I'm in the living room right now. Not of my apartment, but of the giant house I live in. And I'm watching a sleeping baby. Today is the first day I'm meeting this baby. His mother is out taking a walk. He is so big! And very sweet.
Had to monitor the two of them overnight last night, since it was the first night he was here. He's a good baby! He'll fuss for a minute, and then as soon as mom goes over to him, he'll quiet down.
I got into bed last night around 2am, with the baby monitor. I had to turn the volume all the way up because it was harder to hear with the AC on. I guess last summer there were no babies in the house, so it wasn't a problem. Baby was quiet, but I didn't fall asleep until around quarter to 4.
Baby woke me up at 4:26am. Fussy. I was awake until around 5 or so, because, after 40 minutes of sleep, I was wide awake.
Woke up again around 8 when the baby started fussing. But at 8am I'm off shift - so I got to turn off the monitor, unplug the phone and go back to sleep!!
And I slept until 11:20am. My alarm went off. I needed to go to the post office before it closed so I could get my Netflix.
Got dressed. Went to the post office. I hadn't been there in a while. They were happy to see me!!! It wasn't the Ruggedly Handsome Postman working, but it was the other guy who's really nice.
NICE POSTMAN: Movie time for Miss Julie!
JULIE: Yep!
NICE POSTMAN: I think there's three back there...
JULIE: There should be! It's going to be a good weekend...
NICE POSTMAN: It's supposed to rain, so staying inside and watching movies should be no problem!!
Yep. They love me in there. I love them too. It's arguably the best post office in the country.
Then I came home, made some coffee, had an english muffin and then got ready for work. Which is where I am now! It's just me and the baby. We all just watched 13 Going on 30. Baby stayed awake for that. DUH - because it's awesome.
Ohhhhh Mark Ruffalo you steal my heart.
My dad is coming up tonight! This is weird, I think it might be the first weekend in like, 3 months that I haven't gone somewhere. Haven't gone home to Maine. Haven't gone on a crazy adventure.
Kind of a bummer that I have such limited time off again. I was REALLY getting used to leaving whenever I wanted. Going out past 10pm!!!! CRAZY!!!! Back to the grind.
Although, I kind of think it was all justified. I mean, ever since I've started working here I've had to plan my time off so wisely. 2 nights off a month doesn't go very far when there are such things as Crash Kings roadtrips to take.
I'm already planning out my nights off for July, because I'll need a lot of them. Same with August. I think August will be trickier.
ANYWAYS. my shift is over. it's 3:30pm. working again tonight starting at 10pm! until 4pm sunday. GREAT. i'm going to bring some movies to work. today when i got there, Kangaroo Jack was playing. and i don't want any more of that.
also - i talked to my mom yesterday and she was like,
MOM: Yeah, I think I might be interested in going to the Crash Kings show in Portsmouth with you.
UM, AWESOME. SO AWESOME. it's so hard to get my family excited about the things i love. so, i was very excited when she:
1. was excited to find out they were playing Portsmouth before i knew
2. wants to come along!!
it'll be great. i hope Jo can come! and Kara! OKAY!
my dad is coming tonight. i think i told you that already. well, he should be here fairly soon.
have a great saturday night!!!! tell me what fun plans you have!!
<3
26 June 2010
24 June 2010
"blush wine and a good time, elephant"
GUESS WHAT?!!?!?!
i was so productive today! i accomplished everything i set out to do!!!! i'll recap...
i worked from 8am until 11:30am. after i stopped blogging i did some serious website work. got a lot done, actually. despite the fact i uploaded a whole lot of pictures and then realized you couldn't link to them. (that doesn't really make sense. but, i know what i'm talking about.)
after work, i KNEW i shouldn't go to sleep because if i did, then i would never get things done.
SO, i charged through the sleepiness and went to the post office! saw the Ruggedly Handsome Postal Worker, who i haven't seen in a long time. ohhhh the sound of his Ruggedly Handsome voice. yeah it was nice.
then! it started downpouring. while i was on my way to the grocery store. like, downpouring.
and then it was still downpouring when i had to walk into the grocery store. and i got soaked! for realz. like, my hair was soaked. which made me mad because i woke up a little early so i could straighten it.
but, it was okay. i don't mind rain.
the grocery store was fine. i got everything i needed to get.
still downpouring when i had to walk back out to my car. got re-soaked.
i felt bad for the construction worker directing traffic on Glen Road.
drove past the unfortunate movie theater that either never has enough letters to complete the movie titles, OR, never has enough room on the sign to fit all the movies on.
LET'S TAKE TODAY AS AN EXAMPLE. and it really makes me wonder who puts up these titles.
so they don't have a big enough sign to fit all the titles on, so they have to start doubling up two movies on one line. which, is fine with me. great job using space. but,
SHREK KILLERS
really? REALLY? you had to put 'Shrek' and 'Killers' on the same line?!?!?! come on, person who puts up the lettering, did you not realize what you were doing? think of the children.
heck, i was saddened by this. why not,
MARMADUKE SHREK
or,
SPLICE KILLERS
but,
SHREK KILLERS.
really. you had to do it. maybe the person who does the lettering is a fan of this blog and likes reading about when i talk about all the mistakes they make. i don't know. but, it's really too bad that had to happen. does everyone agree, or am i just being crazy?
anyways.
then i got home and it had stopped raining.
unpacked the groceries. it was around 1:45. got ready for bed. went to sleep!! ohhh it was lovely.
i thought i did pretty well though. i lasted from 7am until 2pm on 2 hours of sleep. i set my alarm for 5:30pm.
woke up at 7pm. got right to work on other things. seriously, i did not waste any time.
FIRST, i started soaking the rice noodles to make pad thai.
in the meantime, i made chocolate covered frozen bananas. why? because i wanted to. i don't know what made me feel like chocolate covered frozen bananas. but, i did. so, i made them. and they are freezing right now in my freezer! i think it's partly because now that i have freezer room i want to freeze everything!!!
and then i made pad thai!! i made a lot of it so it will last a few days. really probably only until tomorrow night. because i love it so much i'll probably have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow. and tonight. i actually don't think i made that much. it probably won't last as long as i think it will. but, i feel i'm being productive anyways.
so, that's in the fridge right now. i'll heat some up in a bit and have dinner.
yay! i just felt great today. great day. i think i had to make this day great because i didn't like yesterday. yesterday wasn't so great. but today! YES.
i don't know what will happen tomorrow. i don't have any plans. and since i don't have any money, my options are limited.
so, i just read an article about how leggings are about to go out of style. and they're like, "say goodbye to your leggings!!! death of leggings is coming!!!!"
but, why? who decides these things? i like wearing leggings to bed. or under dresses. and i can't imagine being someone who's like, "okay, i can't wear this anymore, it's not in style." especially if i like it. does that make sense? who cares? if it's comfortable and you feel comfortable in it, why does it matter if it's in style or not?
yep.
aannnnddddd, i just read another article called, "5 Things You Don't Know About Robert Pattinson."
yep. read that one. and now i know 5 more useless things about Robert Pattinson.
alright. it's 10pm. i'm going to go eat my pad thai and watch Friday Night Lights!!!!
last night on Friday Night Lights, there was this huge debate over racism on the team! it was tense! and Matt and Julie broke up, but then i think they might get back together because he made her quarterback on the girl's football team.
i really love watching Coach Taylor and his wife together. i think they make a really convincing married couple.
it's just hard to find a place to watch it in my apartment, because my air conditioners are so loud that it's hard to hear the show on my laptop speakers. i had that problem last night.
alright! have a great night everyone. and a great day tomorrow. is it friday? umm...... i think so. today is thursday, yes. yes. so, tomorrow's friday!
have a great friday!
be well!
<3
i was so productive today! i accomplished everything i set out to do!!!! i'll recap...
i worked from 8am until 11:30am. after i stopped blogging i did some serious website work. got a lot done, actually. despite the fact i uploaded a whole lot of pictures and then realized you couldn't link to them. (that doesn't really make sense. but, i know what i'm talking about.)
after work, i KNEW i shouldn't go to sleep because if i did, then i would never get things done.
