katlet

did you lose the monkey?

2009-02-19T23:56:00.004-05:00

HOLY CRAP, PEOPLE.

So, I saw on Stereogum that Fountains of Wayne is releasing a DVD called "No Better Place: Live in Chicago." The playlist is little retro, as it was apparently filmed in 2005. Oh, and they posted a clip from the DVD.

AND IT'S THE EFFING SOUNDSTAGE PERFORMANCE I WAS AT!!! Except not edited down to less than 30 mins and combined with crap All American Rejects footage, like the damn broadcast was.

See for yourself here, and/or buy the DVD Mar. 3. Wow. Talk about a blast from the past. I'm pretty sure that was first semester 1L year. AND I was subjected to fundraising phone calls (usually on Saturday mornings) from that public TV station for the next two years, till I forcefully told them to take me off their list. Good times.

But anyway, maybe on a nice, hi-def TV, I'll be able to see myself in the audience...

...oh, and in other FOW news, Adam Schlesinger has formed a band with the middle Hanson brother, the drummer from Cheap Trick and Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha. Yes, it sounds like the setup to a joke, but I am not kidding.

if you'd only, if you'd only say yes

2008-11-16T23:10:00.004-05:00

...hey, blog. Just thought I'd stop by with a little news (though anyone reading this probably already knows): I passed the bar! Huzzah. So all those weeks of studying/not blogging apparently paid off. I still have to muddle through the character and fitness application, but I'm fairly squeaky clean in that regard, so I'm optimistic.

Anyway, I wanted a little closure on here, in case this blog ends up being a chronicle of my law school experiences and nothing more. Maybe it won't--I'm hoping the urge to blog returns. It does, from time to time, but not strong enough to push me into actually writing something. But for now I can look forward to being a completely bar-certified attorney soon. Yay.

Oh, and I adopted a cat. Millie:

this door is always open

2008-06-27T22:28:00.003-04:00

Hmm. Blog.

I've been kind of quiet lately, I know. Part of it is because a lot of what I'm doing is boring as sin (hello, barbri) or not really bloggable, or I feel weird about sharing it because this damn article of a month ago has made me a lot more self-conscious about what I write, made me question my motives, worry that I'm burdening you people with overshared details. But I guess that's all that a blog is, because I'm left with nothing else to say. I've started several posts that I ended up abandoning, I've actually told people in person stories I was going to save for the blog (is that weird, saving stories for the blog? oh, well), because I haven't had that "must blog!" urge in awhile.

...and shoot, this is sounding like a goodbye post. I'm not going away. I hope my blogging urge comes back. But I don't want to force it, either. So how about I promise you that I'll write more when I really have something to say? Till then, keep me on your blogrolls, or in your bookmarks if you're anti-RSS. I'll be back.

And you should get the new We Are Scientists album. I bet their old one's good, too--there are kittens on the cover, so how could it be bad? God knows when I'll be able to buy any other new music, let alone listen to it (narrrgh paycheck--August 25 is so far away), so the stuff I've got'll have to hold me till then. The new Death Cab is growing on me, too, for what it's worth.

And, um, because I opened the overshared door eighteen months ago, Foxy's gone. I really can't say more than that.

Anyway, more soon. Or later. 'Cause time means nothing.

you don't have to go home

2008-05-28T21:54:00.003-04:00

Lots of stuff going on. I'm so behind on bar exam prep already, though I probably would be even if I hadn't taken last week off. I am going to kick NY Practice's ass even if it kills me, though.

And I think, having sat through my first in-class BarBri session today, that it's finally sinking in: I'm a f*cking LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE and I'm studying for the bar. I may have two months of ever-increasing hell in front of me, but it's a privilege to fight, isn't it? *salutes Conviser mini-review*

say do you remember

2008-05-25T01:47:00.003-04:00

OMG.

Just back from the wedding, which was AWESOME, but the awesomest part?

One of the singers in the band came up to me afterward and was like, "Were you in [my law school]'s musical? Because I saw it at admitted students' weekend, and I'm starting there this fall!" And it totally MADE MY NIGHT. I have a fan! Sort of. Yay.

Now, if only he had convinced the band to play Fame...

but he left all the books to her

2008-05-23T13:42:00.003-04:00

Yeah, so, hi. Little dusty around here, I know. I finished exams, I graduated, I ran off to Stratford, Ontario for four theater-packed days of Shakespeare Festival with my fambly (more on that soon), and now I'm about to embark on a weekend of wedding-related events for a college suitemate and her awesome beau. So, all that is by way of saying you'll probably hear more from me soon, most likely in the form of BarBri-related grousing (that's the bar exam prep class for you non-law school readers).

In the meantime, I've heard very, very mixed reviews of the new ("red") Weezer album, but I'll give them an A+ for their so-meta-it-hurts video for "Pork and Beans." In fact, by the time it concluded, I was left wondering if they were grasping too hard for memes...? Anyway, check it out, and happy Memorial Day:

never gonna give you pants

2008-05-04T01:12:00.006-04:00

Quick update. Still alive. One exam to go, but it's a two-part exam, so it may as well be two exams. Meh. Then I have to finish my mediation journal (you'd think it'd be easy, if not fun, to self-analyze for 30 pages... but it's so not), and I'm done. Done! And I graduate in less than 2 weeks! Crazy!

Possibly again inadvisably, I saw another concert tonight: Jonathan Coulton with Paul & Storm. SO MUCH FUN OMG. Little irked at P&S, who played essentially the same set they played last December, and really, kids, it's only been six months--you're gonna have a lot of the same people at both shows. (But you can always play the cookie dough jingle. That gets a special exemption.) I do love their new DEJECTED ARRRR t-shirts, but I've placed a firm moratorium on concert t-shirt purchasing, as I'm mere months from entering the workforce for reals again, and I have enough band t-shirts right now to wear a different one each day for a month, probably.

JoCo played a somewhat different set, which meant no Ikea (disappointed arrrr), but we did get a rollicking First of May, and he rickrolled us on Mr. Fancypants (!), and I do very much adore the old standbys (Code Monkey, Skullcrusher Mountain, I Crush Everything, Re: Your Brains, Creepy Doll, Mandelbrot Set). I also had this weird thought on the bus ride home, listening to his recorded stuff--if I were a man-singer, I would want his voice. It's so perfect for pop songs. Just the right timbre, great non-falsetto high range--and let's face it, people prefer listening to dudes when it comes to pop music (and I'm being needlessly unfair to altos with this comment, but they're used to it, right?). Heck, I was ready to throttle the woman behind me who sang up the octave during the singalong chorus on... something... Skullcrusher Mountain? Just don't do it, lady. Haven't the dogs in the parking lot suffered enough?

Anyway, JoCo = great voice. And maybe I'm just thinking about it more now that I know he was a Whiff, and during my year in Whim I became all too familiar with the stigma against being the all-women group, so maybe I'll always have a little chip on my shoulder about it, because deep down I agree that I'd rather listen to them than me...? I'm digressing way too far and I need to go to bed, but the bottom line is that Jonathan Coulton can ruin a pony for me anytime, and tomorrow I need to learn more evidence than man (or woman) ever has before, so I'll quit while I'm ahead. Er, less behind. Whatever.

father to feckless son

2008-04-30T00:42:00.002-04:00

When was the last time I attended a warm Free Cone Day? I think it must've been 2005. Seriously, I'm running my space heater right now; it's 37 degrees outside, and May is less than 24 hours away. Ohh, Chicago. I won't miss this.

But there's a lot I will miss in a city I've gotten to know so well these almost-three years. Like being able to hop up to Park West tonight from my apartment in under ten minutes to see Elbow/The Watson Twins. This may have been an inadvisable break from my federal jurisdiction studies, except that during the encore I realized maybe, if I'm not feeling prepared enough at the end of the day tomorrow to take the test Thursday, I could wait and take it next Wednesday, stopping Thurs night/Friday to start studying for Evidence... blerg. Having a scheduled exam next Monday morning really puts a damper on things.

Right, I was talking about a concert: well, I've only seen Elbow once before, almost two years ago exactly, and the two shows were diametrically opposed. Two years ago, we were sweating it up at the Double Door, surrounded by smokers and generally miserable. Tonight, I got to sit down, I had a great view, I was pleasantly chilly (see thirty-seven-degree weather comment, infra), I paid $6 for a beer (wait, that part's not preferable), and I got one hell of a show. They had horns, they had violinists/female harmony vocalists (the ladies did double duty), and they still had that fantastic live presence I remember from the previous show, no question. Guy Garvey is a charming frontman, with such a thick British accent that at times I legitimately could not understand him. "Leaders of the Free World" kicked major ass, and the song from their new album that I'm addicted to ("Mirrorball") was absolutely gorgeous, as was "Switching Off," an old favorite. During that song, I was suddenly reminded of driving in the rain to Cincinnati for one concert or another, listening to WOXY and probably en route to the Southgate House or something. I love that music provides a marker for moments in my life. I wish I had more time to just listen to music anymore. I think, once I'm done with law school/bar exam study, I'll get that wish.

Anyway, it was marvelous, the Watson Twins were great as well, and I need to go to bed.

Oh, and my Last.Fm is back. Only there's not going to be a lot to see there for awhile, because I deleted all my user data. A few too many law school musical backing tracks up there for my taste. Top player was R.E.M. at nearly 200 plays, followed by the Decemberists, Sufjan, and... Michael Penn? I don't actually remember the last time I listened to Michael Penn. Maybe I left it on repeat while I slept or something.

Off to bed. Time to kick some more fed jur ass tomorrow. Maybe an exam Thursday. Maybe not. I can't wait till I'm done. This is abysmal.

an American music anthology

2008-04-28T13:36:00.004-04:00

A couple days ago I made reference to a mix cd I was making. It's not Exam Recovery; in fact, there were songs I explicitly did not include (though they may have been relevant) because I wanted to save them for BarExRec, when that happens--it will be a 2-CD set at least to make up for your patience, I promise.

Instead, it was for a mix cd exchange with some classmates on the theme of "The Future." Some people opted to make a mix explicitly for August 2008, post-bar exam; others of us took a longer view, and below is what I believe to be a musical allegory of my next year-and-a-half. If you want a copy, just let me know; if you want the more detailed accompanying literature describing my song choices, I can also provide that. However, I think enough of you know what my immediate plans are such that you can kind of figure it out yourself, and I like leaving a little to the imagination.

The Future, for Now track listing:

1. Oppenheimer – This Is Not a Test
2. Jim Noir – Don’t You Worry
3. Peter Mulvey – Charlie
4. Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma
5. 1900s – See You at the Lights
6. Cake – Rock ‘n Roll Lifestyle
7. Sarah Harmer – New Enemy
8. John Vanderslice – Letter to the East Coast
9. Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers – 4th of July
10. The Long Winters – Scared Straight
11. Jude – I Will Not Die
12. I’m from Barcelona – Ola Kala
13. Nada Surf – Whose Authority
14. The Decemberists – Summersong
15. Counting Crows – Four Days
16. Rilo Kiley – Silver Lining
17. Over the Rhine – Ohio
18. Elbow – Leaders of the Free World
19. R.E.M. – Living Well Is the Best Revenge
20. The Submarines – You, Me, & the Bourgeoisie
21. The New Pornographers – Myriad Harbour
22. Cat Power – New York

you were always out

2008-04-27T22:00:00.003-04:00

Holy crap. Am I really so jaded that when someone knocks on my door without prior notice, I get a burst of adrenaline as my first instinct is home invasion?

No, it's my across-the-hall neighbor looking for a screwdriver (which I don't have). And really, self, would a home invader knock first? Only if they're quite polite, I'm sure.

It's finals. That's what I'm blaming everything on. Final finals. Finally.

hardly underway

2008-04-24T01:16:00.003-04:00

Tipsy on house wine from our end-of-year Journal dinner, listening to a mix cd playlist to make sure it flows ok (still room for 2-3 more songs if I'm so inclined--no, it's not exam recovery; that's gonna have to be bar exam recovery, I fear), skimming emails about a post-bar trip someplace sunny and warm...

...exams? What exams? Oh, those exams. Yeah, I'm on it.

Tomorrow.

so cold in this house

2008-04-15T00:15:00.003-04:00

Sorry about the long time, no blog. I think I lead a dull life right now. Like, I'm reading journal student comments to figure out which ones we'll publish. Interesting to me, not so much to you. Or, like, I need a haircut, desperately. Or I need to register for PMBR before the end of the week, because my former prof recommended it as very useful and I trust her. You know, edge-of-your-seat, fascinating stuff like that.

But hey, this might be of interest: I think I ate some glass tonight at the Rock Bottom brewery! Awesome! I blame this on the Boy, because I was torn between the crème brulée and the pint glass sundae for dessert, and he wanted to share the sundae. I bet we wouldn't have mistaken the glass for ice in the crème brulée. So, anyhow, if you don't hear from me again, I'm probably suffering from massive internal hemmoraging, or whatever. Bonus: we got a free meal! Guess I should have had a second beer.

Anyway, I saw this video on SOMC today and LOVED it, so I'm sharing it with all of you. Enjoyable even for non-cat people, I promise.

flipped, turned upside down

2008-04-06T10:38:00.004-04:00

Three years ago, I said to myself, "I want to do that."

And I did, three times. And this last time was magic, every minute, and I want so badly to do it again.

But now I don't know what to do with myself.

you don't even rate a footnote

2008-04-01T11:15:00.003-04:00

So, R.E.M. fanclub presale tickets went onsale this morning. I didn't buy any.

Because--curse you, fate--the Chicago tourdate is the first day of my five-year college reunion. ARRRGH. And much as I fancy Michael Stipe and I are best buds, it's really not a choice at all--my friends come first, period. But it still breaks my heart.

I'm wearing my tour shirt from their magnificent '04 tour to show my solidarity both for the fanclub ticket sale and for the release of Accelerate today, which I'm about to listen to. I've heard lots of good things about the album, so I'm ready to be wowed. After all, music will provide the light we cannot resist, we cannot resist, we cannot resist.

the shadow of the modern machine

2008-03-29T17:07:00.002-04:00

Back from Thailand!

And not sick with the flu anymore, thank god. The Tamiflu/Mucinex one-two punch is a winning combination--I was feeling much better by the end of that weekend. Thailand is a pretty amazing country, and I've discovered that it may not be possible for me ever to tire of Thai food. Mmmm. More soon, but I've been up for 25 hours right now, not counting the crappy hour or two of sleep I grabbed on one of my two flights today, and I've got a killer sleep-deprivation headache that needs to be kicked in the ass before I can attempt anything else.

