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.

a new car!

and don't forget to have your pets spayed or neutered:

Bob Barker retiring in June from The Price Is Right

breathe keep breathing

So, I have good news--Foxy came through surgery ok! I just spoke with my mom and she's apparantly very groggy and looks very sad, probably because she doesn't really understand what happened today or why she now has 23 stitches and half the mammary ducts she did this morning. The tissue is being sent for biopsy so we'll know the type of cancer and whether chemotherapy would help, but often it does more harm than good in cats, since very few types of kitty cancer are receptive to such treatment. The one concern is that because it's so fast-growing and can spread so easily that it's already taken root in her liver and lungs, so she'll be in for x-rays frequently over the next few months to make sure things aren't progressing. But hopefully we've caught the nastiness, for now, anyway. It's probably going to come back someday, but maybe not for a few more years, if we're lucky.

I'm just glad she's okay. She's seriously the best kitty ever. And yeah, every pet owner says that, but I mean it. There's not a sweeter kitty alive, and I only wish I could be there to pet her and make her feel better.

not everyone can carry the weight of the world

yesssss. Go Stipe & co! From today's Rollingstone.com daily digest:

ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME NOMINEES ANNOUNCED
R.E.M., Patti Smith, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Ronettes, the Stooges, Joe Tex and Van Halen have been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In January, five of the nine nominees will be selected and will participate in the induction ceremony on March 12th at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

And here's one from the good ol' days:

still more kitten break

My kitty goes in for surgery tomorrow. She gets x-rays first to make sure the cancer isn't in her lungs, because if it is... no surgery, just a comfortable few more months. I really, really hope that's not the case. In the meantime, here are a few more gratuitious shots of cuteness. Sigh.

climbing up the walls

In an effort to bring more lighthearted themes to the blog: a couple weeks ago, my morning routine was disturbed by a silverfish crawling up my roll of paper towels on my kitchen counter. I freaked, got the bug spray, and tried to douse him--but he crawled down the center of the tube before I could catch him, so I just sprayed the hell out of the center of my paper towels and forgot about it.

Until today, that is. Friend Erica is arriving this afternoon and in an effort to show that I don't live in total squalor I took the paper towels to the bathroom to clean a little bit. I go to put them back on the towel stand... and there's not one, but TWO dead silverfish, dried and stuck to the center of the stand. Ick ick ick ick ick. I didn't realize they traveled in pairs.

Seriously--don't these things majorly creep you out? I cannot STAND them. Ugh.

edited to add: I just killed a silverfish in my Gladware. MY GLADWARE. UGH. At least I made myself a nice home-cooked meal in the oven (acorn squash! so tasty and autumn-y!) rather than just microwaving stuff like I normally do. That's SOMEthing to be happy about. ugh. *shiver*

it was totally rockin'

crossposted at rererererererere for sheer awesomeness:

<<6. The bass player in "Booze Cruise," Hal Cragin, played in a band in NYC with which Office actor?
a. Melora Hardin
b. Rashida Jones
c. Kate Flannery
d. Creed Bratton
e. Ed Helms

Answer: c. Hal and I were in the band Mono Puff with John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants fame. We were in his solo band (you can hear me sing on the song "Extra Krispy" on the album, It's Fun to Steal).>>

Find out more at Kate Flannery's The Office quiz on her blog. (And watch the new episode rerun-of-the-season-opener tonight!)

kitten break

My dear, sweet, beautiful, bestest kitty in the world has cancer.

They're operating next Tuesday. The vet thinks it hasn't spread so hopefully she'll be ok, at least for a little while longer.

I know she won't live forever, but I'm really not ready to lose her yet. She's only about 10 years old (we got her as a pregnant stray at around age 2, so we don't know for sure). I feel like all my far-away schooling has kept me from being with her during her best years, and that makes me tremendously sad.

Please, pet owners--spay your kitties young. If you wait until they're older and have gone through heat/had kittens, they're much, much more likely to come down with this type of cancer in their later years (it's a nodule on her chest). I'm glad we've had such a wonderful time with such a sweet kitty, and I just want her to be strong enough to pull through this and have a few more good years. We do love her so very much.

catch a bit of rock music

oh, dear. they look exactly like the Bargainville liner notes (thanks to JJR on FHDC for the hookup):



Reminds me, though, as did my conversation with Vid this past weekend, that there really isn't another band like them. And I miss them, I do. Not actively or passionately, like I used to, but they brought a lot of joy into my life and opened a lot of doors, and for that, I'll always be grateful--if a bit wistfully so anymore.

(But for the uninitiated? They didn't always look so ridiculous, promise.)

not saying not charmed at all

early morning blog! mostly because I zonked out at 11pm last night and tried to get up really early today to make up for it... but ended up snoozing 45 minutes anyway. (I think this always happens, honestly.) Wedding was beautiful. Seeing my college friends again was SO MUCH FUN. Annapolis was charming. And I'm absolutely terrified about how far behind in everything I am.

Nevertheless, here's a fantastic article/book review from Salon about iPod's 5th birthday and Steven Levy's new tome about its success. I find the article particularly resonating because I was literally saying this exact thing to Supermarj in the car yesterday:

"Listening to an album you've never heard before is work; it requires time, patience, and attention. You can't do it half-assed. But when you play your new album on your iPod, there's always the lure of all those other tracks, and your mind drifts to all that familiar music, all that stuff you know and don't need to work to appreciate. So you inevitably start playing the same stuff over and over."

This phenomenon (coupled with how relentlessly busy I am) is why I didn't have any new artists to tell my friends about when they asked at the wedding reception who they should be listening to. I sang the Decemberists' praises, of course, but what did I listen to on the plane on the way over? Why, Sufjan's "Majesty Snowbird," which is a new song but not a new artist (and not even released yet--it was a live cut--so it definitely didn't count), then R.E.M.'s "Make It All Okay" (listening to songs by alphebetical order), then I wanted to hear EFO's "Baltimore," given where I was flying, and it was followed shortly thereafter by Blur's "Bang" and R.E.M again ("Bang and Blame"), then four versions of "Crazy" (by Gnarls Barkley, R.E.M. a third time, Tori Amos and Seal)... and nothing remotely resembling an up-and-coming new artist to tell my friends about. Sigh. I truly fear that my musical attention span is shot, and there's not a thing I can do about it.