SO, i charged through the sleepiness and went to the post office! saw the Ruggedly Handsome Postal Worker, who i haven't seen in a long time. ohhhh the sound of his Ruggedly Handsome voice. yeah it was nice.
then! it started downpouring. while i was on my way to the grocery store. like, downpouring.
and then it was still downpouring when i had to walk into the grocery store. and i got soaked! for realz. like, my hair was soaked. which made me mad because i woke up a little early so i could straighten it.
but, it was okay. i don't mind rain.
the grocery store was fine. i got everything i needed to get.
still downpouring when i had to walk back out to my car. got re-soaked.
i felt bad for the construction worker directing traffic on Glen Road.
drove past the unfortunate movie theater that either never has enough letters to complete the movie titles, OR, never has enough room on the sign to fit all the movies on.
LET'S TAKE TODAY AS AN EXAMPLE. and it really makes me wonder who puts up these titles.
so they don't have a big enough sign to fit all the titles on, so they have to start doubling up two movies on one line. which, is fine with me. great job using space. but,
SHREK KILLERS
really? REALLY? you had to put 'Shrek' and 'Killers' on the same line?!?!?! come on, person who puts up the lettering, did you not realize what you were doing? think of the children.
heck, i was saddened by this. why not,
MARMADUKE SHREK
or,
SPLICE KILLERS
but,
SHREK KILLERS.
really. you had to do it. maybe the person who does the lettering is a fan of this blog and likes reading about when i talk about all the mistakes they make. i don't know. but, it's really too bad that had to happen. does everyone agree, or am i just being crazy?
anyways.
then i got home and it had stopped raining.
unpacked the groceries. it was around 1:45. got ready for bed. went to sleep!! ohhh it was lovely.
i thought i did pretty well though. i lasted from 7am until 2pm on 2 hours of sleep. i set my alarm for 5:30pm.
woke up at 7pm. got right to work on other things. seriously, i did not waste any time.
FIRST, i started soaking the rice noodles to make pad thai.
in the meantime, i made chocolate covered frozen bananas. why? because i wanted to. i don't know what made me feel like chocolate covered frozen bananas. but, i did. so, i made them. and they are freezing right now in my freezer! i think it's partly because now that i have freezer room i want to freeze everything!!!
and then i made pad thai!! i made a lot of it so it will last a few days. really probably only until tomorrow night. because i love it so much i'll probably have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow. and tonight. i actually don't think i made that much. it probably won't last as long as i think it will. but, i feel i'm being productive anyways.
so, that's in the fridge right now. i'll heat some up in a bit and have dinner.
yay! i just felt great today. great day. i think i had to make this day great because i didn't like yesterday. yesterday wasn't so great. but today! YES.
i don't know what will happen tomorrow. i don't have any plans. and since i don't have any money, my options are limited.
so, i just read an article about how leggings are about to go out of style. and they're like, "say goodbye to your leggings!!! death of leggings is coming!!!!"
but, why? who decides these things? i like wearing leggings to bed. or under dresses. and i can't imagine being someone who's like, "okay, i can't wear this anymore, it's not in style." especially if i like it. does that make sense? who cares? if it's comfortable and you feel comfortable in it, why does it matter if it's in style or not?
yep.
aannnnddddd, i just read another article called, "5 Things You Don't Know About Robert Pattinson."
yep. read that one. and now i know 5 more useless things about Robert Pattinson.
alright. it's 10pm. i'm going to go eat my pad thai and watch Friday Night Lights!!!!
last night on Friday Night Lights, there was this huge debate over racism on the team! it was tense! and Matt and Julie broke up, but then i think they might get back together because he made her quarterback on the girl's football team.
i really love watching Coach Taylor and his wife together. i think they make a really convincing married couple.
it's just hard to find a place to watch it in my apartment, because my air conditioners are so loud that it's hard to hear the show on my laptop speakers. i had that problem last night.
alright! have a great night everyone. and a great day tomorrow. is it friday? umm...... i think so. today is thursday, yes. yes. so, tomorrow's friday!
have a great friday!
be well!
<3
feels like rain
ohhhhhh hi. i didn't see you there!
it's so freaking early. geeze. why does this time even exist? 8:41am. everything between 6am and 10am should be illegal. YEP. you heard it here first. ABOLISH 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 am. just go straight from 5am to 11am.
it would be a mandatory sleeping time. NationwideNap. that's what i would call it when i am president. and there would be a lullaby station on the radio!! yeah, i like this idea.
i think the Nationwide Nap mixed with the Birthday Holiday will be my greatest selling points on my presidential campaign. aanndd....possibly the drive-thru post offices. because i think that's totally brillz.
that link takes you to an article about a drive-thru post office opening in New Jersey! New Jersey has TWO drive-thru post offices!!!! any readers in New Jersey ever experience this? does it work? does it not work?
i guess i should experience one before i go putting it on my presidential campaign. there's one in Chicago too. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS. on Euclid Ave! CRAP. i should have gone when i was there!
but, YEAH, for NJ! i don't understand why people are sometimes mean to New Jersey. they have lots of things that people like:
1. drive thru post offices
2. river city extension
3. cakeboss
4. jersey shore?
5. bon jovi
6. bruce
7. the starland ballroom
8. jonas brothers
9. "New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world."
10. there are more diners in NJ than any other place in the world!
11. birthplace of these inventions: FM radio, lightbulb, drive-in movie, cranberry sauce, ice cream cone, postcard, the zipper, the seedless watermelon.
12. NJ was voted 'least annoying state!'
13. NJ is the only state without a state song!
WOW. look at that please. um, why doesn't everyone live in New Jersey?! it's awesome! actually, lots of people DO live in New Jersey because it's the most densely populated state in the country!! true story! i just learned that!!
wow, it's only 9am and we've already learned so much!!! how great is today!? today is great.
i'm pretty impressed with New Jersey right now. no wonder it costs so much to drive there!! (yes i'm talking about you, Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike.)
i actually don't really remember how much it costs. i just remember it felt like we were always paying money. the two recent times i was in New Jersey:
1. march
2. april
hm. april. that was a long time ago. it does not feel like that long ago. for realz. when Ryan and I drove to West Chester, PA to see Crash Kings. and then we stayed in NYC for the night. yeah, that was in April.
although, i must admit, it's kind of depressing driving through NJ in the part right before NYC. especially at nighttime. it's like...factories? all kinds of yellow lights everywhere. but other than that - it's great.
and WHY is there no state song when there are so many great musicians from there?!!
i want to see a COLLAB between Bruce Springsteen and the Jonas Brothers. right now please. kthanks.
WAIT!!!!! our friend Zach Braff is from New Jersey!! duh, he wrote Garden State! one of my favorite movies which i DO NOT own on DVD.
hmmmmm okay. currently it's 9:17am. thursday morning.
i last updated at 3 (or so) am. told you i was going to bed. i THOUGHT i was supertired. my eyes were burning and itchy, which it usually a telltale sign. also, i was yawning. so i thought, "great! i'll get some good sleep before work."
but that sleepiness didn't last long. and i couldn't get into bed. i just couldn't. so i stayed up until 4:15. then went to bed. and then wasn't tired anymore. also, it was getting light out very quickly. and then it was 5am and i still wasn't asleep.
and then i did some mind trickery and forced myself to sleep. it was awful, actually.
i decided i need to wash my eye mask and start wearing it again. i stopped wearing it because every morning when i woke up, my eyes would really hurt to open them. i thought it was my eye allergy drops for a while, but then discovered it was because i was wearing the eye mask. how does that make sense? i don't know. it wasn't too tight, because it would always fall off.
anyways.
and tonight will probably be another late night. cause i don't think i'll be able to stay awake all day on only 2 hours of sleep. i'll have to nap. and most likely the nap will go 2 hours over what i planned. and then i won't be tired again to sleep until...5am again.
well, i think today is going to be a good day. i just decided that. i'm having fun so far. i'm on another Twitter Fake Vaca. it makes me really excited and i kind of feel lame for getting so excited. but then i get happy that i am excited by so little. it's a good way to be.
also, i was thinking about those three Crash Kings shows in august and how much THEY WILL ROCK. 3 shows in 3 days!!!!! mmmmm it sounds so good.
actually, that's the real reason why i couldn't sleep last night. because i was so excited for the Crash Kings show over a month away. yep. not only am i easily excited, but i am pathetic.
so, it's 9:44am. i've only seen one other person here. and i've only taken one phone call. easy breezy.
what else can i tell you??
it looks like it's going to rain. it's pretty dark outside. LAST NIGHT we had thunder! but no rain! it was creepy!
i guess i could actually go do something productive and work on the website. i worked on it for a few hours the other night and then got frustrated and stopped.
alright. i think i'll go try and tackle the site.
have a great day!!! on this great day!!!!!
i'm going to do these things today:
1. go to the post office (because i didn't yesterday)
2. go to the grocery store
3. make pad thai
awesome!!!!
talk to you later!!!