Hope these last two weeks have treated you well, dear reader. It's pushing Spring here in Chicago, and that's all I could have hoped to return to. In other words, NO MORE SNOW. Mother Nature, you're on notice.

you cried and you cried and you cried and you cried

2008-03-13T14:59:00.004-04:00

So, I have the flu. Again.

I have the flu again, and I leave for Thailand tomorrow.

If I don't die, you'll hear from me next when I get back in 2 weeks... though the law school musical is right when I get back, so who knows when you'll hear from me?

Anyway, on my way back from the doctor, I walked by the Hershey store, and realized that I'd seen those dresses they had in the window before. Yes, dresses. PROJECT RUNWAY dresses:

So cool! If you're in Chicago (and a fan of the show), you should definitely check them out. I don't recommend getting the flu, though. That part sucks. And it sucks doubly when you get it twice in two weeks.

Sigh.

just like we are, you'll be dust

2008-03-05T23:25:00.002-05:00

How did I miss this last year? I realize I'm the last one on the Demetri Martin bandwagon (...ladies), but I've been a Travis fan for forever. Who knew they did a video together?

In other news, still busy, thanks, but I do believe there's a little light at the end of the tunnel. Or maybe it's the headlight of an approaching train! Nyuk nyuk.

when you're not home

2008-03-03T00:32:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry I'm not writing here much these days. I'm kind of insanely busy right now. Like, if I've ever said that before, I didn't mean it. There is literally more that I have to do immediately, right now, due yesterday, etc than there are hours in which to do it. It's going to require some major triage on my part over the next several days to get over this hump--a lot of it is fallout from getting really sick last week and not having the wherewithal to do much of anything mentally, let alone physically. I think I might be feeling a little better now, as I've gotten kind of a second wind, but a second wind at 12:20 isn't much good at all when I need to go to bed so I can actually and for seriously get better.

So, yeah. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that there hasn't been an exam recovery... yet. I mean it--I have songs, I just need to organize them, and maybe I'll be able to get to that while I travel to Thailand? It breaks my heart not to have sent this out, but it's a luxury compared to everything else that needs doing. This also applies to phone calls--if you're an out-of-town friend and you've called recently, I love you and I'm sorry I suck, and I will do my best to get in touch as soon as I can.

Anyway, the other thing I wanted to mention is that the TV show Breaking Bad is really amazing, and if you haven't been watching it, you should have. Unfortunately the season finale is next week (it only ran for, what, eight weeks?), so you've pretty much missed it if you haven't been watching AMC since January. But it's a very realistic depiction of what living with cancer must be like, and watching tonight's episode, it struck me that I haven't ever had anyone close to me go through chemo or anything like that. I knew what it entailed, vaguely, but I have a much better understanding of the harsh, difficult realities of it all. Also, I loved Bryan Cranston as Malcolm's dad back in the day, but he's even better here. So awesome.

Oh, and don't think because I've been watching one TV show that I don't know what I'm talking about re: my lack of time. It's a disaster, folks. Here's to hoping I can get through this week.

i've got a negative edge

2008-02-20T10:57:00.002-05:00

A little haiku about my walk to school this morning:

outside MCA
slipped and fell, bruising my ass
winter, please, be gone

he's alive, he's alive

2008-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

So, today in Evidence, my professor said that the first sentence of FRE 608(b) "throws you a hooker."

Um.

always doing damage control

2008-02-06T18:30:00.000-05:00

SNOW DAY!

Well, Snow Couple-of-Hours--no evening classes tonight after 6pm. And it doesn't affect me at all, because I don't have Weds night classes (and our Very Special Wednesday Rehearsal continues apace), but it's still pretty great. I don't think I've had any classes canceled for weather since senior year of college.

I know there hasn't been much of note here recently, and I apologize. I'm a bit overcommitted this semester and things are just getting crazier and crazier. So, anyway, listen to the new R.E.M. single and check back later. Maybe I'll have more to add.

trading places with an angel

2008-02-02T18:15:00.000-05:00

The Boy and I had an unintentional Christian Bale filmfest last night, courtesy of the inclement weather keeping us at home and the Redbox in our neighborhood Jewel. We've been behind on renting movies since our local Blockbuster shut down, but let me tell you--Redbox is AWESOME. $1 movie rentals! Selection isn't as all-encompassing as Blockbuster's was, but considering they were wanting close to $5 a rental, this is a MUCH better price. We got 3:10 to Yuma and The Prestige, both of which were GREAT. I've been going over and over the plot twists in the latter all day--no surprise that it was directed by Memento's Christopher Nolan. I also am not at all up on my Westerns--I think the only one I've ever watched was Shane, for Narrative Structures two years ago--but I wouldn't mind seeing more of the genre, since I really enjoyed 3:10 to Yuma. Anyway, Russell Crowe knocked it out of the park in Yuma, and I loved David ~~Bowe~~ Bowie's take on Nikola Tesla in The Prestige. And our man Mr. Bale did not disappoint in either. I remember enjoying The Illusionist when both of these magic-themed movies came out, but I'm not sure now which of them I liked better. I kind of want to watch The Illusionist again, perhaps this evening, as I think we're Redboxing it once more tonight--that is, if I ever get my schoolwork done. blerg.

Also, because I've been inundating the Boy with links right now and because he'd probably be happier if I were working on my portion of our trip-to-Thailand topic proposal, I'm entreating you to check out this NYMag article about the music industry's war on insider leaks. It's more fuel for my argument that music itself can't be the primary source of revenue anymore in music industry business models. It's neither practical nor feasible. Songs need to be viewed as promotional tools--a means to an end--rather than an end unto themselves. User expectations demand instant music availability, both in the time it takes to acquire music (i.e., the rise of downloading) and the time it takes for music to become available. People aren't content to wait around three months for an album to come out. Even though Radiohead got most of its press last fall from the "name your own price" aspect of its new album, perhaps equally remarkable was the rapidity with which it became available after we heard it was coming--something like two weeks, was it?

So, the bottom line: you want to keep leaks down? Then announce new albums when they're ready to go. I mean, I've known since Christmas that R.E.M. has a new record coming out in April. Why do I have to wait so damn long? I guarantee that thing's ready to go now and they're just holding it up for some sort of publicity campaign, or the tour, or whatever. But I want the music now. I still plan on shelling out big bucks to see them (and Modest Mouse! and the National!) at the United Center on June 6, and I'll surely buy some overpriced t-shirt or hoodie or whatever. They're making their money off of me one way or another. Why wait to give me my copy of their long-awaited new album?

Anyway. I have work to do, or I'd continue to soapbox on this stuff. You, dear reader, are devastated, I'm sure. Happy Superbowling--the Boy is rooting for the Giants, so I guess I am, too, but the Patriots seem untouchable this year. More importantly, can you believe it's been four years since NippleGate? Maybe Tom Petty will be wearing a lace corset under his outer garments...

sweet dreams, great teacher

2008-01-31T01:06:00.001-05:00

Want to feed the hungry and build your vocab?

Check it out. I can't seem to break through level 45, but the night is young.

ohio's agriculture's based on grain

2008-01-25T18:47:00.000-05:00

First Brad, then Heath. Geez. Rough week for celebrities.

I'm quite a bit more shocked/saddened by Heath's passing, mostly because he was the better/more famous actor, but also because I just loved 10 Things I Hate About You. The whole movie will be harder to watch, but particularly that wonderful, exuberant scene where he's singing to Kat in the stadium while she's at soccer practice, his running the lengths of the concrete benches and being carried off by security, so damn full of life--gah. Salon had a nice tribute to him that more or less sums up the way I feel about it--though I've only seen about three of his movies. I'm looking forward to his turn as the Joker, for what it's worth.

Anyway. There's a lot I could be talking about here, like R.E.M.'s shenanigans on the Lower East Side filming their video for "Supernatural Superserious," or the start of Wigmore Follies rehearsals, or volunteering with the kitties again--but my heart's not in it right now. So I'll leave you with two videos: the first, a trailer for Get Smart (which looks pretty darn good, and I'm getting over the casting of Anne Hathaway); and the second, a ridiculous ad for a pretty damn good beverage. But then, I'm generally a sucker for the Diet Dr. Pepper spinoffs.

over just before you look

2008-01-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

I'm spending my Saturday evening watching Lasagna Cat and doing laundry.

What's new with you?

money was everything

2008-01-16T00:52:00.000-05:00

Oh, my gosh. Brad Renfro has died.

You may remember, a scant year and a half ago, that I lamented his addictions on this very blog. I guess my sympathies weren't enough to save him.

Child stars, huh? The Boy and I caught part of an episode of VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew on Sunday, and SO MANY of them had great success at an early age and just couldn't deal with it.

So, yeah. Sad. Anyway. To lighten the mood, how about... a VIDEO kitten break? With one of Foxy's, um, addictions?

workers are going home

2008-01-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

I am a hero of guitars. *metal sign*

Well, ok--I'm fairly awesome at Guitar Hero III (the Boy's birfday present)... on Easy. I'm still learning to handle Medium with any real grace/accuracy. It's SO MUCH FUN, though. Makes me want to get back to playing my real guitar. That way, maybe I'll stop co-opting the Boy's gift...

Otherwise, I survived the first week of classes (if anyone cares, those classes are Federal Jurisdiction ("Fed Jur"), Evidence, ITP Thailand ("trip to Thailand class"), and Mediation Practicum). Was not as productive overall as I'd hoped I'd be, but I'm not beating myself up over it. Yet, anyway. Went to court on Tuesday to do what I'd hoped would be my first mediation with real, live parties... only to find that no one needed us. Oh, well. Better luck next week?

I spent a good part of the day today socializing with kitties at PAWS Chicago--I did not adopt any kitties, but it was sorely tempting, I assure you. There were some very sweet, affectionate little boy and girl kitties available. Not to mention some really, really cute puppies and some good dogs that the Boy got to interact with. I've had to bail on one of my volunteer opportunities this semester because of a class conflict (er, a conflict with one of my classes, not an upstairs/downstairs thing), so I'm hoping to volunteer with PAWS at least once a week instead.

Also, this writers' strike is really bumming me out. Now the word on the street is that Scrubs might just... stop? Since this is the last season? Sad! Not a very dignified ending for that little show. I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty or Project Runway episodes. Cry, I guess. Then watch a lot of DVDs.

so many possibilities

2008-01-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

Hey, kids. I'm back!

Mostly back to say that R.E.M.'s new album, slated for April release, will be called Accelerate, and "I'm Gonna DJ" is going to be on it, and they say that they recorded it quickly, according to this article. All of this leads me to believe that they've abandoned some of the studio overproduction that has plagued their last couple of albums, so I'm VERY optimistic that the ROCK sound of their live show will be evident in this new album. Next question: a tour? That I can attend? Pretty please?

Also, when Ken Stringfellow mentions in the article that he called Mike Mills for his birthday? Mr. Mills's birthday happens to be December 17, as is a certain other very important person's. Ahem. *tosses hair and preens*

Anyway, holidays were lovely, family is great, kitty is playful and seems to be doing well, I managed to catch a terrible cold from which I'm still recovering, friends descended upon Chicago and we tore up this city for New Year's, I pulled every muscle in my back playing Wii Sports yesterday (that says more about how out of shape I am than how vigorous the Wii games are), and I've been dithering online for the last hour and a half rather than doing my reading for tomorrow. So, really, nothing new.

Quick holiday movie update: saw The Golden Compass, Sweeney Todd, Beowulf, I Am Legend, and No Country for Old Men, all of which I enjoyed (though Sweeney Todd and No Country were the best of the bunch). Still want to see Atonement, There Will Be Blood, Juno, Charlie Wilson's War, and Walk Hard, among others. Chances are school will catch up with me before I see even half of those, but I guess that's what DVD rentals are for.

Finally: Britney, wtf? I stop reading my gossip blogs for a week and all hell breaks loose. No matter how stressed out I get, I can take solace in the fact that I have never been ambushed for an intervention by Dr. Phil, thank god.

reindeer really know how to fly

2007-12-20T01:46:00.000-05:00

oh, my. I'm... flabbergasted.

Because, see, I thought I was the Best Girlfriend Ever. I got the Boy a Wii! At great expense, from a secondary retailer! With an additional remote, so I can play, too!

...but he got me? An iPhone.

*freaks out*

Good thing my cell contract with Sprint ended a couple months ago, eh?

*freaks out some more*

Merry Christmas, dear reader. I'm off to Warm 'n Cheerful tomorrow, even though I'm not quite done yet (see relentless paper second draft, supra). But soon, very very soon.

automotive incinerate

2007-12-18T02:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I totally lied about taking my test tomorrow (er, later today). It's gonna happen Weds morning. Grr arrgh. I want to be done with it, but I don't want to stumble into it without confidence.

And as a result, I decided to watch this instead of finishing the Dagher decision, and good heavens, does this dude have some editing skills:

[via MOKB]

hold on to these moments as they pass

2007-12-17T23:45:00.000-05:00

yay! birthday!

...that's about all I've got in me at the moment. I've spent the day at Starbucks outlining Antitrust in the hopes of taking that exam tomorrow, because I still have that second draft of a paper to finish before I leave for the holidays bright and early Thursday morning. Damn our school calendar for taking away any hope of birthday-day fun for the second year in a row. Thankfully, there will never be another exam on my birthday, ever ever, and maybe next year I'll start to feel more generally festive before, er, December 20.

It hasn't been all sadness and attempts to monopolize, though, I swear. The Boy will be taking me to a nice restaurant on Wednesday, but thoughtful fellow that he is, he also got me a beautiful red sweater I admired recently in Anthropologie's window so I'd have something to open today. (I also got this lovely watch from my parents while I was home for Thanksgiving.)

Anyway, I'm older than I've ever been, now I'm even older, and this outline won't write itself, so it's back to it.

but his friends call him karl

2007-12-09T00:53:00.001-05:00

So, I may be a little behind on my work right now, but it was worth it to see Paul & Storm/Jonathan Coulton (early show) at Schuba's tonight.

I'm a longtime P&S fan, from back in the days when they were merely half of DaVinci's Notebook, but their music has gotten away from me--how is it that they have two albums out that I don't own? I walked away with Gumbo Pants, but News to Us will have to wait. And the liner notes? Are totally a who's who of people I know, famous ("Altman, gangliest of Jews") and non (Gordon!). Anyway, they were entertaining as always, playing my favorite commercial jingles ("...filled with shame--and cookie dough"), as well as some new (to me) ones ("Your Town," "Count to Ten," "Nugget Man"), and some old-but-finally-recorded ("Captain's Wife's Lament," arrrrr). And they did impressions, too, like James Taylor on fire, Aaron Neville losing his parking space at the mall... and, no joke, Michael McDonald as your server at Applebee's. This is a crazy, awesome, coincidental, so smooth world we live in.

