a way to make you smile

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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.

i can do it without you

...except no, no I can't. Help me buy shoes. I had to toss my old blue suede retro Skechers when I came back from Egypt--too much embedded sand, tar and camel hair, alas. I'm leaning towards these (as is the Boy, when queried):



but part of me feels like I should choose something a little more sneaker-y and perhaps slightly more rugged:



Maybe the correct answer is to buy them both and then send one back (or, uh, not... *cough*). Unless the readership weighs in as in favor of one or the other (or neither)...? A girl can, sadly, not live on Fluevogs alone.

repeating your name

So, I'm going to see the Kaiser Chiefs next week.

For free.

RAWK.

I always fill out those little contests that the JamUSA promotional emails have in them ("Win two tickets to see [insert artist here]!"), assuming it's an artist I like. Most of the time I've already purchased tickers to the show, so even if I won, I'm not sure what I'd do with the tickets. I decided against buying the Kaiser Chiefs tix back when they went onsale because I'd just bought a fistful of Decemberists tix and was feeling the pressure in my bank account. I've lately been reconsidering my lack of faith because their new album? SO GOOD. Still hadn't gotten around to taking the plunge, though, when lo and behold--I get an email telling me I won the contest! hooray! So now yours truly (and a +1) is on the Jam Web Promotions guestlist for the show next Friday night at the Vic. RAWK, I repeat.

...though now I'm not going to win anything for, like, another four years. Case in point: I won a CD from WOXY in 2003, and a TV in 1999.

Oh, and a circular saw in 1998. But that was a one-off, I think.

birds, snakes and aeroplanes

Happy Easter, dear reader! It's 32 degrees here and the forecast says hail. Awesome weather for an egg hunt! Sigh.

Not much to report on this end--busier than ever, as deadlines loom--and I'm supposed to be doing laundry right now. But after a much-later-than-anticipated evening out last night (ahh, Wigmore), I'm finding it hard to get inspired to be productive. Meh.

I did want to report that I procured the new Modest Mouse and new Kaiser Chiefs, though I've only had time to listen to the former. It, however, is awesome, and I saw the "Dashboard" video at the gym yesterday--SO great. I'm glad more of my favorite bands are adopting a nautical theme (see also Decemberists, supra). Check it out:



Finally, what the hell, people: why won't DJs play "It's the End of the World as We Know It"? Who doesn't love that song? I've been thwarted at two different bars for two saturdays in a row, and I won't stand for it anymore. Michael, Mike and I will take our beer tab elsewhere. Harrumph.

unlimited repairs

whoa, it's a posting rampage!

But this? is why I LOVE John Vanderslice. The nicest man in indie rock, hands down:

"If you'd like to sing LEAD VOCALS on a song, please find us before the show and we'll bring you onstage. Try to learn two songs in case we don't know your first choice. If you want to PLAY BASS, bring it (don't worry about the amp) and learn either 424 or My Old Flame. It'll be a free for all."

Too bad I'll be in NY when he's at Schuba's on Apr. 13, or I'd be all over "Promising Actress." Sigh.

kitten break!

I'm knee-deep in a Powerpoint for music class tomorrow (anyone want to know about Apple's FairPlay DRM? 'cause I can tell ya), but I just wanted to remind you that I have the CUTEST KITTY IN THE WORLD:




That is all.

with a crown and a sceptre

*dusts off blog*

Heeeeeeeeeeeey, kids! I'm still alive. And I honestly wasn't intending on resuming my blogging habits until after Wigmore Follies this weekend, because there's so much to talk about (Egypt! The impending stresses of the last four weeks of school! The gallons of Aquanet and spray-on white hair color that get dumped on my hair during Wigmore intermission!) that it's kind of overwhelming.

Then I got a TMBG newsletter that said they're going to be performing at THE IRON HORSE (Saturday May 5, two shows), and I had to tell somebody. Like you (and you, and you--but not you, sorry). Because I miss the Iron Horse, and I miss TMBG, and the two together? man! I wish I could be there.

I'm also missing Paul and Storm/Jonathan Coulton AGAIN when they hit Schuba's on May 18 because I'll be in NYC by then. Sigh.

I don't have the new Kaiser Chiefs album, but based on the strength of their single "Ruby," I feel I need to get it, and fast. Same goes for the new Modest Mouse and "Dashboard." Kaiser Chiefs are coming to Chicago on Apr. 20, and I didn't initially purchase tickets to the show (I'm seeing ye olde Decemberists on Apr. 18 and 19), but I'm kind of questioning that decision now. Hmm. While I decide what to do, check out this interview with Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk in the Washingtonian.

Also, the new Shins album? EXCELLENT. Did I talk about that already? I can't even remember. But it was on my iPod shuffle throughout my Egypt travels, so the songs popped up often--and I'm digging it even more now.

And in true Egyptian form, I demand some baksheesh for pointing you in the direction of these shows/artists. I will stand here and point at this hieroglyph until you acknowledge me and give me something. Hello. Hello. Hello. Where are you from? Hello. Good morning. Hello.

More soon, mes cheries. Je t'aime et vous me manquez, for seriousness.

the sin, the sabotage

Did I neglect to mention that the Trip to Egypt Class leaves, um, later today?

For Egypt?

Like, Alexandria, and Cairo, and Luxor and stuff?

Yeah. I'm mostly packed, but there's a lot of last-minute things I need to do (back up my files, print off my interview contacts, etc). So, I'll be tired to travel tomorrow, as usual, but maybe I'll actually sleep on the plane like I'm supposed to.

You probably won't hear much from me, well, for awhile, because it's Wigmore tech week when I get back, soooo... feel free to keep commenting on your fave late-90s bands (Harvey Danger! Eve 6! Chumbawamba! well, maybe that's just Matt) and I promise to post a photo or two when I return.

calling on in transit

The boys from Athens got a nice blurb in today's USA Today. Good to see they've got the same instinct about the state of the music "industry" as I do.

Also interesting--even though I was all pedantic in my last post about some dude getting the lyrics to "Video Bargainville" wrong, I might have no idea what's actually going on in "Radio Free Europe." I was going to title this post "beside yourself if radio's gonna stay," because that's what I always thought Michael was singing. Turns out half the lyrics sites seem to think it's "decide yourself," and a quick listen (for educational purposes!) seems to imply the latter is actually correct, and probably makes more sense. Not that R.E.M. lyrics ever have to make sense.

And I definitely thought it was "calling all river transit" until this very moment, so perhaps I should be more charitable about the mondegreens of others.

just ask for roger

Well, looks like that last post really shook the Primitive Radio Gods fans out of their hiding places. *scoff* Bet you guys liked "One Headlight," too. I loved the Wallflowers' "Sixth Avenue Heartache," but ten years later, I still think "One Headlight" was overplayed. guh.

Anyway, I was poking around Facebook instead of fixing my citations in my comment (yeah, yeah, I KNOW) after a I got a message from an old Fruhead friend of mine who mentioned that she'd listened to Bargainville for the first time in ages a little while ago. So I decided to see what was up in this "Fruheads United" group I joined. And I am astonished--ASTONISHED--that someone posted on the message board inquiring after the existence of the C album. I guess it's like any fandom--it is what you make of it. But, like, though I can kind of understand not owning it (well, not really--it's not the best album by any stretch, but you're calling yourself a Fruhead, right?), how could you not at least KNOW about it? I guess I make a point of knowing a lot about the artists I like (even the ones I'm not stalking traveling to see), so I can't comprehend such ignorance, particularly for THIS band.

Oh, and some dude on a different thread was like, "I have a college friend who says we can pay one price for two!" And I immediately thought, "PAL. you have a college PAL." I might not actively listen to their albums much any more, but the songs? The songs will never leave me.

However, I'm still pissed off I never got my Frumiles-earned copy of Fireside Fruvous. Grrr.

oh the glory that the lord has made

Huh. Popular music was really, really good a decade ago.