<3
it's so freaking early. geeze. why does this time even exist? 8:41am. everything between 6am and 10am should be illegal. YEP. you heard it here first. ABOLISH 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 am. just go straight from 5am to 11am.
it would be a mandatory sleeping time. NationwideNap. that's what i would call it when i am president. and there would be a lullaby station on the radio!! yeah, i like this idea.
i think the Nationwide Nap mixed with the Birthday Holiday will be my greatest selling points on my presidential campaign. aanndd....possibly the drive-thru post offices. because i think that's totally brillz.
that link takes you to an article about a drive-thru post office opening in New Jersey! New Jersey has TWO drive-thru post offices!!!! any readers in New Jersey ever experience this? does it work? does it not work?
i guess i should experience one before i go putting it on my presidential campaign. there's one in Chicago too. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS. on Euclid Ave! CRAP. i should have gone when i was there!
but, YEAH, for NJ! i don't understand why people are sometimes mean to New Jersey. they have lots of things that people like:
1. drive thru post offices
2. river city extension
3. cakeboss
4. jersey shore?
5. bon jovi
6. bruce
7. the starland ballroom
8. jonas brothers
9. "New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world."
10. there are more diners in NJ than any other place in the world!
11. birthplace of these inventions: FM radio, lightbulb, drive-in movie, cranberry sauce, ice cream cone, postcard, the zipper, the seedless watermelon.
12. NJ was voted 'least annoying state!'
13. NJ is the only state without a state song!
WOW. look at that please. um, why doesn't everyone live in New Jersey?! it's awesome! actually, lots of people DO live in New Jersey because it's the most densely populated state in the country!! true story! i just learned that!!
wow, it's only 9am and we've already learned so much!!! how great is today!? today is great.
i'm pretty impressed with New Jersey right now. no wonder it costs so much to drive there!! (yes i'm talking about you, Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike.)
i actually don't really remember how much it costs. i just remember it felt like we were always paying money. the two recent times i was in New Jersey:
1. march
2. april
hm. april. that was a long time ago. it does not feel like that long ago. for realz. when Ryan and I drove to West Chester, PA to see Crash Kings. and then we stayed in NYC for the night. yeah, that was in April.
although, i must admit, it's kind of depressing driving through NJ in the part right before NYC. especially at nighttime. it's like...factories? all kinds of yellow lights everywhere. but other than that - it's great.
and WHY is there no state song when there are so many great musicians from there?!!
i want to see a COLLAB between Bruce Springsteen and the Jonas Brothers. right now please. kthanks.
WAIT!!!!! our friend Zach Braff is from New Jersey!! duh, he wrote Garden State! one of my favorite movies which i DO NOT own on DVD.
hmmmmm okay. currently it's 9:17am. thursday morning.
i last updated at 3 (or so) am. told you i was going to bed. i THOUGHT i was supertired. my eyes were burning and itchy, which it usually a telltale sign. also, i was yawning. so i thought, "great! i'll get some good sleep before work."
but that sleepiness didn't last long. and i couldn't get into bed. i just couldn't. so i stayed up until 4:15. then went to bed. and then wasn't tired anymore. also, it was getting light out very quickly. and then it was 5am and i still wasn't asleep.
and then i did some mind trickery and forced myself to sleep. it was awful, actually.
i decided i need to wash my eye mask and start wearing it again. i stopped wearing it because every morning when i woke up, my eyes would really hurt to open them. i thought it was my eye allergy drops for a while, but then discovered it was because i was wearing the eye mask. how does that make sense? i don't know. it wasn't too tight, because it would always fall off.
anyways.
and tonight will probably be another late night. cause i don't think i'll be able to stay awake all day on only 2 hours of sleep. i'll have to nap. and most likely the nap will go 2 hours over what i planned. and then i won't be tired again to sleep until...5am again.
well, i think today is going to be a good day. i just decided that. i'm having fun so far. i'm on another Twitter Fake Vaca. it makes me really excited and i kind of feel lame for getting so excited. but then i get happy that i am excited by so little. it's a good way to be.
also, i was thinking about those three Crash Kings shows in august and how much THEY WILL ROCK. 3 shows in 3 days!!!!! mmmmm it sounds so good.
actually, that's the real reason why i couldn't sleep last night. because i was so excited for the Crash Kings show over a month away. yep. not only am i easily excited, but i am pathetic.
so, it's 9:44am. i've only seen one other person here. and i've only taken one phone call. easy breezy.
what else can i tell you??
it looks like it's going to rain. it's pretty dark outside. LAST NIGHT we had thunder! but no rain! it was creepy!
i guess i could actually go do something productive and work on the website. i worked on it for a few hours the other night and then got frustrated and stopped.
alright. i think i'll go try and tackle the site.
have a great day!!! on this great day!!!!!
i'm going to do these things today:
1. go to the post office (because i didn't yesterday)
2. go to the grocery store
3. make pad thai
awesome!!!!
talk to you later!!!
<3
23 June 2010
OH, ALSO:
THIS:::
yep, that's Tony playing the clav whilst standing on his piano.
AND IT'S FROM THIS VIDEO. really cute interview. lots of great smiles. all the guys look pretty smokin'. and also great footage of their roadie, Josh!!! wearing his signature fedora. and him and Mike are both wearing green t-shirts. totally bet they planned that. themed dress days all the time.
alright, i just had to share that with you all because i think it's pretty fantastic.
it's currently 3:12am on the east coast....
HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!
trendy it up!
hi friends.
as you may notice, i have trendied-up the blog. at least, i think it's trendier.
thoughts?
i can't decide if i like the dark grey font. should it be lighter? should the the text on the side be darker, and the main text be lighter? that's what i'm trying to figure out. but, overall i like it.
THERE'S A NEW BLOG EMAIL ADDRESS: captainjulie225@gmail.com
so you can email me there :) anything, really. comments. suggestions. inspiring messages. recipes. dreams. pictures. ANYTHING. and i will love it. that's a blog promise.
so - new blog. i like it. also, i like the new twitter thing. i believe it's called a 'widget.' but, for some reason, i couldn't get the old one to show up. was it showing up on your computer? it wasn't on mine, and i was getting annoyed. so, hopefully this one is newer, fresher and will work.
anyways. not much else to say, i guess.
i'm working today 8am until 11:30am. that's in...5.5 hours! i won't be getting much sleep before work, i'm sure.
and then not working again until sunday.
Ruby Tuesday has been especially cute today. she's been very sleepy from all the moth-catching she does at night. it gets pretty crazy in here. last night it was very funny... she was almost asleep on my bed, and then she wakes up all excited, runs out of the bedroom and then a minute later comes running back in with one of her toy mice in her mouth. and she just drops it on the ground and sits next to it.
she's so cute! that was the pink mouse. and then tonight, i had the fridge open, and she RUNS over, stretches out in front of the fridge, reaches her paw under and pulls out the orange mouse!!! now, i can't tell you the last time i saw the orange mouse. like, months ago. she's the best thing ever.
well. it's 2:45am. i might wash my hair so that i don't have to do it before work.
hopefully my toilet will get fixed today. i've been flushing it with a bucket of water! hooray!
alright! i hope everyone has a great thursday. anything exciting happening? let me know where the parties are at! eh, i'm just kidding. don't do that. there probably aren't any parties around here anyways.
take care! be well. drive safe. drink water!