Time to go to class. Hard to believe it's the last week in October. The next month is going to be crazy-go-nuts, I fear.

think I'll write a book

oh, and in case you were wondering how hot my fellow college senior singing group ladies are, three years later?

SO hot:



Thank you, law firms, for paying for my plane ticket out there two weekends ago. I'm really, really glad I got to see everyone again. And since I might be back in New Haven for New Year's...? Any law firm want to pay for that ticket, too? Yeah, I didn't think so. Oh, well.

I'm not tired, I just sleep

I am so glad that for the first time in three weeks (and only the second time since Sept 1) I don't have to get up early Thursday morning and go to the airport.

(I have to get up early Friday morning and go to the airport... but my interview portfolio is staying behind, because I don't think anyone at my college suitemate's wedding wants my resume.)

Anyway, I'm constantly busy but I feel like I'm not doing anything interesting. That's not totally true: I saw two excellent but incredibly different concerts last weekend. Beck was Saturday, and he was awesome, puppets and all. I've had "Devil's Haircut" in my head all afternoon and the concert was days ago. So entertaining on so many levels. Sunday was Ellis Paul, who played and played (and played), and while I might've preferred a shorter, more cohesive setlist, he was incredibly entertaining (and since Schuba's pours such excellent Guinness, I treated myself and the Boy to a couple rounds). But I'm just so behind in everything that it's hard to feel any great sense of accomplishment about anything, so I suppose I ought to go get something done this evening (like more research for my journal comment, or staring off into space, or whatever).

[Oh, and confidential to Rimbo: no, I haven't forgotten about your CD review. But the editors of the law school newspaper are also 2Ls, and my guess is that they're too busy to put out a full issue right now. As soon as I get word that they're taking submissions, I'll get on it, promise.]

double dutch to a real double duchess

so, hi.

I haven't been around much lately, both literally and figuratively. I'm blogging now, in fact, from the worst hotel room in NYC. (That's probably an exaggeration, but my room is wee, there is ONE outlet, and the bathroom is so dim I had to go to my interview this morning wondering whether my blush looked appropriate or clownish, because I couldn't tell.)

But I've had some pretty great run-ins with PA music recently, so that's what I'm going to blather on about:

First--Quizno's. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this sub chain plays good freaking music. I walked in on Tegan and Sara and walked out on Tracy Bonham's gorgeous "Something Beautiful," smoked turkey-on-focaccia-no-onions-and-half-sauce-please in hand.

Next--Starbucks at 53rd (?) and 8th. They had some kind of bizarre trip-hop going when I walked in, but they switched it to Elvis Costello and XTC's "Senses Working Overtime" right before I left for my interview, which I (rightly) took as an auspicious sign for how my day would turn out.

Finally--my hotel room might suck, but the lobby is posh as hell, and in the elevator? Kaiser Chiefs' "I Was Born to Be a Dancer." Not my fave song on the album, but it did remind me that I haven't listened to them in awhile and I could stand to do so. Like, right now.

Also, I'm totally tipsy on one glass of wine. I'm the world's cheapest date.

Goodbye, New York. We'll see each other again next summer, I'm sure, or possibly sooner, if I decide I need to "meet more people" someplace prior to Dec. 1. Now, the hard part of deciding begins, and I don't know what I'm going to do. Sigh.

he's got a dirty mind

Grey's Anatomy? Playing the Pipettes right now.

Supermarj is right--the producers of this show and I seem to be on the exact same musical wavelength.

Also? I give really punchy interviews on 3 hours of sleep. Here's to hoping it's seen as "endearing" and not "bizarre."

mc escher's my favorite mc

Since Weird Al's enjoying his highest Billboard debut ever with Straight Outta Lynwood, I figured it was as good a time as any to redirect you to one person's take on The 10 Best Weird Al Videos of All Time.

Oh, and for something completely different:



(can you tell I turned in my paper and actually get to spend time hanging out with friends this weekend? hooray!)

filibuster vigilantly

It's late, I'm tired, and I have miles to go (well, at least a half-mile, give or take a few yards) on my Supreme Court paper before I sleep. But I thought you would all be pleased to know that the LaGuardia mouse is still alive! Though upon closer inspection I'm pretty sure it was a different mouse, because I think tonight's mousie was a little smaller. But still. The wildlife is definitely the best part of flying out of an empty terminal on American's last flight of the day (though it actually left on time at 8:20pm, not a delightfully delayed 11:30pm).

The not-so-best part of flying American? When your 6:05 am flight is cancelled but you only find out when you arrive at the airport, after having woken up at 4. Ugh. I can't believe I'm not in bed right now.

the hardest part

You win some, you lose some. From today's rollingstone.com mailer:

* COLDPLAY is contemplating a five-year break so that members of the band can focus on their families. "It's going to be a long, long time before you hear a new album from us," frontman CHRIS MARTIN told reporters. "We've done a few things, but we're all enjoying having families at the moment."

* All the rumors and broken promises regarding GUNS N' ROSES' long-delayed "Chinese Democracy" may soon result in an actual record. A press release announcing dates for the band's North American fall tour (which kicks off October 20th in Jacksonville, Florida) alluded to a possible release before the end of the year. "The only comment at this time is that there are thirteen Tuesdays left between now and the end of the year," the statement read cryptically.

Also, you may or may not notice that last night's rant is missing. I'm not in the habit of deleting posts, really, but it felt bitchier than necessary, so it's gone. I'm feeling a little more in control of things, too, though the paper's still not done and will probably have to be worked on tomorrow while I travel, which will SUCK. guh. Anyway. Happy monday--hope it's not pouring down rain where you are.

trading her MG for a white Chrysler LeBaron

I'm really starting to get used to this high-roller lifestyle.