I happen to be digging through Wikipedia for some ideas for my Music Class paper, and I just happened to click through the entry for White Town's "Your Woman." The UK #1 song preceding its reign on the charts in late January, 1997? Tori Amos, "Professional Widow." What bumped it from its top spot? Blur, "Beetlebum."

Sigh. I loved, loved, LOVED radio back then. LOVED it. (With the possible exception of Primitive Radio Gods' "Standing Outside a Broken Phonebooth with Money in My Hand." I HATED that one.) The Boy and I will sometimes play "Remember when...?" and trade band names and song titles that captivated us back in the mid-to-late 90s, which was really when I started to come of age as a music aficionado. I remember getting ready for school listening to Cake's "The Distance" and No Doubt's "Just a Girl," or doing trig homework with Ben Folds Five or Radiohead. Or Bush. Or Soul Coughing. Oasis, the Wallflowers, K's Choice, Smashing Pumpkins, the Verve, Sarah McLachlan, Liz Phair, Tonic... yeah. There was a lot of really good stuff on alternative rock radio, and even though I certainly don't lack for new music nowadays, there's just not that collective sense of, "This is what an entire city is listening to, and damnit, it's great."

Then again, maybe I'm waxing poetic too soon: the song that preceeded "Professional Widow" on the UK charts? That would be the Spice Girls' "2 Become 1."

Forget I said anything. Back to the paper.

is this just fantasy?

I smell strongly of baby powder.

No, I'm not suffering from diaper rash--we had our poster shoot for Wigmore Follies tonight and as I play a wizened older professor, I'm supposed to have white hair. Well, baby powder seriously isn't going to cut it for the actual show, mostly because the smell is making me nauseous, but also because my (bright red) hair isn't really looking all that gray. But it sure feels gross. And the smell, oh, the smell... I think I'm going to dream about it tonight. Blecchhh.

Also, I'm glad that the old-age-makeup tricks I learned at theater camp in middle school are still paying off well over a decade later. Of course, back then, we had to force a smile or frown in order to find the wrinkle lines and pencil them in. Now, they're just... there. *sigh*

standing in line to see the show tonight

So, the reason I toggled over to Blogger was to make sure you all knew about the upcoming Get Smart movie, which pleases this little fan to no end. And as a huge proponent of all things Steve Carell, I think he'll be excellent--but Anne Hathaway? Seriously? I don't care if she did flash her boobs in Brokeback--she is not mod enough for 99, no way (plus she has big chicklet teeth). Who would you pick instead?

In other news, I saw a fan-freaking-tastic Red Hot Chili Peppers show last night! Seriously, I don't care how old those guys are getting--they can still bring the rock. (Not The Rock; however in a weird twist of coincidence, he, too, will apparently be in Get Smart.) Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith are all top musicians and Anthony Kiedis is an incredibly entertaining frontman--plus, I personally much prefer their newer catalog to their old stuff, so the fact that it was Californication, By the Way and Stadium Arcadium-heavy was not disappointing in the least. Somewhat disappointing, however, was the performance by opening act Gnarls Barkley, who seriously seemed disengaged from the whole thing. Maybe they've played "Crazy" one too many times? (Maybe they just need some new music, huh, boys? I've heard rumblings about a new album in the works.) Still, a thoroughly entertaining evening on the whole...

...except for chain-smoking dude in front of me, with total disregard of the fact that the venue was NON-SMOKING. This happens a lot at big shows: once the lights go down, the smokers figure they're safe and start lighting up. It pisses me off because I can't say anything to them--they're obviously devoid of any sense of moral propriety or they wouldn't be sneaking cigs in the first place. Plus, this guy was so obnoxiously drunk that he would probably have sneered at me and then blown smoke deliberately in my face for the rest of the night, which I definitely didn't need. No joke, though--he was practically lighting them one off the end of another. And I'm so exhausted today, and it's because I don't react well to secondhand smoke. It's like my body has to fight extra-hard to process that crap out of my system, so the usual amount of sleep just doesn't cut it. I hate smoking, and if you're lighting up in front of me, you can bet I'm judging you for it.

Make all the excuses you want, smokers, but someday you're going to want to quit. Or you'll die. It's that simple.

the light in the tunnel at the end

I had these for supper tonight:




And you know what? It's hard to be tired and cranky when your meal is smiling cheerfully up at you.

this story would break my heart

Zero attention span.

Seriously. This is bad. I'm supposed to be in bed, asleep. So now I'm telling myself to finish my reading and be in bed, asleep, by an hour from now. Instead, I'm wandering the RSS feeds and TWoP forums (never a good sign) and listening to Aimee Mann on repeat instead of just DOING MY DAMN TAX READING.

Remember the vicious cycle from yesterday? Well, I think the reason my tax reading is so daunting is because I'm so tired. But the longer I wait to DO it, the more tired I'm going to be, so I really should've just read it an hour and a half ago when I got off the phone with my mom. (And by the way, Foxy's first 3-month post-cancer checkup shows her to be still cancer-free, but she's lost a half-pound, which is sort of not good, but not symptomatic of anything in particular.)

Anyway, I'm not going to dally here, because it's just another scheme to delay the inevitable (tonight, "the inevitable" happens to be the accrual method of accounting). I've said it every semester thus far, but I MEAN IT THIS TIME: NO MORE 8:45 AM CLASSES. If I could get to bed before 2 am, I might be okay, but I'm apparently unable to manage that. Sigh.

i'm in a crisis

Sigh.

I had a pretty crappy couple of days towards the end of last week, for mostly emotional reasons (namely: I was too damn tired and my emotions were fraying under the strain of exhaustion), so I took a Mental Health Weekend--in other words, I didn't do any work. Friday, I did laundry (*tiny cheers from the crowd*), then went to a bar and played board games with the Boy and friends of ours. Incidentally, I knew I sucked at trivial pursuit (the old, classic version), but it was made abundantly clear to me that the ONLY trivia I remember is that which is music-related, seriously. My narrow-minded prowess is downright laughable--though I now know that Leadville, CO is the US's highest highest point incorporated city (and the reason I'm remembering that is also music-related, as my fru-friends will attest).

ANYway. Saturday was sleeping late, lots of TV, a homecooked meal by the Boy and The Illusionist (which was pretty good, due in no small part to my main man Paul Giamatti). Today, I had tasty dim sum and a Chinese New Year parade (though I eventually got too cold to really enjoy the festivities), plus a viewing of last Thursday's installment of The Office and Wigmore Follies rehearsal this evening.

So, yeah. Awesome. Except now? I'm still at school, I have a LOT of reading to do plus journal-related stuffs, and I'm setting myself up for another exhausting week. This is a vicious cycle.

Anyway, the first round of ExRec '06 has shipped, so if you haven't received yours, let me know. And if, after seeing this (kick-ass) playlist, you want one for yourself, it's not too late.

1. Regina Spektor—Better
2. The Decemberists—O Valencia!
3. Beirut—Scenic World (New Version)
4. Of Montreal—Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
5. Built to Spill—Liar
6. John Legend—Save Room
7. The Twilight Singers—Forty Dollars
8. Panic! At the Disco—The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage (Tommie Sunshine Brooklyn Fire Remix)
9. Office—Oh My
10. Rainer Maria—Clear and True
11. Ben Kweller—Penny on the Train Track
12. The Long Winters—Fire Island, AK
13. Regina Spektor—Fidelity
14. Imogen Heap—Speeding Cars
15. Winterpills—Found Weekend
16. The Submarines—Brighter Discontent
17. Voxtrot—Trouble
18. Kaiser Chiefs—Ruby
19. The Shins—Phantom Limb
20. Michael Stipe (feat. Chris Martin)—In the Sun
21. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins—Melt Your Heart

the days, they seem to fall through you

HOLY CRAP.

