Sweet baby Jesus

It's been too long. I honestly had forgotten, in the midst of my life, that I am meant to be blogging. To who and why remains unknown. In this moment of free time (which replaced attending boring lectures), I will share with you what you've been missing.

On Wednesday, I am being tested for numerous sleep disorders, most of which are notably rare, dangerous, and bizarre. I will be staying overnight at the local sleep clinic, performing a high-density EEG. I will be sure to get photos of myself with wires all over my head. It should prove fun. While I am at the sleep clinic, Nero (the German Shepherd) will be enjoying doggie daycare and a sleep over at the dog kennel I worked at over the summer.

Speaking of Nero, he's been off the wall. Wisconsin weather has been unusual lately: extreme winds, excessive rain, etc. Nero is finicky about the weather. He refuses to go outside for more than a bathroom break if the weather is not to his liking. As a result, he's had too much unused energy and has been getting himself in to trouble, even at daycare. We continue to seek training, but we've reached a bit of an obstacle. Most of the trainers we've been seeing specialize in German Shepherds, particularly Shutzhund (general dog trainers don't seem to like Nero). These Shutzhund trainers feel that, in order to boost Nero's confidence and prevent any potential lawsuits, Nero should be trained to bite. Shutzhund style. Although I do understand the benefits, I simply don't want to do it. Why train a dog to bite when you can train a dog to stay? I continue to research the issue, and remain skeptical.

Remaining on the subject of Nero, he will soon be getting a sister. She's a deaf Pit Bull we found through a rescue in Illinois. Her name is Pebbles, and she's absolutely wonderful. Nero and Pebbles get on so unbelievably well. They're about the same age, but are nothing alike. Nero is almost entirely black, where Pebbles is almost entirely white. Nero is long and lanky, Pebbles is short and stocky. Nero has anxiety, Pebbles is calm and collected. They play so well together, and it's obvious that Pebbles is in charge. She should be moving in around Thanksgiving, if everything works out.

This past weekend was, as you likely know, Halloween! I was particularly over booked. I had work, the Gathering of the Gods event, and the Gogol Bordello show. Luckily, I no longer "work", so things loosened up. I was able to attend the entirety of the Gathering of the Gods event, and oh, was it worth it.

For those of you who do not know, which is likely many, so do not feel left out, the Gathering of the Gods event was a three day festival at the House on the Rock, hosted by Neil Gaiman, in honor of the 10 year anniversary of his novel "American Gods". A certain gent had been begging me to go since the event was announced 6 months prior, and I finally gave in. My attempts to read the novel in time for the event were unsuccessful, but I will return to the task soon.

The event was amazing. On Friday evening, we attended a reading and Q&A by Neil Gaiman. He read an excerpt from "American Gods" as well as a few poems. I cannot express how very much I love the sound of his voice. When he speaks, I instantly relax, and even become a bit drowsy. He's some kind of hypnotist, I swear. His readings were wonderful, but the Q&A session was hysterical. He shared his beliefs on twitter ("twitter: blogging:: crack cocaine: a fine red wine"), and Wisconsin winters ("I've lived here for 18 years, and I'm still confused. WHY are we HERE?"). I haven't laughed so hard in a while.

The next morning, we set out to tackle the scavenger hunt. Dave had stayed up impossibly late solving clues and mapping out our route. I had slept. Fair trade, I say. We drove around Spring Green, Dodgeville, Richland Center, Muscoda, and Gotham, searching for answers, and receiving stamps to prove we'd been successful. Amazingly enough, we completed the whole thing. And yes, I did help. I solved about half.

Saturday evening was the costume contest. Dave and I both put together last minute costumes. He went as the Road, dressed in all black, with white and yellow tape to display road markings. I went as the Queen of Sheba/Bilquis. In "American Gods", this character is a god in disguise as a prostitute. She receives her power, if you will, by being worshipped. In the first chapter, a man worships her "with his body", meaning he is absorbed into her, in a sort of reverse birth technique. I based my costume off of this occurrence. I wore a black top, a large tutu, and hanging from underneath my tutu was the top half of a man (constructed from a pillow). It provided quite a laugh, especially when I did a little humping dance before the judges (namely Neil Gaiman) which made my dangling man flail and shake all over.

Once Dave and I both displayed our costumes, we sought out food. This was when I discovered I had won the scavenger hunt. I was one of 4 selected to ride the world's largest carrousel at the House on the Rock. I was in disbelief. No one rides the carrousel. The creator was the only person to ever ride it, and that was just 6 weeks prior to the event. The winners and their significant others were escorted to the carrousel immediately, where we waited about an hour for the costume contest winners to join us.

The ride was unbelievable. I was assigned to ride the Zebra, which felt a bit ironic to me. Everyone watching cheered for us, and took photos. There should be photos posted on the House on the Rock blog, and once they are up, I will be sure to link them. The carrousel is absolutely magical, no matter if you're on it, or watching it. I felt honored to have had the chance to ride it. I'm still in disbelief.

Once my ride was over, Dave and I met Neil Gaiman. He was watching the winners enjoy their rides, and we wanted to thank him for the amazing weekend. This was when he informed me I had been a finalist for the costume contest. You see, I was escorted to the carrousel before the finalists were announced, therefore missing the whole thing. I could have potentially won 2 rides. I believe my favorite part of the evening was when Neil Gaiman remembered me and my costume. He seemed genuinely sad I had missed the announcement, but was glad to present me with the news personally. What a gent.

It's difficult for me to express how wonderful the Gathering of the Gods event was. I hope it becomes a Halloween tradition so we can attend every year.

On Sunday, we went back to the House on the Rock. We hadn't had time to tour the house, and since our event passes were good for the whole weekend, it seemed the smartest thing to do. That house is nuts. I couldn't live there. I'd be terrified. I think all the kitschy stuff is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but the height...I could not live on a rock that could fall any day. I had a hard time walking through it as I was so worried that it would all fall apart at any moment. Illogical, maybe, but that's how the human race survives.

We also revisited some of the great places in Spring Green. The General Store is so wonderful. It's impossible not to be happy there. The food is also quite good, and they have all sorts of great knick knacks. I bought some humorous Christmas gifts while there. I do think that the gem of Spring Green is the Bird of Paradise. Their pie is amazing. Go for the Bumbleberry. I managed to obtain the last slice, and good lord, no wonder it was almost gone. Best pie I've ever had, and I've had a lot of pie.

Now, you would probably think that concluded the weekend. How could we fit anything else in? Well, we did. Gogol Bordello was playing at the Overture Center. And we went. First of all, the Overture Center is not the right place for a rock concert. Gogol Bordello is all about getting down and dirty, dancing until you die, and getting close to people. The Overture Center does not cater to this. But the band played on, and they were excellent. Lots of dancing, crazy costumes, some arrests for weed. It was pretty entertaining. Watching Barney the Dinosaur get down was my personal favorite.

That concludes my Halloween weekend. And really my life to this point. I'm sure other things have happened, but who knows what.

I hope you all had wonderful weekends, and I promise to post more often.