In the past week, thanks to a law firm reception and 3 alumni weekend events here at the law school, I've had so much good wine, good hors d'oeuvres, good entrees and AMAZING desserts that I'm not sure I'm going to be able to return to my microwaved-veggie-burger-and-space-rice monotony without some kicking and screaming. Seriously, there was a chocolate fountain last night. One of the 1Ls working the event with me commented that he felt like he'd crashed somebody's wedding. It's always a little awkward as a student volunteer wandering around the alumni reunion--the alums are almost universally way more interested in talking with their former classmates than with you, but you're there anyway, eating their stuffed chicken and lemon tarts and drinking their wine and cocktails. Hard to beat a free meal and a $15 gift card to Barnes & Noble, though (even if it does mean that the short paper I intended to have done by this afternoon has yet to really get off the ground. Sigh).

I also raced for the cure yesterday morning, which was a ton of fun--I've never participated in a 5K race before, and oh, the swag you get afterwards! The downside was, of course, the fact that I'm pretty sure the last time I went running was before CEDARPOINT OMG, and I didn't pace myself very well. I was all GO GO GO at the start of the race, but after passing the first mile marker I felt like I was going to throw up and had to cut waaaay back. Averaged a 10-min mile, which is nothing to scream from the rooftops, but it's still an accomplishment in my book.

Need to hit the store if I want soda to drink and lunchmeat to eat in the coming week... though I suppose I'm going to be gone so much that it probably doesn't matter whether I stock up or not. It was so nice just being HOME this weekend. I don't want to go to the airport again! I don't want to! I have classes and papers and out of class work and the new TV season to watch and and and... gah. Being a 2L sucks. Someone tell me how it came to be October already? *sigh*

bring it on, bring it on, yeah

Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, I watched the season premiere of Veronica Mars at tv.msn.com at, um, school today. It requires Internet Explorer (....), so rather than go through the hassle of connecting one of my old PCs to the internet, I took a pair of headphones and used one of the (snazzy new) computers in the Lexis Lab. While I know better than to spoil things for those amongst you who watch the show (which should be ALL OF YOU, boys included, because what's not to like about a hot blonde girl who kicks ass and solves crimes?), I will say that I'm so glad to have the characters back again, but I worry that it's not enough to snag those folks out there who aren't already fans. I mean, the Keith storyline confused me and I haven't missed a single episode of this darn show (I'm hoping the TWoP recap will enlighten me). Oh, well--my fingers are crossed. If woxy can experience rebirth, why not our beloved Veronica on her spiffy new network, eh?

sunshine and chocolate

I just got brownies in the mail! From a law firm! Brownies by mail! I realize they probably do this for everyone, and I shudder to think what their recruitment budgets are (I remember chipping in to buy brownies-by-mail for my college suitemate five years ago, and they were Not Cheap), but boy, do I feel special. And with NALP deadlines for holding offers open fast approaching, I'm going to have to start paring my list of firms down, but this process becomes all the more difficult when there's chocolate involved. Brownies! Wow. I could really get used to this whole being-recruited thing.

in a/v club and glee club and even the chess team

So, I posted this on our group blog, but since I've watched it, oh, seven times in the last 24 hours, I feel compelled to post about it here, as well. Go on, check it out--it's pretty much the best video ever made.

in your own world

It's been awhile since I posted about music, which sucks, because that was one of the primary intents behind this blog initially. And having just heard really, really fantastic sample tracks from the new Joseph Arthur and Now It's Overhead albums, I felt obliged to point you guys in that general direction and say, "Go! Go and get!" Joseph Arthur is just all-around amazing, both as musical collaborator and as musician in his own right, so I'm really excited to hear more of his new stuff. I have a soft spot in my heart for Now It's Overhead, though, as it's thanks to them that I saw R.E.M. a second time--for free! on a guest list!--so I'm happy to endorse their new album without reservation. They sound more mature--there are more layers to their songs, but they still retain the haunting musical aesthetic that I associate with Andy LeMaster's work. Both albums are out now, so nothing's stopping you from getting them IMMEDIATELY. Go. Shoo.

Back so soon? Well, I realized that I never wrote about the end of woxy's broadcasts, but maybe that's for the best, as Bill Nguyen is in talks with the owners to resurrect it. Woxy's a phoenix, no doubt. It would be amazing if things work out to keep it afloat, but I'm not getting my hopes up until the audio stream is online again.

Now, if you'll pardon me, I have a journal outline to finish (narrgh) and a burgeoning head cold to nurse. *snif*

don't know when I'll be back again

Another first: blogging from the airport. Five hours ago I balked at the thought of paying $8 for wi fi here at LaGuardia; however, now that my plane has been delayed from 6:45 until 10:30 (and we'll probably sit on the runway for a couple of hours before we're allowed to take off, since every other flight out of Chicago this evening has done so), the $8 seems like money well spent. At this point, I'm hoping my stupid flight home doesn't turn into a red eye, for crying out loud.

More pressingly, however, there's a little grey mouse running around the empty concourse. The floor's pretty gross--lots of food debris, ergo lots of good pickins for the little fella--and he's so skittish. He's probably not long for this world, but maybe he's a fighter. I'd probably be freaked if he were in my apartment, but in this big, empty airport terminal, I don't mind the company. You keep on truckin', li'l brudder. Keep on truckin'.

the waiters are all stars

Greetings from NYC! I'm paying $12.95 for the privilege of having internet access in my room (grr), so I figured I may as well blog it up to make the most of it. I have an interview this afternoon--well, in an hour--so I can't stay long, but a conversation with a friend in the airport while wating for my plane to board got me thinking about the food I'm expensing to firms. With four interviews under my belt (though one was local, which means they got off really cheaply), I've sent in receipts for:
3 tall Starbucks Awake teas
2 Starbucks lowfat lemon muffins
1 Starbucks espresso brownie
2 Pretzel Time pretzels, one with cheddar cheese
1 lowfat cranberry muffin (possibly the best muffin I've had in recent memory)
1 ABP mediterranean salad (purchased outside the sterile zone, but the packet o' salad dressing was still allowed through the x-ray machines. SUSPICIOUS. Vinaigrette bombs are next, mark my words.)
...and assorted beverages (diet coke, vitamin water, etc.).