It was my first time seeing JoCo, hopefully not my last--he's pretty awesome. Most notably, he played "Code Monkey," and THIS GIRL WAS THERE. DOING THE DANCE. ONSTAGE:

Paul commented that if someone filmed the performance and posted it on YouTube, perhaps the internet would explode? I believe it might. Watch out, kids. Anyway. We got a lot of favorites, including "I Feel Fantastic," "Skullcrusher Mountain," "Chiron Beta Prime," "Creepy Doll," "Re: Your Brains" (which I'm listening to in French at the moment), "Mr. Fancypants," and of course, "IKEA," which reminded me of my last excursion to the land of meatballs and magic, and this photo I've forgotten to post:

...yeah, maybe I am the target audience for these guys. Anyway, I laughed, lots and lots and lots, and now I have to get back to the net neutrality ~~albatross~~ paper that's hanging around my neck. Word on the street is that there might be pancakes to be had tomorrow if I wake up early enough, so that's incentive to get this thing done in the next couple hours. If I can resist the urge to make a half-monkey, half-pony monster, that is...

blurry even without light

2007-12-06T02:13:00.001-05:00

I love that WOXY is including Nada Surf's "Blizzard of '77" on their Holiday Mixer, because it's totally in my Christmas playlist, too. hee. Other non-holiday-yet-holiday-ish songs on my playlist:

AFI, "Love Like Winter" (who is this? why do I have this song?)
Belle and Sebastian, "Fox in the Snow"
Counting Crows, "A Long December" (obviously)
Death Cab for Cute, "The New Year"
Joshua Radin, "Winter"
Keane, "Snowed Under"
Linkin Park, "My December" (I can't even be embarrassed about this one. I really like it... the embarrassing part was being introduced to it when Josh Groban covered it in concert. Sigh.)
The Long Winters, "Cinnamon" (This one's hard to explain... you'll have to trust me. It would be facially easier to relate if it were entitled "Nutmeg," or possibly "Vanilla Extract")
Moxy Fruvous, "It's Too Cold"
The Nields, "Snowman"
Rufus Wainwright, "Hallelujah" (blah blah Jeff Buckley blah blah)
Sarah McLachlan, "Fallen" (from listening to it in a cold car on a cold December night four years ago. I do have her holiday album, though)
Sister Hazel, "Your Winter"
Sting, "All Four Seasons" (this one led off a holiday collection I got at Bath & Body Works a couple years ago. The "Classics" disc of the 2-disc set also features Michael McDonald's "On Christmas Morning," whom I now can't think of without mentally chuckling about either the 40-Year-Old Virgin or the New Pornographers' green screen contest... but I digress)
Tori Amos, "Winter"

Also, apropos of nothing, I totally love "River." What a lovely, lovely song.

Anyway, the worst part about this Holiday Mixer is that it keeps introducing me to MORE CHRISTMAS MUSIC I NEED. I had no idea that the Dandy Warhols covered "Little Drummer Boy," but there it is, on an Indie Christmas collection that came out in September (?). I'd buy it in a second... except there are two Decemberists songs on there I already own, so maybe I should just grab a couple of the songs off iTunes? I've already bought the Killers' Christmas offering this year (mostly on the strength of this wacky video), so perhaps I should stick to the holiday songs I have...

(But Jack White has one! Nellie McKay has one! How have I not heard about these songs?)

...or maybe I should just stick to getting my work done. Bah. Humbug.

peace on earth

2007-12-03T21:55:00.000-05:00

If you're not listening to the WOXY Holiday Mixer, you should be--I've heard several favorites in the hour since I got home (including Bing and David Bowie's Drummer Boy duet, and the Fountains of Wayne/Eclectic Café staple "I Want an Alien for Christmas") and I felt so spirited that I finally put my little tree up:

Oh, and my USB tree, too.

And nothing says "holiday spirit" like editing journal page proofs! Ho ho ho.

fixed right where we stand

2007-12-03T16:06:00.000-05:00

YAY.

I passed the MPRE! I'm sufficiently ethical to practice law. Woo.

Still have to take my Ethics class exam, though. Bah. I think I should be able to MPRE-out of it.

that's good enough for now

2007-11-30T18:44:00.000-05:00

Chicago tops radio blog the Infinite Dial's list of the Ten Best Markets for Radio Listeners.

Yay us.

the challengers of the unknown

2007-11-29T18:38:00.000-05:00

Sigh.

It was a tumor. A four-inch long tumor against her stomach, only a small, round blip of which had poked through the fat along her tummy to the skin. It wasn't on her x-rays 10 weeks ago. She's recovering right now, but is taking a lot longer to shake off the anesthesia than she did last year. The vet thinks we're talking a matter of months at this point, but they thought that last year and she managed to prove them wrong, so maybe we'll still have a little Foxy kitty a year from now--but it's all just wait and see for the moment.

Poor little girl. She'll be getting a lot of love from me when I go home for Christmas, no question.

sometimes you should let it slide

2007-11-29T00:19:00.000-05:00

To lighten the mood a little, courtesy of Skatterbrain, the video for Lacrosse's "You Can't Say No Forever":

I keep watching it and watching it, then clapping my hands, giggling and exclaiming, "Again! Again!!!"

Seriously. If you're feeling the least bit sad at the moment, you've gotta watch this. The moment towards the end, with the Golden Gate Bridge...? KILLS me.

kitten break

2007-11-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

We thought she beat the cancer... then I found a lump last Wednesday, rubbing her tummy to greet her. A hard, round little thing where her lower left nipple used to be. She's going under the knife again Thursday and we'll know more. Hopefully it's nothing. Or something, but then it will be gone again. A year ago we weren't sure if she'd still be here now, so I know it's a blessing she's lived this long.

But she really is the sweetest kitty. And she's more playful now than ever. My mom tells me that she delighted in mauling a new drinking straw last night, and was attacking her crinkle toys this evening. She's so full of life. She's not that old, for a cat.

It's also not the only cancer in my family right now. Cancer sucks, period.

with a bottle of wine

2007-11-21T02:13:00.000-05:00

Leaving in... less than 7 hours? Sigh. Still have to a) reread my paper and fix what I can manage after a couple of drinks and a long day, b) correct/create some footnotes, and c) pack. But it was worth it to see OFFICE tonight at Schuba's. Seriously, $5 = Free Knob Creek-sponsored pre-party/electric set + acoustic set later on. Such a deal! The Boy and I met band member Jessica at the bar while we were chowing down on some appetizers between sets--she is SO freaking nice. I guess I'm not used to rockstars (well, maybe that's stretching it, but they're gonna be big) who aren't full of themselves in the least. She also plays a mean xylophone.

So, anyway. Happy Thanksgiving, friends. I leave you with a whimsical Office video:

we've got your number

2007-11-19T00:47:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the concern re: that last post--I'm feeling better now, though no less stressed (and still staring down the barrel of a net neutrality paper--thank god for first drafts). A fun weekend away really helped things, too. I consumed ~~more fettuccine Alfredo and drank less water~~ more food of every conceivable variety AND more Mory's cup than I anticipated, froze my ass off at the H-Y Game only to have us LOSE in a highly embarrassing fashion, played Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time (talk about partying like it's 1991), blew out my voice at the YGC concert afterparty singalong, caught up with a LOT of people (some of whom I haven't seen in a very long time), perused the bounty of the New Haven IKEA, and got rear-ended en route from Whole Foods to California Pizza Kitchen Thursday night.

Well, ok, so that last one wasn't so great, but neither I nor the driver got more than a minor case of whiplash, and our mild shock post-accident had us ending the evening watching the Shot and Hogan Knows Best on VH1, both of which are way more entertaining than I would have expected. Now that the writer's strike is in full effect, I suppose I'd better start seeking solace in reality TV. sigh.

...or, perhaps, solace in the comfort of having a FINISHED DRAFT OMG. Pardon me whilst I go ~~beat my head against the wall~~ get cracking on that.

enough of the sea

2007-11-14T00:09:00.000-05:00

I have had a few bright spots, but mostly, this day has been total crap.

I am sick of thinking the best in others only to be proven wrong. I am tired of being an afterthought.

And I sure as hell want this paper off my back. I can't even look forward to this weekend, which is supposed to be wonderful and fun but now promises to be fraught with latent stress.

It's not all sunshine, light, and concerts at the Vic, kids. It's exhausting. And this is supposed to be the fun year.

leave it there for safe keeping

2007-11-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

This makes me sad.

I'd heard about it from Mom while home last week. Z-93 was an institution when I was growing up. It was the radio station I first secretly turned to when I wanted to explore what the big kids were listening to (we're talking 1991--I had a list of favorites, like Amy Grant's "Baby Baby," Another Bad Creation's "Iesha" and Londonbeat's "I've Been Thinking About You"). It wasn't my high school station (that was 103.9, the Edge/X, before it started to suck after I graduated), nor my musical home away from home, online in college and on the radio (briefly) afterward (97X/WOXY). But I distinctly remember taping Collective Soul ("Shine") and Madonna ("I Will Remember") off of Z-93 in middle school, and when I've been going home on law school breaks, I would pop it on from time to time to hear current guilty pleasures (coughPanicattheDiscocough).

But it's a Jack station now. And as novel as I initially found that format, as a former radio DJ, it's kind of soulkilling. There are no DJs--it's all computerized. More music, less talk. It's basically admitting that radio is no better than your iPod at setting the tone for a musical listening experience--in fact, it's probably worse, because you'll have to sit through the Steve Miller Band for the umpteenth time rather than something new. Not like we're listening to our iPods for anything new anyway--I might not know what's coming up next on my Shuffle, but I put it all in there, so there really isn't any genuine surprise.

So, yeah. I didn't intend for this to turn into a diatribe on the state of radio today. Maybe radio really is an anachronism after all. I mean, all the songs I cited above--those were big hits. And I haven't thought about them in years. In fact, if I never hear "Baby, Baby" again, it will probably be too soon. But there's something to be said about a collective musical consciousness, (inter)national songs and artists that shape an era, and we just don't have that anymore. And damn it, there's also something to be said about hearing your song on the radio. I'm working my way through the back episodes of Lost from last season as ABC.com adds them online and just got to the episode where Charlie (former member of fictional band Driveshaft, for the uninitiated) is listing the things he considers his 5 finest moments in life--and what do you think #5 was? Hearing your ad on an iPod commercial just isn't the same thing, Feist. (Though the Boy tells me that Dylan's intrusion into an iPod ad did help sales of his most recent album.)

Anyway, this is just a long way of saying that nothing ever stays the same, especially not in radio. And it's worth noting that the music that has endured, the stuff I really love, came via word of mouth, not via radio play. Exhibit A, They Might Be Giants--I realized last night (at a grrreat show) that it was just over ten years ago that I saw my first TMBG concert, which also was my first ever concert, and I've been a fan for more than fifteen years. That's well over half my life. That's something worth holding on to. That's what matters.

i don't mind, if you don't mind

2007-11-08T00:25:00.000-05:00

Blogging from the bunker in Centerville, Ohio. Full of home-cooked food, new driver's license in hand. Covered in cat hair. Back to reality in less than eighteen hours.

More soon.

you're changing your heart

2007-11-03T14:13:00.000-04:00

Be gone with thee, MPRE. Hopefully I passed. At the very least, I feel as though I could be a sole practitioner living on the border between two states, sending out "advertising material" and investing client money in local trust accounts, without violating any ethical rules.

How often any of this will actually come up in my legal career? Who knows.

Anyway, I found this music survey in my blog wanderings this week, and since it looks like more fun than the effiks reading I've been doing all week, I figured I'd fill it out instead:

Which bands/artist do you own the most albums by?
R.E.M. They also just plain HAVE more albums than most other artists. TMBG is probably second.

What was the last song you listened to?
New Pornographers, "Challengers"

What's in your CD player right now?
Huh? What is this "cd" you speak of? The Decemberists are the last artist on my Last.FM feed, I guess.

What’s your favorite local band/group?
Oooh, is it cheating to say Wilco, since they're pretty much a "national" band? How about Office?

What was the last show you attended?
The late, lamented Long and Short of It Tour.

What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to?
Oh, come on--that's not a fair question. The Amos Lee/Elvis Costello/Bob Dylan show I attended last Saturday is probably the biggest star power show I've ever been to.

What's the crappiest show you've ever been to?
Hmm. I was underwhelmed by Fastball/Sugar Ray/Goo Goo Dolls back in high school. I don't make a point of going to bad concerts.

What’s the most musically involved you have ever been?
I'm always musically involved. Right now I'm prepping for Habeas Chorus and Wigmore Follies performances at next week's public interest auction. The busiest I've been musically was senior year of college, balancing Whim, the Glee Club, and my radio show on WYBC.

What show are you looking forward to?
I juuuust bought tickets to Aimee Mann's holiday show on Dec. 11. But I'll be seeing TMBG next Saturday. And Modest Mouse on Dec. 4, I think.

What is your favorite band shirt?
THIS is a great question! I love my super-soft green Decemberists ringer tee, and my pink panda New Pornographers tee. I'm wearing my R.E.M. horsey tee right now, but I probably love the one I bought at their last tour more (with the line from "I'm Gonna DJ" on the back: "Music will provide the light you cannot resist"). Or what about my Dar Williams "Peace Branch Horse & Bible Camp" shirt? My "I *heart* Canadian Boys" shirt of ten years ago? The $40 Bob Dylan shirt I bought last weekend because it's got fuzzy stuff on it? I'm a sucker for merch, apparently.

What musician would you like to hang out with for a day?
I've long maintained that John Vanderslice would be just so cool to talk to. He'd probably bring cupcakes and a deck of cards. I'd say Colin Meloy or Michael Stipe, but I'd probably just sit and stare at them while at a loss for words. Besides, Michael seems like he'd be pretty difficult to carry on a conversation with.

Who is one musician or group you wish would make a comeback?
I do get pangs about a certain Canadian band from time to time. More realistically, when the hell is Dogs Die in Hot Cars going to release another album? (Well, shoot. Never, apparently.)

Who is one band/artist you've never seen live but always wanted to?
Right now? Radiohead, for sure. After that, probably the White Stripes. Or U2. Or maybe the Police, not counting the fact I've seen Sting before. It's interesting: I'm scrolling through iTunes for inspiration, and almost every artist I really love I've seen already (unless it's unrealistic/impossible for me to do so). Huh.

