Army math?

So would someone please tell me how this "new" Army math works? Obviously I haven't been an Army Wife long enough to understand Army Math... So here's your homework folks:

Let's assume that the distance from our current home to Fort X is exactly 1,103 miles.

And, the distance from Swiss's old duty station to Fort X is exactly 1,213 miles.

Then, how does the cost of a PCS from here cost us (out of pocket) $756.00 more than a PSC from the previous duty station that is, in fact, 110 miles further from our final destination?

According to my civilian math, the cost of driving a moving truck down 110 LESS miles of Interstate A from our house to Fort X is $6.78 per mile. You know, as opposed to driving Highway B for an extra 110 miles only to join up with the same Interstate A? Hmm. I'm confused. Now clearly my civilian brand of math is lacking a certain je nes sais quoi that Army math because those numbers of mine just don't add up. I'm hoping some of you have some insight into how this Army math works, because math wasn't ever my strong suit, so I'm purrty confused about this here PPSO stuff.

Needless to say this discrepancy has been, tactfully, brought to the attention of our PSC officer. I'm tres interested to see what she has to say about this Army math business...

Weekend recap.

So, first order of business. Summerfest was Awesome. The company was great this weekend (You rock Beth!!!) and despite all the gloom and doom everyone was feeding us about never making it to Milwaukee on time, we arrived at the Fest with an hour and change to spare before the Crows hit the stage. HA! TAKE THAT! Plenty of time to cruise about and soak in the crazy attire, drunken revelers and the overwhelmingly good smells of Fest food (which is in another stratosphere from Fair food).

Anyway, our seats were good and we sat down with our $6 Miller Lites and pack of Twizzlers to await the unknown. Our beloved Crows were billed as a "Special Guest" to the Keith Urban concert. What did that mean? 20 minute opener? More? Well, rest easy friends, we got a solid hour of the Crows (see right, all images courtesy of keithurban.net)... the only thing that was a bummer was that they were clearly pandering to a non-Crows, country-heavy audience. I think there were only a couple hundred folks there who a) knew who they were and b) knew any of their songs other than Mr. Jones (which was the only song that got most everyone fired up). Either way they put on a great show and Beth and I were super pumped to have been able to see them again.

Set break. We bust out for the bathrooms and more beer. Not at all concerned about getting back in time for Keith Urban to start. Because while Beth has listened to his Greatest Hits album, I have only heard like 4 songs and consider myself to be neutral at best when it comes to country music these days. We had both heard that he put on a good show, but the expectations were low. Heck, we even contemplated leaving early to catch the Offspring (?!?) at the Miller Lite Oasis. But we made it back to our seats, moved to better, less crowded ones (see left) and awaited the concert's start.

ZOMG. That is how you start a concert. The huge ginormous screens and flashing lights and thundering bass & drums? Yep, pretty much set the stage. We were in for a country flavored Rock Concert. Not some pansy Pop Country show, which is exactly what I was told I was in for (except for you usmcwife8999). The atmosphere was great, it always is at summertime outdoor arenas and, despite all the non-necessary cowboy hats the show hit the ground running. Literally, that is what he lead with, and after just that first song, I was sold.

I think there were at least 15 instances, maybe more, in which Beth and I were looking at each other totally gobsmacked at what we were witnessing. This guy can freaking PLAY. I never thought I would say that about some pretty boy Aussie country star. Heck, he is more like some countrified hybrid of Paige/Plant (see this guy play and you won't think that is blasphemous, promise)... and I was waiting for him to start playing with his teeth a la Hendrix.

I never knew this guy had such serious guitar chops. Every song had a perfectly placed and timed guitar solo that made the whole thing SO much more like a rock concert than anything else. And the guy is a showman. The whole bit where he walks through the crowd while playing and singing up to a secondary stage in the middle of the amphitheater to play an acoustic mini-set? Fantastic. So yes, I was blown away. And I would dare say it was one of the best concert performances I have ever seen. Better than No Doubt, better than the Crows last year and better than (Ezra? ha! get it???), gasp, Coldplay. Yep. I said it. The best concert I have ever been to was a Country concert. Color me surprised.

Anyway, yes, amazing show. Every song was turned up to the proverbial 11, the whole band was mad, mad talented and the whole thing rocked way hard. Harder than any country show has a right to rock. Kudos to you Keith Urban, for being way more of a Guitar Hero than I ever thought you were, for proving me wrong, and for putting on a damned good show. And I want all five of those giant HD screens, which by the way, made the whole experience for anyone with cheaper seats exponentially better. And while you are at it, you NEED to put our a live CD. Because how y'all play live is a million times more awesome than anything on your studio albums, which I now own.