I was kind of worried that they'd take one look at my carb-heavy diet and deny me an offer simply on the basis of potentially-diabetes-related insurance costs, but it's really not as bad as I thought (though I foresee several more Awake teas and lemon muffins in my future). Also, since this hotel provides no free continental breakfast (boo--it's probably really gauche that I prefer Fairfield Inn and Suites to gussied-up places like this, but at least there the internet is free and the cereal is plentiful), I'm probably going to order up room service tomorrow morning. I think I've only had room service once in my life, and that was so long ago I'm fairly sure my age was still in single digits.

And a final food-related thought: I have a really difficult time sleeping on planes, partly because I have to be a vigilant ear-popper on ascent/descent, and that takes up a good hour of the flight. But more importantly, I just can't stand to miss out on my free drink and snack. Seriously. I will wake myself up if I hear the flight attendants rattling around on the cart nearby. Those Biscoff cookies or bbq soy nut snack packs will NOT pass me by, no sirree, even if it means curtailing some much-needed shut-eye.

(Oh, and I have two offers now. Hooray! Not only do I have a job, but I have a choice!)

loud and clear we all shout and cheer

I'm increasingly impressed at what a small world the internet really is.

See, in my efforts not to read this long article for my Supreme Court class tomorrow, I breezed by the 2 Skinnee J's message boards, as I do from time to time, just to see if there was anything new about the band's status. Instead, I find a link to this message board talking about "Nerdcore in '04" and how the Js were at the front of a movement (kind of). So I scroll down, and lo and behold, there I am. Er, I mean, there's a link to my website, in reference to the fact that I alerted friend Misch to their musical goodness via my college radio show. Crazy. Maybe not WHOA-unheard-of crazy, but weird enough.

And if you're looking for music to work out to, it doesn't get much better than Volumizer, really. I intend to make a kick-ass workout playlist for the 5k run I'm doing in two weeks (am I training? not so much. It'll be a big ol' character-building test of will), and "Horns of Destruction" is going to be front and center, no question.

maybe I'm crazy, maybe diminished

Things I can't deal with right now:

1) Comcast. I clearly spoke too soon last week when I was all elated at the repairman coming early. The LINE TECHNICIANS can't seem to get their act together, because my cable's still unwatchable, and I've spent an hour on the phone today trying to get that information through to someone on their end. FINALLY got a helpful person on the other end of the line who promised to call me tomorrow with more info, because their computer system is down right now. *headdesk* I just want to watch The Office without fuzz! Is that too much to ask? (NBC's the worst. The other channels aren't great, but NBC is absolutely unwatchable. Sigh.)

2) My bathtub. It keeps backing up, but not when I'm using it. Random times. And it's sewer water, so it smells like sewer and leaves little black hunks of stuff in the tub. I shudder to think what those little black hunks are. My whole apartment smells like sewer when this happens, and it's not pleasant and DEFINITELY not sanitary, and maintenance won't be back till monday, but it's SO GROSS AND I CAN'T DEAL WITH IT.

3) Laundry. Why can't it wash itself? I don't have three hours to spend messing with you tomorrow, Laundry, but I must, or I won't have shirts to wear to interviews, sheets to lie on, or towels to dry off with. Fie on you, laundry. Fie.
[See also (3a) Ironing--but we'll cross that complaint once the clothes are clean and dry, thanks.]

4) Snow Patrol. Damnit, your concert was supposed to be THREE MONTHS AGO, when I had TIME to go to concerts. I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND ALL NIGHT SEEING YOU TONIGHT, but I spent the money and I'm not missing it. I might have a (begrudgingly) good time. But I would be a lot happier if this were June 10, like it was supposed to be, rather than Sept. 16.

5) Dinner. I'm FREAKING HUNGRY which is probably why I'm so pissed off. Grrrrrrrowl.

joyful and triumphant

For once, I can honestly say that today was one of those good days that everyone blogs about now and again:

I got a job offer! hooray! Now I can proceed through the arduous callback process knowing that I've got SOMEplace to work (and a pretty darn nice place to work, too). I also had a really fun (seriously!) callback yesterday, so even if that offer doesn't come through, I met some supernice people and had a tasty meal. If only I knew how to make mushroom paella myself--I think I might eat it all the time. yum.

We were delayed on the tarmac at LaGuardia this morning (yeah, yeah, when AREN'T you delayed on the tarmac there), and traffic was HORRENDOUS on the way out of O'Hare, so I was really, really worried that I wouldn't get back in time to do my (videotaped!) 3pm negotiation with my classmate. The cab? Rolled up in front of school at 3:04pm. Nearly perfect. (Also, the negotiation went pretty well--I pretended I'd just flown in from a big meeting with a client. Heh heh. whooo. Anyway.)

And perhaps most importantly, today marks a year for The Boy and I! (Coincidentally, we aren't the only ones celebrating an anniversary today. Congrats, you two!) I honestly can't imagine struggling through the highs and lows of law student life without him, mostly because I only struggled through a very little bit of it before he came along. We're going out for tapas tonight to mark the occasion, which is good, because what better way to be festive than to enjoy some dates wrapped in bacon? mmm. bacon.

Tomorrow I research, I read, I write email and work the Lexis lab and get caught up, but I'm taking tonight off. I do believe I've earned it.

the clouds came tumbling down

So, I've said before I'm big on anniversaries. And I've felt, on past anniversaries of this treacherous day, that I genuinely had something to say, that I felt something that I needed to share.

It's odd, then, that today, I'm spent. I've got nothing.

