hearts up, heads down

Why, pray tell, do I never seem to have time to do ANYthing anymore? ARRGH.

I'm seeing Aimee Mann tomorrow night (...I think. I got nervous that it might be cancelled when I heard of Chris Penn's untimely demise last week--Chris being her brother-in-law and all--but no word from Ticketmaster or the venue about cancellation, so all systems appear to be go), and while I'm VERY excited and love love love her... I kind of wish I had the time to myself for schoolwork. How sad is that? I haven't gone to a bar review all semester, but I'm tempted this week because it's back at the bar where the Boy and I talked for the first time. (As the Boy pointed out, this bar was RIDICULOUSLY loud and I lost my voice from having to shout over the music... but aww, gee whiz, nostalgia.) Also, I feel somewhat like a hermit for my lack of social-ness so far in '06. However, this Friday is Barrister's Ball, this Saturday is a Wigmore cast party, and Sunday is a Superbowl party with the dean of the law school (and next Tuesday is my lunch with my Torts professor from last semester, so the brown-nosing does, in fact, have an end in sight). I suppose I'm having my fair share of law school fun. And the YGC reunion is nigh approaching, so that's something else to look forward to--but it's also a source of stress, thanks to the CLR assignment due the 13th. Basically, next week is going to suck, because I have to get a LOT of work done in advance, and I'm not sure how successful I'll manage to be.

Anyway, I saw Colin Meloy perform a solo show last Monday, and for my first concert of 2006, I can only say that it's setting the bar pretty darn high. He was SO much fun. I was front row, which hasn't happened much in my concert-going experiences of late, so I had a delightfully unobstructed view. He brought out a table with a skull (Cheryl), a stuffed sheep (Erick) and a model tall ship (Maya Angelou), as well as a bottle of red wine. He played just about every song I'd ever want to hear, including "Shiny," "We Both Go Down Together," "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" (!!!), "Engine Driver"... yeah. Fantastic. He ended with "California One," which he played for a full 14 minutes. Someone shouted out a request for The Tain and he scoffed, but, like, he was practically there, length-wise anyhow. Most importantly, he was witty and charismatic between songs--and you know how I eat that up, having cut my teeth on concerts in the folk tradition. He only played one song off the Shirley Collins EP he sold at the show ("Barbara Allen"), but he opened with a Tarkio song, in homage to the re-release of all the material off his Missoula, MO college band. He also played his just-written paean to his unborn child, and Ben Folds/Steve Page, take note--it was cute and quaint without being treacly, and I dare say I'm looking forward to an album version.

[I'm actually listening to the EP right now, and I was very excited for "Charlie" until the female singer broke in with a duet... Colin, you may love your girlfriend, pregnant mother of your first child; she may do delightful, whimsical drawings for your albums and your merchandise, but she CAN'T SING. Nothing grates more than flat singing (both in pitch and in color). *sigh* Love makes us all blind and deaf in some way, I suppose...]

Anyway. Aside from a bizarre instance in the gym last night wherein I discovered in one fell swoop that a college acquaintance of mine both won the 1994 Spelling Bee and was the subject of ridicule for same on ESPN, life has been fairly unremarkable. Mostly good, a little bad. I'll let you know if things shift drastically.

Right. Back to work.

la la la I can't hear you

Wow, I'm busy. How do these things sneak up on you like this? I have about eight things to do on Tuesday (committee meetings, meetings w/ professors, talking to my public interest law mentor, a contract-drafting project), and I'm seeing Colin Meloy tomorrow night, so I need to get two nights' worth of reading done tonight... I meant to clean my apartment this weekend, and that totally didn't happen. I meant to make much greater inroads on my legal writing project--and that didn't happen, either. ARRRGH. The bright spot is that we had our first Wigmore Follies readthrough tonight, and it was REALLY funny and a lot of fun. I'm so looking forward to being a part of this production. (March 31 and April 1--come to Chicago! it'll be a great time!)

Soooo... yeah. It's not even February yet and panic is already beginning to set in. I just need to be uber-productive, and I'm not succeeding. Perhaps a nice, swift, kick in the ass (kick in the ass... kick in the ass...) would help. Or, you know, some discipline. Whatever.

sing me spanish techno

Yeah, I suck.

I don't understand the definition of "blog," clearly.

SHORT POSTS. OFTEN-Y POSTS. HOW HARD IS IT?

Incredibly difficult, obviously, because I just can't freaking grasp it. arrgh.

Anyway, hi! I'm back! I had a lovely Christmas, an even lovelier time in Seattle with my former suitemates/Yalie friends, and I'm thrilled to be back in a Chicago that actually has above-freezing temperatures (it was downright balmy yesterday, though today was kind of a wintry, slushy drizzle). I got my grades back on Wednesday--I can live with all of them save for one which seems royally unfair, if not utterly impossible. I'm speaking with that professor on Monday, and while I'm not expecting any grade-altering miracles, I'm hoping I can at least stop obsessing over it. gah. But I'm still alive, and I'm liking my classes so far this semester.

I'm also watching Coldplay on Austin City Limits right now, and Michael Stipe just walked out and sang a duet with Chris Martin. So, I'm in relatively good spirits at the mo'. ExRec '05 is done but for the burning, though I still need to come up with an article for the online NU Law newspaper, the Pleader, re: my top-10 cds of 2005, which I'll likely co-opt into an EC update (as though anyone cares about those anymore! no, I'm not wallowing in self pity--just allowing a minor indulgence. don't mind me). I've also got to watch Sixteen Candles, which I've shamefully never seen, because I'm playing a character based on Molly Ringwald's part in (da DA!) Wigmore Follies! whee! I'm so excited. I'm sad to be missing Coldplay when they come to town March 31, but this really was one of the reasons I came to NU Law, so hopefully this is the start of a dream come true. I'll be sure to let you know how the first rehearsal goes.

Really! I promise! No, don't go away! come back! come... oh, well. *scuffs shoe in dirt*

Anyway, happy new year, reader. 2006! wow. hope it's a good one.