<3
as you may notice, i have trendied-up the blog. at least, i think it's trendier.
thoughts?
i can't decide if i like the dark grey font. should it be lighter? should the the text on the side be darker, and the main text be lighter? that's what i'm trying to figure out. but, overall i like it.
THERE'S A NEW BLOG EMAIL ADDRESS: captainjulie225@gmail.com
so you can email me there :) anything, really. comments. suggestions. inspiring messages. recipes. dreams. pictures. ANYTHING. and i will love it. that's a blog promise.
so - new blog. i like it. also, i like the new twitter thing. i believe it's called a 'widget.' but, for some reason, i couldn't get the old one to show up. was it showing up on your computer? it wasn't on mine, and i was getting annoyed. so, hopefully this one is newer, fresher and will work.
anyways. not much else to say, i guess.
i'm working today 8am until 11:30am. that's in...5.5 hours! i won't be getting much sleep before work, i'm sure.
and then not working again until sunday.
Ruby Tuesday has been especially cute today. she's been very sleepy from all the moth-catching she does at night. it gets pretty crazy in here. last night it was very funny... she was almost asleep on my bed, and then she wakes up all excited, runs out of the bedroom and then a minute later comes running back in with one of her toy mice in her mouth. and she just drops it on the ground and sits next to it.
she's so cute! that was the pink mouse. and then tonight, i had the fridge open, and she RUNS over, stretches out in front of the fridge, reaches her paw under and pulls out the orange mouse!!! now, i can't tell you the last time i saw the orange mouse. like, months ago. she's the best thing ever.
well. it's 2:45am. i might wash my hair so that i don't have to do it before work.
hopefully my toilet will get fixed today. i've been flushing it with a bucket of water! hooray!
alright! i hope everyone has a great thursday. anything exciting happening? let me know where the parties are at! eh, i'm just kidding. don't do that. there probably aren't any parties around here anyways.
take care! be well. drive safe. drink water!
<3
"my dreams are like movie stars...they just don't look the same in real life."
i'm not sure what kind of an update this will be. it could go many ways. i'm in a strange mood today.
so, work was fine last night. i blogged a lot. both in here, and on Facebook. the Facebook blogging takes some time, because, when i copy the entries from here, it doesn't copy the pictures. so i have to go into facebook and upload each picture individually.
YEP, that's how much i am committed to the blogging cause. and how much i am dissatisfied with the 'facebook will automatically upload your entries' function.
got home last night around 10pm. (but i was still on shift until 8am.) made some corn bread. i was a bit nervous because all i had was soy milk and no normal milk. but, it came out delish.
then i made an english muffin pizza and that was my dinner! corn bread and english muffin pizza. i was excited about it.
i watched Pirate Radio. which i loved. yep, 5 stars. it made me want to become a Pirate Rock DJ. which would mean that i could listen to music all day AND fulfill my lifelong dream of being a ship captain. brillz.
yeah, i just loved it. it was really funny. great music. GREAT costumes. it's just so much better when people fight back and don't follow the rules.
then i got a really bad headache which was confusing because i hardly ever get headaches. ever. so, at the early hour of 1:30am, i went to bed!!!! yep. i took initiative and went to bed early.
slept from 2am until 7:50am. woke up. still had a headache. gave Ruby some food. took some ibuprofen.
slept from 8am until 10am. woke up. still had a headache.
slept from 10:15 to noon. woke up. still had a headache. still really tired, so,
i slept from noon until 3pm. woke up. headache gone! so i got up.
3pm!! yeah. that was a long sleep. i think it was because i had such bad sleeps the three previous nights. it really felt like i hadn't slept at all.
so, i was glad i had a nice, long sleep last night. but, i wonder why i had a headache for such a long time?
also, one of the times i was falling asleep, i was listening to my lullabies and i thought i heard 'It's Only Wednesday' playing. and i thought, "holy crap did they release a lullaby cd of Crash Kings songs that i downloaded in my sleep!!??" and i seriously got pretty excited. and then i listened closer and realized it was 'Across the Universe' by The Beatles.
great story, eh?
so, i'm pretty annoyed because Paper Tongues announced that they are playing a FREE show in Boston TOMORROW (thursday) NIGHT. did i mention FREE??!? and guess who can't go? ME. i'm working! unreal, right? i'm mad.
because i was thinking that it was so good that i was finally going to start working again, because i have no money and no concerts planned for a little while. AND THEN THIS!!!! and it's even more painful because it's FREE. so, it would have been something i TOTALLY could have done if i wasn't working.
i need a job where i make lots of money and can take unlimited time off. any suggestions? (i'm serious. anybody have a job suggestion for me??)
anyways.
so, i turned on the 'twitter locations' which lets people know where you're tweeting from if you're on a computer. i turned it on before i went to Chicago, because i thought it'd be fun to see all the different places i was.
and then i got home and it said Lebanon, NH, which is right.
but then yesterday, it started doing some amusing where it thinks i am in Ann Arbor, Michigan. i have no idea why it thinks this. and then last night, it said i was in White River Junction, VT, which is a lot closer to where i actually am.
and then today! i'm back in Ann Arbor. so i thought, 'what the heck, i'll make it a fake vaca!' so, i changed it so i was at a sushi place in Ann Arbor. and then i went to an Urban Outfitters in Ann Arbor, which is where i am now.
Ann Arbor is beautiful this time of year!
eh, i think it's funny.
also, this is my horoscope for today:
Your feelings about work and service deepen, and you might find yourself either recommitting to your current situation or looking around for something more in line with your passions.
hmmm. okay. i don't know what i'm going to do this evening.
also, remember when i was driving through Buffalo and the song 'Mexico' came on? and i was really excited? well, now, every time 'Mexico' comes on, i have a little laugh to myself, thinking about that. and then i realized that i have an inside joke with myself. is that pathetic? i can't decide.
i'm thinking about that because 'Mexico' is playing right now.
ALSO: Crash Kings released more New England tour dates!!!!!
- 3 August in Boston, MA
- 4 August in Providence, RI (at Club Hell, where they filmed the movie 27 Dresses!)
- 5 August in Burlington, VT
AND River City Extension released a date:
- 31 July in Sayreville, NJ (at Starland Ballroom, where Ryan and I went to see CK and JET.)
soooo....i really want to go to all those dates.
PLUS:
- River City Extension, 8 August in Boston, MA
PLUS:
- Rooney and Hanson, 23 July in Cape Cod, MA
hmm. what i need to do is this: figure out how i can get paid to go to all of these shows. OR, go to the shows for free.
ok. i have to go. i don't know what i'm going to do now. which seems to be the current theme of my life. great!
hope everyone is having a great day. it's wednesday!
take care.
"sometimes all i want is a job and a god and a wife,
lately i've been thinking some stability would probably be nice."
so, work was fine last night. i blogged a lot. both in here, and on Facebook. the Facebook blogging takes some time, because, when i copy the entries from here, it doesn't copy the pictures. so i have to go into facebook and upload each picture individually.
YEP, that's how much i am committed to the blogging cause. and how much i am dissatisfied with the 'facebook will automatically upload your entries' function.
got home last night around 10pm. (but i was still on shift until 8am.) made some corn bread. i was a bit nervous because all i had was soy milk and no normal milk. but, it came out delish.
then i made an english muffin pizza and that was my dinner! corn bread and english muffin pizza. i was excited about it.
i watched Pirate Radio. which i loved. yep, 5 stars. it made me want to become a Pirate Rock DJ. which would mean that i could listen to music all day AND fulfill my lifelong dream of being a ship captain. brillz.
yeah, i just loved it. it was really funny. great music. GREAT costumes. it's just so much better when people fight back and don't follow the rules.
then i got a really bad headache which was confusing because i hardly ever get headaches. ever. so, at the early hour of 1:30am, i went to bed!!!! yep. i took initiative and went to bed early.
slept from 2am until 7:50am. woke up. still had a headache. gave Ruby some food. took some ibuprofen.
slept from 8am until 10am. woke up. still had a headache.
slept from 10:15 to noon. woke up. still had a headache. still really tired, so,
i slept from noon until 3pm. woke up. headache gone! so i got up.