I haven't watched any of the news recaps. I sure as hell didn't watch "The Path to 9/11." I felt no need to see United 93 or World Trade Center earlier this year. I haven't forgotten where I was that morning (German class), what I did that day (voted, under the clearest, emptiest blue sky), even whose music I listened to (Ben Folds), though the intense feelings I had initially have faded, as feelings tend to do. I do still get angry at times, still feel a twinge whenever I see an old photo with the towers spiraling over lower Manhattan, looking so stoic and constant.

But what can I say? We were never as safe as we thought we were, and we're probably not as safe as we think we are now. We re-elected a president who made a mess of our foreign policy in the wake of the tragedies. We accept regulation after regulation of our air travel, as though suffering these minor indignities will somehow atone for those four doomed aircraft on that bright September morning. We live in a different world, perhaps--but in many ways, it's the same world with the veil pulled back. I wish, as we all undoubtedly do, that our nation didn't have to suffer tragic loss to achieve such jaded understanding.

The worst part, though, the part that is keeping me from focusing much on the memories of today, is that I fear the way we've changed is exactly wrong. I worry that I'm not the only one who has lost the big picture, and that really, really frightens me. Saddens me. Drives me to think about other things, most of the time.

But right now, I'm thinking about five years ago, how I stayed up all night with the other Glee Club officers deliberating on our roster and our feelings. How I was lucky not to lose a loved one. How maybe, just maybe, the worst was over, but wondering if, really, the worst was yet to come.

Goodnight, America. Tomorrow's a new day. Tonight, we sleep.

honey in my chemicals

Another week, another hodgepodge post to make up for my lack of posting of late:

First off--go Comcast! Not only did my cable repairman show up early (which, I suppose, could be bad if I had anything to do other than sit around here all day), but he got the job done WITHOUT hitting on me the whole time, like last year's Comcast guy. More importantly, he told me that the cable problem is a "line issue" (meaning it's the entire 2nd/3rd floors of my building, not just my apt), so they're sending someone out to fix it either today or tomorrow. See, Creepy Cable Guy last year told me the same thing, but instead of offering to send someone out to fix the line, basically said, "Yep. Nothing I can do, you've just gotta live with it." Maybe if I'd agreed to go golfing with him (*eyeroll*), he would've stepped up... really, all I want is to be able to watch The Office's season premiere without fuzzy cable (NBC was the worst--bizarrely, the upper cable channels were fine. The Boy says it's because I'm the only person watching Bravo or Animal Planet. Har har).

In other news, I'm tired. No surprises there, but I fell asleep last night without washing my face or brushing my teeth, and I feel like my conscience woke me up every two hours as if to give me a shot at remedying the situation. But no, I rolled over and went back to sleep each time, and now I feel beat up. Fnurrr. I think I'm also still groggy from the 4:10 wakeup Thursday morn to get to my 7am flight to NYC, then turning around and flying back here that same evening. I need to recover faster from these callback trips, because I'm not going to have the freedom to spend the day sitting around watching Project Runway reruns and sipping diet berry Dr. Pepper for much longer. (Technically, I probably don't have that freedom right now, but whatever.) Speaking of, I missed the first ep of this season, so I taped it over Labor Day weekend and didn't get the chance to watch it till, well, right now. And some of the photos they used in the little montages to introduce Jeffrey and Uli were photos of them wearing the outfits they designed for themselves last week! Ok, so it's not such a big deal, but it's nothing I'd've noticed were I watching two months ago. (Also, I had no idea Jeffrey almost got kicked out on the first challenge. whoa.)

Re: the callback... I think it went fine, but looking back, I can tell that it was my first callback and absolutely have a couple of places in mind where I should've responded differently. Oh, well--with practice things should go more smoothly. My class schedule is settling into place, more or less, but there are still a couple things up in the air that need to get figured out by Wednesday. You know, lots of time, no problem. Sigh. And if I may voice a pet peeve? PLEASE please please please, people--if someone has emailed you or phoned you and left a message about a time-sensitive matter, GET BACK TO THEM. I am juggling far too many things right now to get bogged down because someone can't reply to an email or return a phone call. I'm a little less incensed about all of this than I was yesterday, as replies/responses have gradually trickled in (or, in some cases, I just said, "To hell with it," and moved on), but the point remains the same. I realize I need to have a little less of a visceral reaction to this in order to keep sane, particularly as I embark upon a legal career, but I've had about six or seven different variations of this same problem occur over the past four days, so I'm having a hard time being charitable about it.

Finally, is there a countdown special that Michael Ian Black doesn't participate in? WTF, man. I don't even know what I'm watching (Bravo's countdown of Best Sitcoms?), but there he is. I'm sure if I popped over to VH1 he'd be blathering on about metal videos or how much he loves the 90s or something. Sheesh.

punishing our transgressions

Oh, for crying out loud.

Sometimes it really, really sucks to have to claim Ohio as my home state. November '04 was one of those times. This, too, is one of those times. Guh.

Also, I had to be told by a music blog that Facebook has apparantly gone through a not-very-popular facelift involving a news feed that updates every change your friends make to their profiles. (Sucks for the guy on my friends list who just had to switch from "in a relationship" to "single." Chin up, Adam!) I guess I'm a bad mass-social networker for not knowing about this by now.

Really, though, I'm just plain busy. I've only had two days of class but it feels like it's been a week and a half. I have my first callback tomorrow. I'm so, so tired. The weekend really can't get here fast enough.

(Also, am I the only one who thinks Suri Cruise looks like a baby Bjork?

all the king's horses and all the king's men

I know, it's been practically a week since you've heard from me, and I'm too tired to say much of anything right now--

but the Crocodile Hunter died! And this makes me sad. Between this, the news about Pluto, and Woxy's impending demise, I dare say bad things really do come in threes.

