Cheer them on to their rivals...

...Cause America can, and America can't say no

And America does, if America says it's so

It's so!

And the anchorperson on TV goes

La de da de da de da de da de da de da...

-16 Military Wives-The Decemberists

Look! Pictures from Bob Dylan that I forgot about!

Ceiling of the Marcus Amphitheater.

Awesome lights that Bob had during a song or two. (I clearly had terrible seats, this is way zoomed and it's not even close.)

On to the weekend!

On Friday, my friend asked me to come help her with this movie. Her friend works at the county's historical museum, and they have to make a modern-day "ghost hunter" video dealing with one of the building's ghost stories. It's the city's old courthouse/jail, so there are a lot of ghost stories floating around (no pun intended. well, maybe.).

The story they chose involves Grace, a schoolteacher. She was asked by a doctor to help him write a book, which was common in those times. They ended up having an affair during the bookwriting process, and he told her Grace would leave his wife for her. When he didn't, Grace got angry and shot his wife. She was put on trial, and had to live in the jail for the duration of the trial. However, women were not usually accused of crimes, so there was no women's jail. An apartment was created for Grace on the fourth floor, where she could have tea and visitors whenever she pleased. Eventually, she was convicted and sent to the state women's prison. However, many believe her ghost returned to the courthouse after she died because it was the last place she had hope.

We spent most of our first day planning, but we also got a tour of the hidden parts of the museum. The basement is wonderfully creepy, and the fourth floor is as well. There are still old cell walls and doors, and the elevator mechanisms are ancient. I'm planning on getting some pictures of the building as well as me in the Grace costume.

To find a costume, we ran to St. Vincent de Paul, my favorite under-appreciated thrift store. After finding a perfect white poofy blouse, we figured we would look through the hats. In the pile of baseball hats and woven sun hats was this perfect flapper hat. It was only 99 cents, and I'm pretty much in love with it.

AWESOME.

I also had a great 4th of July. It was great to finally celebrate America's independence from Bush/Cheney. (And Sarah Palin's resignation!) In the morning, my family headed down to the parade. I always appreciate how my school is represented. There are three public high schools in Waukesha. The other schools just have marching band, colorguard, poms, cheerleading, etc, and so do we. However, South brings something extra: the robotics team, pushing their robot, and the step/dance team, wearing Michael Jackson shirts and white masks. We're a more unique, diverse school, and I really enjoy it.

After the parade, we headed down to Summerfest again. I brought a friend, so I actually got to ride the skyglider. (It makes my mom nervous to see my brother and I on it, though she's not afraid of heights herself, se I've never been on it before.) We did a lot of shopping, watching local bands, and trying new foods. (I had my first gyros!) I really enjoyed walking along the lakefront, where a lot of shops and smaller stages were located. We went to the Tiki Stage, which smelled like Lake Michigan and incense. (totally a good thing, actually.) This guy named Dan Rodriguez was playing there. His songs were a mix of sweet lyrics, acoustic guitar, and silliness. He did a version of the Beyonce song Single Ladies, which could have been terrible, but was quite enjoyable. After watching his set, I picked up a really cute skirt at one of the shops. Here's the pattern, and I'll be sure to post an outfit with it soon:

After Summerfest, we headed down to the Expo Center to watch the fireworks. To me, nothing says Independence Day like laying on a blanket, playing BS, eating homemade popcorn, and watching fireworks fall through the sky.