Mynee's Musings

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

We saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Muny on Friday.  It is one of our favorite shows and I was really looking forward to it although I was wondering how well Justin Guarini would do in the role of Joseph.  We have seen this show three times before (1997, 2002, 2007) and each time, Eric Kunze played Joseph and I just couldn't picture anyone else in the role.  Well, let's just say, I was pleasantly surprised.  Justin did a great job.  Bill even commented that he has a great voice.

The heat wave continues in St. Louis so we decided to eat at Six Row before the show rather than having a picnic in the park.  We visit Six Row quite often but it's usually just for a brew or two so it was nice to eat there again.  I love their bacon mac & cheese...just sayin'.  Anyway, a cool front came through and the temperature was actually quite nice by show time.  It's supposed to be hot on Friday though so we may just have to visit Six Row again.  :)

Dreamgirls and Cardinals

We saw Dreamgirls at The Muny on Thursday.  We had Cardinal tickets for Friday so we traded our tickets for Thursday.  It was 103 degrees but it really didn't feel that hot.  Maybe I'm getting used to it.  We didn't have a picnic in the park though because we didn't want to sit outside any longer than we had to so we ate at Bottleworks.  Anyway, Dreamgirls was great.  Jennifer Holliday played Effie White, the same roll she played on Broadway when Dreamgirls debuted in 1981.  Wow, it's hard to believe that it was over 30 years ago!  

The Cubs came to town on Friday.  Ugh, there were even some Cubs fans in the stadium and they cheered for every strike by a Cardinal.  Seriously, I guess they have to cheer for something, poor dears.  Anyway, the Cardinals beat the Cubs 4 to 1.  Oh, and on Saturday, the Cardinals won 12 to 0, scoring all 12 runs in the 7th inning, tying a team record set back in 1926.   Oh yeah, and the Cardinals won 7 to 0 yesterday.  OK, so I know I've posted this before but it's just too funny not to post again...

Sorry Cubs fans.  Oh wait, no I'm not...hee hee hee. 

Scape

We ate at a new restaurant in the Central West End called Scape American Bistro.  Well, it's not really new because it opened in 2007 but we've never been there before so it's new to us.  Let's just say, it was our first visit and it definitely won't be our last.  It is descibed as a blend of classic and contemporary.  The dining room has large windows in the front with a view of the Maryland Plaza Fountain.  They have a great patio although no one was eating outside due to the extreme heat. 

We started with the avacado spring rolls which were very good.  We then both had the "Day Boat" special which was Alaska halibut sauteed with fennel and fingerling potatoes.  It was delicious.  I'm not a big fan of fennel since it has somewhat of a licorice taste but it was on top of the fish so I just ate a few bites and then left the rest.  We were too full to even look at the dessert menu, plus we knew that we were heading to Six Row for a few brews.

I definitely want to visit Scape again soon, hopefully when the weather is nice and we can sit outside on the patio.  Considering our drought and heat wave, that might not be until October...hee hee hee. 

Cathy's Card

My friend, Cathy, had a milestone birthday yesterday.  She's exactly 2 months younger than me so I guess that would make her 50...hee hee hee.  Here's the card I made for her...

Ingredients: 

Card Stock - Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, So Saffron and Whisper White by @Stampin' Up

Ink - Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo and So Saffron by @Stampin' Up

Images - by Stampin' Up, sentiment by Hero Arts

Accessories - punches and twine by Stampin' Up

It's based on a card on page 179 of the Stampin' Up catalog.  I used different stamps, punches and sentiment but I loved the layout and colors and figured that it would make the perfect birthday card.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Cathy!

American Idol 2012 Tour

We went to the American Idol concert at Scottrade Wednesday night.  It was a great show.  Here's the set list:

• Top 9 - “Sing” My Chemical Romance
• Deandre Brackensick - “Master Blaster”  Stevie Wonder
• Skylar Laine and Hollie Cavanagh - “Undo It”  Carrie Underwood
• Erika Van Pelt - “Glitter in the Air” Pink
• Colton Dixon, Erika Van Pelt, Joshua Ledet, Hollie Cavanagh - “Moves Like Jagger” Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera
• Heejun Han - “Green Light” John Legend
• Heejun Han with Deandre Brackensick and Jessica Sanchez -”Party Rock” LMFAO
• Boys - “Everybody Talks”  Neon Trees (Without Phillips)
• Elise Testone - “Whole Lotta Love”  Led Zepplin
• Elise Testone (backing vocals by Erika Van Pelt and Deandre Brackensick) - “Rumour Has It” Adele
• Colton Dixon - “Meant To Live” Switchfoot
• Colton Dixon - “Never Gone” (Original Song)
• Colton Dixon - Piano Man by Billy Joel
• Top 9 - “Just The Way You Are”/”What Makes You Beautiful” Billy Joel/One Direction (Without Phillips)
• INTERMISSION
• Jessica Sanchez- “Best Thing I Never Had”  Beyonce
• Jessica Sanchez (backing vocals by Deandre Brackensick and Joshua Ledet)– “How Come You Don’t Call Me Any More” Prince
• Jessica Sanchez (backing vocals by Deandre Brackensick and Joshua Ledet) – “Proud Mary”  Ike and Tina Turner
• Skylar Laine – “Gunpowder and Lead”  Miranda Lambert
• Skylar Laine – “Stay With Me”  The Faces
• Hollie Cavanagh (backing vocals by Elise Testone and Erika Van Pelt) – “Rolling in the Deep”  Adele
• Hollie Cavanagh – “Give Your Heart a Break” Demi Lovato
• Joshua Ledet (backing vocals by Elise Testone, Deandre Brakensick, Erika Van Pelt)– “Runaway Baby”  Bruno Mars
• Joshua Ledet - It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” James Brown
• Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez – “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me”  George Michael and Aretha Franklin
• Phillip Phillips - “Superstition”  Stevie Wonder
• Phillip Phillips – “Nice and Slow”  Usher
• Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone – “Somebody That I Used to Know”  Goyte
• Phillip Phillips with Jessica Sanchez – “Volcano”  Damien Rice
• Phillip Phillips with Colton Dixon and Deandre Brackensick – “Home”
• Girls – “Raise Your Glass” Pink
• All – “Glad You Came” The Wanted