Name 5 of your favorite songs of all time?

1. Moxy Fruvous, "River Valley"
2. Belle & Sebastian, "Seeing Other People"
3. They Might Be Giants, "Ana Ng"
4. The Decemberists, "The Engine Driver"
5. R.E.M., "Fall on Me"

Name 5 flawless albums:

1. The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema
2. The Twilight Singers, Blackberry Belle
3. Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes (honorable mention: Scarlet's Walk)
4. Radiohead, OK Computer
5. R.E.M., Automatic for the People

...and yes, this really was just me scrolling up through iTunes till I found 5 albums that don't have a single song I dislike. I'm sure I could think of more. Like Lincoln's self-titled album. Or Jude's No One Is Really Beautiful. (Yep, still scrolling upwards in iTunes. I'll stop.)

How many music-related videos/DVDs do you own?
Geez. I have a lot of these, too (sucker for merch, remember?). I think I have a bunch of R.E.M. and BNL tapes still in my parents' basement. Here in my apartment, I have 20 DVDs, and I will list them, because I don't want to do real work: Barenaked Ladies, Barelaked Nadies; Belle & Sebastian, Fans Only; Ben Folds Five, The Complete Sessions at West 54th; Ben Folds and WASO, Live in Perth (huh? I don't think I've ever even watched this one); Blur, Best Of; Dave Matthews Band, The Videos 1994-2001; The Decemberists, A Practical Handbook; DIG! (Dandy Warhols/Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary); Great Big Sea, Great Big DVD; Ellis Paul, 3000 Miles; Radiohead, 7 Television Commercials; R.E.M., The Best of R.E.M., Perfect Square Live, Road Movie, and When the Light Is Mine: The Best of the IRS Years 1982-1987; 2 Skinnee Js, Enter the Gold Hat and Next Big Thing; They Might Be Giants, Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns (not technically BY them, but ABOUT them), and Venue Songs; U2, Elevation 2001: Live from Boston.

Whew. I also have the Decemberists' Austin City Limits performance still on tape to watch sometime when I get a free moment (and am not feeling compelled to fill out a highly detailed music survey).

How many concerts/shows have you been to, total?
God, I've been to too many this year alone to have any idea, let alone cumulatively.

Who have you seen the most live?
Why, that would be Moxy Fruvous, 36 times in less than 3 years. I'll have a hard time topping that. I have seen the Decemberists 5 times this year, though.

What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
I have several: The Forrest Gump soundtrack was actually one of my first CD purchases ever; it's probably not my favorite anymore, but it was a good musical education for a burgeoning music aficionado. And, of course, there's my beloved Dumb & Dumber soundtrack. More recently, I'd say Me, Myself & Irene; Magnolia; Vanilla Sky; O Brother, Where Art Thou?

...come to think of it, none of those are particularly recent. I don't actually remember when I last purchased a movie soundtrack.

What was your last musical "phase" before you wised up?
Heh... having just mentioned Magnolia, now I have "Wise Up" in my head. But that's not what the question is asking. I was really, really into Oldies for awhile--I don't feel particularly guilty about that anymore, though. What's not to like about the Mamas and the Papas or the Beach Boys?

What's your "guilty pleasure" that you hate to admit to liking?
Nerd rap?

What album have you purchased the most copies of?
Probably Factory Showroom, of which I own three copies (one regular, one promo, one signed). SOMEone was a little TMBG-obsessed around 1996. Ahem.

Who is your favorite musician?
Musician? As in, not band? Because that's really hard. I tend to like bands more than solo artists. I guess I'll say Elvis Costello, or maybe Jack White, because I'm so impressed by his musicianship/musicality. Band would be R.E.M. or the Decemberists, neither of which should come as any sort of surprise to regular readers of this blog. Songwriter might be Dave Carter or Richard Shindell. Or Sufjan.

Also, this question reminds me of an anecdote from Mediation class a couple weeks ago. We were supposed to go around the room and say some getting-to-know-you-type stuff about ourselves, like favorite movie, favorite food, favorite kind of music, or "favorite artist." And I was really, really confused when the second person to talk ended her spiel with, "...and my favorite artist is probably Van Gogh." Because it never would have OCCURRED to me to talk, like, ART art. I figured the professor wanted my favorite musical artist. And, honestly, I think she probably did. But a few more people chimed in with art artists after that. My favorite art artist would probably be Degas.

And now I have some ~~TV to watch~~ Net Neutrality research to do. Pardon me.

whatever the mess you are

2007-11-02T22:14:00.001-04:00

I just got a $20 check from my campus medical services provider because I overpaid.

??!

I'm not turning down money... I just have no idea what it's from. I haven't been to a doctor there since January. Way to be on the ball with this stuff, "speedy" Student Health Services.

In other news, I think I might not actually fail the MPRE tomorrow. Here's to hoping.

the mortars may fall

2007-11-01T20:01:00.000-04:00

HOLY SH*T

This just in:

"Adored Mailing List Recipients,

With much regret The Decemberists have cancelled the remainder of "The Long and Short of It" tour.

One of our band members has been ill for a while but we thought all would be well in time for these tour dates. After a couple shows, though, it has become clear that the illness is much worse than we had initially realized. We need to return home so our friend can mend.

It saddens us to disappoint our fans. We hope everybody understands it is only because of an extreme situation that we had to cancel a tour we've all been excited about doing since the idea was originally hatched.

Our deepest apologies but at this time no plans are being made to reschedule the dates. Ticket holders should seek refunds at point of purchase.

Yours,

The Decemberists"

...so, I guess I saw the ONLY two shows of this tour? Yikes! Maybe I should've bought a t-shirt.

I'm not sure who's ill, but whoever it is, I hope they get well soon.

reclining on an ocean swell

2007-10-30T00:54:00.000-04:00

Night two--the Short of It.

And if last night was musically mesmerizing, tonight was SO MUCH FUN. OMG.

They opened semi-acoustic (accordion, stand-up bass, guitar, snare and banjo/mandolin/tambourine) in a small semi-circle in the center of the stage, and the first five songs? Easy to remember, as you may catch a pattern...

Oceanside
Shiny
My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist
Angel, Won't You Call Me?
I Don't Mind

*heh* No Apology Song, though. Colin totally failed on the lyrics to "Trapeze" at the end of the first verse (everything from "And there in the half-light..." till "fall of the Reich," which he did remember). Colin was pretty amusing all night, actually, but I'll get to more of that in a second, after I try to piece together as much of the rest of the setlist as I can remember...

O Valencia!
Billy Liar
The Soldiering Life
Eli, the Barrow Boy (w/ hurdy-gurdy)
Leslie Anne Levine
The Engine Driver
Yankee Bayonet (w/ Laura Veirs, as one would expect)
Culling of the Fold (OMG WTF)
The Perfect Crime #2
The Chimbley Sweep
***
A Cautionary Song
After the Bombs (!!!) / Ask (Smiths cover)

...yeah, I think that's about it. So, as you may note: two Crane Wife bonus tracks! Colin went NUTS during "Culling"--he wasn't playing a guitar, so he wandered up and down the front of the stage, wrapping the mic cord around and around himself and manhandling various audience members in the front row, entreating them to "Cut 'em up boy [or girl]"... Then, at the end of the song, he leapt up on the amp in front of John's drum kit but promptly lost his balance, so the song ended rather abruptly with his crashing down on the cymbals and winding up in John's lap. hee.

I was closer to the front tonight, which was very helpful during the audience "dance contest" that ensued during "Crime" (no winners--"Everybody wins at a Decemberists concert!" nyuk, nyuk) and the Colin/Chris "dance contest" during "Chimbley" after they ceded their respective guitars to two audience members they hauled up onstage. !!! This is why I need to practice guitar--you never know when you'll be forced to improvise--onstage--with one of your favorite bands. I would've thoroughly embarrassed myself with my meager chops.

"Cautionary" was fantastic, not just because John and Chris paraded past me twice, but also thanks to "an historical reenactment of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre" in the middle of the crowd, with various audience members as thugs and Chris/Capone meeting his demise not from the machine guns that killed Malone/John, nor the "meteor" that killed Capone's thugs, but rather an ingrown toenail infection. Oh, the humanity!

I just love this band. Seeing them = so much unabashed joy. I think they're the best bang for your concert buck touring these days, and trust me when I say I've seen a show or ten. I honestly think the only reason I'm NOT following them around is because my silly little law school responsibilities won't let me. (Oh, and because it would be wildly expensive, and because I don't have a car.) But still. GO TO THIS TOUR. Jaci, you may have awhile to wait, but oh, it will be worth it (I'll be curious to hear how they switch up the Short of It).

...and I'm not ashamed to admit that I may have sung snippets of the "Chimbley" chorus to myself all the way home from the Chicago brown line stop, which, STUPID RED LINE RUNNING ABOVE GROUND ARRGH. But not even that, nor my lack of jacket in 52-degree weather, could keep these spirits down. No sirree.

the tides all come and go

2007-10-28T23:53:00.000-04:00

Just came from "The Long of It," the first night of the Decemberists' double-header here in Chicago--as well as the first night of their fall tour. And I was skeptical about this evening, because while I think every single one of their more epic songs sound better live, my very favorites are the shorter ones.

Boy oh boy, was I wrong. That was one HELL of a show.

For starters, it took them well over an hour to play 5 songs. !!! Here's the setlist (easy to remember):

The Crane Wife 1, 2 + 3
The Island
The Bagman's Gambit
California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade
The Tain
I Was Meant for the Stage
***
Echoes (Pink Floyd)
The Mariner's Revenge Song

I don't think I forgot anything... time limit cutoff for "long" was 8 minutes, but the average was probably 12-15 min per song. They didn't stop between the Crane Wife suite and the Island, and afterward Colin admitted, "Um, maybe that was a bad idea to open with those. I'm exhausted." He then proceeded to say that there wouldn't be much banter on the Long of It nights due to the excess of music, and that there wouldn't be much drinking, either. John chimed in that perhaps the shows should have been called "The Long of It and the Drunk of It!" heh. I'm eager to see how tomorrow evening goes.

But seriously, they tore it up tonight. Songs that once upon a time I didn't much care for (e.g., "Stage") were incredible. The Pink Floyd cover was unbelievable. And I closed my eyes during "California One" and imagined driving along both that eponymous highway as well as the western coast of Ireland, and no matter how stressed out I was about the loss of my wallet, the upcoming MPRE, the paper I'm behind on, tomorrow's presentation or the reading I'm not going to have time to do... it was worth it to spend a couple hours with some of my favorite musicians.

It'll be worth missing Ethics tomorrow, too. Everything I learned about professional responsibility (revenge, duplicity, theft...) I learned from the Decemberists? Hmm.

just a little strapped for cash

2007-10-26T15:47:00.000-04:00

My wallet got stolen on the train today.

People suck. And I loathe the CTA even more now.

boola boola

2007-10-18T03:38:00.001-04:00

Oh, the things you find amusing at 2:30am after editing for six straight hours (with probably another 15 hours of editing to go; thankfully, not all tonight):

I only just this moment realized that, in this issue, we are publishing authors with the last names Morse and Stiles. HA! I love it!

...yeah, I really have been at this too long. sigh.

smoke and mirror lockdown

2007-10-17T21:13:00.000-04:00

R.E.M.'s first-ever live album and DVD came out yesterday. I can't speak for the DVD, but Paste is streaming the album, and ohh, it is good. Very, very good. Especially the newer stuff, which I have long attested sounds downright rocking in concert, even if it suffers from excessive production on the albums. I nearly got giddy when "Bad Day" came up, and when I say that hearing "So Fast, So Numb" performed live was a life-changing moment, I do not mean it lightly.

And though it might not be as life-changing for you on CD, the new album has a pretty darn good approximation thereof. Ohh, I hope they tour next year--and more importantly, I hope I can go...

It's odd--ten years ago, R.E.M. was not my favorite band. They probably weren't even my fifth-favorite band. I liked them, I liked them a lot, for sure--but now? It's like I'm caught in a musical feedback loop or something, because I love them more with each passing year. Old stuff, new stuff, popular stuff, used-cd-bargain-bin stuff (yes, Monster, I'm looking at you)--they can do no wrong in my book.

So maybe you shouldn't take my effusive praise of their live album at face value, since I'm admittedly a biased source--but that's why you should stream it for yourself! It's free--and who doesn't love free? With a song that "takes place in the beautiful state of Ohio"? (Yeah, yeah, it's about the Cuyahoga river on fire--a shoutout is a shoutout.)

be safe, be safe

2007-10-17T01:21:00.001-04:00

I have Challengers, and it is good.

I haven't listened to it closely yet--just had it on in the background while I made scallops, but what I heard, I loved--especially the title track, which I keep listening to on repeat. Melancholy, gorgeous. And once more, I covet Neko's voice (and her hair, if we're being honest)--she can make so much noise with seeming effortlessness. I'm very much looking forward to seeing her and the rest of the New Pornographers on Thursday evening.

Till then, here's the video for "Challengers"--kind of a fill-in-the-blanks yourself deal, but I like the old-timey coloring. And the goo.

tiny giants made of tinier giants

2007-10-12T00:25:00.000-04:00

Mostly a post for other people:

Bruce, thank you for the heroic link a little while back. I stayed up till 4:30 am watching episodes last night (can't... stop... am about to watch 1x13) and it's helping already with the plot for this season (though I will admit to being a little mixed up about what I remember happening from season 1 versus what's already happened in season 2).

And just as you win some, you lose some--I fear you and I will differ wildly in our reactions to Patrick Smith's latest column, but I for one am glad SOMEone out there is vocalizing the very complaints I have time and again with the present state of airport security, even if there's (sadly) little that can be done to rectify the system (no political incentive, as Mr. Smith points out). I've noticed myself that the security threat level is still "Orange!" over a year after the liquid terror of aught-six, which, what's the point? We will NEVER be at a state of blue or green or whatever on the silly little chart. We might never even see yellow again. It's fear-mongering, meaningless bullsh*t that should be eliminated. Spend your resources on improving high-level intelligence to catch terrorists BEFORE they arrive at the airport, please.