A friend of mine from high school just got married in Vegas last weekend.

Not five minutes before I heard about it, I was poking around an old Geocities website of mine (animated gifs galore) and happened across a photo of me and her from the end of our freshman year, and got to thinking about what we'd've been doing ten years ago (probably planning a girls-night anti-valentine's cookie party or something)... shoot. I realize we're all certainly old enough to get married, and another of my high school friends has been married for a couple years already, but I didn't even know this friend was dating anybody! I guess I'm kind of out of the loop.

Anyway, it's definitely in character for her, so while the whole thing is somewhat shocking, I'm not exactly surprised. Plus, she looks absolutely lovely and glowing in her photos, and I'm sure she and her new husband will be very, very happy.

But still, Vegas! Wow. Her life is entirely more carefree and thrilling than my paltry mechanics-of-tax-code-section-7872 existence, I assure you.

engagements are booked through the end of the world

So, another law school blogger linked to this awesome video showcasing Steve Burns (formerly of Blue's Clues) and Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips performing a cute song about Groundhog's Day. She labeled her post as "for the mommies," but I heartily disagree, and not just because I'm a childless fan of smart kids' music (my sixteenth birthday party did, in fact, prominently feature VeggieTales' first Silly Songs video).

It reminded me that after Songs for Dustmites, Steve Burns totally dropped off the map, which is sad because I liked that CD quite a bit and I wanted to hear what else he had to offer. A swift iTunes search confirmed no new albums, and a swift trip to his homepage confirmed that there's a new album "nigh," but not yet here. However, I DID see that his cover of They Might Be Giants' "Dead" is available on iTunes, and I recommend it.

In ever-outward-spiraling efforts to procrastinate, I sampled the rest of the Hello Radio TMBG tribute album and found... not much else to recommend. The Long Winters' "Pet Name" is possibly better than the original, and I snagged "Narrow Your Eyes" for the cool harmonies on the chorus, and "It's Not My Birthday" because I just love that song, and the cover features an accordion. But the rest? Meh. Several sound like dirges (including, disappointingly, the Wrens' "They'll Need a Crane," and OK Go's dismal rendition of "Letterbox"), others are just ill-conceived ("Boat of Car," "She's an Angel"--and seriously, that is MY SONG, and I'm so bummed at how uninspiring the cover is), and still others I just reject on principle (I've never liked "Road Movie to Berlin"--sorry, Frank Black. I hear your album Honeycomb is highly reccommended, though).

Bottom line: TMBG fans, get the Steve Burns and Long Winters tracks, leave the rest. If you've got the originals, you're not missing anything.

Anyway, that was an unusually digressive trip round the internets. And as I'm leading discussion in Trip to Egypt Class tomorrow and not yet done with the reading, I've lots to do this evening. But I'm in a cheerier mood, thanks to the groundhog song. hee.

will you feel better?

It's official: ExRec '06 is done but for the pressing.

Tracklist to follow shortly; the recipients deserve to be surprised. And if you've never been on the Exam Recovery list before, hit me up in the comments and I'll get you hooked up. (For the uninitiated--are there any?--this is my eighth(!) annual year-end best-of mix cd. I work hard to make it awesome, which is why it takes so long, sometimes.)

And yes, it's damn belated. But it makes up for it in musical goodness, I promise.

you're gonna hate yourself in the morning

I have no idea how it got to be after midnight and I haven't done a lick of reading since class ended at 6. GAH.

...well, okay, I do have some inkling: I went to the gym, and then the Boy came over and helped me finish Superbowl/indian food leftovers, then we watched Family Guy from a week ago, then I read about eight thousand law school listserv emails about the untimely resignation of our student bar association president (I'm mildly interested, but more because it's something out of the ordinary than because it affects me in any way whatsoever) and futzed around the internet, as I'm wont to do.

So, now, I'm going to go to bed late again, and I'm going to be tired tomorrow, and that wasn't the plan.

And I shouldn't be dallying on the blog, but I wanted to mention that Mom and I saw a pretty awesome Eddie from Ohio concert on Saturday night--they were at the Black Orchid, a kind of upscale/art deco/yuppie venue within walking distance of my apartment (normally... when it's not, like, -10 degrees outside. In fact, as I type this, I'm wearing a pair of emo-rockstar fingerless knit gloves I got for free at the Death Cab concert on my birthday in '05. They shield my poor skin from my drafty apartment and my trendy metal computer case, and for that I forgive Q101 for sponsoring such a fashion faux).

I don't think I've seen an EFO show outside of FRFF since Jack Quinn's in March '04, and while sitting through "Great Day" without actual blue sky and green grass (...well, sitting through "Great Day" at ALL, but that's neither here nor there) seemed a little odd, it was a fantastic set. Highlights for me were "And the Rain Crashed Down," "There's a Carp in the Tub" (heee robbie kid song), and their cover of "We Belong Together," in honor of their friends Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro. I was reminded suddenly of FRFF '05 when it seemed like Dan was everywhere, and always wearing the same shirt--a shirt for HIS BAND. Hilarious. This year is my fam's ninth FRFF, incidentally... kind of hard to believe. Hopefully I can escape NYC for a (long?) weekend so I won't miss seeing my extended folk family (and the artists, I suppose).

...but anyway. I also will highly recommend the Goose Island Sunday afternoon brew tour--as I said to Bruce in the comments below, $5 gets you a tour, six beer tastes and a pint glass! I think having a pint before the tour was probably a bad idea... but seeing as how Chicago totally sputtered out in the Superbowl anyway, napping through a good portion of the second quarter didn't really make much of a difference.

Mom also mentioned that she reads ye olde blogge, so hi, mom! I'm doing all my work and not messing around at all! That stuff up top about procrastinating online--lies, all of it, I swear... *laughs nervously and changes subject*

blood still warm on the ground

Have we all seen the Decemberists' new O Valencia video?

It's a little reminiscent of the video for 16 Military Wives, though the plot's a bit harder to follow. Still, fun to watch. Plus, I haven't seen Chris Funk since his shred-a-palooza on the Colbert Report.

More soon, as I'm in the middle of a totally fun weekend (next stop: the Goose Island brewery!)--but in the midst of all this Super Bowl nonsense, don't forget about the REAL contest this afternoon: Puppy Bowl III!

we'll bill this city

Wait, so, to publicize release of the Vista OS, Microsoft has hired... Starship? On a FLATBED TRUCK???

Way to keep your finger on the pulse, Gates. I bet all Zunes ship with "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" pre-installed, huh? Sheesh.

i have hardly grown up since you met me

HOLY SH--wow, that was close.

So, like, for ages and ages, a long long time, THIS blog has been at the top of my Blogger options. Now, however, "Music, Copyright and Digital Technology" is before mine in my blog listing (there are only three blogs--it's not like it's overwhelming), so I, of course, blindly click on the first blog and start typing.

And thank GOD I decide to use my "shenanigans" label for, like, the second time, and yet it doesn't pop up automatically after I start typing. So I click the "show all" option and the only tags are "Apple," "iTunes," "DRM"... and I think, huh. Have I even USED those tags?

THEN I realize, OH. THIS IS NOT MY PERSONAL BLOG.

ABORT ABORT ABORT

I could save myself a lot of trouble if I just hosted my own damn blog on kkdotcom. Sigh. I was going to talk about shopping for swimsuits in January, but now I'm just thankful I DIDN'T talk about shopping for swimsuits in january on my CLASS BLOG.

Off for Indian food, which should make it all better, I hope. yikes.

all about chemistry

It's official. Music class = the best law school class ever.

Why? Because my reading for tomorrow (portions of Rockonomics) contains an extended quote from (Semisonic drummer) Jake Slichter's masterpiece, So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star.

Coincidentally, I read that book nearly two years ago, while visiting the law school for Admitted Students Weekend. It's a phenomenal piece of work about the music industry and you should all read it yourselves.

