At the beginning of the semester, I kind of considered delaying starting graduate school. Why? The Ladygang announced their tour, and I immediately wanted to go and be a groupie, because I absolutely love them. Their podcast is the good part about my weeks, and no show is ever the same because the crowd is never the same. So I considered it for a minute, but I already enrolled in my classes and I couldn’t forget how hard I worked to be in graduate school.
But this past weekend, I got to live out my groupie dreams. I picked up tickets to their last few shows in Phoenix and Denver (because Los Angeles was sold out). So that’s what I did this weekend, and while I missed Asanti, he’s the best for reminding me how important it is to treat myself in the midst of all my hard work.
Friday in Phoenix
So I woke up in Phoenix, because the show was the night before. I pretty much fell asleep right after getting back from the show, because I woke up early to fly in and was exhausted. You would think that it would be alarm-free living since I’m on vacation, but I woke up because I wanted to take advantage of the free complimentary breakfast at the hotel (as the graduate girl on a budget).
After breakfast, I was being responsible and went back to my room to work on homework and complete some reading before going out for the day. At the show, one of the girls suggested going to Tempe Marketplace, so that’s where I went once I completed a comfortable amount of work.
The air here is much more dry than it is in Florida, so I went to Ulta and splurged on some skin care products. Then I got some exercise in walking around the place, because it seems like it’s new and developing, which is really cool. I went through stores World Market, Forever 21, and Nordstrom Rack. Then I ended up getting myself a new bathing suit, thinking I would go swimming back at the hotel, but it ended up being way too late when I got back.
It worked out, because it gave me time to visit this really cool restaurant that my friend Rusheel recommended to me. He said it was his Mexican place he has ever visited, and so I knew I had to go. It’s a place called Cocina Madrigal Tacos and Tequila, and I was told that it is a family owned place. When I got inside, it seemed like the building was originally a house. It gave me that impression of being welcoming with the comfortable homemade food, which was all phenomenal.
Enough to make me want a food coma as soon as I returned back to the hotel. But of course, I had to shower and pack, so that happened before I fell asleep.
Simple Saturday
In my mind, it is better to take an early flight out than a later flight, because there is less of a chance that your flight will be delayed. That being said, I would be lying if I said that it was easy for me to get up this particular morning for my flight to Denver.
However, I was rewarded: the flight wasn’t a full one, so I had some space, and I found a Caribou Coffee in the Denver Airport. I call this a reward, because typically I have to find an Einstein’s Bagels Bros before I can have Caribou Coffee, but this Caribou Coffee was free standing, and it is always a great treat for me. If given the choice, I would choose Caribou Coffee over Dunkin and Starbucks all the time.
Then I spent the day at the hotel, doing work and enjoying the indoor pool since I didn’t get the opportunity in Phoenix. And I probably won’t stay at this hotel again, because the pool was out of pool towels, and when I called the front desk to ask if they could bring some, they said that I would have to come and get it even though I was already dripping wet. The reasoning was because the front desk person claimed to be the only one working that night, but when I woke up and went down for breakfast, there was a sign saying that the front desk person had stepped away so that they could help a guest. So my argument is, why couldn’t they do the same thing when I asked? That’s all I’m saying.
Super Chilly Sunday
Okay, maybe it wasn’t super chilly, and maybe I just didn’t pack properly. But the idea is that it was much colder than I expected. Like, I thought I would be okay with my sweaters and sweatpants, but I seem to have needed to layer more. So maybe I actually am okay, and I just need to layer my clothes.
Anyway, with it being this cold, I didn’t want to wander around outside like I originally planned. So I ordered Jack in the Box for the first time, and stayed in to do homework until the LadyGang show. Because the breakfast at the hotel also wasn’t tasty.
If I’m being honest, the Jack in the Box didn’t taste too much better, but I got pizza at the venue, and I had an amazing time. I don’t regret any of it, and I learned what a dynamics technician was, so it was quite a dynamic time.
Do you have anyone that you are a superfan of? Is there something you wish you had done when you had the chance? How do you like to treat yourself? I would love to know in the comments below!
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog. If you enjoyed what you read, please make sure to let me know by liking this post, commenting your thoughts down below, and sharing it with your friends. And of course, you can make my wonderful weekend come to a fabulous conclusion by subscribing to this blog, so that you get updates every time I put out more posts like this one.
Love Always,
Kristi My
Kristi My Dao 