Also, I appreciate the browser recommendations--but Scott, you of all people should know that your fine company stopped supporting MSIE for Macs two versions ago. I actually wouldn't mind having a working version of MSIE 7--it would make my law school/Sharepoint symbiotic experience a lot easier. More pressingly, however, I would like a full updated version of the MS Office suite for Mac OS--they're still retailing the '04 edition, which is quaint, but a little ridiculous considering how often most applications are revamped. You may not have my OS loyalties, but you'll always be tops in my book when it comes to text documents and spreadsheets, so please--return the love?

my hat looks good on me

2007-10-09T21:53:00.000-04:00

Ok, so maybe the last post wasn't so compelling. How about this one:

I am officially certified to mediate in Illinois through the Center for Conflict Resolution!

*raises roof*

This means I can take the Mediation Practicum next semester and actually help people with real disputes. Apparently the CCR model gets results about 50% of the time, which is still pretty impressive for half-hour short form mediations.

This also means I don't have to go to class next week. *raises roof some more*

So if you need someone to facilitate discussion of a disagreement, I'm your girl. (That having been said, I do not advocate picking fights just to give me something to do.)

tomorrow's gaining speed on you

2007-10-08T23:23:00.000-04:00

Wow. Haven't blogged yet in October; sorry about that. I think one of the reasons I'm having such a hard time grasping that it's October already is that it doesn't feel like October. I mean, I wore shorts and a t-shirt for the last two days! That's simply unacceptable. It looks like it's starting to get colder, but I can't kick back and enjoy my pumpkin treats if it's above eighty degrees outside, you know?

Anyway. In other fairly insignificant-to-anyone-but-me news, after two years (we're coming up on the tawny gypsy mac's birthday in a couple weeks!) I think I'm ditching the Safari browser in favor of Firefox. Yeah, yeah. woo freaking hoo. I'm not a huge fan of the Firefox default font, but in the greater scheme of things, it's a lot more stable than Safari, and important websites (like LexisNexis) finally work correctly. Transferring my bookmarks is going to be a hassle... oh, wait, I can import them. heh. Me + technology = a fierce combination, for sure.

This may qualify as the lamest blog post ever. Sorry kids. I think I meant to write about music or something, possibly about hearing R.E.M.'s "Electron Blue" in the Apple Store today while the Boy bought a new Shuffle, an event which prompted a sudden, fierce desire to listen to Around the Sun (which is fairly notable, as I haven't given it much airtime since 2004). But now you know a) I'm still alive, b) I would like some colder weather, please, and c) I'm getting used to Firefox (...again; used it all the time on Ye Olde PCe Laptoppe in days of yore).

...except the links in the Bookmarks Bar at the top of my browser window just disappeared and are now refusing to come back. There really is no such thing as the perfect browser, is there? Alas.

i should listen to the broadcast

2007-09-28T23:58:00.000-04:00

Holy crap, but my iPod is on a roll.

I've talked about it before, but the new TMBG album? SOLID. Seriously great, a return to form after the mixed results of "The Spine" (which, to be fair, hold up better with age than I expected). And as I walk in to my apartment, "Take Out the Trash" comes on, and seriously? I LOVE THE FLANS SONGS ON THIS ALBUM. This is a HUGE revelation from a Linnell girl. I *heart* It's Fun to Steal, but that was, like, ten years ago, and every song on The Else is at least as fun as "Hillbilly Drummer Girl," or "Night Security." And Linnell redeems himself with "The Mesopotamians," which is as great a way to end an album as I can come up with. I talked tonight about how they were my first tape, my first concert, and still my first musical love, over fifteen years after hearing them for the first time. I'm just grateful they're still around making music.

So anyway, then the iPod went to Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone," and now? "8675309!"

ok, so maybe I'm a little giddy after a great night of drinks and dinner out with friends. But my iPod is matching my mood step for step.

I've got it! I've got it! I've got it! For a good time--for a good time CAAAALLLLL!

*trundles off to watch Ugly Betty online*

(also, have I mentioned how much I love the Oppenheimer album? It's fantastic. You need to own it. Like, now. Go, I won't be offended.)

(also pt. 2, I do like the Linnell songs, too, as "Climbing the Walls" just reminded me. Now I'm done, chewing my nails, hanging my head, chasing my tail...)

edited to add: I also meant to gush a little bit about the new Fountains of Wayne. Because it, too, is awesome. And I won tickets to see the Pipettes next Tuesday night, so it really is my lucky day. Hooray!

travel down the road and back again

2007-09-28T13:46:00.000-04:00

So, I've long maintained to the Boy that I can cook, I just choose not to cook. Because I get busy, or I get too hungry to take the time to do much, or it's uninspiring to cook for one person. But I found a recipe in one of the newspapers my 'rents sent me for Baked Scallops with Spicy Peanut Topping, and it sounded great. So I clipped it, and when I went to the store yesterday, decided to go for it, because I had a little spare time and wanted to eat something non-microwaved for a change. The recipe calls for a pound and a half of scallops, but I went with just a pound, which is about right for two people. I'm not much of a foodblogger, but these were easy and tasty, and quick to prepare for the impatient, so I'm sharing.

1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
1/3 C unseasoned bread crumbs
1/3 C salted, roasted peanuts
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (WHY have I never purchased my own fresh ginger before? SO GOOD)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Coat bottom of a shallow 9-in round cake pan with olive oil. Arrange the scallops in a single layer in the pan. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the breadcrumbs, peanuts, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic. Process until they resemble coarse sand. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until combined. Use your fingers to sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the scallops. Bake until the scallops are cooked through and the topping is lightly browned, about 12-14 min.

I served them with couscous (again, the miracle side dish for the impatient) and fresh snow pea pods, and the result was DELICIOUS. And then we watched the Office premiere (ohh, poor Sprinkles--he had so much life left in him) and the Boy suffered through ER (which wasn't that great, honestly), and then we channel-surfed our way to some Frasier repeats and possibly an episode and a half of the Golden Girls. Possibly.

And now I have a kitchen to clean and a lot to do that I haven't even begun to accomplish yet today, PLUS a busy weekend (all day mediation certification tomorrow, the PAWS Run for Their Lives on Sunday--if only I could procure a Support the Rabid band by race time). blerg.

they've shown this on both screens

2007-09-26T16:16:00.000-04:00

I've been bemoaning the lack of updates on my blogroll recently, thereby providing me with nothing but excessive refreshing of my Scrabulous profile to distract me from my antitrust reading. Then I realized that I haven't been doing much of the updating myself recently, so think of this as a little bit of good faith pump-priming. If you're reading this and you have a neglected blog, post something! (Or at the very least, challenge me to a game of Scrabble.)

Anyway. I'm pleased to report that the new season of television has not escaped me, and so far I've seen the premieres of the Simpsons (mostly for the intro because I enjoyed the movie so much; the rest of the episode was kind of hit or miss), Family Guy (HA to the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man shoutout), Reaper (funny, a lot of potential--but the female love interest's veneers are verrry distracting), Gossip Girl (it's clearly the OC but in NYC, and I doubt it will stay on my list for long, but I like the VMVOs), and Heroes. I'm taking Heroes with a grain of salt because I have not watched a single episode of season 1, despite meaning to do so all summer, and without Netflix, it's kind of hard. I know enough about the show that I'm not totally lost--but there are definitely people and things going on that are kind of context-less at the moment. I'm hoping either to a) join Netflix and work on my back catalog, especially since my local Blockbuster went belly-up, b) find this stuff online someplace, either streaming or not (help a sister out?), or c) just muddle through for now and get caught up later. You know, in all that infinite spare time of mine.

I'm most excited about tomorrow's shows, though--YAY for Office, Earl, Ugly Betty, Grey's (I'm not watching Private Practice, no matter how much I liked Addison). Oh, and I was excited to see Sammy Jankis in Heroes, mere days after making the Boy watch Memento (which he enjoyed, as I expected).

I could talk about other stuff (like how there's no good way to distinguish between rule of reason and per se standards in antitrust, or how I'm going for Illinois mediation certification so I can mediate in court through the practicum next semester), but TV is infinitely more interesting, right? Right. Now, to watch the Desperate Housewives premiere online...

edited to add: BOO, it's a recap episode of DH. Whatever. There are a bunch of LOST eps online that I never got around to watching last spring, I suppose...

alright already we'll all float on

2007-09-20T22:23:00.000-04:00

you heard it here first (or possibly second)--I'm officially sailing on the good ship clerk.

Look out, Toledo--here comes Katty!

(...and don't call me Katty.)

put that cat in the bin

2007-09-16T13:21:00.000-04:00

I have SO MUCH to do today.

But instead, I can't tear myself away from a really, really interesting Animal Planet program on big cats in the Serengeti. For instance, did you know that pairs or trios of cheetah males in coalition will flat out kill solitary cheetah males that wander through their territory? It's pretty savage. Cheetahs also prefer the Thompson gazelle to any other meal, and will pass up dead animals (even freshly killed animals) in favor of their own kills.

In fact, they're almost as ruthless as the firetruck...

tell me that you love me more

2007-09-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

I have at least 10 things I could be doing right now, so I'll keep this short. I feel bad about my posts of late because there's a lot going on, but either a) it's really not interesting enough to blog about (we got the galley proofs back for journal issue 97-3! I'm reading them RIGHT NOW! I think I might have found an error in a footnote! OMG!!!), or b) it would be great blog fodder, but it's not something I can talk about--like clerkship interviewing. The clerkship stuff will all be over in a week, and I will either a) have a job with a judge or b) not. No stress, you know, whatever. Sigh.

edited to add: inspired by rj3, there is one Judge I CAN talk about...

Seriously, though. How is it nearly halfway through September? Wasn't it just July (July, Julyyyyy)?

Anyway, here's a plug for PAWS Chicago's Run For Their Lives 8K run / 4K walk on Sept. 30. The Boy is doing the run; I'm doing the walk, which makes me feel lame, but lately my left knee has been protesting after about 20 min of running, so I don't think 8K of running will make it any happier. If you have a free afternoon, check out their new facility at 1997 N. Clybourn--it's beautiful, and full of cute, loving animals who need a good home. And if you want to donate to the cause, you can do so here.

I told the Boy that if I got a clerkship, I would reward myself with a cat. And I mean it. Maybe not immediately, maybe not till I move to said clerkship locale, but I really, really want a cat. And seeing the cute little kitty faces at the facility last weekend only strengthened that desire. I just emailed about volunteering at the shelter; I'm sure if I'm around animals every week, then I'll be desensitized and will feel less like having a pet. I mean, that's totally the way it works, right?

everything under the sun

2007-09-09T23:20:00.000-04:00

Crazy:

1) Saw a dude across the Southwest terminal at Midway today that I went to college with. It took about twenty minutes of staring at him and racking my brain to figure out who he was and why I recognized him, but eventually I did. And I verified it with a quick check in the yearbook just now. I may not be quick about it, but I'll be damned if I forget a face.

2) However, since I was messing with the yearbook anyway, I checked out what the Boy's ex looked like--nope, still no idea who she is. Huh.

3) While watching Dayton's ABC22 news this evening, I heard at the end of a story, "Reporting by Yunji Denise." And I thought, wasn't someone named Yunji the General Manager of WYBC the year before I was? And though I got the last name wrong (it's "de Nies"), I was right: it's the same person. Small freaking world.

Oh, and in case you were concerned--Foxy is still the cutest, softest, bestest kitty in the world. Yep.

give me a minute and i'll tell you the setup

2007-09-04T00:51:00.000-04:00

I am so damn tired.

Back from South Carolina. Lovely wedding. Not so lovely weather for most of it. Lovely delays, first by plane, then by ferry. My bag got inspected by the TSA on the way home. Delta's check-in staff at Midway is horrible, but they still serve free food in flight (peanut butter crackers! hooray).

Tomorrow (er, later today) is the first day of 3L, and I feel woefully unprepared. Not for class, necessarily, but for the onslaught of stuff. I need more vacation. Sigh.

tell him not to come back again

2007-08-28T00:17:00.000-04:00

I watched all 3 Bourne movies (for the first time) in less than 24 hours. Now I want to watch a fourth! Right NOW! *stamps foot*

As I was watching the first Bourne, I made some comment to the Boy about how they really found a very Euro-looking woman to play Marie, and kept thinking how much she looked like Lola from Run Lola Run. Then, as the second movie started, it occured to me that Franka Potente is a freaking actress, and that it very well may be and probably is her, and in fact, I was right. Sheesh. The Boy hasn't seen Lola, nor has he seen Memento, which would probably shock and disappoint Marj to no end.

In other news, I have not given up hope on creating a summer mix, and as I have over an hour and a half of iTunes playlist with possible suggestions for said mix, I think I can make this happen. Maybe tomorrow, while doing laundry. I'm finally listening to the new TMBG album, and "Take Out the Trash" (which was totally kick-ass live) suddenly reminded me of Fountains of Wayne's "Strapped for Cash," if only because they rhyme. And maybe they'll go next to each other on the mix. Or maybe they won't. But I'm listening to music again, which is a good start, since that random Mogwai stuff was up on my Last.fm listing for, like, two months. Sorry. I've been listening to a lot of music on my shuffle (like new Wilco and new White Stripes), and that doesn't register with iTunes.

Also, I'm thrilled to be able to read all the wizard-y stuff online now, and thanks for those of you who have already pointed me in the direction of such things. There's a rather lively HP discussion going on at That Other Blog, incredibly spoilery, of course, so if you're looking to air your theories and/or grievances, or just want to read Matt's lengthy take on how HP7 should have ended, check it out.

Anyway, I just spent $90 on a used textbook (blerg--but it was still $50 less than retail) and am feeling a little overwhelmed by all that needs to be done at the moment, so I'm going to retreat. I need more hours in my day. Can someone get to work on making that happen? As well as that fourth Bourne film? Thanks much.

something worth holding on to

2007-08-26T01:58:00.000-04:00

oh, MAN. What a great, great concert.

I told you that you wouldn't hear from me till Monday, but I lied. I'm stuffing my apps bright and early tomorrow (er, later today), so everything had to be done, copied and collated by 8pm this evening so I could make my way over to the ~~Dumbledore~~ Double Door to see Fountains of Wayne.

And I am SO GLAD I did. Fun, poppy Chicago-based band Office opened, and they've become a lot tighter in the year since I last saw them. They've got a new album out now, or soon-to-be-out, so I should look into that. Not that I've had time to listen to any of the other seven albums I've gotten in the last six weeks, including the "new" FoW CD I picked up from the merch table this evening. Anyway. Apparently Adam Schlesinger is their label boss, or their mentor, or their harmony god or whatever, and I don't doubt that, because there is NOTHING that man can't do. He is grrrreat. No one sings "shoo-bap shoo-bap" or "sha-na-na-na-na yeah" with as much conviction as he does, and rightly so. Those earnest little pop backup moments are what kill me in FoW's music.