And *I* should finish my reading for tomorrow. But seriously? I LOVE THIS CLASS. It's like getting class credit for doing the stuff I do normally.

I'm totally pulling one over on the administration. (Shhh, don't tell.)

edited to add: Well, whaddya know. Apparently music class will be blogging through Blogger, too. So, I'm making my profile private for the time being--no sense tempting fate. I've said nothing but good things about the class here, but I'd just as soon not encourage clickthroughs from bored classmates.

haven't thought of you lately at all

So, what would you rather do tonight:

Watch the State of the Union, on EVERY major channel at 9pm/8 CST...

...or watch Veronica Mars's first new episode in two months on the CW?

Unless there's a murder mystery on the State of the Union, I'm sticking with option (b), please.

(er, that is, after I spend four hours taping students negotiating. THEN Veronica.) reprieve! I can go home now--and do laundry! hooray!

come on chemicals

This video is completely insane. Like, batshit-crazy. And you must take three and a half minutes out of your busy weekend to watch it:



I have a lot of Of Montreal songs, but I've never taken that step forward in purchasing an album. Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer is a must-get, no question--comes out next Tuesday.

edited to add: Apparently this was directed by the Brothers Chaps! That actually makes a lot of sense. Heh.

we're on the edge of a knife

Blogging on a Friday night--how rockstar of me.

But anyway--our music class prof told us to check out the Digital Music Weblog, which I'm now subscribed to and find really interesting. So, if you're into that sort of thing (iPhones and Baidu.com and ragging on the RIAA--what's not to like?), check it out. Or, at least, read this posting about an independent artist who managed to sell enough shares (or "parts") of his record to fans on Sellaband to make the $50,000 necessary to fund his album. Awesome! And a truly auspicious harbinger of success with a new business model in the music industry.

Oh, and grades came out today, a day or two later than they were supposed to (the 1Ls were in a FUROR--still are in a furor, actually, if the action on our listserv is any indication). I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat, but I do get a little rush of adrenaline when I log on to check grades each semester. Keeps the heart pumping. All I can say is apparently I'm getting the hang of law school now, which is good. I wouldn't relive last semester for ANYthing, but all's well that ends well, I suppose.

Now the Boy and I are going to watch the Office from yesterday--well, we will, when Monk and Psych stop recording. (Yes, I still use a VCR--but I also get free cable from my building management, so the TiFaux will have to wait.)

it's not unusual to be loved by anyone

Is there a reason that iTunes would send me an "alert" containing news about a Decemberists live EP... and Tom Jones's From the Vaults??? Huh. We appear to have a fraught relationship, iTunes and I.

I killed a silverfish the size of a small car in my bathroom this morning. I still have the heebie jeebies. Add to that the ENORMOUS cockroach that disruped my Music, Copyright & Digital Technology seminar (hereinafter, "music class") and I've had a very buggy day. The cockroach gushed when it was killed. Ickkkkk.

Music class is great, though--I love that I could participate by being able to explain what the Grey Album was and who did it. We also got to listen to snippets of both George Clinton's "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" and N.W.A.'s "100 Miles and Running," for academic comparison purposes (of course) regarding a recent sampling decision by the Sixth Circuit (in effect, "If you sample, get a license").

I've gotta give props to my good ol' college senior advisor, Professor Dunne, because I read enough cases and learned enough about copyright law four years ago to be able to hold my own against those who took copyright law in law school. Campbell v. Acuff-Rose? Newton v. Diamond? That George Harrison lawsuit w/ the Chiffons? Yeah, we were all over it. Anyway, it's shaping up to be a great class, cockroaches notwithstanding.

I've got miles of trusts & estates reading to do before I sleep, so off I go. Even though I've now got "Shit! Goddamn! Get off your ass and jam!" running a pleasant little loop in my head...

makes me kind of nervous to say so

YAY three-day weekend! And possible snowstorm on Sunday night/Monday! If I were in grade school, I'd be furious to have a snow day on a holiday--but I'm not, and I love winter weather, and we just haven't had enough of it this year. (Sorry, Bruce!)

Anyway. I'm working on ExRec '06 (*tiny cheers from the crowd*) and accidentally deleted the iTunes playlist with all of my ideas, lovingly compiled over the last 4-5 months. This is the second playlist I've accidentally deleted in as many days, and I'm REALLY annoyed at iTunes for not having an "undo" function to fix such errors. I guess I'm so used to being able to undo anything--cutting and/or pasting, moving files, transferring things to the trash--that this new development came as total shock/horror. I acquire a LOT of new music on a weekly basis (courtesy of the music blogs, mostly), and many of the tracks on this lost playlist were one-off songs that I couldn't recall offhand. GRRR. I've managed to cobble together a new playlist and am working on whittling it down/fixing the track listing, but seriously? iTunes needs to get its act together. If there's a way to make it ask you twice ("Are you sure you want to delete this playlist? Circle one: Yes, No, HELL NO, AND BACK AWAY SLOWLY FROM THAT DELETE KEY"), I'd love to hear it, because, arrgh.

swear to shake it up

So, I'm spamming my blog this evening--think of it as penance for taking an extended hiatus over the holidays. Those of you who don't use a blog aggregator to read these entries might notice a rather unending list of Panic! At the Disco songs to the left, courtesy of last.fm. I kind of feel silly, because their lyrics are SO earnest and almost laughably meta at points--but holy crap, it's catchy stuff. And it's proof positive that a good alternative radio station works wonders for album sales: if I'd listened to Trunger's recommendation a year ago, I'd've bought the album back then--but with no music to go on, I forgot about them. And I was feeling severely heat-sick during their set at Lollapalooza (plus the burlesque girls onstage with them were a little off-putting), so I missed them in favor of the AT&T Blue Room o' Air Conditioning.

But when I was home for vacation, friend Dara recommended that I check out a new alternative radio station out of Cincinnati, 94.9, that was playing GOOD songs, like what we used to hear on the radio in high school, not that new-metal crap that alternative stations morphed into in the early 00's. And it did play good songs (Pearl Jam, Bush, old Beck, even stuff like the Smiths and the Cure)--but it was also playing the heck out of "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" (did I mention that this band is overly earnest?). And I was intrigued, and the chorus got lodged in my head, and I received $50 in iTunes bucks from the 'rents for Christmas... and now? I'm so all over it. A little behind the curve, and possibly a little sheepish (the median age at their concerts must be, like, 16), but all over it.

Relatedly, I've long thought that the first version of a song that you hear is the version you like the best (assuming you like the song at all). For instance, I'm way more partial to Rufus Wainwright's "Hallelujah" than Jeff Buckley's (and Leonard Cohen's, though that possibly goes without saying) because I heard it first, and I think his voice just suits the song so well (and is a little less over the top, blasphemous as that might seem to some). So it makes sense that I think I prefer the Snakes on a Plane remix of "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage" (I downloaded it from some blog or another; I swear I do not own the SOaP soundtrack (though I do still like the Cobra Starship theme song)) because I heard it mere seconds prior to the album version. Heh.

Whoo. Anyway. I'll try to rebuild my indie cred tomorrow; for now, I'm happy with my carnival emo-pop. Let's get these teen hearts beating faster, faster...

adrenaline pulls us near

YAY! Good news on a Monday: R.E.M.'s being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Hooray! Other inductees: Patti Smith, Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and the Ronettes. I don't really know what the induction gets you, other than absolutely no indie cred whatsoever (hopefully some cash?), but it's damn cool nonetheless. Supposedly they're recording a follow-up to Around the Sun right now? Maybe I ought to renew my fan club membership in case they tour--it's worth the $10 fee a hundred times over for second-row seats, no question. The fan club CD this year was the songs they played at the 40 Watt club in Atlanta w/ Bill Berry--verrrry excited to listen to that.