The songs highlighted in yellow were my favorites.  All 10 performers were great.  Of course, Phillip is our favorite but I also really like Elise, Skylar and Joshua.  Josh's performance of it's a Man's Man's Man's World was OUTSTANDING.  It actually gave me goosebumps and he received a standing ovation. 

I have a card to post this weekend and I will also finally finish my Hawaii post, I promise!  :)

Tony's Last Game

I was so happy last October when the Cardinals won the World Series.  I was sad 3 days later when Tony LaRussa announced his retirement.  I immediately wondered who would manage the National League team in the All Star Game.  It was then announced that that would be Tony's last game as a manager.

It brought tears to my eyes when he took the field last night because it was truly an end of an era.  Tony will always be part of Cardinal history along with Stan, Red, Whitey and Lou Brock, just to name a few.  By the way, the National League won 8 to 0.  Way to go Tony!   

Speaking of Cardinal history, when a certain player (who shall remain nameless) played for the Cardinals and wore #5, it went without question that if you bought a jersey or a t-shirt, you automatically chose his number.  You almost felt obligated to wear it.  Ever since he left for "greener" (more money) pastures, I haven't seen a single person wearing a #5 on their back.  I've been wanting to buy a jersey but couldn't decide which one I wanted.  I went back and forth between Freese, Molina, Holliday and Berkman.  I finally decided on this...

Eeeeee, it's so cute!  I love the gold name and number and the World Series patch on the sleeve!  I'm planning to wear it to the game on the 20th.

Best wishes to Tony.  He will truly be missed.

World Series Ring

We went to the Cardinal game with Lisa and Randy on Friday.  The high temperature for the day was 106 and at the start of the game, it was still 102 degrees.  Wow, it was hot.  Our seats were in the sun for the first 30 minutes of the game so it seemed even hotter but we survived.  The Cards lost to the Marlins, 3 to 2 but It was a good game and the Cards even tried to rally in the 9th.

We went to the game specifically for this...

It's a replica World Series ring that was given to everyone at the game.  It was definintely worth sweating for...hee hee hee.   Usually the promotional items are given to the first 25,000 in attendance but the ring was so popular when they gave it out at a game in April that they decided to do the promotion again and give them to everyone at the game.  Needless to say, the game was a sell out.

Our next Cardinal game is on July 20th.  Hopefully it won't be as hot! 

Chicago & Aladdin

We've been having a heat wave here as is much of the midwest.  We're on track for 10 days in a row over 100 degrees.  That last time this happened was 1934.  The humidity has been really low though so it's kind of like living in Phoenix...hee hee hee.  Anyway, last Thursday it was 108 degrees and they were predicting at least 106 for Friday.  The show was Chicago and we had seen it before so we debated on whether or not we wanted to sit in the heat.  We decided to skip the show so we headed down to The Muny with our tickets in hand and gave them to a young man who was waiting in line for the free seats.  He was on his cell phone talking to his mom and he was extremely thrilled to receive the tickets.  We figured that if someone was willing to stand in the heat for several hours for the free tickets, then he or she really wanted to see the show.  We were just glad that our tickets didn't go to waste and that this young man was able to use them.   We then headed to Tap Room for dinner and a few brews.

So, fast forward to this week.  Usually when we have temps over 100, it only lasts for two or three days so who would have thought that it would be 106 again on Thursday this week?  Yeah, well, it was and it was hot and we sweated but we thoroughly enjoyed the show.  It was so cute.  The genie was hilarious, the storyline was cute, the scenery was cool, the three camels at the very beginning of the show were a surprise and the choreography and costumes were great.  Can you believe that we have never seen the Disney movie?  Shocking, I know.  Anyway, this show was produced here first with plans to move it to Broadway, much like they did with White Christmas.  If that does happen, I guess we have a very good chance of seeing it again in a few years at The Fox during the Broadway Series.

Since it was hot again this week, there was no way we were going to have a picnic in the park so we ate at Bottleworks.  New menu item alert; gnocchi with "basil-Arugula pesto, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onions, roasted garlic and feta."  Yum!  I couldn't eat it all and unfortunately couldn't take it with me since I knew it wouldn't keep in the car.  I definitely want to order it again so that I can take the leftovers home for lunch!

Oh, so the reason we switched our Muny tickets to Thursday this week is because we have Cardinals tickets for tonight.  Stay tuned for details...