Classes start tomorrow. aiieee. More soon.

too much of a good thing

Well, despite all my glibness of a few weeks ago, I do kind of see the benefit of a private/totally anonymous blog because I could perhaps speak with greater freedom about my particular OCI anxieties, which are pretty much all I'm dwelling on in my idle moments these days. But then, who the hell would I be speaking to? That being said, I guess I can divulge that the odds are looking better and better at yours truly being gainfully employed in New York (City) next summer. Nothing's in stone so everything's subject to change/abject failure at callback interviewing, but I will be visiting firms over mid-to-late September/early October to see if they still want me after talking to me for longer than 20 minutes apiece. Some of them will even have the pleasure of dining with me! (Memo to self: careful ordering soup or spaghetti. Don't be afraid to use a knife with your salad. Dribbles on clothing ≠ professional image, nor a cheap dry cleaning bill.) I have two more introductory interviews, but I'm far from being out of the woods yet. I get a momentary reprieve tomorrow, though...

...and I'll be spending my day trying to narrow my law journal topic idea(s) to something that's a) interesting, b) both in the subject area of my journal (criminal law) and the expertise of the professor I'm hoping to get to advise me, and c) not pre-empted (meaning nobody's written on that precise topic yet). I spent three and a half hours being oriented to my journal for the first time this evening, and I've got four more to look forward to on Thursday, when we'll be introduced to the joy that is "source and cite." I have only the most rudimentary knowledge of this particular activity at the moment, but I do believe it involves finding (hard copies of) sources and seeing if they really say what the author of the article says they do, as well as checking all the citations in the article for correctness. Hooray! I can't wait till I'm a 3L and can boss my own crop of 2Ls around, making them do all the journal (busy) work, because that's gotta be the light at the end of this particular tunnel. That, and building character, of course.

A final query: does anyone else think "bidet" rather than "B - day" when they see the title of Beyonce's new album? Because if I were her, I'd've re-thought that apostrophe. B'zarre, indeed.

edited to add: nooooo--another cutie from the '90s bites the dust. Or, at the very least, a twinkie or ten. T.S., you were SO CUTE in Mallrats! sigh.

if there's some confusion, who's to blame?

I'm presently on hold with Verison DSL.

I'm a Sprint cell phone customer and my internet is provided by MDI. So why am I on hold with Verizon?

Because someone in New York with my first and last name, spelled identically, just set up a Verision DSL/phone account and the invoice confirmation was sent to my email address (firstname.lastname@gmail.com). Rather than ignore it--I mean, how annoying would it be to get, like, bill invoices every month?--I called Verizon to let them know that they had the wrong email, but their only recourse was to cancel the whole account. I guess it makes sense--I mean, I have this person's new phone number and address, so I could stalk them at will. I do feel bad about cancelling their phone service, but really, now--if you weren't quick enough on the uptake to grab firstname.lastname@gmail.com, then don't start giving it out as your personal email address, cherie. You've probably forgotten a middle initial in there (or maybe you forgot to specify the "T" in your (*scoff*) Americanized version of my last name).

But the bottom line, honestly? I'm clearly not as unique and beautiful a snowflake as I thought I was. Oh, well.

it was for freedom

I've posted a little bit recently, but only about stuff and things, not about what's been happening on this end, so I'm going to try to rectify that now. First of all, greetings to Paul, maintainer of 2sj.com--dunno if you'll stick around or if some awesome act of googling only brought you to my Pluto post, but I support your online endeavors, as well. I'm an irregular lurker at the 2sj message boards, as they're my go-to reference for any tidbits about possible reunion tours, etc. Thanks for stopping by!

Anyhow, it's been a pretty relentless week of interviewing, but the bulk of my OCI duties are over with. I had no idea how exhausting the process would be, nor how busy busy busy my schedule would become (evening receptions, researching firms, hanging around in my suit between interviews, etc). I've had some luck, which is really, really gratifying, but as I've said to myself countless times, callback ≠ job, so I'm hedging my bets for the time being. Much like in bowling, I'm not at all sure what it is I'm doing right. I mean, the Boy and I were at Lucky Strike yesterday and in my first game, I bowled a 126--which is awesome for me--and then followed it up with a 76, which is pretty much par for the course in my book. I couldn't begin to tell you what I did differently between the two games, only that one worked out and one didn't. I feel that way about a lot of these interviews, too--when they go well, it's fantastic, but I don't really know why they go well. I can only hope I can keep doing what I'm doing and be able to report back here in a few weeks with a finalized job offer for next summer.

In other news, I think I'm coming down with a cold. I'm echinacea-ing, zinc lozenge-ing and zicam-ing the heck outta my sinus passages and throat, so hopefully it will be a minor cold and not a kick-me-on-my-ass cold, as I really don't have time for the latter. I blame being in close quarters with dozens of people whom I haven't seen all summer and who have, somewhere along the line, picked up and passed along germs. Blerg. I also can't believe that classes start in a week--well, a little over a week. I'm still wavering on my class schedule, and as of this moment, I'm only definitely taking Business Associations and Negotiations. I'm enrolled in Federal Jurisdiction as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, but I need to drop one or the other of those two. I was all Fed Jur gung-ho at first, but seeing as how I'm going to be verrrrry busy this semester, a challenging class like that might not do wonders for my GPA. The U.S. Supreme Court promises to be a little less demanding and the prof got some stellar course ratings last year--but that was for a seminar, not a lecture, so I don't know if the change in class structure will make a difference. I'm also enrolled in Computers & the Law, whose subject matter is right up my alley, but if I can make Directed Reading & Research work out in conjunction with my journal topic, I'll have to drop the seminar, I think. I'm coming into this semester with 4 credits from the summer Judicial Practicum and it just doesn't make sense to hang onto them and cash them in at a later date. 13-credit semester, here I come.

In more "fun" news, the Boy and I saw Little Miss Sunshine yesterday, and it was great. The theater was packed, too, with latecomers sitting on the floor in the aisles, and this was for a 3:30pm showing! The buzz around this film must be ridiculous. Anyway, it's genuinely funny, and the climax of the film is gasp-out-loud hysterical, but the characters seem real, not merely caricatures, which makes the whole experience a lot more meaningful. Steve Carell is a wonder, to be sure, but the film is generally well-cast (especially Greg Kinnear as the failing motivational speaker). Definitely worth seeing.