Oh, and you get another YouTube video to commemorate the occasion. I was going to post Bad Day, because I love how earnest and news-anchorly Michael looks, but there's too much going on in it and it doesn't translate well to pixely streaming video. So, you get this one instead:



well, I lied--you get two videos, because I have a very fond memory of making my friends rent a tape of R.E.M. videos in high school and then watching this one over and over again until we had the dance down. Heh.

throw your love around

Happy 2007!

It's January 5 and it's 60 degrees here in warm & cheerful Centerville, OH. (At least the "warm" part is apt, but "cheerful"? Try me again when I've got something to show for my paper revisions.) Woo freaking hoo. El Nino + global warming = teh suck, for serious. I want WINTER weather, damnit--or if it's going to be WARM, at least be SUNNY. *stomps foot*

Anyhoo. I had a wonderful Christmas (would you believe... the Get Smart DVD Box Set was under the tree?!) and a KICK-ASS New Year's in New Haven--more Catchphrase than anyone thought humanly possible, peppered with spontaneous renditions of "Dick in a Box"--yeah, good times. I won (!) a game of Poker, helped teach 6 people Euchre, and floundered at both Apples to Apples and Categories (underwear is SO sports equipment. sheesh). We had 16 former classmates show up for the NYE festivities, which was a truly amazing turnout. Oh, and if Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers come to your town on their spring tour (as they're likely to do--they'll be in Chicago twice in the next four months), you TOTALLY need to check them out. SUCH good music, and so very all-around entertaining. (Also, though it helps to look up directions to the venue before you leave, it's definitely not required--especially if you want an accidental tour of the sketchy parts of Bridgeport, CT.)

I could go on, but I'd rather share this gem I came across from Filter's celebration of Michael Stipe's 47th birthday yesterday (it was also the Boy's birthday yesterday! but he hasn't danced with the Muppets, so he doesn't get a YouTube link):



Does Peter Buck ever smile? Seriously. Watch the original Shiny Happy People vid again, too--SO AWFUL, and yet so awesome. Christmas also brought When the Light Is Mine, the DVD comp that coincides with R.E.M.'s IRS-label retrospective, and I'm eager to watch it...

...which is why I need to get going on these paper revisions. Sigh.

when half-spent was the night

I am packing a prodigious amount of clothing for my trip home.

No, seriously, I don't know what's gotten into me. It's kind of terrifying. I decided to take my big suitcase because I have gifts to tote, and ostensibly will have gifts to tote back... but I'm filling the space I have, which means I'm taking an awful lot of clothing. I just don't know how to pack for this trip! It's as though the fact that the vacation stretches over the end of the month--into a NEW YEAR no less--suddenly means I have to take every freaking thing I own. Factor in a New Year's celebration out of town (must pack celebratory clothes), get-togethers with friends (must pack something besides long-sleeved Ts and sweats), and the fact that it's a ridiculously warm Christmas (must pack t-shirts AND sweaters) leaves me utterly clueless as to what to bring.

I mean, I'm going to my parents' house for most of it--they HAVE things like shampoo and lens solution, and even if they don't, they probably won't mind running to the store--but I also have to work on my paper, so I need to take Lexis printouts (which, when they hang out in little clusters, tend to be quite bulky), and now that I know what the new Harry Potter book title's going to be (ooooh deathly hollows), I really want to reread Half-Blood Prince... but I don't need to be carrying a hardback book on the Megabus. Plus, if I read a book, I really ought to think about finishing Blindness, if not for my sake, for Karol's...

...I'm overthinking this, and at 2:30 in the morning, when I need to be asleep. Sigh.

Anyway, dear reader, I'm off for Ohio. My blogging will be sporadic, so I leave you with a treat I discovered the other day, and which I'm really, really glad I didn't know about until after my journal draft was done: PeekVid, this unbelievable site for streaming TV shows, and other stuff, too--but take it from someone who literally spent all day watching the first 10 episodes of Ugly Betty: you don't need to venture farther than the TV section for hours and hours of entertainment. Maybe now I can get caught up on this Heroes show everyone's on about...

Also, can I just say that the Boy is the bestest gift-giver ever? I feel like my gift skillz are shoddy indeed in comparison. I am the proud owner of a new pair of upscale coffee-colored Camper pumps and a new shiny silver clippy iPod shuffle! Seriously, he's good.

And seriously, it's bedtime. Happy holidays, reader. Be back soon.

burn this whole city down

Folks, don't forget to watch the Colbert Report TONIGHT at 10:30 CST--it's Stephen's showdown with Chris Funk of the Decemberists! (And if you've managed to miss out on the fun so far, go here to catch up.)

Also, I took my exam yesterday--woo, I suppose. I'm "done," but not DONE, which sucks. Stupid paper grr arrgh.

But I'm goin' out a-shoppin' right now. Christmas only 5 days away? Pshaw! Plenty of time!

I wish I had a river

Thanks for the lovely birthday wishes, everyone. Unfortunately, no, I'm not done with exams--I'm taking my (only) exam tomorrow afternoon later on today, even though our exam period technically stretches till Thursday. I do have to revise my journal comment into a proper 2nd draft for my directed reading & research prof... but he's thoughtfully given me till Jan. 8 to turn THAT in, and even though I really, really don't want to spend (any of) my winter break doing work, I probably will, because I've trained myself not to be able to do ANYTHING without a pressing deadline.

Then, Friday, home, just in time for Christmas (yikes! What else am I getting my parents?). I sincerely hope next year's academic calendar gives us a little bit more of a winter break, but it's probably going to be more of the same--test, test, test, then home in a rush right before the holiday. Last year, being able to enjoy my birthday with exams done by the 15th--a fluke, probably. which sucks. At least school won't start again till the aforementioned Jan. 8 (hallelujah).

Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling, and I'm supposed to be making a checklist/table of contents for my outline, anyhow. Did I mention that my building is turning off our water from 9am-noon? Because they'd definitely do that on a day when I'm home, not otherwise occupied, and probably would desire to use the bathroom sometime therein. Good thing I actually left my apartment today to see the sign in the lobby, huh? 'Cause that would've been a nasty surprise.

you say it's your birthday...

...well, it's my birthday too, yeah! And 25 feels a lot like 24, only with rental car privileges, I suppose. Hmm. *contemplates renting car and driving far, far away from her remaining school obligations*

So, Frillgirl tagged me in the holiday song meme that's spreading like hot spiced wine wildfire across the blogosphere, and as a HUGE fan of holiday music, I'm totally down. The only requirement is to name five of your favorite holiday songs and then tag 5 others to do the same... but I'm gonna do more than that, because there's no way I can pick just 5. (And if you're looking to supplement your own holiday music collection, check out WOXY's holiday music stream--lots of new stuff as well as the favorites you already love.)

So, how about 5 classics (staples from the midnight Christmas Eve church service):
Joy to the World
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Ye Faithful
Silent Night
Angels We Have Heard on High

And 5 (well, six) more religious ones, with my favorite performers noted (if I have one):
O Holy Night
O Come O Come Emmanuel (LOVE Belle & Sebastian's version)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings (BNL/Sarah McLachlan)
Un Flambeau, Jeannette Isabelle
What Child Is This?

