Check. 1, 2, 3.

My dad has been immersed in the opening of Lincoln Hall, the new music venue he is somewhat in charge of. While I have been there a couple of times, I finally got to attend a sound check last Friday.

The Walkmen were in town to play three shows, one at Schubas and two at LH. I got to know a couple of the guys in the band last year at a wedding in Cape Cod and saw them again at the Pitchfork festival this year, so dad thought this would be a good first sound check for me. Plus Pete- the bassist/keyboardist- had his son Otis in town, so I got to watch the sound check and play with him. And once the band was done Otis and I jumped on stage to jam. Otis took the keys and I- of course- hit the drums.

My First Visit With The Dentist

I'm told you gotta make sure the pearly whites are staying clean and coming in straight, even though they'll all be scooped up by the Tooth Fairy. Therefore, Dad took me to Pine Dental Care for my very first trip to the dentist's office.

The waiting room was well stocked with books, toys and some cool LED lights, but I soon heard my name and headed into the examination room, where the very friendly Dr. Richardson waited. Mr. Bear and I climbed into the comfy chair and were shown all the cool instruments that the Dr. was gonna use on my teeth. I wasn't scared at all and soon found myself pushing my nose to make the chair rise-up and lean back.

It was all over in a flash and the Dr. said I had beautiful, straight teeth. However, I was warned to back off the apple juice a bit and not to eat fruit snacks, but I can deal, cause cookies got a thumbs-up.

Harvest Time

I may live in a big city, but I still know how to pick tomatoes. I filled my dumptruck with plump fruit and my Aunt Megan used them to make a caprese salad. Afterward I chilled out in the grass.

Little Drummer Boy

I've played drums a few times at Schubas, but the latest was by far the best. Old Fake, my babysitter Megan's boyfriend Colin's band, was supporting Free Energy and he let me have at them for a while after their sound check. Village opened the show and since that was a solo act there was no change over, so Mo- Old Fake's drummer- said I could go play his drums again. I performed in front an audience for the first time. They seemed to enjoy my cymbal dominated version of Twinkle.

Who Is That Tall Guy?

Dad saw Chrissy and Doug Rathbun, two of his cousins from California, for the first time in many years. They came to Chicago for a visit with their dad Hal, who is Gigi's brother and my dad's uncle. Family can be confusing. Needless to say my dad's cousins- my second cousins- have grown-up. Especially Doug, who is 6 feet 9 inches tall. I didn't even reach his waist.

Not Sure Why Dad Wouldn't Let Me Wear This To School

Oh, Hi Oh

My Midwestern Summer tour continued in late-July with my first ever visit to the somewhat great state of Ohio, where dad, Papa, Gigi and I crashed The Ribble Family Reunion in Vermillion. As a little girl, Gigi visited her grandparents often in Vermillion and says not much has changed, although her Grandfather's grocery store is now Rick's Cafe.

The Ribble's are an interesting and talented lot. Midwestern born and bread, but now strewn about the country, their current leader is Bill, is my dad's uncle because he is married to Gigi's sister Claire. The family meets on a fairly consistent basis and extend an invite to the Rucins, when it's in our extended back yard.

But enough of the back-story. The key points are: Lake Erie, what my dad called an "old school" playground, an ice cream shop, and Eli- the only other little boy. The perfect formula for a few days of fun.

Pitchfork 2009

Dad took me to my fourth Pitchfork Music Fest this year and it was the best yet thanks to The Flaming Lips and their balloons. On the other hand, MF Doom, was as bad as the Lips were good, so I decided to provide my own entertainment during his set by teaming up with my friend Alvaro for a festival rendition of Twinkle. Enjoy.

Is It Michigan? Is It Indiana? It's Michiana!

Our annual summer trip to Michigan, which usually lands in South Haven, moved a bit south to Michiana this year and I am still not quite sure if the little village is in Michigan, Indiana, or both. I do know it's close to Michigan City- which is actually in Indiana, had an amazing fireworks display and poor jailers, who allowed four men to escape while we were nearby. One of the convicts was caught just a little bit down the road at Chicago Mayor Daley's beach home in Grand Beach, Michigan. This lead to my daddy's trunk being searched on the way to the dunes and we enjoyed the rest of the few days there awash in beautiful weather and the sounds of police helicopters and boats.

The King Of Pop Lived Here

On the way to Michiana this July, Uncle Dave insisted we stop in Gary, Indiana to check out Michael Jackson's childhood home and am I glad we did cause it was pretty nuts. Michael died suddenly a few weeks prior to our visit and people immediately started flocking to his Gary home, where in tribute they started leaving insane amounts of miscellaneous crap, trampling the poor grass in the process. Check out the photos for the proof. The scene surrounding the tiny house, which miraculously held 10 people, was bananas. Police, t-shirt vendors, creepy super fans and little kids dragged by their gawking parents. Thanks dad!

Poop!

This picture pretty much tells the story. While at Wicker Park one day I felt the urge, so I told Mommy, who rushed me into the field house, where I pulled down my pull-up and dropped my first official number two in the potty. From then on it was underwear only and while I initially struggled a bit with the deuce, it's now a regular occurrence. TMI, right?