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What: #99 Climb at Planet Rock in Ann Arbor

Where: Planet Rock
When: June 4
Why: In high school, I had the opportunity to do
some wall-climbing and really liked the challenge. In the following years, I've had other chances to do some climbing in a variety of less formal settings - like on a cruise ship (remember my Glamour appearance?). In an effort to keep finding new ways to be active and have fun, I bought a Groupon for climbing at the local Planet Rock gym. Two of my friends are climbing there together now, too, so I went along with them to get my first day in under my belt, or I guess under-my-harness is the more appropriate term. On that note, I learned a few other terms tonight, like "jugs" and "flashing," both of which - I was assured - are real climbing terms. I also learned how to tie some good knots!

Someday I hope to climb 
the way Ashley does!

As my first time back in a climbing gym after quite a long hiatus, I went through the introductory lesson, and it didn't take long to remember some of the specifics of the process. I did a few climbs up the auto-belay just to get my nerves settled (heights aren't my favorite thing), and then joined in with my friends when they got there. I managed to get up two routes to the top, another one up over an overhanging obstacle (something I'd never done before) thanks to their great encouragement and belay skills, and then attempted a higher degree of difficulty on a later climb (a 5.8 route), but my arms had given out on me by that point. It takes a lot of upper body strength that I'm excited to build, altho less excited that I'm going to have to have stubby fingernails to really improve at all because otherwise, I can't get my fingers in the holds I need. Still, I definitely have the bug to go back again and keep improving!

Seventeen down...35 to go...

What: #16 Play Drag Queen Bingo

Where: Five 15 in Royal Oak
When: June 1
Why: Obviously this list isn't an original idea, and I consulted many versions of "things-to-do-before-you fill in the blank" lists prior to creating my own. My best recollection is that this must have come from one of those. My friends and I tried to go to this place a month or so back, but when we called for reservations, they were booked this far in advance, so I had high hopes for the sort of night we were in for at our first experience with Drag Queen Bingo. Some of my expectations involved big hair and make-up, boisterous personalities, lots of loud humor, probably some disco dancing; I blame the movie "The Birdcage" for most of my preconceived notions. So, upon entering the venue, it already is at odds with my image because it is clearly a dainty coffee shop, not a raucous bar.

And, there is just one drag queen. Wearing slippers. And the most shockingly inappropriate use of Disney princess attire that you could imagine. Think of the most innocent sweet little girl pajamas with the images of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White, and then cut the fabric out in certain places and put huge pillows in others. So, the first game gets started, and we realize that despite the catch phrase of "This ain't your grandma's bingo," it really kinda is, except, well, lamer.

Trust me, I spent many years playing bingo with my grandpa and always had a crazy good time with those Floridians. They have a ton of cards to keep track of, methods for choosing lucky ones, a huge variety of ways to win, contagious enthusiasm for the game, and plenty of fun jokes. Contrast that with the amount of money I paid to have one single bingo card, with lame numbers (I didn't even get to pick one with O-69!), assigned seating away from my other friends, the non-stop jokes that mixed lame bingo witticisms with crude humor, and the whole thing was more awkward for totally different reasons than I expected.

I actually feared I might win!

Our queen seemed to be going through the motions, which it turns out was much better than her/his attitude post-intermission. She/he came back, proclaimed "I'm just doing my job now, Bob", and then simply read off bingo numbers one after the other for the next 5-10 minutes, ignoring the polite requests and desperate pleas from the crowd to liven it back up (ie: "get over it!"), until finally someone won, putting us out of our misery, and that was the end of our night. Seriously. We all speculated what had upset her/him, but unanimously decided that, as a professional, if any of us got pissed at work, we'd have to continue with our jobs that day in a professional capacity, particularly if your job is as an entertainer for crying out loud. As my one friend said, we expected it to be a weird night, but for totally different reasons. Needless to say, we had to go out for a drink afterwards to process what we had all just been through at our first (sadly, probably last) Drag Queen Bingo experience. At least I had my girls with me who salvaged the night with their awesome company!