Also, my ninth They Might Be Giants concert was this past Friday at the Lincoln Park Zoo. I had no idea what to expect, never having attended a Zoo Show before, but the stage was in an... odd location. I mean, we ended up parking ourselves in a nook between a blanket and some folding chairs right in front of the stage, but some people had to sit waaaaaay off stage right because the lawn seating area was not very deep. First opening act was Tally Hall, who looked young enough to be still in high school but who played a solid quirky-pop set. These guys clearly grew up listening to artists like TMBG and their music reflects similar lyric sensibilities, only with the addition of more harmonies (three of them take turns singing lead vocals). I was pleased enough by their set that I intend on checking them out further--I'm sure they have a myspace, as all the kids these days do.

Second opening act was The Bad Examples. They played an hour and fifteen minutes, which was about an hour too long. They weren't terrible, they just were wholly unremarkable and boring. Enough said.

Anyway, TMBG were awesome. I realized when they whipped out "Dang [sic--it was an all-ages show, friends] Good Times" that I hadn't seen them since '03, so anything off The Spine was totally new-sounding live. The set was resoundingly upbeat--seriously, I think "New York City" was the slowest song. We got some crowd-pleasing faves like "The Guitar" and "No One Knows My Plan" (with Flans getting downright testy about the crowd's inability to either a) conga or b) get out of the way of the conga line), classics (yay for "Birdhouse" and "Don't Let's Start"--but when it came to "Particle Man" and "Istanbul," honestly? John and John sounded bored, but the newbies demand to hear them, I suppose), and some from-left-field choices--"The Famous Polka"? "We're The Replacements"???!! I loved that "Spider" went right into "The Guitar," as that's the way I expect it after hearing those two songs on tape/CD so many times. Also, I don't think I've ever seen them play outside before, nor for quite so all-ages a show, so there was definitely a different energy and enthusiasm than I remember from, say, the string of shows I saw at Toad's back in the day. They mentioned that they're working on new songs, too, which just warms my heart. I mean, these guys were MY first band. Even though I'm not so over-the-top crazy about them as I was ten (or fifteen?!) years ago, I'm still thrilled to see them perform, and I'll still keep buying whatever music they release. I will scream the words to "James K. Polk" (though I do miss the confetti cannon), I will annoy others with my poor imitation of the "Ana Ng" dance, and I will jump and jump and jump through "Twisting," just like the first time I heard it so many years ago.

Wow, this was a long post. Before I go do more firm research, please keep my mommy in your thoughts and prayers. She's having surgery tomorrow and everything should go well, but I worry--and I worry more because I'm far away. I'm going home over Labor Day, though, so I'll see her soon. Thanks, friends.

circling all round the sun

Terrorists are scary, to be sure, but it's this sort of thing that makes me really freak out about flying. I know, I know, statistically, you're in a lot more danger in your car. But I appreciate the control I have as the driver of my vehicle--not that the pilots aren't trained, but if they screw up, it's my life on the line... whereas if I screw up driving and hurt myself, it's my own damn fault. Also, being in the air is just so unforgiving--a crash from 10,000 feet is a crash you're not likely to survive, while a car crash seems to offer you a few more viable options for survival.

Anyway, I'm not sure I have much of a point, other than I'm not really an anxious flier. I've traveled frequently by air over the years and I've never even lost a bag (nor, thankfully, my lunch). I just don't care for takeoffs and landings, mostly because of stories like this one. Also, I've heard most flying mishaps happen during takeoff/landing (Bruce, want to back me up on this?).

And since I'm going to be doing some flying in the coming weeks... yeah. I just hope my pilots take the correct runway.

nevertheless this alien remains illegal

All I can say is if 2 Skinnee J's were still touring, the International Planetary Coalition or whatever it's called would NOT have demoted this small remote to affiliate. Oh, well. Sorry, kids. Small minds, apparantly, can't see past Uranus, after all.

the screen doors of discretion

From FakeGayNews.com, via the Nields Nook (via my father, if we're being detail-oriented here):

Iowa Not Like Dar Williams Song, Report Disappointed Lesbians

heeee.

Anyway. Four interviews down, five tomorrow, two (maaaybe three, if I can get on another firm's list) on Thursday, and then I get a three-day break. Oh, and orientation for 1Ls begins this Friday! I can't believe it. I totally remember the stress of it all last year, and while I'm certainly under a lot of stress now (and STILL sleeping really poorly, dagnabbit), it's entirely different. The faces in the halls are friendly (or, at least, familiar), I know my way around, and I have a confidence that I lacked for, well, much of first year, to be honest. I don't know when my insecurity cracked--maybe it was during my externship/judicial practicum, maybe it was taking some time to be with folks from other parts of my life this summer, but I feel a lot more take-charge now than I did then. Hopefully this exuberance is being reflected in my interviews--I am a strong, fun, smart person who knows what she's doing (at least, for the moment), and you WANT to hire me!

...right. Anyway. I am going to bed earlier tonight, so I'm researching one more firm and hitting the sack. If I can get through tomorrow, the worst scheduling day is over, so it should be relatively smooth sailing from there on out. I hope.

yours to keep if you want me

OCI began today--that's "on-campus interviewing," for the uninitiated. I ranked 50 firms and received twenty 20-min screening interviews over the course of the next two weeks, the goal of each being a half-day callback at the firm's HQ. I only had one today, but I have three tomorrow and five (!) on Wednesday, so it's not all fun and games, believe me. This being a somewhat public blog, I don't want to talk about the OCI process in any more than vague terms--suffice it to say that I'll report back with good news and, probably, slide bad news under the rug (perhaps I'll wave my hands and distract you with the Flaming Lips or Little Miss Sunshine or something). I'm getting a lot of positive support from The Boy, The Career Counselor, and The Mom (though that last one is genuinely chipper about everything I do in law school, having little or no knowledge of the conventional wisdom surrounding any of this, so I take it all willingly but with many grains of salt). I'm not sure I'll believe any of their optimism till I get a callback, though. Supposedly Firm #1 will let us know by the end of the week.