3pm!! yeah. that was a long sleep. i think it was because i had such bad sleeps the three previous nights. it really felt like i hadn't slept at all.
so, i was glad i had a nice, long sleep last night. but, i wonder why i had a headache for such a long time?
also, one of the times i was falling asleep, i was listening to my lullabies and i thought i heard 'It's Only Wednesday' playing. and i thought, "holy crap did they release a lullaby cd of Crash Kings songs that i downloaded in my sleep!!??" and i seriously got pretty excited. and then i listened closer and realized it was 'Across the Universe' by The Beatles.
great story, eh?
so, i'm pretty annoyed because Paper Tongues announced that they are playing a FREE show in Boston TOMORROW (thursday) NIGHT. did i mention FREE??!? and guess who can't go? ME. i'm working! unreal, right? i'm mad.
because i was thinking that it was so good that i was finally going to start working again, because i have no money and no concerts planned for a little while. AND THEN THIS!!!! and it's even more painful because it's FREE. so, it would have been something i TOTALLY could have done if i wasn't working.
i need a job where i make lots of money and can take unlimited time off. any suggestions? (i'm serious. anybody have a job suggestion for me??)
anyways.
so, i turned on the 'twitter locations' which lets people know where you're tweeting from if you're on a computer. i turned it on before i went to Chicago, because i thought it'd be fun to see all the different places i was.
and then i got home and it said Lebanon, NH, which is right.
but then yesterday, it started doing some amusing where it thinks i am in Ann Arbor, Michigan. i have no idea why it thinks this. and then last night, it said i was in White River Junction, VT, which is a lot closer to where i actually am.
and then today! i'm back in Ann Arbor. so i thought, 'what the heck, i'll make it a fake vaca!' so, i changed it so i was at a sushi place in Ann Arbor. and then i went to an Urban Outfitters in Ann Arbor, which is where i am now.
Ann Arbor is beautiful this time of year!
eh, i think it's funny.
also, this is my horoscope for today:
Your feelings about work and service deepen, and you might find yourself either recommitting to your current situation or looking around for something more in line with your passions.
hmmm. okay. i don't know what i'm going to do this evening.
also, remember when i was driving through Buffalo and the song 'Mexico' came on? and i was really excited? well, now, every time 'Mexico' comes on, i have a little laugh to myself, thinking about that. and then i realized that i have an inside joke with myself. is that pathetic? i can't decide.
i'm thinking about that because 'Mexico' is playing right now.
ALSO: Crash Kings released more New England tour dates!!!!!
- 3 August in Boston, MA
- 4 August in Providence, RI (at Club Hell, where they filmed the movie 27 Dresses!)
- 5 August in Burlington, VT
AND River City Extension released a date:
- 31 July in Sayreville, NJ (at Starland Ballroom, where Ryan and I went to see CK and JET.)
soooo....i really want to go to all those dates.
PLUS:
- River City Extension, 8 August in Boston, MA
PLUS:
- Rooney and Hanson, 23 July in Cape Cod, MA
hmm. what i need to do is this: figure out how i can get paid to go to all of these shows. OR, go to the shows for free.
ok. i have to go. i don't know what i'm going to do now. which seems to be the current theme of my life. great!
hope everyone is having a great day. it's wednesday!
take care.
"sometimes all i want is a job and a god and a wife,
lately i've been thinking some stability would probably be nice."
22 June 2010
"and then i end up making music"
FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY::: Tom Hanks has a twitter. a real twitter. the real tom hanks. i just discovered this when one of my Crash Queen sisters retweeted something that he had posted. this is very exciting. do we all know that i have an enormously huge crush on him?! yeah cause i do.
anyways, if you are on twitter and want to start following Mr. Tom Hanks, you can do so here.
yep. that was the most important thing i have to say today. it's all downhill from here.
no, just kidding. this is a photo post. i have lots of great photos to show you!!! i know how people love looking at pictures. at least, i do.
but first, to give you a bit of an update:
i'm at work! that's right. my real work. we have gotten a new resident! after 3 months of zero residents.
Sunday night i had a feeling it would be the last time i'm in the house alone for a while, so i savored it and turned my music up really loud. i'm a wild one.
i've been having a really hard time sleeping and it's driving me crazy. the past three nights it has taken me like, an hour to fall asleep. i'm just not tired enough. and i haven't gone to bed until like, 4:30.
and then this morning! i went to bed at 4:30. didn't fall asleep until around 5. had to get up at 7:25 because there was an electrician that needed to fix a light in my apartment. i got back into bed at around 8:30, and again didn't fall asleep until around 9:30. dislike.
and then i set my alarm for 11:40 to get up for staff meeting, which was at 1.
alarm goes off at 11:40, i hit snooze, alarm never goes off again. thanks phone! you are awesome.
so i wake up at 12:29. YIKES. and in 30 minutes i manage to:
- wash my hair
- get dressed and ready
- straighten my hair
i was pretty impressed with myself.
anyways. the point is, i'm having trouble sleeping. i'm pretty tired right now, so here's hoping that tonight i will be able to fall asleep at a somewhat normal time.
IN OTHER NEWS:
guess what last night was?!!? opening night of Les Miserables in London! starring...who? oh yeah, NICK JONAS. as Marius! i'm still upset about this. i read that this morning and thought, "i couldn't believe society actually let this happen."
yep. there it is. from L to R: Joe, Nick, Kevin. ohhhh kevin why aren't you married to me!?
so, i decided i needed to youtube this because i was pretty sure that someone would have gotten either video or audio from last night. so i youtube'd 'nick jonas les mis,' and yes, someone had gotten audio.
and it was 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.' and i cringed at the thought of a Jonas singing this song. and then i listened.
ummm. okay. i'm not saying that Nick Jonas has a good voice...but.........
he has a pretty good voice. i was kind of in shock. expecting whiny sounding Nick. at first i was like, "oh, that's not him they just took another recording." but then i listened closer...and you can kind of hear his speaking voice come through at parts. so, i think it really must be him.
i actually still can't believe it. thinking about it. why can't he sing that like in the band?!
OK, JONAS BROTHERS, HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
switch your entire focus and become a Broadway Cover Band!!!!! omg why has no one thought of this before?!! IT'S BRILLZ!!!!! wow. um, who's managing them now? because it needs to be me immediately.
so, click on that link and listen. the whole thing is like 10 minutes, but the first part is 'Empty Chairs' and that's the part you should listen to.
so maybe Nick Jonas as Marius won't be as bad as i thought. although, i know for sure he's no Josh Young. the best Marius i've ever seen.
IN OTHER JONAS NEWS:
Season 2 of JONAS premiered on Disney over the weekend!!! did i watch it?? no because i don't have cable. :( so far, it's been the worst thing that i've experienced all week. yeah, i'm pretty lucky.
hmmm..what else? nothing, i think.
OH, in case you're interested (and you should be), Kara bought the first River City Extension record thinking it was the second one. this turned out to be a good thing. i got the songs from her AND I LOVE THEM.
i went in to the listening process with the mindset, "nothing could be as good as their second album."
um, but it is. it's a little more creepy than the second record. sometimes a bit dark. i REALLY like, 'It's no Ha-ha-ha.' that's where the subject for this entry comes from. i also really love 'Nautical Sabbatical' and 'Elephant.' 'Elephant' kind of scares me at the end, but i love it.
it's kind of like Pirate music. not like Somali pirates. but like, fictionalized pirates. nice and funny ones. that wear red striped shirts and cut-offs. is that what pirates wear? that's what i think they wear.
ANYWAYS, the point is, i think River City Extension is good pirate music. it's kind of a wild celebration with oceanic images. i don't know. i guess it seemed like a better idea in my head. they just sound like the kind of band that would be playing on the deck of a ship. during a storm.
