my tribute to rocket star

Dear Rocketstar,

I was there the day you opened. I remember I was incredibly happy when Bill and Dan asked me to work for them. I liked how they set up the place, I liked the atmosphere they were going for and they seemed like awesome people to work for.
I remember the first day I worked and how nervous I was that I would screw up, Bill would realize he made a bad choice and tell me not to come back (and then I'd have to go work at Ali Baba's again).

I remember when Dave B. put in the glass between the smoking and non-smoking rooms and how paranoid I was about breaking it.

I remember when this room was clean.

I remember working many midnight to 6 AM shifts and only seeing Scott (who always kept me laughing and had some sort of obsession at times. Does anyone remember when he would say "touche" to everything?), Mischa (who drew really interesting things in the Rocket Log and scared off creepy dudes for me) and Radiohead Dave (no explanation needed).

and then many 6 AM to noon shifts, where I saw Ms. McKenna a lot, but was too intimidated to talk to her.

I remember when a helicopter landed across the street.

And when Dan dropped a box or two of China Cola.

Dan also once told me that I had to own a moped and be a member of the Moped Army to continue working at Rocketstar, so I got this:

(hahaha. Just kidding. I got it cause mopeds are awesome, duh.)
I remember one day I got a special message on the sign outside.

And I remember when 2 of the 3 Hanson brothers were hanging out, drinking coffee in Rocket Star. And when Bill was convinced that Edward Norton came in, but was in ~disguise~.

I've met many people because of Rocket Star.

Erin M.


Miss Kim

Dan

Chris!!

Joeybearrrrr

Bill (I think this was during his dance off with Mikey O)

Mikey Ohio (winning the dance off)


Emily!
Beth.

Lauren (Petro's in that pic too, but I already knew him!) I believe this picture was taken at an 80s night. Ugh, I miss those! They were so fun!
Franta

Jordan

DVG
Abe and Kyle. (Abe once recorded a version of Elvis Costello's "Alison" for my birthday. It was awesome and I still have it.)

Chad
Dave B

Amanda.
Some of them I'm still very close with, a lot of them came to our wedding, but (sadly) some of them I don't talk to much or at all for various reasons. A lot of us are now living in different places, some I see when I go back to Kalamazoo and hopefully I'll see some of them within the next year.
BUT
We had lots of fun together! LOTS. I have a lot of good memories both inside and out of Rocket Star.















With lots of love and memories, (and sad I couldn't see you as Rocket Star one last time)

Alison

**There are a lot of people I don't have pictures of on my computer (like Miguel, Clay, Mike, April, Neil, Mary, etc., to name a few) that I got to know through Rocketstar. Also, I didn't take all of these pictures posted, but I'm glad that somebody captured the moment.

first few days

So, we've moved 98% of our stuff to Richmond. We still need to go back to pick up some small stuff and clean the apartment. We still need to buy and install some shelves for the bathroom and the kitchen. We're waiting on our sofa and wardrobe (for me) to be delivered. Whew. Moving is awesome and crappy at the same time. It's settling down now, though. I still need a job... (that "..." is a hint to keep me in your thoughts/prayers/positive chi/energy to envision me getting an amazing teaching job, ok? Please? When I asked people to do that before we moved to VA, it worked out great! Do it again, okay? Thanks.) Yeah, that whole not having a set job thing is kiiiiind of making me anxious. Not all the time, but I do have moments where I stop and start thinking "OH NO! YOU HAVE NO JOB! NOOOO JOB AT ALL!" and then I miss GHS, my colleagues and my students.... and the security of knowing where I'm going to be teaching next year. This is the point in the summer where all the negative memories go away, I start to remember all the good things and I start to miss all my crazy students and their energy.
Aaaanyway, I love our new apartment. It's smaller, but the space has a lot of potential. It reminds me of friends' apartments back in Kzoo and what we wanted our Davis St. apartment to be like. I have some pictures of the mess we have going on right now, but I'm lazy because today is the first day in about a week that I haven't had to run around from sun up to sun down.
Speaking of Kzoo, Rocket Star is closing on the 13th and the last show is tomorrow. If you are still there, go! I'm sad to see it close and sad not to be able to go one last time, but I know that something else will pop up- Kzoo always does that.