So there was a lot of rocking out to be had, for sure (they ended with a rather ripping rendition of "Go, Hippie," which isn't a song I was expecting to hear), but more importantly, there was some soft rocking-out, in the form of my favorite "Troubled Times," which, oh, my. After the anticlimax of the WTTW taping two years ago and the rather humdrum set from last year's Taste of Chicago, I honestly never expected to hear a deeper album cut like that at their live shows. But they played it, and it was amazing, and I could've died right there--possibly from the sheer loveliness of it all, or possibly because it was 120 degrees inside the venue and I'm back to the land where people SMOKE INDOORS making it even hotter and stuffier and ick. Still, it was absolutely worth it, for me and for the rest of the sold-out crowd--including a lot of older concert-goers, which was surprising and heartening. I mean, I drag my mom to concerts all the time, but it's nice to see other people's moms and dads at shows, even without children in tow.

It's going to be a crrrrazy concert-going autumn--we already have tickets to Wilco and the Decemberists (again! end of October! I love them and cannot possibly get enough), and need to get tix for Of Montreal, the New Pornographers, Nada Surf, Girlyman, possibly Voxtrot if I can swing it, and others I'm very reluctantly passing up for financial and/or scheduling reasons (Kaiser Chiefs, Interpol, Rilo Kiley, Flaming Lips). But this concert set a high bar for the next two months of live shows, no question.

FoW FTW, people. FT freaking W.

voldemort can't stop the rock

2007-08-23T03:43:00.000-04:00

I am on vacation. You probably won't hear from me again till post-clerkship stuffing, which promises to be 100% debacle. (Er, that means after Monday, non-law-school folks.)

But I have, finally, only a month late, finished HP7. And yes, Justin, you were right--Harry is... a wizard.

Anyway, I'm ready to talk about it, even though everyone else is all talked out by now, I'm sure. So shoot me an email or make a note in the comments if you want to talk magicky things. And can I just say right now that I was so pleased with myself for calling a major plot point? Erica will back me up. woo! wizards!

bright future in sales

2007-08-14T17:04:00.000-04:00

I may never join a public television station again.

Because they do NOT STOP HARASSING YOU FOR MONEY EVER. Ever ever ever. Even after I've asked them to stop. Even after I told them that the only reason I joined was to attend a Fountains of Wayne taping, which they totally botched by cutting their time on the broadcast in half. Even after I tell them that I'm a student and that I don't have the extra funds. Even after they try to sell me the "student membership," which, did you not hear me? I DO NOT WATCH YOUR TV. I WATCHED IT ONCE AND WAS UNHAPPY WITH IT.

I guess I'm pleased that public TV exists, in a theoretical sense; maybe its very presence is making my life richer somehow. But when they DO NOT STOP CALLING? I am NOT pleased. Grr arrgh.

we sold our clothes to the state

2007-08-14T14:14:00.001-04:00

Back in Chicago, but not for long (off to San Fran on Friday), and therefore extremely busy right now. I haven't even been able to get to the grocery store, which means I've been scavenging in my apt for food that I left three months ago. There's a surprising lot of it, even though none of it strikes me as particularly nutritious. I had two slightly-freezer-burned veggie burgers for dinner last night, followed up by two biscotti; had two biscotti for lunch today, along with two packages of easter gummi eggs (still soft and chewy!). I think I'm back on the biscotti--I go through stages with food where I'll eat something all the time, then just totally tire of it and not want it anymore. Happened to me with salad this past spring; I think I've had so little salad all summer that I'm ready to return to the salad fold. I was all about the cinnamon Life/cinnamon Honey Bunches of Oats combo for breakfast last summer; can't even tell you the last time I purchased either of those cereals (enjoying vanilla almond Special K at the moment). So anyway. It's kind of exciting turning to my kitchen cabinet and poking around at the food once loved, now forgotten--I have about 20 pouches of tuna/chicken in various flavors/preparations, but not much in the way of side dishes, so I have to be creative about it. I do have a couple cans of green beans, for some odd reason--maybe a microwave chicken/green bean instant casserole? Could be good! Could be gross! It's an adventure!

Anyway. In the throes of a LOT of journal stuff at the moment, to be followed up with a LOT of clerkship stuff. Blerg. At least my apartment is sparklier and cleaner than it's been... possibly ever. Not since I moved in initially has it been so clean. Tilex = the best thing ever. Who knew my shower grout was so gross? Not I, apparently.

so little else occupying my head

2007-08-10T23:06:00.000-04:00

I am totally freaking awesome.

Because only I can stand up quickly in the bar restroom at my last Work Club event, excited that Kaiser Chiefs' "Ruby" was on the PA, and not notice the shiny freaking huge metal handdryer right over the toilet. I hit my head so hard I saw stars, almost threw up, could barely see straight and now have an enormous lump up there. Totally awesome, right? I am so poised it kills me.

So, that's one way to celebrate the end of summer. Another way would've been going out w/ some work friends this evening, as planned, but my head still hurts like hell, so I think I'll just go back to napping (as I have been for the last two hours--don't you envy my rockstar Friday night?). I missed Meerkat Manor's first new ep this season, but it's being re-run in less than an hour (woo), so I think I'll watch that, too. I wanted my summer to end with a bang, but not like this, not like this.

For those keeping track, though, Work Club gave me a job offer today, so they apparently want me back despite the attenuating liability concerns stemming from my abject clutziness. My fierce legal research skillz are worth their weight in potential worker's comp claims, I suppose. Sigh.

just a small town girl

2007-08-04T02:34:00.001-04:00

I fail at karaoke.

Seriously. My throat feels shredded right now. I don't know how people do this regularly. I am a choral singer, damnit. I do not belt. I was never meant to belt. I learned good vocal technique at such an early age that I actually had to have belting broken down and explained to me for my sophomore year high school musical. I found it so weirdly foreign--the musical director told me to say a vowel, then to use that same "voice" and extend the noise of the vowel, as though I were singing it, and it was SO HARD and sounded so awkward. I never really got comfortable with it then, and I'm still not very comfortable with it now. I have a very, very small belting range and not a lot of nuance.

But in a noisy karaoke bar? YOU HAVE TO SCREAM TO BE HEARD. So I SCREAMED. And now I hurt, oh, lord, I hurt. And because I am a worry-wart, I can feel the nodes and polyps forming this very moment. Blip. Blip. Blip.

Well, maybe not. I'm drinking water and telling myself that one night of SCREAMING won't really ruin my vocal cords. But it just sucks that there isn't, like, choral-karaoke bar. Where you get together and sing Mozart's Requiem or Handel's Messiah and rock out to the fugues and take turns being the soloists. I like that idea.

And my voice might be tired afterward, but at least it wouldn't HURT. OW.

It's such bitter irony--I love pop music, but I was never meant to perform it in front of an audience, I suppose. Sigh. Anyway. More soon. It's late, I'm tired, and there're at least three more glasses of water with my name on them. Ow ow ow ow ow.

where i find my heaven

2007-07-26T00:13:00.000-04:00

hey, kids.

Very tired. And on my way out of town for a couple of days, so this is really just a passing hello, not a long, meaningful greeting. Sorry about that--I am more tired this week than I can remember. I've had a relatively well-rested summer, I suppose. Usually it gets to be around 11:30pm, midnight and I'm not THAT tired, so I stay up and watch sitcom reruns till 2 or whatever. I actually went to bed at 11:15 on Monday night! and I'm still tired! I've been busting my ass at the gym this week, so maybe that's part of it. Those summer lunches will NOT get the best of me if I can help it.

So anyway. I haven't read HP7 yet. If you spoil it for me, I will hunt you down and levicorpus you. or worse. *grrrowls*

I did see a great Amos Lee concert last night, and a great Yankees game this past Sunday, and I get the suspicion that my weekend will be full of great music, as well. In a related piece of business, I would like to hit the TMBG show at the Bowery next weds night, but I do not have a show-going companion--O NYC friends, who would like to join me? pretty please?

For now, though? Going to bed. Have the sneaky suspicion that I'm forgetting something, but that's probably because half of my clothes (sweatshirts, long pants, etc) for the weekend are already in my tent, courtesy of my parents. Provided I don't do something stupid like miss my first train or my connecting train, I will be in the Berkshires by noon.

And oh, I cannot wait.

we've got to save ginny weasley from the basilisk

2007-07-21T01:57:00.000-04:00

it's here! I have it!

I'm not staying up all night to read it--I have gotten far too little sleep this week and I want to savor the reading experience. Plus I have to get up early to go to the beach with the Boy and his firm. I may take my little prize possession in my tote bag with me. After all, what's the beach without some beach reading, eh?

Plus, I have to have it finished by FRFF next weekend. That's far too many people in one place to keep from accidently spoiling me. And I will throttle any man, woman or child who spoils the ending. Period. I've been practicing my bat-bogey hex, so just you watch out.

kitten break

2007-07-18T21:25:00.000-04:00

because we haven't had one in awhile, and because she's SO CUTE (and cancer-free, still, which is very good news):

shoot an apple off my head

2007-07-14T20:47:00.000-04:00

I'm a little behind in my World Series of Pop Culture watching, so I didn't get to Wednesday's ep till now. And though I thrill to the continual Zoolander questions, I feel like they're sort of pandering to me when the answer is actually "Magnum." Sheesh.

Hearing Pat Kiernan deadpan a series of lyrics about backsides, though? Priceless. Man. I'm horrified that neither of the contestants knew the lyrics to "Big Bottom," however. Talk about mudflaps...

Soooo... I'm re-reading HBP in preparation for next Friday night. And there's a lot I love--particularly J.K. Rowling's little gerund-y asides after a line of dialogue, perfectly setting a scene, making me giggle out loud on a Metro-North train crowded with people. But I just can't get behind the Harry/Ginny stuff. Not that I have a better suggestion for a love interest (Draco?), but it just feels forced. Someone (Cassie Clare?) wrote a spot-on essay when HBP came out about it being a plot-driven rather than emotion-driven romance, which is because Rowling comes from a plot-driven perspective, or something like that. Anyway, it made sense at the time, and it helped me to forgive the one wrong note in an otherwise very compelling book--after all the SHOUTING and ANGST and 900 PAGES of OotP, it's truly a triumphant return to form. GoF is probably my fave book so far; I love the puzzles and quest motif and the wholly unexpected shock of a major character dying at the end. HBP is probably second, though, and I have very, very high hopes for our final installment. *giddy*

Oh, back to the World Series--there's a category made for me: "I'm With the Band," wherein they name 3 "lesser" members of a band and you name the band. Easy peasy. Everyone KNOWS Will Champion's in Coldplay. GOSH.

And from Thursday's ep? A category entitled "Those Talented Baldwin Brothers: All of the questions in this category are about Alec Baldwin. ..." *rimshot*

...I'm starting to think I need a World Series of Pop Culture tag. I seriously can't shut up about this show. Should I be embarrassed about this?

(but what's not to like about a show that features an entire category about Weird Al songs?)

a thousand times a day

2007-07-10T23:35:00.000-04:00

OMG HAVE TO BLOG:

The World Series of Pop Culture just referenced Zoolander! hooray! (The question: name the movie associated with the quote: "I'm a hand model, mama--a finger jockey. We don't think the same way the face and body boys do.") No matter how many faults I have with this program (WHY would you send someone who admittedly doesn't know 80s songs to answer an entire category about them?!), I definitely love it. and I can't believe it's been a year since the last round. Seriously. where has the time gone?

(YAY for billie jean lyrics! and I can't believe the dude didn't know it. OR the other guy. what idiots!)

(also, you're searching for your LOST SHAKER OF SALT in margaritaville, dude.)

(also pt. 2, I kind of hated Cheetarah by the end of last year's competition, but I really like that they're hosting backstage this year. and Mason from El Chupacabra is a Pop Candy reader! yay for them. I would like to see them do well again this year.)

ANYway. Hi, blog. It's been awhile.

I meant to blog on the 4th. 16 years, 16 years, got a bike accident, got you for 16 years... but instead, I got busy watching the Nathan's hot dog eating contest and the New Pornographers concert in Battery Park (WITH Neko Case, who is AMAZING. I wish I had the power behind her pipes). And then I spent the weekend working a little, and working out a little (BLERG summer food and drink), and watching Avenue Q (yaaaaay), and hitting some balls at the Chelsea Piers driving range... and NOT putting together my list of judges for clerkships. Sigh. I need to do that.

I did do laundry and mop and swiff and dust yesterday, and I should go to bed so I can go to the gym before work again tomorrow morning (like I have for the last week--seriously, I'm so good, it will probably kill me)... but I'm a night person, and I don't want to. There are Frasier reruns to watch and blogs to read! sigh.

So, yeah. I'm still alive (whoa-ho). Less than 5 weeks left in the summer jorb. Then, off to San Fran for a bit (hooray!) and off to Hilton Head for a wedding (whee!), and then 3L starts.

Huh. wasn't I just a 1L? How is next year my 5-year college reunion? Why do I have more wrinkles than I used to? Why isn't my hair as thick as it once was? Why do college kids look so young?

Maybe I should just go to bed. G'nite, kids. More soon. Promise.

we float through each other's lives

2007-06-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

There's just... so much. So much to say. Where do I start?

I'm listening to this amazing song right now (Umbrellas, "Ships") and it's bringing tears to my eyes, it's so gorgeous. I heard it on my iPod shuffle this morning on the way to work, possibly for the first time, and I knew it must be from my tentative list of summer mix songs, and I was reminded, more importantly and more insistently, that there is music that I'm neglecting. a LOT of music. My concert-going tendencies have hesitantly made their way into a couple of conversations at Work Club, and I now realize that most people... don't really get into music the way I do. I guess law school might've/should've clued me in to this minor detail, to a certain extent. And it does take energy, a LOT of energy, to keep on top of new music. I get weary by the end of the day, and I'd rather watch Frasier or Friends reruns on the CW late night programming than dig through my file of new music (240 items strong, notwithstanding the 400+ music blog entries since a month ago that I've neglected. F*cking prolific Stereogum). And hey, did you know that the CW shows reruns of the Jeffersons at 2:30 am? I didn't, before last night, when I woke up at 2:30 and couldn't fall back asleep till 5:30. I will also say that Pan's Labyrinth is an amazing film, and you should all watch it if you haven't already (though preferably not at 3 am). Thank heavens my subletter netflix'ed it and erroneously sent it here rather than to her place, or I might never have gotten around to seeing it.