River City Extension would go down with the ship. that's what i think, to bring in a Titanic reference. they would keep playing. and it would be good music right to the end.
and that's the RCE part of the blog.
CRASH KINGS PART OF THE BLOG:
my mom called me yesterday evening....
MOM: Ok, I wanted to call because I've been trying to track down something for you....
JULIE: Umm....yeah...?
MOM: I can't confirm this yet, but I've tried to find out as much information as I could....
JULIE: Okay......
MOM: I think Crash Kings are playing in Portsmouth on 24 July.
JULIE: What?! Why do you think that?!
MOM: Well, I was driving home and heard a radio advertisement and they said, "featuring Crash Kings," so I listened closer and it was an advertisement for this event called Hook Fest, at the Red Hook Brewery, and they said Crash Kings are playing...
JULIE: Really?!?
MOM: Yeah. So, I got home and had Kara go onto their website....
JULIE: Who's website?
MOM: Crash Kings and the Hook Fest site, but there's no information, the only band listed is Blues Traveler.
JULIE: Whoa, they're pretty big....
MOM: So, I called the Brewery, but they're closed today. I'm sure I heard them say Crash Kings.
JULIE: WOW!! I can't believe you did all that!!! You're so excited about this!!!!
MOM: Well, I knew you'd be excited!! And, wasn't I just saying, 'I wonder why Crash Kings don't play in Portsmouth?'
JULIE: Yep, you were just saying that.
MOM: And now look!!
JULIE: Wow, that would be so amazing.
MOM: I know!
YEP. that happened. you should have heard my mom on the phone. it was amazing. she was so stealth sounding!!!!! it was so funny. AND GREAT. how cool would that be? um, so cool.
so, i sent a tweet to the guys asking them if it was true. i don't really expect response because they never responded to me asking what time they were playing in Chicago. ah well.
BUT! i went onto the website for WHEB, which is the radio station sponsoring the event, and THEY have Crash Kings listed.
UM, AWESOME. yep. a lot.
so, i'm going to force my mom to come with me. and kara too. and ANYONE READING THIS THAT LIVES IN THE SEACOAST AREA!!!!! for realz, you gotta come.
IF ALL GOES PERFECT THIS SUMMER (and i mean really, really perfect) I WILL SEE CRASH KINGS:
- 21 July in Colorado Springs
- 24 July in Portsmouth
- 3 August in Boston
DEAR UNIVERSE, PLEASE BE PERFECT!!!!!!! kthanks.
alright. now i guess we can move onto the photo portion of the entry. ar you excited?!!?! YOU SHOULD BE!!!
the first pictures are from a night when Kara and i went into the bakery and worked together. I am a self-named honorary bakery assistant. we would go in at like, midnight and stay until 5am or so. yummmmm there'ssomuchgoodfood.....
These are the cupcakes we made in honor of Flag Day!!!! Really, Kara made the cupcakes and frosting and I just sprinkled on the blue jimmies.
Kara and me!! it's a bad picture of both of us, so that's why i'm posting it. amazing that we have TWO BAKERS in the family, right? i mean, what are the odds?! and yep, i wore my glasses that night :)
BAKERY CASE!!!!!! every single thing in that case was made FROM SCRATCH by my sister, Kara. and see on the middle shelf to the left of the cakes, there are cups of tiramisu? and see how there's a red sign in front of them? that's the sign that says, 'AWARD WINNING.' because remember a few months ago when Kara's tiramisu won BEST TIRAMISU in Wells, Maine (but really in the whole northeast.) YEP! my sister is a famous baker. :) and i'm her honorary bakery assistant.
mmm....look at those blueberry muffins. don't they look great? don't they look like they could be award winning some day?? um, guess who made those? ME!!!! that's right, ME. your truly. i made those muffins from scratch. i also made coffee cake muffins and chocolate chip muffins.
and kara couldn't believe how much better mine looked than the ones she makes. it's true. she says i take more time on mine so they look nicer. TRUE STORY. i know you don't believe me, but it's true. i made those muffins.
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PIE!!!!! kara loves baking pies! who knew?! and at first she was just making blueberry and apple pies. i told her that was boring and so ON-THE-SPOT i came up with this pie:
- melted chocolate spread on the crust (supposed to be chocolate crust, but kara already had normal crust made up)
- raspberry filling
- chocolate drizzled on top!
YUM, right?! best pie ever!
AND I MADE THE FILLING!!! the raspberry filling! i put raspberries on the stove with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and some other stuff and then mixed it with a cornstarch-water mixture. brillz. i was really proud of it.
AND THEN!!! i made these cinnamon twists!!!!!!! don't they look great?! i know, i know they do.
i couldn't believe kara let me make all this stuff. she said i did a really good job. i love going into work with her. it's so fun. in between baking we have dance parties.
AWESOME, right?!!?!?
and now! comes a special section where i photo document my efforts to defrost my horrible freezer.
this is the WORST-SITUATION FREEZER. it's a tiny box at the top of my fridge. no, it's not a separate part like normal fridges. and there's only one temperature thing that controls both the fridge and the freezer. WORST. so, if the dial isn't turned up high enough, nothing stays frozen. and if it's turned up too high, the whole thing will frost over.
and i let it go waayyyy toooo loonnnggg. the whole thing was frosted over. you could barely fit anything in there. for realz. and so i decided it was time to take on the job. and i figured you guys would just love to come along for the adventure.
(also, it was totally boring and took a total of 3 HOURS and so i felt like you all were there with me because i was taking these pictures and thinking, 'i can't wait to tell my blog friends!')
JULIE DEFROSTS HER FREEZER:
these were the tools i used.
- plastic container to hold the already removed frost. (it's blue because this was the same container i used to bail out some of the overflowing teal water from when i dyed my jacket teal.)
- bamboo spatula (didn't really work that well. and it looks pink because i also used it as a dying tool when i dyed some t-shirts pink last summer.)
- metal ladle, used to scrape up the frost and also act as a chipping device
- sharp knife, used as a replacement ice pick.
THIS WAS THE SITUATION. such a big fail. the frost on the sides had to be at least 5 inches thick.
and, there was a huge ice pack that i had put on the little tray under the freezer, which then froze to the tray, and the frost grew around it. i was also on a mission to retrieve the ice pack.
this was my method. boil a pot of water. stick it in the freezer. shut the door. wait a bit. come back. chip away.
so, that's the smallest size saucepan i have. and look how it barely fits in the freezer!! guys, it was bad.
starting to make some progress.....
becoming more square-shaped.
yep. it was like the deck of Titanic.
then i came up with the 'bathmat/towel method.' this kept the floor from getting too wet.
ice pack finally came out!!!!!! success!!!! that took A WHILE.
and this was the final product. yep. freezer won. i never actually reached any of the original freezer sides. but, after three hours i got tired. my hand was numb from chipping. my feet were numb from standing on ice.
it's definitely an improvement.
eh, i guess there's not much else to say. FREEZER WON. kind of a let down at the end, i guess.
well it was a good adventure.
HM. ok. i think that might be all for now.
oh! i watched The Blind Side. loved it. laughed. cried. 5 stars.
last night i watched Monster's Ball. i had seen it when it first came out, and then saw a trailer for it on something recently and decided i wanted to see it again, because i really didn't remember it.
so i watched it! yeah, great movie. i had forgotten kind of everything that happens. but, as i was watching it the plot slowly came back. i totally didn't remember that Heath Ledger kills himself. (spoiler!) that was surprising and really sad.
tonight i have Pirate Radio to watch. unless i'm too tired....in which case i might just watch an episode of Friday Night Lights.
i have to go to the post office tomorrow. other than that, that's pretty much it.
i'm working tonight, and then again thursday 8-11am, and then possibly a double shift on sunday, which would be 8am until 10pm. but actually, 10pm saturday night until 8am monday morning.
now that i haven't been getting a paycheck for like, two months, I NEED ONE. badly.
oh! also, i decided that i'm getting the tattoo i want as soon as i can afford it. yep. it's decided. i'm going to do it. i want it. and every time i see someone with a tattoo, i am envious. so - it's happening.
also - my toilet is broken. hopefully getting fixed either tomorrow afternoon or thursday sometime. it's still usable, it's just annoying.
at first, it was normal working, except it would never stop running. so, you'd have to shut off the water valve. and then turn it back on so the back could fill up, and so forth.
but now, the flushing has broken, so you have to do it manually, by sticking your hand in the back. and also, once the back fills up with water, it immediately drains again.
so, i have resorted to the ol' standby method of pouring water down the toilet in order for it to flush. it's annoying. but at least it still works. it just makes things more interesting.