So, I wait. Twiddle the thumbs, casually research tomorrow's firms, watch a Grey's Anatomy rerun and an old ep of Alias that Friend Matt zapped to me (just what I need, another TV show to get hooked on, albeit a cancelled one). Fortunately, the next round of interviews doesn't start till after lunch, so I can take a somewhat leisurely morning and drink my tea out of a mug rather than a to-go cup. More than anything, though, I really, really hope I stop sublimating my stress into physical ailments, because I feel as though someone has jabbed a letter opener into the right side of my neck and has begun to twist it, slowly, every time I try to tilt my head to the left.

Yeah, alright, smartass, I won't try to tilt my head to the left anymore. But maybe a sound, peaceful night's sleep will help. Sigh.

oh, I'm ready for it

Saw Snakes on a Plane.

My recommendation? See it in a theater with as many people as possible. You will laugh together, you will hiss together, and when Samuel L. says his famous line (which comes remarkably late in the film, and it seems like after all that happens, it's a particularly odd straw that breaks his camel's back, but whatever), you will clap and cheer. There was a bit of this going on at our 2:30pm screening yesterday, but I would've rather seen it later in the day with a bigger crowd. The snakes are cgi-craptastic, the plot is as flimsy as an airsickness bag, and the characters are, for the most part, stereotype-arrific, but seriously? SO MUCH FUN. Between the snake-vision, gratuitous violence/nudity and sheer absurdity of having snakes from all over the world on a plane to kill one guy... yeah. It's grrrrreat.

Also, if you bring your own (fake!) snake and attempt to bite your friends/loved ones with whom you're seeing the film, it adds to the majesty of the occasion.

Also, I kind of like that Cobra Starship song. eeek! But in my defense, it's rather catchy, the video is glossy and funny, and it's the perfect campy song for a campy film. C'mon, bring it...

you really think you're in control?

Great article about how record companies need to start adapting their business model in order to stay relevant in the modern music industry. While I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to get the newest album by "actress-singer" Mandy Moore or, god help me, "the remnants of star 90's grunge acts Stone Temple Pilots and Filter," I think it's important that major record labels wake up and start understanding that they are increasingly irrelevant to artistic success. Before the internet and the direct access to fans that it provides, sure--a major label could reach the corners of the country that you personally could not. But now? What up-and-coming artist would so readily sign away HUGE percentages of their music rights for a crummy advance and the chance at making a music video no one will see? It makes a lot more sense to use the labels as distribution outlets and to do the rest in-house, if possible, to keep the royalties from your music sales in your pockets rather than someone else's. That being said, the Decemberists' major-label debut drops in a matter of weeks, so they must've felt something was missing with Kill Rock Stars that Capitol could give them instead. I'd be curious to see what provisions their contract entails. (Also, I'm really, really excited to hear the album. But I've digressed.)

I did listen to Gnarls Barkley, and I'm rather bummed. I *heart* "Crazy" (I don't listen to the radio, so I'm not tired of it yet) and love "Smiley Faces," so I thought I'd be safe buying the whole album. Alas. There's a dullness to it--is it overproduction? I hesitate to call it that, because the two aforementioned singles are drenched in production and they're still great. "The Last Time" caught my ear, but everything else is too all over the place (or, in the case of "Feng Shui," too darn short) to really stick with me. Sad. Should've just bought the singles like everyone else. Oh, well.

was it a story, or was it a song?

Alright, kids--finalized just in time for CEDARPOINT OMG, my third annual summer mix!


Summer Sounds '06:
1. Mellowdrone - Oh My
2. Gnarls Barkley - Smiley Faces
3. Teddybears Stockholm - Yours to Keep
4. Office - Wound Up
5. Of Montreal - The Party's Crashing Us
6. The Pipettes - Pull Shapes
7. Longwave - There's a Fire
8. Oh No! Oh My! - Walk in the Park
9. Jim Noir - Eanie Meany
10. Tarkio - Eva Luna
11. The Raconteurs - Steady as She Goes
12. Duels - What We Did Wrong
13. Golden Smog - 5-22-02
14. Belle & Sebastian - The Blues Are Still Blue
15. Headlights - Lullabies
16. Guster - Satellite
17. Bravo Silva - I Can't Say Goodbye
18. Oppenheimer - Breakfast in NYC
19. Matt Pond PA - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
20. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
21. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

At the very least, I think it's turned out pretty darn well because I can't stop listening to it--I was genuinely disappointed when Project Runway came on because it meant turning off my playlist. It's also new music-rich, so those of you who prefer to use mix cds as a gateway to discovering new artists should be pleased. And it's heavy on fun, bright, poppy tunes, because it's summer (for a few more weeks) and school's out (for a bit longer), so the accompanying soundtrack ought to evoke sunshine and breeziness, with maybe a hint of edge for those dark, humid nights. I went on an iTunes binge and got new albums by the Pipettes, Gnarls Barkley, the Raconteurs and the Flaming Lips (that last one didn't make the CD, but that's only because their tunes work so fantastically well as part of an album that I couldn't pick one favorite. SERIOUSLY recommend At War With the Mystics), so I'll report back with reviews of those shortly.

And finally, courtesy of friend Erica, a test run of Magnum in line (also an inadvertant Pepsi ad):



But don't forget to watch out for snakes (and, um, a 5-ticket lizard) on a plane!

dance with me, it'll be all right

Hi there, reader. I'm back! And I'll write more soon, but suffice to say that I suffered through two liquid and gel-free flights and am not the worse for wear (and my liquid-filled checked bag arrived safely at both ends of the journey, proving my fears of bag loss baseless once more). I do encourage you to check out our group blog for details of our trip, philosophical ruminations about what exactly constitutes a liquid and/or gel, as well as just how EXTREME! we are.

Also, I have some swell college pals. Who else would ride the Magnum rollercoaster four times just to keep trying to successfully be photographed doing Magnum on Magnum? Next summer Dollywood won't know what hit it...