As long as I have been around, I have never been able to fully understand myself and why I do some of the things in the way/manner that I do. For instance, why do I always complain about having to wake up early and being "oh so tired", but I don't make a point of going to bed at a time that could ever be considered early... We had to be downtown for our competition to begin today by 8:30 am which meant that we had to leave the hotel by 7...I've blogged enough about Kelton and early mornings that I'm sure you get the picture... ;) Haha. At least after the epic "find-the-room" adventure of yesterday we easily navigated our way to the competition space. :)
We found out that for our competition, we were going to be going to a "Watch-Party" for the World Cup in Downtown KC at the
Power & Light District, where there was a
HUGE bigscreen TV facing a large open area that was surrounded in a horseshoe shape by shops/restaurants/etc. almost like the Gateway in SLC, but all on one entire block that was kind of boxed in and not open on both ends. Anyway, we had to create an NPR style news piece about the event that would attract families to it. Shae was scared because she didn't know anything about Soccer, but a part of me knew that we had it in the bag! There were probably 1000 people at the event, the energy level was completely out of control, and the whole thing was AMAZING! So, we had three hours today to gather ALL of our audio, write our script, and record voice-over tracks, and I think we did really well. Tomorrow we return to the "hidden" room in the KC Muelbach-Marriott to finish the competition during the edit/production phase.
The competition got over today a little earlier today than we had originally been informed, so were just kind of bumming around waiting for T-man (our Communications Prof.) to get there when I bought a bratwurst from a street vendor, and was then promptly informed by another man selling hotdogs that the stand I had purchased from was set up illegally, and would I please not purchase from said "illicit" hot-dog stand anymore...I pretended to feel bad and just walked away. It was seriously sooooo funny!
Troy arrived just in time for us to get in line for the free backpack/tshirt/commemorative pin giveaway (I don't really intend on ever using any of these things, but hey, they were
FREE! Haha.) After this, Troy took us to see the KC Municipal Auditorium that he knew Shae and I would love...let me just say that the Music Hall was
BEAUTIFUL! We went on stage, and kind of poked around the backstage area, and I am still in awe. The hall had the most amazing acoustics ever, and I wanted to do nothing more than just start belting something out!
They really just plain don't make theater's like this anymore, and it's a shame.
After escaping the heat-wave-humidity-infested downtown KC in Troy's rented
Ford Fusion (the car I desperately want/need to purchase for myself....) we went back to the hotel and changed, and then went in pursuit of some genuine Southern BBQ. Troy had a friend that suggested we try out
Gates Brothers BBQ. It took us a little while to find it, and the phone call to the restaurant didn't help. The woman simply said, "Oh, well we're across the street from Fritz's!" ...Well, that does us no good...WTH is Fritz's!? We eventually found it, sure enough...right across from Fritz's...Haha.
So we go inside, and are immediately assaulted by this teenage black girl, "
HI, MAY I HELP YOU!?!?!?" Except, it wasn't a question at all, but a statement. While standing there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do she simply repeats herself, only louder this time,
"HI, MAY I HELP YOU." Finally, Troy speaks up and says, "Umm, I don't know, we've never been here before." And then it was like we'd just summoned the Fairy Godmother of BBQ, because from out of nowhere, we hear this woman saying in a very loud southern manner, "You never been here!? Well, let me help you out," and she proceeds to take us through the entire menu, until she gets to the "Four Boner". It was one of those moments where you think to yourself,
"Did she just say what I think she said??", and almost in answer to your question she immediately repeats herself. It took every ounce of my strength to not burst out laughing! Hahaha. We decided to order two of these...
platters... to share, and we hear her yell back to the kitchen, "SHAREEN! This gentleman wants an EIGHT BONER!" Yet another fit of laughter had to be stifled...It was soooo funny! And then come to find out, the woman wasn't just pronouncing it funny, they actually call their BBQ ribs "Boners". But don't worry, the BBQ was actually very good. :)
After our BBQ escapade, we were driving around, (can I just say though that since Troy has gotten here, we have done more and had a more fun time in just a few short hours than we had the two entire days we were here by ourselves...) and Troy remembered this really fun diner place he had eaten at before, so we stopped for dessert...aka the most enormous milkshake ever!
Yes, that is an ARM behind that milkshake. It was insane, but really good! And then the Comm Professor decided to give us all a lesson about non-verbal communication... In short, our waitress was HOTT! Seriously, ever time she walked by I went all googly, to the point that one time (I don't exactly remember the specifics of what happened, but I've been graciously informed by those who were accompanying me...) I was in the middle of a sentence to Troy and Shae when she walked up to the table next to ours, and I was just staring at her, and didn't even finish my thought to T and S. And then Troy tells me that when I looked at her my eyes dilated, which is apparently a sign of arousal...uh...yikes? But she was really hot. :)
Sorry this post is so long, but there were just to many juicy details of today that couldn't be left out!
