Times missing an exit, causing a lot of back-tracking: 3
Bottles of water drank: aprox 24
Total amount of shows: 3
Pairs of socks I brought: 10(haha!)
Amount of suitcases and backpacks I took: 3

On the way to Milwaukee

On our way to Milwaukee(to go visit MSOE...was the 'day off')...we stopped at a gas station. I called home...talked to my sister.
"Ryan been feeding the cat?"
"No."
"Who's been feeding the cat?"
"Dad. Oh yeah, your cat's retarded."
"Why?"
"He learned to drink out of the toilet."
Needless to say, Phantom was hanging out with Jenny for too long and he missed his mommy, so he became a rebel and drank out of the toilet. I told Jenny that she better untrain him. He hasn't drank out of the toilet since I've been home...but I'll be pissed if he drinks out of the toilet when I leave for Atlanta and DC!!!

The Swifty Story

We're in Chicago...at our hotel. Jeremy and Aaron decide to ask some maid guy, "Do you know where the Swifty in Skokie is." Of course, I more like roll my eyes. I'm refering to Eddie's comment made the first night about stopping off at some "Swifty" in Skokie. Much to Jeremy and Aaron's surprise, the man tells them it is up the road a mile or so. They go off half-ass looking for it, while my mom and I go eat. Needless to say, I think the man thought they said "Jiffy" as in "Jiffy Lube" because that was the only thing about a mile down the road in every direction. Silly boys.

Ghetto Ticket Scalpers

At the United Center, someone was showing one of their tickets through a fence to a little boy(who was a 'ticket scalper')...and the little punkass grabbed it and took off with it. The rightful owner of the ticket jumped the iron fence(a difficult task)...and ran after the brat. In the process, the guy dropped his recorder(and it looked like a good recorder too)...I can't remember if he got his ticket back...but that guy looked like he wanted to kill that kid...

The Gas Station Story

After the United Center show, we were all quite thirsty. McDonald's was closed...so no luck with pop there...but the gas station down the street from our hotel was open. My mom hands me two bucks and Jeremy gets out of the car with me. We pick out our yummy beverages...and I go to pay first. Problem: my total came to $2.14...all my money was in the car and alls I had was two dollar bills. So I was like, "I don't have the fourteen cents!" And the guy's like, "Eh, the world's not gonna end over fourteen cents." So Jeremy pays. We begin to walk out. The guy behind the counter follows us...and then he takes a look at my skirt. At first he thought they were pants...but then I informed him my skirt was a skirt, not pants. Then he's like, "Can I touch them?" Haha, what the hell was I supposed to say? So I was like..."Uh...ok." So he does. Jeremy and I try to escape...but the guy continues to talk to us. Says he's a physce(totally mis-spelled...I know) major. This guy totally was hitting on me. We kept trying to walk back to the car...where Aaron sat, obviously pissed we were taking so long...but he wouldn't let us leave! Finally, it all came down to, we exchanged out e-mail addresses and I walked out with a bonus: his phone number. Needless to say, my mother's never going to let me live that one down. You had to be there to get this story, I suppose:-)

East Lansing Outtakes

Airport

I told Quinn that I would wear my "Pearl Jam is not just a band...but a way of life" t-shirt to the airport(LOL I seriously have a shirt that says that, Quinn thought I was joking at first...bet you were thinking that too!) as well as my "Yield" hat. Now...for some reason, when I wear that hat, everyone looks at me like I'm on crack. When walking around Milwaukee, people starred hardcore...haha I don't think it's that out of the ordinary. Anyhow..my mom and I go through security. I'm waiting to go through...and after getting bitched out by airport security when going to the airport to pick up my sister's friend Dave because I was wearing steel-toed shoes and I forgot to inform them(yeah, I always think about my shoes when I go to the airport)...so I was like, "Uh I have steel toe shoes". Instead of the guy taking any action...he goes, "Oh you look very very cute"...LOL the guy could hardly speak English! I was like..."Um...thanks..." but I was thinking, "Oh my gosh get me outta here! Moooooom!" haha;-) The dude was scary!

Bathroom

Since we were outside for so long, Jenny(my sister) and I really needed to go to the bathroom(man, what is it with peeing and Pearl Jam concerts?!?). So we went to the ticket office at Breslin...to see if there was a bathroom we could use. Some guy told us to go across the street to the dorms and use the bathroom. We walk about a distance of a block, and we find out the damn dorms are locked. So Jenny and I walk up to some guy directing traffic, and Jen asks if there's anywhere close that has a public bathroom. Keyword: close. The guy could hardly speak English..like the airport security guy...and he tells us in a heavy accent that there is a "Vendy's" to the left and right. Um ok. So we walk. Turn left. We don't see a Wendy's anywhere...but continue to walk because we needed to pee and we were starving. Finally...like three blocks down, we find a gas station...of course, a Wendy's is STILL not in sight...soo...we decide, we'll go to the bathroom here. We go inside of the world's smallest gas station ever, and ask the guy if there's a bathroom we can use. He says it's around the corner. So we go. Um. No toilet paper. Um. No soap. Yuck. That is the end of that...I won't say anymore involving the bathroom. Then we go back into the gas station...get some food...do they have any chips that aren't "Wow" w/Olestra? Hell no...finally I found some fatty chips and bought them...after waiting ten years for the guy to figure out how to use the register. So we finally made it back to Breslin like an hour later from when we left. 'Twas horrible. Plus it was hot as hell. Wah wah, eh?

