a sea of Doc Martin wearing 35-year-old chain smokers in black hoodies. Someday I hope there's a festival of cardigan-wearing, library-book-holding nerds listening to music at a reasonable volume and I'll finally feel like I belong.

This year there was a Groupon for the festival and my all-time favorite band from when I was a kid was playing. This is the part where I tell you that I'm a huge No Doubt fan and you agree to still be my friend. Deal?

We were originally supposed to go to Riot Fest all day Friday, but (like it always does) it rained pretty much all day until 5:00pm. We decided to head out later hoping that the ground wouldn't be too muddy. We were mostly right.

Too happy to be at Riot Fest.

Just another Ferris wheel that Bryan refused to ride with me.

"Hey Jeremy, want to go hang out and listen to music?"
"Yeah, anywhere but Riot Fest. Riot Fest sucks."
"Don't worry. I would never dream of taking you to Riot Fest."
*arrives at Riot Fest*
"Son of a...."

Just Gwen Stefani climbing up the stage. No big deal.

Morton Pumpkin Festival - Pumpkin Pancakes (September)

Is there anything more satisfying than running a hard race and being rewarded with a pancake breakfast? Yes. It's eating a pancake breakfast without running a hard race. So maybe I felt a little guilty indulging in the unlimited pumpkin pancakes and sausages, but also, I didn't.

Please note that I'm actually dressed up to go running in an attempt to fool people into thinking that I earned these pancakes.

Tanners (September)
After recovering from the Pumpkin Pancake Takedown of 2015 we (me, my Dad, and Bryan) met Justin, Kiana, and Hayden at Tanners Orchard for more Fall fun. Sadly, the line was out of control and we didn't get to buy any apples or cider before we left. Here are some of my favorite moments from our visit:

There was a scale outside of this tent that every kid had to stand on to ensure that they weren't over 80 pounds. I guess that would crush the horse, who has a marvelous life of walking in a circle day after day. He's probably praying for some Happy-Meal-Loving kid to put him out of his misery. Unfortunately for Mr. Sad Horse, Kiana weighs ten pounds. When we got to the scale she started trying to take off her boots. When I asked her why she said she was worried that she would be overweight because her boots (pictured above) must be at least 80 pounds.

The moment when Kiana learned that birds have sharp beaks. 

I can't remember everything she said to this llama, but I know it's going to be rethinking some of his (her?) life choices after their conversation.

That time I realized my brother has super human strength while I struggled to carry my own purse. 

Dollinger's (September)
I made my first visit to Dollinger's this year. Bryan has been there multiple times and always brings home a giant pumpkin to carve. Despite it being Fall it was about a million degrees the day we (me, Bryan, Danielle, Donna, and Pat) went. I learned that corn mazes are not for me, but if I'm forced to enter I'm going with Danielle because she knows what's up. I would have died in the Triwizard Maze even without the Blast Ended Skrewts. Here are my favorite moments:

So many beautiful Fall colors!

This place was made for family pictures.

If you build it, he will come.

At the start the maze. Look how cocky and confident I look.

Ten minutes later. Am I supposed to be shooting up green sparks or red sparks for help?

Days later we made it out.

Pumpkins everywhere!

There's my pumpkin! Third from the right. No, from the left. Or was in fifth from the left?

Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair | Things To Do in San Francisco: Part Two

Not that I needed another reason to want to move to California, but summer in Illinois has ended and once again forgotten to take the humidity with it. I'm sitting here sweating in September dreaming back to a few weeks ago when I was in San Francisco. This was my second time and Bryan's third time to San Francisco this year. While our first trip focused more on more touristy stuff, our latest adventure was about two things: food and babies. Well, baby. My best friend from my Barnes and Noble/College days had a beautiful baby boy and we had to meet him in person.

Oh, one thing that's probably important to note here. A couple weeks before our trip out to San Francisco I made the decision to no longer be a vegetarian. I was a vegetarian for nine years. Which basically adds up to a million conversations where anyone and everyone asks, "Why did you become a vegetarian?" "Do you miss eating meat?" "Where do you get your protein?" "Bacon?" Never has a people cared so much about protein intake than when a vegetarian is in the room. Looking back I wish I would have asked, "But where do you get your fruit and vegetables? Are you sure you're getting enough?" I know, I know, I know, but Allison, seriously, why are you not a vegetarian anymore? *Slams head into wall* Here it is, world - I just didn't feel like it anymore. Okay, let's move on because oooo look a baby!