Anyway. I saw a Wilco concert on Monday night, and MAN, do they put on a good show. The best part was a macramé owl that came down from the rafters above the stage for one song (and one song only), and Jeff Tweedy told the crowd that they wanted a whole macramé menagerie, and that we should all send our macramé handiwork to "Wilco, Chicago," and in that moment, I understood why I've been having such a hard time with my mail forwarding--all that damn macramé clogging the system. Seriously, though--they are amazing musicians and I need their new album, like, now. And their live album, too.

What else... went to Six Flags New England last weekend, despite threat of foot amputation from drop rides (seriously, like, what?). Nothing more serious happened than a set of lost keys on a particularly twisty rollercoaster, but... yeah, it was still a set of lost keys, and we had to call a locksmith and everything. We also watched UHF and a ton of YouTube'd Family Guy and Office and SNL clips and played DDR and ate pizza and cookies and generally had a ton of fun. Yay weekend. Yay Six Flags. yay cookies.

Other than that, I just can't believe it's the last week of June. Where has the time gone? I remember when I worked in between college and law school, how quickly weekends snuck by, and how fast the years spun past. I get that sense again. People are already rotating departments, or leaving for other firms, and I still really feel like I just got here. I mean, I've only done laundry here twice! (Granted, I may have more pairs of underwear and socks than the average person.) I also have no food in this apartment. It's pretty sad. Dinner = event, or takeout, and that's about it. I'm even starting to eat breakfast at work (had a tasty banana-orange smoothie this morn). I drink coffee in the mornings and not tea, since that's what's in the big carafes, and I really don't like Lipton, and no one brings to-go cups to work (I did, twice, and felt incredibly awkward both times). I'm trying to go to the gym as much as I can to fight the Work Club spread--I'm lifting still, which makes me feel strong and awesome, and I bust my ass on the elliptical, which has recently been bothering my "good" knee and thus makes me nervous.

...which also reminds me, a week from now is the Fourth. Wow.

Anyway. It feels a lot later than it is, and this is a long, rambly post, and I kind of want to sing, and I kind of want to read, and I'll probably end up watching TV, and hopefully I'll sleep through the night tonight. I just re-read my entries from July '06, and it reminded me that the frigging World Series of Pop Culture is gearing up again (July 9, mark your calendars, o ye gluttons for punishment), and I suppose I'll watch it, just to see if El Chupacabra can win again.

Those old entries also reminded me how much fun I had last summer, how great Chicago is in the summertime, and how great "Chicago" is, too (it came up on my iPod the other day and my heart nearly burst). I hope you kids back home are taking care of my city. I love NYC, too, but it's different. It's a little grittier, a little less personal, a little more intrusive. Chicago just... is. And I do miss it, especially this time of year.

Someone have a big slice of watermelon from the Dominick's stand at the Taste for me, will you please?

it's never too late

2007-06-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

BLERG.

So, while I was out at lunch at the House o'Cheese today (that's not what it's called, but as one who worships at the altar of parmesan, it was a little slice of heaven, for sure), I missed a phone call from one of my doorpersons at my Chicago apartment telling me that my mail was "really starting to pile up back there," and politely inquiring when I would pick it up.

UM.

I will be calling tomorrow to tell them that TWICE I have sent mail-forwarding requests to my Local Post Office, and that I've received the confirmation letter in return here in NYC, but that is the ONLY piece of mail I've received since May 12. MAY 12! While I'm relieved that my mail is SOMEwhere (and heck, when do I ever read a timely Time? my apartment literature sell-by date is generally worse than a doctor's waiting room), I kind of have to throw up my hands at this point. It must be the mail carrier's complete obliviousness to my forwarding needs, because I have literally spoken to everyone else in the distribution chain, from my doorman here in NY to the head of the Local Post Office in Chicago. Maybe my Chicago doorperson can smack some sense into my mail carrier and have her PLEASE stop overstuffing my poor Chicago mailbox?

I never had this problem in four years of college mail-fowarding--but then, all my college mail went to a College Mail Depot (we had our own zip code), so they were probably way more used to forwarding summer mail than the Chicago Post Office. I just really, really want a magazine that doesn't talk about April news. Is that too much to ask?

...yes, that clunking sound you hear is my head repeatedly hitting my desk. Sigh. Time to drown my sorrows in Laundry Club, I suppose.

oh, you got me shakin'

2007-06-15T00:36:00.000-04:00

hahahahaha.

Okay, so, I don't have time to blog. I need to get to Sleep Club so I can pry my sorry behind out of bed in the morning before work for Gym Club.

But I forgot to share yesterday that I totally Named That Commercial Tune in three notes the other day (it's an ad for Saturn cars; I left a clue in the subject header for the uninformed/curious).

And more importantly? Someone found this blog searching for "chocolate mango frappuccino zoolander." HA.

anyway. to bed! (assuming I can pry my sorry behind away from late night Frasier reruns. oh, that Niles!)

down a whispering well

2007-06-12T23:36:00.000-04:00

Work Club heated up a little bit this week--in the broadest, vaguest terms, I got to see some Law In Action yesterday and today, and that? was awesome. Also awesome? finally seeing where Law and Order is filmed! Those iconic steps and columns! hee. I half-expected Sam Waterston or Mariska Hargitay to come charging out at me.

Anyway, we had an event at the Tenement Museum, and I'm breaking the Work Club silence a little bit because it was an incredibly meaningful experience for me. My father's parents were immigrants from Germany--they lived in Brooklyn until he was in grade school, at which point they moved out to rural New Jersey. I made a few trips to that house when I was young, and I remember a Singer sewing machine at the top of the stairs exactly like the one featured on the front page of the website. I remember that house vividly, from the heavy feel of the front room, the chrome-painted fixtures and bright red wallpaper. The old raggedy ann dolls upstairs, the twin beds, the window seat. The little bathroom with the radiator. The porch. The boxwood hedges with that distinctive smell.

The similar feeling of the rooms in the Museum evoked the kind of steely tenacity it must've taken to pack everything up and move to a foreign country, away from family and friends, swapping everything familiar for an entirely new life. The Museum reminded me of how many, many families did just that, how so many of us came from that kind of history. I definitely wasn't expecting that. I'm not sure how many law firm events will come with a side of self-reflection, but I'm very grateful for this little opportunity for quiet time in an otherwise overwhelmingly whirlwind summer.

Sleep club now? Yes, please.

for the fun and the fashion

2007-06-08T00:02:00.000-04:00

man, it is HARD to keep up with blogging and Work Club.

In fact, I started this entry an hour ago and got sidetracked. And now it's once more time for Sleep Club.

Suffice it to say that things are good. Grades came out this week--bunnies galore, for which I'm grateful. Nary a squirrel in the bunch. (As Erica already knows, I prefer to think of my grades in terms of Maeby's report card. And I just spent 15 min on youtube trying to find that Arrested Development clip, but... no dice.) Had a bunch of fun law firm events this week as well, which means even less time around my tawny gypsy mac and its simple pleasures (music blogs... facebook... email).

And now I literally cannot keep my eyes open. Sorry I'm so boring lately. As a peace offering, I give you this:

and I have no privacy

2007-05-30T23:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, seriously, folks.

THE AUTO TOILETS DIDN'T AUTO FLUSH TODAY.

Like, not once. And I probably went to the bathroom at least four times and used a sampling of stalls (I had a lot of coffee to make up for staying up late last night).

That does it. I guess we don't talk about the toilets at Work Club either.

...though it did yield a positive result. hmm. Boy, I can't FREAKING STAND not getting a huge bonus as a summer associate!

*hopeful*

that's what keeps me down

2007-05-30T01:29:00.001-04:00

Hmm.

I didn't really mean for the rule regarding my not talking about Work Club to turn into the rule regarding my not talking about Anything. And I also didn't mean to be up this late. Whoops. (I might have been searching YouTube for Square One TV clips. And I might've found the Mathematics of Love, Draw a Map, Think (About the Problem), the Apple Rap, and my forever-beloved Angle Dance, among others. (I might not have found You Can Count On It or Tesselation, and that kind of really disappoints me.) I would include links, except I'm tired, and the people amongst you who have nostalgia for such things can find them very easily.

Unlike, you know, the perfect, factually-on-point case(s) you need to support the argument that your assigned senior associate/partner wants you to find on your favorite legal search engine. That's a lot harder. But I'm skirting the Work Club with that, so I'll talk about toilets instead.

I cannot FREAKING stand overly sensitive auto-flush toilets. I swear, I don't make wild gesticulations when I'm doing my business. I'm calm, sedate, orderly, whatever. But the toilets at work? Flush at LEAST two, sometimes three (or more!) times while I'm in there. And that's SO unpleasant. There's an annoying building at school with similarly problematic restrooms (ladies, I'm sure you know of what I speak), but I'm not there very often anymore, obviously. I cannot help but frequent my office WC, but I might start needing to take a bag in to cover the sensor or something. Grrr.

Also, I'm sure you cannot believe I stayed up this late just to share that with you all. More Work Club tomorrow, so off to Sleep Club now. whee.

standing in the greeting card aisle

2007-05-22T01:45:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been two weeks since I last blogged. Sorry about that.

Not that I have much to say right now. I mean, I do, but... I don't. Because I've started work, and the first rule about the Work Club is that you do not talk about the Work Club. Suffice it to say that I've spent a day being oriented, I'll spend half of tomorrow being further oriented and possibly starting some Real Work, and then doing various and sundry other things for the rest of the week. The sublet is great and would be perfect but for a HUGE administrative problem with the superintendent that's keeping me from receiving my mail (?!). If I weren't, you know, working full time, I probably could've gotten it totally sorted out today, but as it is, another day has gone by and another issue of Time has probably gone into the garbage. GAH.

It was great spending some time at home with fambly and kitty, though. And new camera! Kitty photos to follow. She goes in for her six-month checkup next week. Here's to hoping for more good news.

Hark! I hear the siren sound of journal work calling me! though I probably should've started before, you know, 12:45am...

time to put these combat boots away

2007-05-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

done.

And I feel... okay.

I never know how well I've fared till the grades arrive, anyway. I feel better about some tests than others, and better about some parts of tests than other parts. I saw Mr. Doyle of giant-cat fame as I was turning in my tax exam and I hoped that was an ausipicious sign. (An actual giant cat might've been more auspicious, but I'll take what I can get.)

Anyway, we're doing sushi tonight, which we haven't done in a long while, so I'm happy about that. I'm happy that I can snooze for 90 minutes tomorrow and not feel guilty about it. I'm happy that on Saturday I go home to see the cutest kitty in the world (oh, and my parents too, I guess). And in 12 days? I start earning MONEY, real money, for the first time in nearly two years.

And I'm VERY happy about that.

cycle on your bicycle

2007-05-06T23:01:00.000-04:00

Studying's not all fun and games, but it helps when your professor has a sense of humor. I just came across one of my favorite tax powerpoint slides of the semester, which I will attempt to recreate here:

§ 453: Mr. Doyle buys your giant cat for 10% downpayment and installments over the next five years. How are you taxed?

Income each year = payment (*) (gross profit / total contract price)

paradise by the dashboard light

2007-05-05T20:33:00.000-04:00

[...aaaaand sorry Brendan, but I'm spent with the dashboard stuff. expect something new next time.]

I didn't get to watch the Kentucky Derby, but I know for certain I would've put my money on Street Sense, because I like the name. Also because I kept calling him "Street Spirit," and I thought it was awesome that someone named their horse after a Radiohead song. I'd totally do that. Anyway, even if his name's a little more pedestrian than I'd hoped, I'd like to see him pull for the Triple Crown. And, you know, not die, like Barbaro. Because the world can only take so many horse churches.

No time for horsies now, though, what with one measly exam to go. Oh, and spring pollen allergies can KISS MY ASS. Seriously, Claritin doesn't seem to help my awful, itchy eyes anymore, and I don't have time to see a doctor. So, collective wisdom of the internet masses: what helps YOUR allergies (eye itching in particular--the runny nose stuff is under control)? Or should I just keep rubbing them and making it worse like I'm doing now, because it feels SO good for about a second and a half before the itching turns to pain?

...anyway. back to work. grr arrrgh arrgh grr arrgh.

the dashboard melted

2007-05-01T20:19:00.000-04:00

Per the weather widg: high today of 83, low of... 45.

Seriously? c'mon! I just took my winter coats to the cleaners. This is total craaaap. It dropped 15 degrees while I was trapped in the Lexis Lab doing page proof edits for my journal. I'm glad I brought my cute new umbrella-patterned raincoat to school so I was at least somewhat warm on the way home (though it has not, as of yet, rained today).

Also, I totally checked a woman with my shoulder on my walk back to my apartment from school. She was walking side-by-side with her middle-aged pals on a sidewalk that was already half-filled with tables and chairs (don't get me STARTED on how much I hate friggin' outdoor seating--my favorite part about winter is having full, glorious sidewalk usage), and there was a lamppost on my other side, so I didn't have anywhere else to go. I could have waited... but why should I have to wait when they're the ones who suck? So, yeah. I kind of hoped she'd try to start something. I've been working out (see bench-pressing rockstars, supra). I'm feisty. I'm tough. Come get me!

...yeah, maybe not. Anyway, sidewalk etiquette is something I take seriously, so if you're in violation of the rules, you're gonna get hurt.

And confidential to the lady in high strappy sandals who totally edged out in front of me at the corner while waiting for the light to change: do you really think that even with my heavy-ass backpack I can't walk faster than you? I'm wearing SNEAKERS, I did five miles at the gym this morning, and I felt really, really good about leaving you in my dust. Mwahahahaha.

While I'm still feeling fierce and competitive, it's time to re-attack the employment outline and practice tests. Tomorrow morning, it's on. Yeah. You heard me. It's on.

the photograph on the dashboard

2007-04-29T12:53:00.000-04:00

why it pays to use Lexis:

I just bought this with my accumulated Lexis research points. My point total went from over 26,000 to a whopping 31--but man, am I excited.

(I suppose it probably helps that I'm a Lexis Rep. However, I've still got another year of point accumulation ahead of me--and now that Kate Spade is being added to the Lexis store next week... *rubs hands in eager anticipation*)

Anyway, expect more posts with photos in them once it arrives. (Also, expect fewer derisive comments from my friends about my continued use of a *scoff* film camera.)

dreams they complicate my life

2007-04-27T22:07:00.000-04:00

Random observation: I have gone through more cans of diet soda in the last two days than I have in the last two weeks.

