Tag: thegreatkasyby

Goodbye Grumpy Grumps

“So no one told you life was going to be this way. Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, you’re love life’s DOA.” – “I’ll Be There For You”, The Rembrandts

Ever wake up in a grumpy mood?  You might be grumpy for no apparent reason other than you want to be grumpy that day; you might be grumpy because you’ve let things pile up and they are stressing you out.  For whatever reason you find yourself channeling Ross Geller from early seasons of Friends when he’d walk in and say, “Hi” with the most depressed tone of voice on the planet. (Seriously, that “Hi” alone should’ve gotten him an Emmy!)   Which I suppose season one Ross is better than season five Ross when he goes all crazy over a sandwich made from Thanksgiving leftovers! Either way, some days you just find yourself in a mood where no one should mess with you!

The question then becomes, how do you shake that grump-o-saurus mood?  If you’re looking for answers, then here are some of my go to things to shake a bad mood!

  1. Daydream about vacations! I love to travel (remember why I started the blog in the first place)!  The beach and the mountains are my two happiest geographical locations on the planet.  So when I’m feeling grumpy, it is fun to pretend I’m planning a vacation for an upcoming break!  The catch with this tactic is to not actually book a vacation because then you spend money you don’t have and get grumpy again when the bill comes!
  2. Write! Many times a blog idea comes when I’m experiencing some sort of emotion that I want to sort out.  Just putting things into words even if you throw them away, rip them up, or burn them is very therapeutic.
  3. Brain dump! When I have a lot on my mind, sometimes I like to do a brain dump. This is especially helpful when I’m feeling overwhelmed because there are a lot of things to be completed.  I will brain dump every task I can think of onto a piece of paper.  Then I put all of the things into one of four categories: Urgent and Necessary, Important but Not Urgent, Delegate, or Do Whenever.  I’m also known to brain dump and put things into categories like home, family, work, and self care.  I find brain dumping very useful!
  4. Turn the music up and dance like nobody is watching!  Dance like Phoebe Buffay runs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-IVhJLD0sQ 
  5. Allow yourself a break from everything you need to do for a short period and do something mindless like watch TV, play a game, take a hot shower, etc.
  6. Exercise, meditate, or do some deep breathing.
  7. Sing loudly like you’re Alanis bashing an ex-lover back in the day! Sidebar: Is that song really about Dave Coulier?
  8. Talk to a trusted friend who will listen without judgment.
  9. Read my blog! LOL

Okay, so the last one might not be my greatest suggestion, but it is there if you need it.  Hopefully some of these methods can help you say “Goodbye Grumpy Grumps!” If you’ve got other suggestions, then I’d love to see them in the comments!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

 

“What Good Is Sitting Alone In Your Room? Come Hear The Music Play…”

“…Life is a Cabaret, old chum, come to the Cabaret.” – “Cabaret” from Cabaret

This is a line from the first musical I was a part of with Hardin County Playhouse: Cabaret.  Music has always been a major part of my life in various forms. Some of my earliest memories are of being in our van when we would travel and listening to a Beach Boys cassette tape on a portable tape player.  This was before vehicles typically had a built in cassette player…you know during the Stone Age!  Now a bunch of years later, music is still an important part of my life, and it has even influenced some of our travel!

So without further adieu, I present The Great Kaysby’s Top 5 venues for music and musicals! Warning…you may want to travel after this!

Conseco Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN – https://www.bankerslifefieldhouse.com/ – First of all, I didn’t know this venue had experienced a name change! It is now Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but in 2000 it was Conseco Fieldhouse!  Picture this…it was the year 2000 and I was 16.  My aunt had agreed to take me to the show, and I had even been allowed to sign out of school early to travel.  It was March, but it was still pretty cold out, and I was standing outside a venue hoping for a glimpse of one of the Backstreet Boys!  Oh yeah…I was a FAN GIRL! If you would have asked me then who I was going to marry one day, then I would have told you hopefully AJ McLean!  He was the bad boy, I was the good girl, and he had sang, “If you want it to be good girl, get yourself a bad boy!” 

I didn’t meet a Backstreet Boy this time (I would meet Howie Dorough later with my two BFFs, Mom, and aunt outside the Hyatt hotel in Lexington, KY), but I did see their tour bus with the duck in the front window!

This show turned out to be one of the best BSB experiences I’ve ever had (I’ve seen them four times with number five coming in September)! For one, we were super close to the stage on the bottom tier of seats. We were so close that a security guard saw my aunt taking photos with a zoom lens camera, and he promptly destroyed the film in front of us. Secondly, this show was filmed.  Footage from the show was used for the music video for “The One”.  We sat right behind the camera! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZYrEz0mxts

Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, Ohio – https://www.riverbend.org/ – Hands down, this is my favorite concert venue! Typically, I’m not big on outdoor venues. I’m a chunky girl and outside tends to equal sweaty and uncomfy especially in the summer.  However, Riverbend is cool because part of the venue is a covered pavilion with actual seats and the rest is a lawn where you BYO chair/blanket.  I’ve been to one concert here, Kid Rock many moons ago, but if it were closer to home I would be there more often.

The Fabulous Fox – St. Louis, MO – https://www.fabulousfox.com/ – This is the most beautiful venue that I have ever had the opportunity to visit! This year, the Fabulous Fox turns 90 years old! It originally opened in 1929, and it is still a beautiful representation of 1920’s Art Deco.  Mr. Kisby and I saw The Phantom of the Opera here, and even though our seats were in the very back of the lower level, they were phenomenal! When that chandelier came swinging out over the audience it gave us chills!  Another great thing about this venue? It is in a small arts district so there is a lot of other cool stuff to explore while there.  Added bonus? Our trip to The Fabulous Fox also included Jilly’s Cupcakes (one of my very first blogs was about Jilly’s) and a taco pizza from Casey’s!

The Kentucky Center – Louisville, KY – http://www.kentuckycenter.org – Do you know what is so cool about this venue? A fire can’t keep it down! In June 2018 a portion of the building caught fire and was destroyed. By June 2019 the venue, while still under construction, was revitalized enough for a run of Hamilton! Mr. Kisby and I have seen four musicals at The Kentucky Center: Hairspray!, Wicked, Cabaret, and Hamilton. We’ve sat in four different areas and can attest that there is not a bad seat in the house! Another perk? Every employee and volunteer that I’ve interacted with here is very friendly! You can’t beat Southern hospitality mixed with the performing arts!

KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY – https://www.kfcyumcenter.com/ – I’ve been here for Lady Cards basketball and a concert, and I am amazed by how versatile this space is! When you are at a concert it is hard to believe that basketball is played here; when you are at a basketball game it is hard to believe how easily it can be converted into a concert venue. I saw the Backstreet Boys here (concert number four) when they were touring with New Kids on the Block.  Fun fact, the ticket scanners were not working, and instead of our top level seats we ended up being seated in the lower level by the stage! We saw the guys loading into the backstage area from our seats! I’m looking forward to going to see the DNA Tour in September (BSB concert number five)! I recommend Yum! Center for both its great facility and the variety of entertainment that it has brought to Louisville. 

So now you know The Great Kaysby’s Top 5 Music/Musical event spaces! I hope that you will have the opportunity to check them out! Also, should one of the Backstreet Boys or Kid Rock happen to read this, then a couple of backstage passes would be great! Thanks!  🙂

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

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