1. Eat some liquid nitrogen ice cream
I'm pretty sure that 84 percent of my travel tips involve eating. Of those tips, 73 percent involve dessert. And of those dessert-related tips, 92 percent involve ice cream. I could be wrong with those percentages. The amount of sugar I've consumed this year has been slowly killing my brain cells. That's what brain freeze is, right? I tried one of Smitten Ice Cream's seasonal flavors (sweet corn with berries) and it was delicious!

2. Take a stroll down Clarion Alley
The graffiti is as colorful as the characters you'll find sitting along the alley. Yes, some of these characters may be sleeping in the alley or peeing in the alley, but there's a lot of art to distract you.

Our personal mantra

I don't know what's more distracting - the fact that my hair is turning into Storm's from X-Men or Bryan's beard.  

Second take. Nailed it.

3. Try a frozen hot chocolate and a brownie flight with judgment on the side.
Dandelion Chocolate was one of my favorite places from this last trip. The space was beautiful and the chocolate was amazing. On an unrelated note, I recently went to the dentist and have three cavities.

Outside they had the coolest grates around the trees. 

4. Have some A LOT prime rib
One of the best things about not being a vegetarian is coming to a place like the House of Prime Rib. The room we sat in was dimly lit with a large cart full of prime rib moving from table to table. It was so dimly lit that the table behind us had dropped something underneath their table and tried multiple times to find it throughout their meal with no luck. My guess was a child was left behind.

I maybe ate 1/4 of that

5. Spend the day in Napa
On Saturday our group rented a car and drove the hour and a half to Napa. It was probably around 20 degrees warmer in Napa since it's more inland, which can be easy to forget. I'm not sure how people do Napa ALL day after three wineries I was exhausted and extremely jealous that Jack got to sleep and be pushed around in a stroller all day. We started the day at Domaine Carneros Winey, then went to Silver Oak Cellars, had lunch at Gott's Roadside, and finished our visit at Orin Swift Wine Cellars.

2015 Lollapalooza: Best and Worst

Twenty percent of my body is covered in mosquito bite scars; seventy percent of my skin is unusually tan; and it's one hundred percent Lollapalooza's fault. As always, there were a lot of great moments that marked the last Lolla of my 20's. Next year I'll be 30 and even more spiteful toward the crop-top-wearing teenagers who represent everything wrong with music fans today. Every spring when it's time to buy Lolla tickets I think to myself, "Is this really worth it?" I hesitate for a moment and then realize, yes, it's completely worth it. I've gotten to see so many bands and artists that I love over the past six years. Here are the best and worst moments from this year's Lollapalooza...

The Lolla Crew + The Beard = Three Days of Magic. Also I think there is a correlation between how cool Annika's hair is to how large my glasses get.

Best Stage: Pepsi

We referred to this stage all weekend as The Grove (last year's name). A couple years ago this stage was called Google+. Next year I'm sure we'll be heading to the iHeartRadio stage so Lollapalooza can keep up the trend of blending irrelevant marketing with up-and-coming artists. The only horrible band we saw at Pepsi The Grove this year was Lion Babe, but I think that's mostly our fault for giving a "band" named Lion Babe a try. I really enjoyed seeing Zella Day and FKA Twigs here this year.

If you mix Pennsatucky from Orange is The New Black with Lykke Li you would get Zella Day.

Lion Babe was all-hair and no-talent.

Best Day: Friday

When the Porta Potties still have toilet paper and Paul McCartney closes you know it's going to be the best day. Other highlights were Father John Misty, Alabama Shakes, and Gary Clark Jr.

Finally got to see Alabama Shakes and they were amazing. We got rained out of their 2012 performance.

Best Throwback: Metallic

I refuse to call McCartney a throwback because in my heart The Beatles never left. Bryan had been listening to Metallic months in preparation for their Saturday set. In turn, I prepared my most metal faces. For not knowing 99 percent of their music, I had a really fun time. The jumbo screens looked awesome and gave us a great view not only of the band but the sign language interpreter, who was signing so intensely I forgot that Metallic was even playing.

The screens were awesome!

I'm so intimated by us.

