“When I’m 5 I’m going to do some sneaky stuff in the bathroom.”
When your child informs you of this almost first thing in the morning, you wonder what the rest of your day may hold.
Actually, the day was really normal. We found a YMCA in Champaign, Illinois (a few minutes from our gig) and got in a nice work out, shower and some play time. A huge bag of laundry was pressing on our minds so we found a local laundromat at a mobile home park and settled in.
I love laundromats. I love the get-everything-done-at-once-ness about them. They speak to my “Quickest way from A to Z” personality. I’m a one-trip, every-grocery-bag-all-the-way-up-my-arms, pack-mule, multi-tasking kind of gal, and the laundromat is a perfect fix for my lust for efficiency. We did laundry, blogs, got organized, teeth brushed, had play time, breathing room, and had a place to get ready for the show! Ahhhhh, OCD satiated!
Bill from the eve before had said we “had” to go to Brown Bag for lunch. Well, we couldn’t let Bill down, so we “had” to go. Sorry, Bill. You were kind, had fun stories, and overall, a great guy, but your recommendation for a lunch spot was off. Mediocre at best, I ended up feeding Rudy a bag of croutons because the “grilled cheese” was bad. How do you mess up a grilled cheese?? Anyway, we ate, and that was good, but I’d never tell someone they “had” to go there. Maybe if you wanted to be transported to a run down Hallmark from the early 80’s that also had soup, then, yeah, check it out.
The Old Church:
Monarch Brewing Co. is a brewery in an old transformed church, complete with stained glass windows, multi-level for a huge congregation, a stage for the choir, and loads of people drinking to forget their sins…
It’s really cool, after doing this for the majority of our adult lives to still be surprised. This place did that for us. We thought we had it pegged when, as we were loading in at 7:00 for our 8:00 gig, a manager told Jared we “should have been booked 7-9 instead of 8-10 because no one stays past 9:00”. Or, after the first song, they came and asked us to turn down. Or the fact that Jared had to ask 2 or 3 times for them to turn off the bar music while we played… See, we thought we had read the signs and had them all figured out. We were wrong. The customers, although quiet about their approval, loved us. The staff totally enjoyed themselves. The management asked us back before our set was even over! Other than the really odd Mac n cheese, the place was really a treat.
We picnicked on cheese and lettuce sandwiches, grapes and chips, changed into jammies, set Rudy up to have a movie on, and headed toward Chicago, where the promise of the best pizza ever and a meet up with a dear, dear friend awaited us the next day.
Goodnight and farewell you darling, yet somewhat socially awkward town of Monticello. I’m sure we’ll be back.
You just “have” to try Eleven Winery on September 9!! Oh wait you already are. Can’t wait to see you there!!