Monday Randomness

Hope everyone had a great weekend--my Saturday started off with Disney on Ice with my nephew and sister, (never underestimate the fun of dancing in your seat to Disney tunes at 11 am with a 2 1/2 year old), then moved on to a Croquet-themed birthday party, (mint juleps, dahling), then on to the last half of the South Carolina baseball game, (which we won!), and ended with another birthday party at Carolina Ale House/Kelly's. It was a long day, but really fun.

I had my final weigh-in and team challenge last night for the Biggest Loser-- I have lost a total of 24.2 lbs and 24 inches! For the team challenge we had to run a 2-mile loop, the last 1/2 mile of which is a pretty steep hill...I finished 7th out of the entire group with a time of 17:55. I am thrilled with the outcome of the 12-week challenge, and hoping I can continue on my healthy path.

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Remember when I posted that I wanted to see the movie Fish Tank? Well, it's here--it's playing at The Nickelodeon April 19th- April 22nd. I will be attending tomorrow night's 8 pm showing; I'll let you know how it is.

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Tonight, after my 2nd-to-last class of the semester, I will be attending a private "soft-opening" party at Pearlz Oyster Bar--the newest restaurant in the Vista. Not sure when they are opening to the public, but I'll find out tonight and share the info. Click here to see their menu.

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And, also this week I have Book Club on Wednesday night and then Thursday night is EdVenture's 8th Annual Girls Night Out fashion show. Proceeds will benefit the EdVenture Children's Museum, and in addition to the fashion show, there will be margaritas by Cantina 76, hors d'ouevres from Mr. Friendly's, Solstice, and Cellar on Greene and sweets from Cupcake, as well as goodie bags for all guests! Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door. I will be in attendance with my sister and mom--should be a fun evening. Click here to purchase tickets.

What else is on the docket for this week?

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Be Politically Active

If you live in Columbia then there is no possible way that you can be oblivious to the fact that we are in the midst of a mayoral show-down; the likes of which I have never seen in my years as a Columbian because Mayor Bob has been in office for sooo long!

Even if you aren't typically "the political type," you should care who is elected. As I tell my Social Policy class often, it is your civic duty to advocate for what you believe in and educate your politicians about the issues. The politicians are not experts on everything, and we can't expect them to be. (Hell, some of our SC politicians are experts in things that I wouldn't want my politicians to be experts in at all...but that's a different, angsty post that I'm not gonna write today).

So, {hopping on my soapbox}, here are some ways to 'get political' and inform yourself and help others this week and next:

Tonight--head to the Richland County Public Library at 1431 Assembly Street at 7 pm for a Mayoral Forum on Homelessness. All 9 mayoral candidates will speak about what they think the city should do to address our homeless population.

Then, (as I mentioned in yesterday's post), go eat a delicious meal at Mr. Friendly's tonight and give the server this coupon. 10% of your meal cost will be donated to the local Humane Society.

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Friday, March 19th- Go to The Animal Mission's annual fundraiser, Party Animals! and hear Edwin McCain. There will be an open bar and food by Blue Marlin as well as an auction--all to help stray animals!

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Saturday, March 20th- Go to Jillian's in the Vista from 1-5 pm to witness the 4th Annual St. Baldrick's Shaving Event to benefit children's cancer research.


Monday, March 22nd- Go to the Mayoral Showdown at 701 Whaley St, 7 pm. There will be a cash bar and a debate among the top 5 mayoral candidates. Click here for more info.

Tuesday, March 23rd- Attend a rally at the State House steps to "End the R-Word," and promote the respect for and acceptance of more than 15,000 Special Olympians. Rally begins at 11 am. (This one is near and dear to my heart, as I am a constant upbraider of people using the R-word).

Saturday, March 27th- Attend the rally at the State House Steps to retire the Confederate Battle flag from State House grounds. 2-5 pm, performances by local bands; click here for more info.

I promise you will feel empowered and excited by being an advocate for change and helping others. What do you do to advocate for change or help others?

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Foxy Shazam and Things to Do

Columbia's St. Patrick's Day had beautiful weather, (albeit a bit chilly with the wind gusts), plenty of beer and food, and an eclectic line-up of musicians.

I started the day by running the Get to the Green 5K, which ended up being a pretty nice course--there were a couple little hills in the first mile, but miles 2 and 3 were flat and fast. Over 2,000 people participated in the 5K, so it was a bit crowded in the beginning, but thinned out quickly.
After the race, we joined my mom, dad, and nephew, Ben, to watch the parade down Devine Street. He was entertained, which was the point.
After a quick shower, James and I were on a mission to spend the rest of the day with friends, drinking, eating and listening to music in 5 Pts. And we did just that.

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The one band I was super-excited to hear was Foxy Shazam. The Free Times described them thusly, which piqued my interest and was the impetus for me to seek them out at the festival: "the band will be heading out soon enough to play Spin’s SXSW showcase, so I suggest you give their anthemic pop a listen or two. That way, when Bob Guccione Jr. gets around to putting them on the cover of Spin, you can say you heard them when."

The band is on SPIN's 50 Must-See Bands at SXSW List, and was on their 10 To Watch in 2010 List as well. Lead vocalist, Eric Nally, truly takes center stage; SPIN describes him as "Mick Jagger on a Red Bull binge." Their music is a bit hard and may not appeal to a mainstream taste, but their performance was over-the-top entertaining. Below are 2 pics that James snagged on his camera-phone, (of course my camera ran out of batteries on Saturday!)

Lead singer, Eric Nally, hanging over the stage.

And now hanging upside-down. If you look behind him, to the right, you can see the pianist standing on the keyboard...

We only heard them play for about 15 minutes, but I was sold. Bought the CD...and now I can say, "I saw them before they got really famous..."


Tomorrow night--head to Mr. Friendly's to the Humane Society's monthly fundraiser; 10% of all sales from 6-9 pm will be donated to the local Humane Society. Click here to print out the card to present to your server.

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Become a friend of Rosso Trattoria on Facebook...they are awarding DINNER for TWO to their 1,000th Facebook Friend. If you suggest the 1,000th Friend, you'll win Dinner for Two, also! Last I looked, they were at 977 friends...

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