I have a lot of good memories there, so it makes me a little sad to see it go.
Oh and P.S.: I hate all y'all for getting me hooked on John and Kate Plus 8. I hate you. Really. But at the same time: I thank you. Also, I got D hooked. HA!

my kalamazoo

So, Leanne and Diana both did this, and I thought it looked fun. I did mine on my home town Kalamazoo because even though I could probably fill a lot of this out about Williamburg, I only lived here two years and don't really feel like an "insider". Plus, not a lot of people outside of Kalamazoo know about it and a lot of people that read this blog are from (or spent a good chunk of their 18-30 year old years) there and could add to anything I forgot. Now, for those of you still living in Kzoo, I understand that some things may no longer be there, but I'm basing this on what was there when I lived there.

My Kalamazoo: Alison

My age: 25

Occupation: Teacher

I lived here for: 23 years

I lived here because: I was born there and then went to college there.

My neighborhood: Westnedge Hill, then Vine (aka, the Student Ghetto, but I hate when people refer to it that way because there are not only students there.)

My favorite restaurant: So many! Saffron for Indian food, Big Burrito for Mexican (especially late at night), Crow's Nest for breakfast, Shawarma King for Arabic food, Food Dance for organic/farmer-friendly food.

If you go to this restaurant, be sure to order: Saffron: saffron rice and garlic naan. Big Burrito: their nachos and tacos. Crow's Nest: The Old Standby. Shawarma King: anything!! Food Dance: anything they have on special, anything off their breakfast menu and do not miss their desserts!

My favorite museum: I'm pretty sure there's only one major museum in town, and it's pretty cool. Does anyone remember when the museum was above the library? That was awesome except that I was always so freaked out by the mummy (For those of you that have never been to Kzoo: our museum has a mummy and she was featured on Reading Rainbow. I know! We're so famous, right?)

My favorite tourist destination: For that,you'd have to go outside of Kalamazoo and go to some of the amazing campgrounds, some of the millions of smaller lakes or cities/towns on Lake Michigan. I always liked South Haven because it was the closest and least like a big yacht club. Plus, there's this one bakery we always went to... oh, I miss that bakery.

Best insider spot: The bars and coffeeshops. Bell's for Bell's beer (duh! and their outside area--beautiful!), Green Top for cheap beer and amazing bartenders (it's like being served by your grandparents!), O'Duffy's for lambic and the BEST margaritas EVER for a good price, Metro for a gay friendly, diverse atmosphere where the non-dance floor area is nice & quiet, Kraftbrau (I don't think it's open anymore, but whatever) for good beer, sangria, wine, and a show, Shakespeare's for trivia while you're drinking. I'm probably forgetting one. I'm leaving Bilbo's off of this cause I haven't been to the new one yet, and I loved the old one, where you had to drink in the basement. Anyway, the coffeeshop scene in Kzoo is ridiculous. Screw Starbucks, we have Fourth Coast (best coffee and Crow's Nest right upstairs), Water Street (best desserts!) and, of course, Rocket Star (I just love it because I worked there for so long).

My favorite area: The Vine neighborhood, downtown.

Best place to go shopping: Downtown in the "pedestrian" mall.

When you visit, don’t forget to pack: At least one thing you can use for any type of weather: a sweater, snow boots, umbrella, swim suit. It can switch on you, don't be fooled.

But leave room in your suitcase for: Great vintage clothes from Poly & Ester's and retro candy and sodapop from Tommy's, Bell's beer, and TONS of used books from Kazoo Books I & II (I have not found another used book store like it).

The one local cuisine you should try when you’re in town is: Food from Shawarma King. Michigan is lucky enough to have one of the largest Arabic populations in the U.S., Kalmazoo has a good international student population and I miss the food soo much.

The best way to get around: Moped, bicycle or feet!

If I had to describe this city in one word, it would be: Surprising.

I tell my friends to stay at: My parents house! :)

The one thing most outsiders don’t know about this city is: even though it seems small, it has an amazing array of things to do. The Art Hop, all the different fests in the summer (Greek, Island, Rib, Blues...), the Doo Dah parade, the different groups of people you can get to know, the dance companies (okay, okay, I'm only referring to one: Ballet Arts!), the different coffee shops, the music scene, the bars, the brewerys, St Julian wine... so much to do! And it is NOT cold all the time.

They say “Virginia is for lovers.” So fill in the blank: This is difficult, I can't really think of something good. Kalamazoo is for people who want to explore what a smaller city can offer?

Did I forget anything?

This made me kinda homesick. I was hoping to find a way to Kalamazoo this summer (because nothing beats a few summer days in Kalamazoo/Michigan), but I'm not sure if it's going to happen because of the move to Richmond. Flying would be way too expensive. I could take a train, which would be pretty cheap, but that's 20 hours by my self. I could drive, but no one to drive that 12-14 hours with, because David would be working. Poop. I guess I'll just have to wait until Christmas.