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.