Plus 5 classic pop songs:
Thanks For Christmas - The Three Wise Men (really XTC)
Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
2000 Miles - The Pretenders
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby/David Bowie
River - Joni Mitchell (though Peter Mulvey's cover is pretty awesome)

5 newer songs that I adore:
Holiday Road - Matt Pond PA (WHY don't I own any of their stuff?)
O Tannenbaum - They Might Be Giants
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Tori Amos
Christmas Carol - Nerissa & Katryna Nields
The Winter Song - Eisley / Deck the Halls - SheDaisy (okay, I can't decide on just 5)

5 funny songs:
Jesus's Birthday - Bob Rivers
Toy Sack - Bob Rivers
I Want an Alien for Christmas - Fountains of Wayne
Lonely Christmas Eve - Ben Folds
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy (ahh, the classic)

5 Hanukkah Songs:
Jesus Was a Dreidel Spinner - Jill Sobule
The Hanukkah Song - Adam Sandler
Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel - South Park
Jesus Envy - Eric Schwartz
Hine Ma Tov - Puzzle of Light

And finally, 5 songs that make me think of Christmas, even though they're not "Christmas" songs:
Winter - Tori Amos
Valley Winter Song - Fountains of Wayne
Blizzard of '77 - Nada Surf
My December - Linkin Park (...yeah, I know, and I'm digging myself deeper by admitting I heard it for the first time covered by Josh Groban--but it's a good song, for serious)
A Long December - Counting Crows (always my favorite, always)

SO. I'm tagging 5 people, and just know that you only have to do 5 christmas songs, not 35 (unless you want to). Happy holidays, dear readers!
Kristine
Cella
Bruce
Chris
Carey

a girl in need of a tourniquet

well, shoot.

I was just reminded that in 1999, both Aimee Mann ("Save Me") and Trey Parker/Matt Stone ("Blame Canada") lost out for Best Song in the Oscars to Phil Collins's monkey tune ("You'll Be In My Heart"). That's a double travesty.

Also, if you didn't see the Office's hour-long Benihana Christmas spectacular last night... you seriously missed out. (Fortunately, you can see it again next Tues at 8pm CST.) I knew it was going to be hard to top last year's iPod gift exchange, but this episode was howlingly funny, especially with the karaoke ("you... you... you... you... you... you outta know!"). Speaking of, yours truly had the surreal experience of karaoke-ing in the lobby of her apartment building last night (again, for a holiday party). I'm happy I live in such a friendly place--it's just a shame I couldn't stay longer (or avail myself of any of the free beer/wine), what with a looming Business Associations exam and all. Alas.

in the bleak midwinter

So, a quickie first item: apparently I'm now cool enough to advance to Blogger Beta if I so choose, but I'm a little reluctant because I have the suspicion that one's RSS feed gets messed up when that happens, so it appears to your readers that you're not updating when, in fact, you are. Any beta-Bloggers out there want to confirm or deny this suspicion, or care to provide rationale for/against the switch? Having tags seems novel enough, but are there other benefits? (This reminds me that I really, really wish I had the knowhow to publish a blog from my own damn website, because seriously, why am I paying for the server space again? Old radio show playlists and a dusty guestbook, anyone? Sigh.)

More importantly, however, I wanted to mention that beloved webcomic dieselsweeties.com will be exclusively a webcomic no more come the new year. That's right: R Stevens got himself a syndication deal and he's taking it to the streets! (I mean, um, the papers...?) Anyway, this news totally thrills me--I've followed DS for years now, and it's so heartening to see talent get national recognition rather than mere web notoriety. So, basically, this is my appeal to you to check out his archive so you can get in on the ground floor before the hoi polloi does. (I still get my comics from the Dayton Daily News (secondhand, courtesy of my father), so hopefully they'll pick up DS to fill the holes left by the imminent demise of Foxtrot (?!) and For Better or For Worse (?!!).)

Oh, and do not leave his site without checking out the t-shirts. As proud owner of the Li'l Sis heart, Roger the Cat, and the Buccaneer-Americans Ts, I can vouch for their coolness. (Plus, you can say you bought merch before R Stevens sold out! heh.)

come on fhqwhgads

Couple of little notes from the weekend I meant to mention sooner, but got distracted by final Supreme Court class papers and other miscellany:

The Boy and I watched four rentals in three days, and I can heartily recommend two of them. Well, actually, he watched all four; I unrepentantly slept through Click, but he assures me I didn't really miss anything, so I don't feel so bad. The other clunker was The Break-Up, which, eh. Not terrible, and it featured some great scenes of Chicago, but I left wondering what, exactly, I was supposed to take from the film: if your sig other isn't exceeding expectations, don't nag him--dump him and go travel for six months. He'll get his shit together while you're gone and you'll meet breathlessly, accidentally, on the street with rosy optimism for your future? Sure, right. I can suspend some disbelief when called for (see Love, Actually, which I made the Boy sit through a couple weeks ago and which he found wholly unrealistic, whereas I continue to find it cute and charming), and I'll make a lot of concessions for films involving Jason Bateman (Smokin' Aces, anyone...?), but this film wavered too far between escapist and realist to be much of either. (Plus, not a good date movie. No suprise there, I suppose.)

Excellent, however: Syriana. Engrossing though disturbing, well-acted, complex. And even though I knew it was based loosely on a real-life memoir, I didn't realize just how true-to-life the plot was until the Boy explained how much of what was described actually happened. (See this transcription of a 2001 New Yorker article for more of the real-life stuff, though possibly wait till after you've seen the film for context.) Again, not a feel-good film, but one that makes you think seriously about the way things should work v. the way they actually work.

And finally: Wordplay, the crossword puzzle documentary that you may or may not have heard of. It's very interesting, though, and a lot of fun, as it culminates in the 2005 Crossword Puzzle Championship in Stamford, CT, so you're rooting for the various characters you meet throughout the film. Plus, you can't watch the film without newfound respect for Will Shortz, who just has such unabashed love for his work editing the New York Times crossword and running the yearly championship. If you're a puzzle nut, or if you appreciate a compelling documentary, definitely check this out.

Anyway, one of the contestants in Wordplay is a 20-year-old student at RPI who is shown several times wearing a Trogdor t-shirt. I commented on this and received a blank stare from the Boy, who apparantly missed out on being introduced to the joys of Homestar Runner by a college suitemate. So, of course, after the film I walked him through the intro, and a couple strong bad emails, then a teen girl squad or two (which didn't go over nearly as well as I'd hoped, and at which point I think he started to get a little scared). I also totally forgot how much fun the Trogdor game was, though I do distinctly remember the role it played in my almost not finishing my senior essay. *coff*

I was just honestly surprised that there were still folks out there (even folks with whom I associate regularly!) unacquainted with this particular site, which has brought me such joy lo these four years.

(...plus, my Limozeen shirt is probably the best shirt ever.)

get a little warm in my heart when I think of winter

So, I'm adding the x-mas music to the iPod, as Erica is also doing. "Too early" my ass--I've been ready for Christmas for weeks. I know others feel differently (the Boy, for instance, thinks I'm a nut), and I'm not advocating for the pre-Halloween holiday rush or anything, but I do see merit in getting preparations done during November so that the whole of December can be reserved for enjoying the holiday rather than stressing out about house decorating, etc. It's also how I've been raised: my mom LOVES Christmas. I mean, I can't express in words how big of a holiday this is in our little family. We have multiple trees, some with themes (s'mores ornaments, teeny beanie babies (adorable, trust me), "my" little tree, with all of the ornaments I've accumulated over the years), and a large, dense, elaborately decorated tree that's absolutely mesmerizing. I love watching the lights and studying the ornaments, many of which have become like old friends, most of whose stories I know (and hopefully won't forget, as I've been told time and time again that someday this all will be mine, which is both gratifying and terrifying).

My mom has told me that when she was young, they never prepared for Christmas--some years her dad would come home with a tree on Christmas Eve, some years not, and either way the tree would be out for the trash on Dec. 26. She recalled one year when he came home drunk and never got around to decorating the thing, spending the night instead dragging tinsel for the cat until he passed out. She was so heartbroken to wake up to an empty tree that she swore she'd really, really celebrate Christmas right with her family--and maybe she's overcompensated a bit, but it's not a coincidence that this is my favorite time of year. When I came home from the hospital for my first Christmas, days after entering the world, Mom said I stared at the tree so very intently that it would keep me occupied for hours. And this year, when I won't be home to see the tree till Dec. 22, I take comfort in the fact that it's already decorated and the lights are up on the outside of the house. When I do finally take my exam and go home, I will spend as much time as I possibly can in front of that tree, drinking it in, bathing myself in green and red and blue and yellow light, listening to Christmas songs and remembering when I was finally old enough to help with the tree, how much it meant to me to be able to hang an ornament or twelve, to participate in an annual ritual rife with history and meaning. I could do without presents, honestly--but I absolutely can't live without a tree, no matter how small. (I have one of these plugged in right now.)