It's not all caffeinated (*tweak!*), in fact, most of it isn't. I think I get a little bit of an oral fixation when I'm stressed, so I need to be eating something, drinking something, or chewing something at all times (I've also gone through more gum in the last two days than I have in the last month, and I'd prefer to keep confidential my cracker and dry cereal intake).

Exams start tomorrow (the source of all this stress), and I'm getting things kicked off with a bang by taking Trusts & Estates bright and early tomorrow morning. The plan is to take Employment Law next Weds and Tax the Weds after (the last day). I've never taken a self-scheduled exam on the last day before; I hope the school doesn't turn into a zoo. If I feel ready (ha!) I might take Tax early, but I'm doubting that will happen.

I'm not as scared about exams as I was last year. I'm also not as overwhelmingly prepared for exams as I was last semester (for my, uh, one single exam). I'm feeling this sense of inevitability--the exams will happen, and I will be a passive recipient of them. I think I need to feel more like I can kick some ass, because, well, I can. (I think.)

I also think I need to finish working through these Trusts & Estates drills. I am a WHIZ at intestacy, though. Just try and die with out a will! I'll get your estate sorted out faster than you can say "English per stirpes," you betcha.

in the spaceship, the silver spaceship

2007-04-26T20:07:00.000-04:00

I read these books a while back, so I feel like I should (in my infinite spare time, ha) at least re-read the first one before the movie comes out in december...

...but in the meantime, I got a pretty ~~tiger~~ LION daemon! (wow, it's changed already.)

you can vote on it to see if you think it matches me or not, and if you change the balance, the animal will shift. Pretty neat little gimmack. Will only work for 12 days, though, so get in on it while the getting's good. (what else do you have to do--study? pshaw.)

a way to make you smile

2007-04-25T18:28:00.000-04:00

I really, really wish I'd come up with this idea:

Pop Songs '07, a blog that will "write about every R.E.M. song, eventually." It's pure delight for longtime fans like myself, and I'm learning new insight into old favorites already.

For instance, I have always heard "At My Most Beautiful" as a stalker song. I thought Michael's gentle, soft delivery was deliberately ironic, as he's clearly wielding a knife right below the melody line. "Saving messages just to hear your voice"? CREEPY. "Count your eyelashes secretly"? CREEPY. "I know you're closed-eye watching me, listening"? Yeah, because he's going to KILL YOU.

...and yet. Blog author Matthew Perpetua views it nothing more than a beautiful love song, and at least two of the commenters played it AT THEIR WEDDINGS. To me, this is no different than playing "Every Breath You Take" (also prominently featured in my stalkersongs playlist). I re-read the lyrics, though, and taken at face value, there's absolutely nothing sinister there... except, yes, yes there is! I'm truly astonished.

And now I'm truly behind on my work, having spent an hour reading all the Pop Songs '07 back entries and thinking about my favorite R.E.M. songs (that will have to be a post for another day, I'm afraid). Back to work. Sigh.

ruby ruby ruby ruby

2007-04-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

Two nights, two (indie) rock stars stagediving right over/into me.

Except where Thursday night I kinda-sorta-never-really was in contact with said rock star, Friday? I got an armful of sweaty Kaiser Chief frontman. I knew the whole time he was leaping around the stage that he was eventually going to dive off, and sure enough--right in the middle of their next-to-last-song, he plummeted face-first off the stage and was ushered along the sea of people toward the back of the theater.

Except the Vic has levels, lots of them, so he was headed right for me, in the second row of the first level up, having wormed my way forward. Me, and the EIGHT HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS standing around me. I could see a look of genuine terror in his eyes as he got closer, realizing that there was nobody in this little section of the crowd with more than 50 lbs of upper-arm strength (and, um, that would be ME and my awesome bench-press skillz. phear!). Worse, the girls saw him coming and FLED BACKWARD. NO KIDDING. A potential for first-hand contact with the lead singer, and you RUN? Kids these days!

So, now it's just me standing there, and I'm doing my best to prop him up and keep him from going head-down onto the concrete. Thankfully (and quick-wittedly, though I'm fairly certain I was yelling for him at that point), the Boy rushes in from a couple rows behind and single-handedly gets Ricky up on the railing in front of us so he can introduce the band. The sold-out crowd is going wild! The lead singer is standing right above us, clutching the Boy's head for support! wooooo! (To Ricky's credit, he did seem genuinely grateful for the Boy's assistance. Those nice British lads.)

The funniest part? Afterward, the girls were all, "I almost touched him!" "Oooh!" YEAH. YOU COULD HAVE HELPED. Geez.

Anyway, the Kaiser Chiefs were incredible--SO much energy, so much fun. I've paid good money for shows that were far less entertaining.

...and then I slept till 2pm the next day. Thank you, 3-3am nights spent with a trip-to-Egypt paper (it actually DOES end, contrary to the fatalistic viewpoint expressed in the previous post). Now, just 3 little old exams to take, and 2L year is naught but a memory. Shoot, but where does the time go?

fill our mouths with cinnamon

2007-04-20T01:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's Decemberists show was good, but tonight? Tonight was GREAT. Amazing set list, and I have to say--it might be worse on my back (everybody knows it sucks to grow up), but forsaking the comfort of the balcony for jostling of the stage floor just adds SO much more excitement and energy to a show, especially for as crowd-participation-heavy a concert as theirs. Speaking of, Colin stage-dived at the end of the show and nearly toppled onto me--I'd be fangirly about it, except I would've probably gotten a concussion. I can, however, vouch for the quality of his seersucker jacket (nice!).

Oh, and my little tawny gypsy mac is infinitely pleased that they played "Shiny" tonight. *strokes monitor lovingly*

I heartily recommend opening act My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan backup-singer Shara Worden's band. She opened for the Soof last fall and was decent, but she's really come into her own now. Very energetic with an unusual, fascinating voice. I love that she was classically trained and is now fronting a rock band. Shows there's still hope for me.

...I mean, um, if this lawyer stuff doesn't work out. Right. Ahem.

Back to the trip-to-Egypt paper (IT NEVER ENDS)...

box your ears and leave you here stripped bare

2007-04-19T03:32:00.000-04:00

Did I say I was done with the trip-to-Egypt paper?

That's not true. Woefully, hearbreakingly, exhaustingly not true.

I thought group work was supposed to be better in law school. That's what I told all my interviewers last fall--we're going to be collegial laywers someday, so the group work now is so much better because everyone cares more than in high school/college/whatever.

I now realize that the extent of my "group work" was working on legal writing projects with a like-minded study partner, who, yes, DID care. That is most assuredly not always the case, and it fucking sucks.

I'm going to bed. I'm pissed, I'm tired, and I'm sad that it's coloring my appreciation of the Decemberists (because they were wonderful tonight, and I'm sure they'll be wonderful again tomorrow). But maybe sleep will help.

the clicking of the heels

2007-04-17T22:48:00.000-04:00

Can you tell my trip-to-Egypt class paper is done? (Well, not really--I'm going to be fixing the citations after the Boy is done combining all of our group members' parts, and that will be a bitch, but it's not ready for me just yet.) I'm actually still listening to my shuffle, having gone to the store and back for some milk in the interim. And the great music just keeps coming. I got the Good, the Bad & the Queen, the Fratellis, new Modest Mouse, Kaiser Chiefs + Shins...

...and, of course, some New Pornographers. And I don't think Twin Cinema will ever leave my shuffle. It has assuredly wormed its way into my list of all-time best albums. I mean, it's perfect for working out, which is a key criterion for making it onto the shuffle in the first place--practically every song on the album is upbeat, or gets upbeat at some point, or has enough rhythm that I can pound an elliptical throughout and not lose pace. The songs are musically complex, rhythmically fascinating (I can never predict the shifts in "The Jessica Numbers," no matter how many times I've heard it), catchy, gloriously harmonized... I don't know how they'll ever top it, but of course, I desperately hope they will.

There's another album, though, the bulk of which also will be extremely difficult to ever swap out of the shuffle... and I say this because every time I update the shuffle I think about it a moment, and then delete something else instead. It's probably not something anyone would ever suspect, either, so hear me out on its awesomeness: the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack.

Seriously. Take a look:

1. The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead -- Crash Test Dummies
2. New Age Girl -- Deadeye Dick
3. Insomniac -- Echobelly
4. If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself) -- Pete Droge
5. Crash '95 Mix -- The Primitives
6. Whiney Whiney (What Really Drives Me Crazy) -- Willi One Blood
7. Where I Find My Heaven -- Gigolo Aunts
8. Hurdy Gurdy Man -- Butthole Surfers
9. Too Much Of A Good Thing -- The Sons Feat. Bret Reilly
10. The Bear Song -- Green Jelly
11. Take -- The Lupins
12. You Sexy Thing -- Deee-Lite
13. Get Ready -- The Proclaimers

With three exceptions,* this is one of the best movie soundtracks EVER (take that, Zach Braff). But the rest of the songs? So totally fantastic that it more than makes up for these minor failings. I know scarcely anything about most of these bands--did Deadeye Dick do anything else besides New Age Girl? Does it even matter? And you haven't really had a workout till you've pumped your legs in tandem with the triumphant lead guitar chords on Too Much of a Good Thing. It's another perfect workout album, from the glossy pop of Crash to the quirky humor of If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself), or the rump-shaking Proclaimers' cover of Get Ready. Plus, as an XTC and CTD fan, the opening track makes my little heart burst with glee the moment I hear Brad Roberts's deep "Let's begin!" at the outset. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the 90s were an excellent decade for music, and this 1994 soundtrack has earned its coveted spot in my 240-song shuffle. Considering I have nearly 23 days' worth of music to choose from, that's really saying something.

Anyway. Just listening to music is a pleasure I so rarely allow myself... it feels downright sinful to sit here and play solitaire and listen to R.E.M. and Equation and Gary Jules, Aqualung, Imogen Heap and Cat Power. Cat Power! That's another album I'm loving more and more as I hear it. Plus, there's last Monday's Diesel Sweeties, which has been playing at the back of my thoughts ever since (click to see it full-size):

* The exceptions are track 12 (meh--I'd prefer Groove Is In the Heart, thanks), track 10 (which I honestly don't remember what it even sounds like anymore, so long ago did I relegate it to the bin), and OMG TRACK 6 (which rivals Xmas at Kmart for worst song ever). The beauty of digital music? It's as though these didn't exist and, instead, we have a perfect little 10-song soundtrack instead. Ta da!

heard you sing the sweetest sleep

2007-04-17T20:53:00.000-04:00

Man, my iPod shuffle is on a roll--the English Beat ("Save It for Later") then Fountains of Wayne's "Troubled Times" followed by "Angel Won't You Call Me," by my favoritest Decemberists? I was going to take it off now that I'm home, but I can't bring myself to do so. In fact, I might listen to this one again...

...no, too late--it went to "July, July" before I could hit the back button. And I'm totally OKAY with that. Decemberists tomorrow! *dances around apartment*

Hi, reader! I'm full of sugar from FREE CONE DAY OMG. Next to my birfday, this is my favoritest day of the year. As the Boy will attest, I LOVE FREE STUFF, and I LOVE ICE CREAM, so FREE ICE CREAM is just about the best thing ever. Also, FREE CONE DAY is much more fun with people other than... um, not other people. I just realized I've done the last three FREE CONE DAYs solo, and while the principle (FREE ICE CREAM OMG) is still the same, it's a little less ALL CAPS when you're by yourself. Also, you feel a lot more guilty getting back in line for multiple scoops, which might be why I walked away today with three different flavors before we left Navy Pier. I sampled Cinnamon Bun (mmmmm), Chocolate Therapy (something I suspect ericat13 would enjoy), and lemon sorbet (because I'm a wuss and got ice-creamed out by the third round).

Oooh! Now I'm predicting a riot. Go little shuffle, go!

(Yeah, I know I put all this awesome music in my iPod to begin with. But I'm sure there's a loser track or two in there somewhere, but NOT TODAY. Because my iPod knows it's FREE CONE DAY, I think.)

but we still have the radio

2007-04-17T02:04:00.000-04:00

the internets are quiet tonight.

It's been a hard day. So much sorrow for some.

Makes my minor sorrows (stupid paper grr arrgh arrgh) seem minimal in comparison. At least I'm alive.

So I got to thinking about things I love about being alive to take my mind off the paper-writing (grr arrgh), and my mind went to Billy Collins, as it sometimes does. Search my archives for "Tintern" to read a previous favorite poem of his, or just sit back and enjoy a poem I was first introduced to on the walls of my bathroom freshman year of college (dry-erase marker, but the custodians were unamused):

I Chop Some Parsley While Listening To Art Blakey’s Version Of “Three Blind Mice”
By Billy Collins

And I start wondering how they came to be blind.
If it was congenital, they could be brothers and sister,
and I think of the poor mother
brooding over her sightless young triplets.

Or was it a common accident, all three caught
in a searing explosion, a firework perhaps?
If not,
if each came to his or her blindness separately,

how did they ever manage to find one another?
Would it not be difficult for a blind mouse
to locate even one fellow mouse with vision
let alone two other blind ones?

And how, in their tiny darkness,
could they possibly have run after a farmer’s wife
or anyone else’s wife for that matter?
Not to mention why.

Just so she could cut off their tails
with a carving knife, is the cynic’s answer,
but the thought of them without eyes
and now without tails to trail through the moist grass

or slip around the corner of a baseboard
has the cynic who always lounges within me
up off his couch and at the window
trying to hide the rising softness that he feels.

By now I am on to dicing an onion
which might account for the wet stinging
in my own eyes, though Freddie Hubbard’s
mournful trumpet on “Blue Moon,”
which happens to be the next cut,
cannot be said to be making matters any better.

come on chemicah-ah-ah-ah-ah-als...

2007-04-16T02:05:00.000-04:00

Remember this?

Well, then you need to see this. I was not kidding about Of Montreal being batshit-crazy.

oh, and did I mention that Paul Rudd sang karaoke with them on Saturday night???

I've gotta see these guys live sometime.

um diddle diddle diddle um diddle-i

2007-04-16T01:02:00.000-04:00

hey! I'm on YouTube!

Here's my big scene (fast forward to 2:30 if you don't care about seeing my classmate TJ without a shirt on):

And here's my other song:

And here's my cameo in our intermission video:

And here's the big-ass finale:

And here's my favorite number I wasn't in:

Want more? search for "wigmore follies" and go nuts. Also, start favoriting them and writing nice comments, please? thanks!

Now, back to the schoolwork I didn't do all weekend (I was in NYC, not just slacking, I swear)... Thank heavens I managed to get back to Chicago tonight--things could have been worse.