The rest of the weekend was marked by a Concert Hangover (not beer, promise, 3 in 5 hours won't do that...) on Saturday, new Reef flip flops, ridonkulously cheap Gap jeans ($19.99!), and yummy pizza. Sunday we drove up to Minneapolis, kicked it at IKEA and checked Beth into her uber trendy hotel, got Chipotle and continued to discuss the pitfalls of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, family planning, career/school and everything else under the sun. I love the conversations we have, the exercise it gives my brain, and how I totally get to be me with Beth. No pretenses, no judgment, totally honest, totally open and totally hilarious. Thanks for being that kind of friend Beth... you are a rare find and genuinely amazing!

So yep, that was my weekend. Fan-freaking-tastic if you ask me. I needed that. Happy Monday all!!!

My ode to Milwaukee. (aka: Friday!!!)

Aaah, Milwaukee. Or, if you prefer it Wayne's World style: "Mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land." Thanks Alice Cooper (fast forward to minute 1:45)! Home to the Miller Brewing Company, Harley-Davidson, the Brewers, Summerfest, Laverne & Shirley, Kohl's Department Stores, Usingers Sausage House, Happy Days, a wicked cool Art Museum and copious numbers of German descendants (ME!). Not to mention Les Paul, Liberace, Gene Wilder, Danny Gokey, Bob Uecker and um, well, er... Jeffery Dahlmer. Also, sort of home. Granted, I grew up about 25 minutes from Milwaukee, but still, it was THE city.

It was where I went to see Michael Jordan play in his prime, where I went to see No Doubt and REM back in the day, it is where my college boyfriend lived (ugh, let's not go there), where I went to the old County Stadium to watch Bernie Brewer slide into his giant mug of beer, and now Miller Park where we watch the Brat, the Hot Dog, the Polish Sausage, the Italian Sausage and the Chorizo race every game night. (See right. God, if that stuff doesn't make you just love this town, I don't know what will.) It is where I always went with my parents to Big Fun Things (like the ballet, theater, sporting events, State Fair, etc.). No, it wasn't like growing up near Chicago or some place bigger or cooler, but it was still pretty great.

Being from Milwaukee also predisposes you to drinking Miller beers (also, Lienenkugle's. Nom nom nom. Summer Shandy and Honey Weiss, I love you!). And see that photo to the left? That is the Miller High Life (aka: "The Champagne of Beers") logo, the Girl in the Moon. I dressed up as her for Halloween a few years ago and it was the AWESOMEST costume ever. And no one got it. Sigh. The perils of not living in Wisconsin anymore. Anyway, the lady who was the model for the Girl in the Moon? Esther Moody. She was a ballerina and my Mom took ballet lessons from her when she was a twee little girl. See, practically in my blood to drink Miller beers.

And also, for the record, the Brewers' had the single coolest sports logo maybe ever in the history of sports (see right). Seriously, look at that thing. A "M" for Milwaukee, a "B" for Brewers all fashioned into a stylish baseball mitt complete with a ball in the center of the "B". I tell you, why they ever got rid of this is beyond me.

Milwaukee is also home to, no jokes, the world's largest music festival. You heard right, Milwaukee. Wisconsin. Its name? Summerfest. What is it? It is essentially 10 days of beer, food, music, entertainment and crowds all situated right down on the shores of Lake Michigan. Because it is "Cooler by the Lake" and that is actually true. While sometimes it can be far from fun, it is also wicked awesome because some really cool concerts come into town and yeah, beer! So that is where Beth and I are heading this weekend, just like we did last year, to go see our favorite band perhaps ever. Counting Crows. Sweetness.

This also means we get to do some serious people watching, because I have found that nothing brings out the crazies like the name Summerfest.

Witness this photo:

Sexy, right?

Nothing helps celebrate the world's largest music festival like mullets, Harley Davidson gear and spandex, often all in one outfit! All of which you will find in great abundance here. Just another reason to love Milwaukee. It isn't pretentious in the least. God Bless it.

So yes, that is where I am off to this weekend. I cannot wait. And for good measure, I will also be spending some quality time with, maybe my favorite town in the Midwest: Madison. But that is another post for another day. I hope y'all have a stellar weekend and when you raise your glass of beer and noshing on your bratwurst while relaxing in the summer sun, give a tip of your hat to Milwaukee.

Et tu Tuesday?

Meh. Apparently I am still lingering around the outskirts of Suckyville (though I do have some company...). I mean, seriously, are we DONE yet? hahahahahahaha.... NO. Ugh.