Nor can I live without holiday music, which is, I suppose, what got me off on this tangent. High on my list this year is Aimee Mann's new holiday album and Sufjan's set (though I'm strangely captivated by all these Billy Idol Christmas Videos). What, dear readers, gets you in the holiday mood?

it's snowing, it's snowing

...or, at least, it was earlier today. And it THRILLS me, because it's DECEMBER, so it should snow. This is the bestest time of the year, this stretch from Thanskgiving to New Year's--and as of today, you have only sixteen shopping days until my birthday. So, like, better start hittin' the stores, and stuff. Those Family Guy Season 4 DVDs won't buy themselves, you know.

ahem. Anyway. This weather is a little unbelievable: Wednesday, as I was rushing to school to turn in my first draft of my comment, I got so warm I had to ditch my coat--and all I had on underneath was a t-shirt, and I was fine. Today, the weather widg is telling me it's 26, but it tends to both over- and underestimate temperatures at the extremes, so I'm guessing it's more like low 30s. But still--craziness. Plus, now that I'm coming off a couple days of hard labor on my comment, I totally feel entitled to kick back and just watch tv/play on the internet, which I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR because I have another paper due next Weds, not to mention an exam to start outlines for. But all of that just seems so... far away. I suppose I ought to at least choose the case I'm going to write about for my paper, or something. Sigh.

You know, I've had all these great blog topic ideas float in and out of my head today, and now that I'm here and taking the opportunity to write... I've got nothing. Eh. Oh, wait, here's something: Stephen Colbert calling out the Decemberists. You've gotta wait till the end of the clip, but it's laugh-out-loud worth it.

Also, take a look at this really inspired video for Regina Spektor's "Fidelity" (a likely candidate for ExRec '06):

born in one millennium

I'm totally going to get that email from our school's IT department telling me I've checked my email too many times today (and can I tell you how LAME it is that our school even does that? I mean, do they power their email servers by hamster? It's almost 2007--put some of our thousands of tuition dollars into your technical capabilities, for god's sake). But I can't help it--I'm squeeeeeaking through my comment, page after page, and I'm desperate for distractions. Not big distractions--I don't have time for that, especially if I want to see Jonathan Coulton/Paul & Storm tomorrow night at Schuba's (still a big "if" at this point, but I'm-a-hopin')--but a little something here or there would be nice. Sigh.

As a recap: Thanksgiving = great. Weather was beautiful, parents were fun, food was delicious, and desserts were plentiful. Plus I didn't have to cook or wash a single dish (thanks, Mom & Dad!). I just wish I hadn't left so much work on this paper till now, so I would've enjoyed my holiday with more impunity and less guilt (and more meerkats--Animal Planet, how I *heart* thee). Oh, well. I procrastinate because I suck, and I suck because I procrastinate. Which is what I'm doing now.

More soon, when I'm not feeling so emo. Blerg.

have to have someone take the fall

So, I also accepted my job today. It was remarkably anticlimactic. I think the hiring partner figured I'd just call the recruiting coordinator, because he seemed genuinely taken aback that I was calling him directly. I mean, he did give me my job offer, even though we didn't have an extended interaction thereafter--it seemed like the right thing to do. Anyway. So, that's that. Now I just need, you know, a place to live. And money, dear god, I would like to make some money again.

But I also wanted to pop in here and say how stupid it is that Congress insists on naming their statutes ridiculous things just so that they can be cutely abbreviated for a "popular" name. I mean, who can take a journal comment seriously when the topic of discussion is The Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (yes, that would, in fact, make it the "PROTECT" Act)? Thanks, Congress. Thanks for NOTHING.

hold onto nothing as fast as you can

Something prompted me to check my archive, and sure enough, I started this blog a year ago today. It's not really my blog-iversary; I blogged on imeem for a little bit before migrating to Blogger. But I've kept with this one, and I kind of like it, and I think a couple others of you out there kind of like it, too, so I'm glad I stuck around for a whole year. I spoke with my mom tonight and she reminded me that I've had a pretty good year, stress and fear and frustration and exhaustion aside. And she's right, all told. It has been good. Hope I can say the same for next year.

I haven't talked much about my job search since the interviews ended over a month ago. I've been silently agonizing and going in circles, and I narrowed it to two firms that I really really like, and I think I'm going to accept with one of them tomorrow. I think. If I can make myself make the call. I keep reminding myself that even though it could (hopefully) lead to more, it really just is a summer job that I'm accepting, and if I don't like it, or if (god forbid) they decide they don't like me, I can fix things next fall. But, of course, it's hard to keep that perspective, and it's a bit disingenous. It's a mindset that's helped me to commit, though--a real job seems awfully final, but 3 months? 3 months is nothing. And with any luck I'll love it there, and they'll like me, and things will go fine.

But, yeah. Job. Check. Next up: finishing my journal comment, then my last US Supreme Court paper, then my only exam (while revising my journal comment for my prof). You know. Nothing much, really. Easy.

born with soil embedded in your hair

Wow. CHS's fall play, "13 Past Midnight" (what?), has a Facebook Group. And if I wanted to, I could subscribe to my high school's RSS Feed.

I don't feel that old. I'm not, actually, that old. In a month and a day I'll be nominally older, but it really wasn't that long ago that I was in a fall play or two (or three) myself. But shoot, we didn't have Facebook events. And we had to walk to the theater uphill, both ways, through the snow... right.

I guess my point is that I was taken aback when I read in a news clipping recently about Eileen Booher being principal of CHS for six years, and thinking, "Really? Nahh. McDaniel was still principal when I graduated... seven and a half years ago. Oh." I'm sure ten, twenty, fifty (God willing) years from now, I'll chuckle wryly at how taken aback I was at being already three-quarters of a decade out from high school, or how different things are now for students than they were for me, how technology progresses at lightning speed, and how they're finally putting in the new theater we needed fifteen years ago... but for now, I am astonished, and a little nostalgic. I had a fantastic time for (most of) high school, much of which was courtesy of my involvement in the drama department, and I have no doubt that I'd've been the one setting up the Facebook event if such a thing had existed back then.

This, coupled with Supermarj's comment about her belief that the first time you see a band is generally the best, is prompting me to transcribe one of my favorite Billy Collins poems rather than work more on my journal comment--because this is a public service, no?

Lines Composed Over Three Thousand Miles from Tintern Abbey

I was here before, a long time ago,
and now I am here again
is an observation that occurs in poetry
as frequently as rain occurs in life.

The fellow may be gazing
over an English landscape,
hillsides dotted with sheep,
a row of tall trees topping the downs,

or he could be moping through the shadows
of a dark Bavarian forest,
a wedge of cheese and a volume of fairy tales
tucked into his rucksack.

But the feeling is always the same.
It was better the first time.
This time is not nearly as good.
I'm not feeling as chipper as I did back then.

Something is always missing--
swans, a glint on the surface of a lake,
some minor but essential touch.
Or the quality of things has diminished.

The sky was a deeper, more dimensional blue,
clouds were more cathedral-like,
and water gushed over rock
with greater effervescence.

From our chairs we have watched
the poor author in his waistcoat
as he recalls the dizzying icebergs of childhood
and mills around in a field of weeds.

We have heard the poets long dead
declaim their dying
from a promontory, a riverbank,
next to a haycock, within a copse.