Auburn Hills Outtakes

Um, oops

After waiting forever for the dumb Palace people to let us in, my friend, Amanda, my mom, and I run for the bathrooms...LOL what is this? A bathroom related story for every concert? Geeze! "Hi, my name's Jess...I like to go to Pearl Jam concerts and pee!" Haha...ok...so we go to the bathroom. Amanda comes out, "Uh...any of you guys have a tampon or a pad?" (Don't worry, Amanda volunteered this story, I would never share this if she was not the one to say, 'So..you putting this up on your webpage?') I didn't have anything and neither did my mom. Do you think they would have any machines in the bathroom? Hell no. So we encourage Amanda to ask one of the employees...a female one of course...where she can get something to help her little problem. The lady tells Amanda she is going to have to go downstairs and go to first aid! Haha, so we have no choice...so we go with Amanda down to first aid. One of the ticket ladies tells us we can go to guest services...there was a little ticket problem...but not worth mentioning...anyhow...we get to guest services. Low and behold...four guys are in the room. Amanda was freaking out! So we just waited until we left. Luckily a woman was working at the desk...so Amanda got her stuff...and the woman behind the desk said, "Now I know why you guys waited to come in here." Hehe.

Oh Lord!

During Cheap Trick's set, my mom turns to me and says, "You know, this is my last Pearl Jam concert." And I think about what she said for a second...and I'm like, "You aren't crying are you???" Haha I look over at my mom and tears are pouring down her face. LOL. I make a crying gesture to my dad to let him know what's up and he just shook his head...

Sit the F*** Down A**holes!

Ok...I think I've made it clear in some form or another that noone gets in-between Pearl Jam and I at a concert...I was in 15th row...I was able to see pretty good. That is until someone in like 12th row decided to stand on their chairs. So our only option was to stand on the chairs as well...but I was against that because I don't want to piss off the people behind me...soooo...I screamed a lot and said a lot of curse words and got everybody to stand on the floor except the two boneheads in row 12. So...we had to use our brains. My dad decided the only thing we had to get their attention was pennys! Haha so my dad kept throwing change at them. You know what? Do I feel guilty? HELL no! We all want to see the show!

Birmingham/Greenville/Knoxville Outtakes

Social Grill

Before the Birmingham show, Quinn, Brice, Noz, and I drive around looking for a nice place to eat. Something catches Brice's eyes...he wants "Good southern cookin". SOCIAL GRILL. We stop. Go inside. The people that worked there were sitting in the booths and looked surprised to see someone in the restaurant. That was first clue to get out. Not only that, but the workers were ancient. 90s I swear. I decided I was not going to eat...and didn't even want anything to drink from the fountain, so I bought some sealed pop(yes, I said pop you south people:-P). The place looked like an old grubby Chinese restaurant. Green wood paneling. Yuck. Noz was the only one to lick his plate clean. We were the only ones in the place...making the Social Grill social for probably the first time in twenty years...

Film

Sorry Quinn, I can't help myself from telling this story...Brice has to agree with me...this thing is funny. Before the Birmingham show, Quinn decided he was going to indeed take his camera in, but he needed film. So he went and got film. We stood outside of the car as he tried to load it. We see him take the film out...and struggle to get the film in...he shows it to us, and we're like, "Doh Quinn...looks like your camera needs Advantex film." Advantex...the kind he didn't buy. The next day, at his parents house, before we were getting ready to leave...his mom says, "Hey Quinn? What's this?" And she walks in, holding the "film". Quinn's like...my film...please develop it. Mrs. Brown is like, "No it's not...this is a battery!" Haha Quinn took out his battery, not the film!

Phantom!

My mom informs me in one of our telephone conversations that I can never leave my cat home alone again. Of course, I ask why. I am informed that my cat learned how to open my dad's nightstand drawer, pick out my dad's (used) earplugs and digest them. On my cat's second helping, he developed a stomach ache...and puked all over the carpeting upstairs(my room). My mom spent an entire day working on the bright orange/pink puke stains on my carpeting. Let's just say I have three nice pink blotches on my carpeting now...

Columbia and Washington, D.C.

Phantom Part Drei!

At the airport in Baltimore, while waiting for Quinn and his mom to arrive, I called my mom. She tells me like the same exact thing that she previously did about my cat. On his way home from work, my dad stopped off at Tim Horton's(if you are not from Michigan or Canada, you have no idea what the hell Tim Horton's is) and bought four donuts...two glazed and two chocolate covered. Yum. So I ate one chocolate cover and no one touched the other three. Well, after my parents dropped me off at the airport, they came home...looked on the kitchen counter, and noticed there was only one donut left. Hmmm. The only suspect was Phantom...but he's so small...I could never imagine him picking up a donut and jumping off the counter and running through our house. Well...my mom went into the bathroom...and low and behold...1/2 a donut was sitting on the floor...my cat ate half a donut and left it on the floor! And if that was not enough...he went back for seconds...took another and ran upstairs with it! Geeze...my cat is so talented! I need to make some money off him or something!