i should listen to the broadcast

Holy crap, but my iPod is on a roll.

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

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

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

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

*trundles off to watch Ugly Betty online*

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

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

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

travel down the road and back again

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

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

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

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

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

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

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

they've shown this on both screens

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

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

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

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

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

alright already we'll all float on

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

Look out, Toledo--here comes Katty!

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

put that cat in the bin

I have SO MUCH to do today.

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

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

tell me that you love me more

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

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



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

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

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

everything under the sun

Crazy:

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

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

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

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

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

I am so damn tired.

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

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

tell him not to come back again

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

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

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

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

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

something worth holding on to

oh, MAN. What a great, great concert.

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

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

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

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

FoW FTW, people. FT freaking W.

voldemort can't stop the rock

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

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

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

bright future in sales

I may never join a public television station again.

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

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

we sold our clothes to the state

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

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

so little else occupying my head

I am totally freaking awesome.

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

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

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

just a small town girl

I fail at karaoke.

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

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

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

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

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

where i find my heaven

hey, kids.

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

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

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

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

And oh, I cannot wait.

we've got to save ginny weasley from the basilisk

it's here! I have it!

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

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

kitten break

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

shoot an apple off my head

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

a thousand times a day

OMG HAVE TO BLOG:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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