We have listened to their dismay,
the kind that issues from poems
the way water issues forth from hoses,
the way the match always gives its little speech on fire.

And when we put down the book at last,
lean back, close our eyes,
stinging with print,
and slip in the bookmark of sleep,

we will be schooled enough to know
that when we wake up
a little before dinner
things will not be nearly as good as they once were.

Something will be missing
from this long, coffin-shaped room,
the walls and windows now
only two different shades of gray,

the glossy gardenia drooping
in its chipped terra cotta pot.
And on the floor, shoes, socks
the browning core of an apple.

Nothing will be as it was
a few hours ago, back in the glorious past
before our naps, back in that Golden Age
that drew to a close sometime shortly after lunch.

I wanna do right but not right now

Oh, for crying out loud.

Usually, I'm just finishing class right now, but our prof is otherwise occupied today so we were set free. So, of course, it makes total sense that today's the day they're jackhammering up the sidewalk right outside my window. GAH. Not like I need any kind of peace and/or quiet to study for tonight's Negotiations exam, no sirree...

I went to the gym with the Boy again today--fourth time now? He's helping me with weight training, because I never have had any kind of upper body strength (and I'm way intimidated by the machines, very few of which I knew how to use prior to this. Weight machines can only hurt you if you use them, after all--don't play their games). Plus, it's an especially good thing for women to do because it helps combat osteoporosis. Apparantly I'm already going up in the amount of weight I can lift, which is good, but I swear, my lower abdominal muscles are NEVER going to forgive me for the punishment I'm putting them through. I was lying on my stomach reading last night, and every time I moved they felt as though they were about to cramp up. I suppose once they get stronger this will be less of a problem, but it's a pretty damn steep learning curve at the moment.

Also, it's good I'm going to the gym because being a Lexis Rep? Means sitting next to an enormous bowl of candy for an hour or two every day and daring yourself not to eat any. I used to be pretty good, but anymore I just dig in, especially if I'm manning the lab right before lunch. Today, for instance: two funsize packs of gummi Life Savers, a mini Almond Joy, two funsize Twix and a mini midnight Milky Way. It's like every day is Halloween. I have got to start cutting back, no joke, or when I sit around the Lexis Lab, I'll really sit around... oh, nevermind.

oh, bless your soul

MAN. Just when I think I'm totally over "Crazy," I hear Jude covering it for some French radio station and I'm totally taken in again. Not just the song, really, but that it's the perfect song for his crazy counter-tenor vocals. I miss that guy. Supermarj gets to see him all the freaking time and I've never seen a concert of his. Sigh. I wish King of Yesterday had gone places so he'd still be making major label (or at least major-indie label) releases. No One Is Really Beautiful remains one of my favorite albums, and not simply because I listened the hell out of it during a formative time in my life (my first semester, freshman year of college). (...though, aha! A quick trip to his website to provide a hyperlink for the uninitiated reveals he has a new album coming out via CD Baby on Nov. 16. O providence!)

Anyway, I wanted to blog about the Decemberists' show last night, which was fantastic, as usual. They are a must-see live act, honest to God. The Crane Wife's orchestral prog-rock translates really well into a live setting, though the Boy and I lamented that the new songs are so long that we were precluded from hearing others of our favorites (anything off of 5 Songs, for instance, or more than one song off of Her Majesty...). It was refreshing to hear "16 Military Wives" and "The Engine Driver" again--none of the songs on the new album quite reach the anthemic feel of each of those masterpieces from Picaresque. Still, I'm quite taken by the new backup vocalist/violinist/multi-instrumentalist Lisa--I've previously whined about how Petra's vocals overpowered Colin's when I saw them twice at Metro last year, whereas Lisa's voice blends quite nicely (though she was kind of hard to hear on the "Yankee Bayonet" duet). Chris Funk was playing a hurdy-gurdy (!) during "Sons and Daughters," the song that closed their set--but for an encore, Colin played "A Cautionary Song" while John, Lisa and Chris wandered through the throng of concertgoers and acted out "the final battle in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit," which I couldn't really see from the balcony but which was surely as entertaining as it sounded. Plus, we hit up Agami for sushi afterwards, which, yum. So, really, a pretty darn good night.

I have to admit, though, I'll probably never see a better Decemberists show than at the Southgate House in May '05, my first concert experience of theirs. They were SO on, and their immense talent and charm was SO delightful and unexpected--I expect a good show when I see them now, and I'm not disappointed, but I'll never be able to replace the novelty and whimsy of that first show. They're the best live band out there nowadays, I think--and trust me, I know a thing or two about good concerts.

all of our names on the marquee

Good news--I've got a class schedule!

This bidding stuff is nutty. Either that, or the classes I want nobody else does. The most I spent (well, the *only* points I spent, since none of my other classes filled) was on Employment Law, which is being taught by one of my best profs from last year. Everything else (Basic Fed Income Tax, Estates and Trusts, even my Music & Digital Copyright class) went for a point apiece. Huh. My worry now is that there might not be enough people in the music seminar for it to go forward & I'll have to find another class... well, I wouldn't *have* to, because I'm on track with my credits for graduation even without it--but it would be a bummer.

In other news, I persist in my established precedent of three professor hobnobbing events per public interest fellowship auction, which took place last night. I'll be going to dinner and a show with my academic counselor, brunch with my present business associations prof and future tax prof, and cocktails with last year's contracts prof and this year's supreme court prof. The problem with being in our school's a cappella group is that we're always rehearsing for our performance during the silent auction portion of the night, so I'm usually just told after the fact what I'm going to be spending money on. Heh. I'm pretty excited, though--these should be fun, and it didn't cost me all THAT much, plus it's for a good cause.

Things to look forward to this weekend: Borat/Indian food tonight, Decemberists/sushi tomorrow. high five!

so just give up

Hi, reader. I feel like I haven't said much lately that didn't concern Bob Barker or my kitty (she's doing better every day, btw), and I feel bad about that. But I'm also feeling pretty blah today for no good reason--I turned in my paper, but it only means I have to start work in earnest on my journal comment. I don't have negotiations class this week, but my graded, videotaped negotiation is Thursday, so I need to prepare for it. I wanted to take administrative law next semester, but I found out my ITP ("trip to Egypt") class conflicts with it so I've got to rethink things. I saw An Inconvenient Truth this afternoon and found it to be very impressive--and very depressing. So for every glimmer of positive I've got going on, there's a helping of negative alongside, and I'm finding it very draining on my spirit. The word I've used to describe this semester over and over again is "relentless," and it still absolutely applies. At least time is flying by, for better or worse--I simply cannot fathom the fact that it's solidly November right now.

I also need to pick a job. I think I know what I'm going to do, but I'm having a hard time committing to it. As usual.

Anyway. I'd like to go to bed early tonight. Like right now after I read for my bright-and-early morning class.

Tentative class bids/ideal next semester schedule, for those who care:
Basic Federal Income Tax (another freaking 8:45 am MTW class)
Employment Law
Estates & Trusts
Music, Copyright & Digital Technology (I cannot express how excited I am for this--it had better not suck)
"Trip to Egypt"

That's 15 credits, 2 more than I need... but it means I only have to take 12 credits each semester next year, so I guess that's good. Except for that whole 8:45 am class thing. Grr.

c'mon and get in the boat, fish fish?

not the crabcakes! Fishing market faces collapse by 2048

In other news, I'm tired, I'm behind in my work, and I'm traveling tomorrow. I think I'm going to have to take my journal extension for our next deadline, which means I'll be working on it over Thanksgiving while my 'rents are here. I bought tix to go back to New Haven (I just can't stay away!) for new year's. And I'm trying to figure out which classes to take next semester, given that 4 of my credits are already pre-determined (and will take me to Egypt next spring break. woo!).

I can't believe it's November. I can't believe I'm seeing ads for holiday sales already. I'm just not ready for all this. Sigh.