Today isn't looking much better than yesterday... though Swiss's "thing" worked out just fine and he is safe & well. Phew. My new dishwasher? Doesn't drain, and the sink still leaks. BIL needs to fix this because I simply don't have the gumption to deal with it. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER! NOT WORSE!!! The dog is now fluffy and clean... but he won't sleep past 5:30am. Which is killing me slowly. Today I am only doing 2 people's jobs, so that is better I suppose! And did I mention how humid it is here? Yesterday it was 95 with 47% humidity. I was sweating like crazy just standing outside... lucky us we get more of the same today! HOORAY UPPER MIDWEST. And by that I mean not. Decidedly.

But I won't complain any more because I know it isn't that bad. I get to go to Milwaukee this weekend for a Counting Crows concert with the coolest gal I know, Beth, for her bachelorette 'party' (the best thing is that we did the exact same thing for my bachelorette 'party'). And you must understand that by 'party' we mean, go to a great concert, drink overpriced beer, and hang out in general. MAN- WE ARE CRAZY! Right? No? Oh, well. I think we both like it better this way... no phalluses involved, no "Suck for a Buck" and NO tiaras/veils. Perfection!

Okay, I should get to work and stop avoiding it like the plague. Validations make mah brain hurt. Hope y'all have a great Tuesday!

I heart the Sound of Music.

Can I also say that in a bout of cosmic synchronicity, the piano lady in the subway at work was playing Edelweiss. It made me want to twirl and sing along at the top of my lungs. Yes, I heart the Sound of Music. This is a dirty little secret of mine and now you all know.

PS- I forgot to give a Shout Out to LopsidedMom for passing on this goodness. She rocks!

Books and their covers.

Please go watch this. Seriously, do it now.

And then move to England with me so I can vote for this woman a million times over.

I can't tell you how much I needed to see something like this, witness something so unexpected and beautiful and heartwarming.

I wish her all the best in this world and certainly all the success she deserves with a voice like that (and maybe a big, juicy first kiss with Daniel Craig). Go watch it, I guarantee it will make your day, make your heart swell, teach you a wonderful lesson and possibly make you cry*.

Mother Jones was spot on: Susan Boyle, Curing Cynicism Since 2009. Oh, and Thank you LopsidedMom and LAW for essentially making me watch this and thus making my Monday.

*In the interest of full disclosure, it totally made me cry.

10 things...

So I got sucked into VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's tonight before all the March Madness began. Man, we had some great tunes to grow up to. Seriously.

Anyway, that inspired this 10 things, it is the song version: My 10 favoritest songs. Ever. (Which started out as 15 because I am waaaay too sentimental. Hey, at least I was able to reign it in, right?) Oh, and these are in a loose top 10 order... but number 1 is solid... That song will always be number 1 in my heart.

1. "One" - U2
I think this may be the best, most beautiful, soulful song ever written and performed. Perfection.
2. "Lost!/Lost?" - Coldplay
A beautiful song with great lyrics and done in two ways, what more could you ask for? I heart you Coldplay.
3. "Omaha" - Counting Crows
Ugh, having to pick one Crows song... but this one found its way into my heart in 8th grade and never left. I'm still not sick of it. And please, go see this band in concert, they are amazing.
4. "Breathe" - Sia
This song is so haunting and ethereal and even though it is sad, I can't get enough.
5. "Angel of Harlem" - U2
I still remember the very first time I heard this song and truly fell in love with U2. It will always be a favorite.
6. "What Can I Say?" - Brandi Carlyle
She is one of my absolute favorite artists. Too few have heard of her and all of her music is raw and I love her singer-songwriter style. Please, please check her out and buy her albums so she keeps making amazing music. I adore her. And I adore this song. Oh, and her music always hits exactly the right emotional chord with me, she can make me cry with alarming precision.
7. "Le Belle et le Bad Boy" - Mc Solaar
If you are a Sex and the City fan you will recognize this one, but there is something about it, maybe the images that I have linked to it from the show, but there is such a great story there and even in French you can appreciate it and get caught up in it.
8. "Strong Enough" - Sheryl Crow
I always loved this song, it is so honest and the melody is simply beautiful. And then I met someone who was strong enough and it got even better.
9. "Sweet Child 'O Mine" - Guns 'n Roses
I do love me some GnR, and this one is the best. Great guitar (oh Slash, how oddly wonderful you are) and I can't help but sing along every time it is on- at the top of my lungs- and do the Axl sway with the microphone stand. You know what I am talking about.
10. "That's How Strong my Love is" - Otis Redding
So sentimental, we played this at our wedding. It makes me all mushy inside... so sweet and sentimental and romantic. What's not to love? (All I could find for clips are covers, but you still get the gist of it.)

Now that I have spilled my musical beans (that sounds like there should be a fart joke somewhere in there), what are your favorites? Please share!!!