AND! i told you the electrician came this morning! he fixed a lamp! in the 'cave room.' which is the front room as soon as you walk into my apartment. it has slanted walls and no windows. and there had been this light fixture hanging from the ceiling that didn't work. and there was no working light switch.
so, this electrician came over. fixed the hanging light socket. REPLACED the bad switch. AND NOW - there's a working light (with a switch) in the cave room!!!! it's pretty cool. it's now the second switch-operated light in my apartment! the other one is in the bathroom. nice!
hm. i have a feeling that now i'm just telling you random things to waste time.
ok, i'll stop.
i hope everybody is having a great week! i'm hungry right now. i might make cornbread tonight.
maybe i'll talk to you later, but, maybe not. probably not.
ENJOY the rest of your day!!!! talk to you soon.
<3
anyways, if you are on twitter and want to start following Mr. Tom Hanks, you can do so here.
yep. that was the most important thing i have to say today. it's all downhill from here.
no, just kidding. this is a photo post. i have lots of great photos to show you!!! i know how people love looking at pictures. at least, i do.
but first, to give you a bit of an update:
i'm at work! that's right. my real work. we have gotten a new resident! after 3 months of zero residents.
Sunday night i had a feeling it would be the last time i'm in the house alone for a while, so i savored it and turned my music up really loud. i'm a wild one.
i've been having a really hard time sleeping and it's driving me crazy. the past three nights it has taken me like, an hour to fall asleep. i'm just not tired enough. and i haven't gone to bed until like, 4:30.
and then this morning! i went to bed at 4:30. didn't fall asleep until around 5. had to get up at 7:25 because there was an electrician that needed to fix a light in my apartment. i got back into bed at around 8:30, and again didn't fall asleep until around 9:30. dislike.
and then i set my alarm for 11:40 to get up for staff meeting, which was at 1.
alarm goes off at 11:40, i hit snooze, alarm never goes off again. thanks phone! you are awesome.
so i wake up at 12:29. YIKES. and in 30 minutes i manage to:
- wash my hair
- get dressed and ready
- straighten my hair
i was pretty impressed with myself.
anyways. the point is, i'm having trouble sleeping. i'm pretty tired right now, so here's hoping that tonight i will be able to fall asleep at a somewhat normal time.
IN OTHER NEWS:
guess what last night was?!!? opening night of Les Miserables in London! starring...who? oh yeah, NICK JONAS. as Marius! i'm still upset about this. i read that this morning and thought, "i couldn't believe society actually let this happen."
yep. there it is. from L to R: Joe, Nick, Kevin. ohhhh kevin why aren't you married to me!?
so, i decided i needed to youtube this because i was pretty sure that someone would have gotten either video or audio from last night. so i youtube'd 'nick jonas les mis,' and yes, someone had gotten audio.
and it was 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.' and i cringed at the thought of a Jonas singing this song. and then i listened.
ummm. okay. i'm not saying that Nick Jonas has a good voice...but.........
he has a pretty good voice. i was kind of in shock. expecting whiny sounding Nick. at first i was like, "oh, that's not him they just took another recording." but then i listened closer...and you can kind of hear his speaking voice come through at parts. so, i think it really must be him.
i actually still can't believe it. thinking about it. why can't he sing that like in the band?!
OK, JONAS BROTHERS, HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
switch your entire focus and become a Broadway Cover Band!!!!! omg why has no one thought of this before?!! IT'S BRILLZ!!!!! wow. um, who's managing them now? because it needs to be me immediately.
so, click on that link and listen. the whole thing is like 10 minutes, but the first part is 'Empty Chairs' and that's the part you should listen to.
so maybe Nick Jonas as Marius won't be as bad as i thought. although, i know for sure he's no Josh Young. the best Marius i've ever seen.
IN OTHER JONAS NEWS:
Season 2 of JONAS premiered on Disney over the weekend!!! did i watch it?? no because i don't have cable. :( so far, it's been the worst thing that i've experienced all week. yeah, i'm pretty lucky.
hmmm..what else? nothing, i think.
OH, in case you're interested (and you should be), Kara bought the first River City Extension record thinking it was the second one. this turned out to be a good thing. i got the songs from her AND I LOVE THEM.
i went in to the listening process with the mindset, "nothing could be as good as their second album."
um, but it is. it's a little more creepy than the second record. sometimes a bit dark. i REALLY like, 'It's no Ha-ha-ha.' that's where the subject for this entry comes from. i also really love 'Nautical Sabbatical' and 'Elephant.' 'Elephant' kind of scares me at the end, but i love it.
it's kind of like Pirate music. not like Somali pirates. but like, fictionalized pirates. nice and funny ones. that wear red striped shirts and cut-offs. is that what pirates wear? that's what i think they wear.
ANYWAYS, the point is, i think River City Extension is good pirate music. it's kind of a wild celebration with oceanic images. i don't know. i guess it seemed like a better idea in my head. they just sound like the kind of band that would be playing on the deck of a ship. during a storm.
River City Extension would go down with the ship. that's what i think, to bring in a Titanic reference. they would keep playing. and it would be good music right to the end.
and that's the RCE part of the blog.
CRASH KINGS PART OF THE BLOG:
my mom called me yesterday evening....
MOM: Ok, I wanted to call because I've been trying to track down something for you....
JULIE: Umm....yeah...?
MOM: I can't confirm this yet, but I've tried to find out as much information as I could....
JULIE: Okay......
MOM: I think Crash Kings are playing in Portsmouth on 24 July.
JULIE: What?! Why do you think that?!
MOM: Well, I was driving home and heard a radio advertisement and they said, "featuring Crash Kings," so I listened closer and it was an advertisement for this event called Hook Fest, at the Red Hook Brewery, and they said Crash Kings are playing...
JULIE: Really?!?
MOM: Yeah. So, I got home and had Kara go onto their website....
JULIE: Who's website?
MOM: Crash Kings and the Hook Fest site, but there's no information, the only band listed is Blues Traveler.
JULIE: Whoa, they're pretty big....
MOM: So, I called the Brewery, but they're closed today. I'm sure I heard them say Crash Kings.
JULIE: WOW!! I can't believe you did all that!!! You're so excited about this!!!!
MOM: Well, I knew you'd be excited!! And, wasn't I just saying, 'I wonder why Crash Kings don't play in Portsmouth?'
JULIE: Yep, you were just saying that.
MOM: And now look!!
JULIE: Wow, that would be so amazing.
MOM: I know!
YEP. that happened. you should have heard my mom on the phone. it was amazing. she was so stealth sounding!!!!! it was so funny. AND GREAT. how cool would that be? um, so cool.
so, i sent a tweet to the guys asking them if it was true. i don't really expect response because they never responded to me asking what time they were playing in Chicago. ah well.
BUT! i went onto the website for WHEB, which is the radio station sponsoring the event, and THEY have Crash Kings listed.
UM, AWESOME. yep. a lot.
so, i'm going to force my mom to come with me. and kara too. and ANYONE READING THIS THAT LIVES IN THE SEACOAST AREA!!!!! for realz, you gotta come.
IF ALL GOES PERFECT THIS SUMMER (and i mean really, really perfect) I WILL SEE CRASH KINGS:
- 21 July in Colorado Springs
- 24 July in Portsmouth
- 3 August in Boston
DEAR UNIVERSE, PLEASE BE PERFECT!!!!!!! kthanks.
alright. now i guess we can move onto the photo portion of the entry. ar you excited?!!?! YOU SHOULD BE!!!
the first pictures are from a night when Kara and i went into the bakery and worked together. I am a self-named honorary bakery assistant. we would go in at like, midnight and stay until 5am or so. yummmmm there'ssomuchgoodfood.....