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What:  #15  Be  in  the  live  audience  for  NPR’s  “Wait  Wait ... Don’t  Tell  Me!"

Where: Downtown Chicago
When: May 17th
Why: I love trivia - the plethora of useless knowledge and factoids - but I tend to like to learn a little something from my trivia beyond just hearing Alex Trebek give his pompous retorts on Jeopardy. Thus, I have in the past year or so really started enjoying the Saturday morning broadcast on NPR radio of the program "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" If you are unfamiliar, it is a current events news quiz show and much funnier than that makes it sound. In addition to just being a fan of the show's content, I also was interested to see how a radio show was put together. I've been to a number of TV show tapings over the years, and on the set of a movie, but never to see a radio show. It was great to place faces and mannerisms with voices that were already familiar to me, and to see the logistics of how it is all done - callers, the panel, retakes, etc.

The taping takes place in the Chase Auditorium (inside the Chase Bank Tower downtown, a few blocks from Millennium Park) and the place was full! Clearly, I'm not the only dork who enjoys this sort of thing, especially considering the fact that my friend Sonia and her boyfriend Mighel signed on to do this one with me. :) Overall, it took almost 2 hours to finish the taping, so I was anxious to hear the show this morning to see what was cut to get it into its one-hour time slot. It was interesting that they rearranged the order on some segments from how it went that night, and definitely a lot of the banter and tangential conversations were cut, but it felt seamless when I listened to it. Overall, a fun way to spend a night out in downtown Chicago!

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What: #25 Dine at a restaurant I’ve never been to in A2

Where: Logan
When: May 8th
Why: There are many restaurants in Ann Arbor that I love and tend to frequent over and over. This is partly because I'm not an adventurous eater, and also because I just don't tend to feel like paying a lot for food as opposed to other activities. I do realize as I spend more time in the world that there is something to be said for a well-prepared culinary experience, and so I've tried to broaden my horizons ever so slightly in the realm of food. Thankfully, Ann Arbor has a wonderful array of fantastic restaurants from which to choose (it's true!), so it wasn't difficult to find one to try. We went to Logan and it was crowded on a Tuesday, which has to be a good sign. The appetizer was slightly different than I expected (a tempura with a very different sauce), but it was really good. I had heard high praise for the biscuits, which came out fresh and warm and smelling delicious! Then, my pasta dish was full of flavors not typically blended together, and I really enjoyed the unexpected pop of lemon zest and pistachio crunch in the light sauce. (I feel like I'm writing for some foodie blog...forgive me...this is not my strong suit!).

A perfect ball of mousse...
unexpected, right? 

Finally, I splurged on a chocolate mousse that was, again, unexpected, but rich and everything you want from a fancy dessert. It was great to go out for a nice dinner in the middle of the week, have time to soak up the atmosphere of a new place with a great friend, and I'll be looking for more opportunities to try other hidden gems among the many amazing Ann Arbor restaurants!

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What: #30 Go to the Kentucky Oaks race

Where: Churchill Downs
When: May 4th

Why: For the past couple of years, I've been lucky enough to take part in the tradition of going to see the Kentucky Derby. As many may not know, the Derby race itself is one of about a dozen races that occur that day, and the second day of the real horse racing festivities. The event on Friday is called the Kentucky Oaks and is filled with the same energy and excitement, but with a lot more pink, a lot less insanity, and a much greater focus on the incredible horses that race here.

I got into the color theme with my dress and matching shoes, enjoyed just one traditional Lily drink, and had a front row view in the paddock area for most of the morning races. The afternoon brought some serious weather drama that proved a bit much for my fancy shoes and my meager poncho, but overall, it was a great way to start off another memorable Derby weekend, and I hope to permanently add this event to my annual trip to Louisville!