Best Closer: Paul McCartney

I've read a few different lists of "Things You'll Regret When You're Old" and they almost always include "missing the chance to see your favorite musicians." I consider myself extremely lucky to have seen nearly every musician that I love play a live show. That's the thought that was running through my head as Paul McCartney walked on stage. I remember listening to Beatles songs as a kid in my Dad's car as he drove me to school. In college I have the best memories listening to The Beatles as I drove back and forth between Peoria and my Washington apartment. While seeing McCartney isn't exactly the same thing as seeing The Beatles I realize that it's as close as I'll ever get, and it was pretty darn amazing.

I was probably already tearing up at this point.

Surprise guest, Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes joins Paul on stage!!

What makes a Wing's song better? Fireworks. The answer is always, fireworks.

Best Food: Cheese fries

I was super disappointed by the food and drink this year. Once again, no mustard catfish. The Farmer's Market was pathetic with no River Valley Kitchen (goodbye, mushroom nachos). Robert Mondavi was the wine sponsor and offered no free swag at the wine tent. Our relaxing oasis from last year turned into a corporate snooze. The lobster corndog was as good as it's always been, but this was the year of the cheese fry.

Our smiles say, "This isn't Thorny Rose's riesling."

Worst Stage: Sprint
You know that part in Harry Potter 4 when the Weasley twins are trying to put their name into the Goblet of Fire, but they get kicked out from Dumbledore's aging line? That's what it's like going anywhere near Perry's. Every time we walked past I could feel a long white beard start to grow out my chin as I hunched over my walker, the tennis ball feet catching on crushed Bud Light cans. Perry's is the true Kidzapalooza. The worst part of Perry's? It ruins the Sprint stage. It's almost impossible to ignore the constant bass from Perry's while you're trying to hear anything at Sprint.

There's the Sprint stage over there in the corner. Where it belongs.

Worst Day: Sunday
Is Sunday always the worst day? Is that like a kid at summer camp complaining that the last day is the worst because you have to go home tomorrow? I'm not sure. I've never been to summer camp, but I did religiously watch Salute Your Shorts as a kid so I'm pretty sure I got the gist. And going back to work? Totally worse than going back home. Just saying, eight-year-old Allison. I'm getting off topic. Here's why Sunday was the worst day this year - the evacuation and the pain of re-entering the festival. A few years ago we were evacuated from the festival because of storms. We made our way to Steve's Segway Tour and sat in a garage infested with Forbidden-Forest-sized spiders. This year we had wine and cheese flights at Eno Wine Bar. With age, comes wisdom.

Cheese makes everything better. Air conditioned bathrooms do too.

Worst Act: Holychild
How can I explain the mermaid/cheerleader stripper that was Holychild? Is it our fault for going to see someone who is trying to make 'Brat Pop' a thing? Probably. We sat. We watched. And then I started laughing uncontrollably. We got up to leave after awhile as the mermaid started another song. I looked back, horrified, as I realized that she was trying to sing a No Doubt song. When Gwen Stefani recalls her saddest moment of 2015 it won't be ending her 13-year-long marriage with Gavin Rossdale, but having Holychild sing 'Just a Girl.'

Audience looks on, stunned at what they see. "That was one UNholychild!" exclaims one festival-goer, disbelief in his eyes. 

Funniest Quotes:
Literally everything Father John Misty said during his set made me laugh. My favorite was, "I'm depressed. . . then I look out and see the Bud Light sign, and I realize the show must go on. Sorry, you're all on ecstasy anyway, what does it matter?"

Other great quotes, ""You guys ready for a f*cking ballad? That's what gets you the 2:30 PM slot. The f*ckin ballads."

Paul McCartney on the sound bleed from Perry's: "It's a crazy mashup. This song and whatever shit they're playing over there."

The sea of people at McCartney's show.

Elle King while trying to tune: "This shit's going to be out of tune for the entire show, but we're just going to roll with it."

Not only was Elle King funny, but there was a guy who was shame-eating an entire pizza like it was a slice of pizza. I gave him a 'I've-been-there-man' nod before looking away.

The most ridiculous quote all weekend? That would be from my husband. "I want to buy another hat so I can have one beater hat and one nice one." This is the hat that he's apparently going to be wearing ALL the time now. 

Note: He did not purchase another hat. Since the festival he's worn the hat 0 times and I've brought up this story 17,000 times.