These are the cupcakes we made in honor of Flag Day!!!! Really, Kara made the cupcakes and frosting and I just sprinkled on the blue jimmies.
Kara and me!! it's a bad picture of both of us, so that's why i'm posting it. amazing that we have TWO BAKERS in the family, right? i mean, what are the odds?! and yep, i wore my glasses that night :)
BAKERY CASE!!!!!! every single thing in that case was made FROM SCRATCH by my sister, Kara. and see on the middle shelf to the left of the cakes, there are cups of tiramisu? and see how there's a red sign in front of them? that's the sign that says, 'AWARD WINNING.' because remember a few months ago when Kara's tiramisu won BEST TIRAMISU in Wells, Maine (but really in the whole northeast.) YEP! my sister is a famous baker. :) and i'm her honorary bakery assistant.
mmm....look at those blueberry muffins. don't they look great? don't they look like they could be award winning some day?? um, guess who made those? ME!!!! that's right, ME. your truly. i made those muffins from scratch. i also made coffee cake muffins and chocolate chip muffins.
and kara couldn't believe how much better mine looked than the ones she makes. it's true. she says i take more time on mine so they look nicer. TRUE STORY. i know you don't believe me, but it's true. i made those muffins.
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PIE!!!!! kara loves baking pies! who knew?! and at first she was just making blueberry and apple pies. i told her that was boring and so ON-THE-SPOT i came up with this pie:
- melted chocolate spread on the crust (supposed to be chocolate crust, but kara already had normal crust made up)
- raspberry filling
- chocolate drizzled on top!
YUM, right?! best pie ever!
AND I MADE THE FILLING!!! the raspberry filling! i put raspberries on the stove with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and some other stuff and then mixed it with a cornstarch-water mixture. brillz. i was really proud of it.
AND THEN!!! i made these cinnamon twists!!!!!!! don't they look great?! i know, i know they do.
i couldn't believe kara let me make all this stuff. she said i did a really good job. i love going into work with her. it's so fun. in between baking we have dance parties.
AWESOME, right?!!?!?
and now! comes a special section where i photo document my efforts to defrost my horrible freezer.
this is the WORST-SITUATION FREEZER. it's a tiny box at the top of my fridge. no, it's not a separate part like normal fridges. and there's only one temperature thing that controls both the fridge and the freezer. WORST. so, if the dial isn't turned up high enough, nothing stays frozen. and if it's turned up too high, the whole thing will frost over.
and i let it go waayyyy toooo loonnnggg. the whole thing was frosted over. you could barely fit anything in there. for realz. and so i decided it was time to take on the job. and i figured you guys would just love to come along for the adventure.
(also, it was totally boring and took a total of 3 HOURS and so i felt like you all were there with me because i was taking these pictures and thinking, 'i can't wait to tell my blog friends!')
JULIE DEFROSTS HER FREEZER:
these were the tools i used.
- plastic container to hold the already removed frost. (it's blue because this was the same container i used to bail out some of the overflowing teal water from when i dyed my jacket teal.)
- bamboo spatula (didn't really work that well. and it looks pink because i also used it as a dying tool when i dyed some t-shirts pink last summer.)
- metal ladle, used to scrape up the frost and also act as a chipping device
- sharp knife, used as a replacement ice pick.
THIS WAS THE SITUATION. such a big fail. the frost on the sides had to be at least 5 inches thick.
and, there was a huge ice pack that i had put on the little tray under the freezer, which then froze to the tray, and the frost grew around it. i was also on a mission to retrieve the ice pack.
this was my method. boil a pot of water. stick it in the freezer. shut the door. wait a bit. come back. chip away.
so, that's the smallest size saucepan i have. and look how it barely fits in the freezer!! guys, it was bad.
starting to make some progress.....
becoming more square-shaped.
yep. it was like the deck of Titanic.
then i came up with the 'bathmat/towel method.' this kept the floor from getting too wet.
ice pack finally came out!!!!!! success!!!! that took A WHILE.
and this was the final product. yep. freezer won. i never actually reached any of the original freezer sides. but, after three hours i got tired. my hand was numb from chipping. my feet were numb from standing on ice.
it's definitely an improvement.
eh, i guess there's not much else to say. FREEZER WON. kind of a let down at the end, i guess.
well it was a good adventure.
HM. ok. i think that might be all for now.
oh! i watched The Blind Side. loved it. laughed. cried. 5 stars.
last night i watched Monster's Ball. i had seen it when it first came out, and then saw a trailer for it on something recently and decided i wanted to see it again, because i really didn't remember it.
so i watched it! yeah, great movie. i had forgotten kind of everything that happens. but, as i was watching it the plot slowly came back. i totally didn't remember that Heath Ledger kills himself. (spoiler!) that was surprising and really sad.
tonight i have Pirate Radio to watch. unless i'm too tired....in which case i might just watch an episode of Friday Night Lights.
i have to go to the post office tomorrow. other than that, that's pretty much it.
i'm working tonight, and then again thursday 8-11am, and then possibly a double shift on sunday, which would be 8am until 10pm. but actually, 10pm saturday night until 8am monday morning.
now that i haven't been getting a paycheck for like, two months, I NEED ONE. badly.
oh! also, i decided that i'm getting the tattoo i want as soon as i can afford it. yep. it's decided. i'm going to do it. i want it. and every time i see someone with a tattoo, i am envious. so - it's happening.
also - my toilet is broken. hopefully getting fixed either tomorrow afternoon or thursday sometime. it's still usable, it's just annoying.
at first, it was normal working, except it would never stop running. so, you'd have to shut off the water valve. and then turn it back on so the back could fill up, and so forth.
but now, the flushing has broken, so you have to do it manually, by sticking your hand in the back. and also, once the back fills up with water, it immediately drains again.
so, i have resorted to the ol' standby method of pouring water down the toilet in order for it to flush. it's annoying. but at least it still works. it just makes things more interesting.
AND! i told you the electrician came this morning! he fixed a lamp! in the 'cave room.' which is the front room as soon as you walk into my apartment. it has slanted walls and no windows. and there had been this light fixture hanging from the ceiling that didn't work. and there was no working light switch.
so, this electrician came over. fixed the hanging light socket. REPLACED the bad switch. AND NOW - there's a working light (with a switch) in the cave room!!!! it's pretty cool. it's now the second switch-operated light in my apartment! the other one is in the bathroom. nice!
hm. i have a feeling that now i'm just telling you random things to waste time.
ok, i'll stop.
i hope everybody is having a great week! i'm hungry right now. i might make cornbread tonight.
maybe i'll talk to you later, but, maybe not. probably not.
ENJOY the rest of your day!!!! talk to you soon.
<3
20 June 2010
"i am vulnerable, but i am strong and i am wrong sometimes."
FIRST OF ALL: i just had to kill a spider and it was horrible.
SECOND OF ALL: i can't stop listening to River City Extension. especially this one song, 'South for the Winter.' (well, and every other song.)
but that one song. the first many times i heard it, i only kind of liked it. it wasn't one of my favorites. compared to POWERHOUSES like 'Friends and Family,' 'Something Salty, Something Sweet,' 'Our New Intelligence,' 'Adrianne,' 'Letter to Lainie.'
but i realized recently that i have 'South for the Winter' stuck in my head like, all the time. and it's weird, because i don't usually listen to it that much.
so then like, yesterday, i started really listening to it. AND NOW I CAN'T STOP. i turn it up really loud in my car. in my house. on my laptop. and it make me want to cry. yes it does.
today in the car i was on my way home from the grocery store and i was listening to it. listening to the lyrics. and yep, almost started crying.
mainly the part where Joe sings:
"The sun's gone down on every hope and dream
I'm yet to figure out just what's been eating at me."
it's one of those lyrics that makes me realize, "HOLY CRAP I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE MY LIFE IS GOING."
but, i can't stay that way for too long, because 'Our New Intelligence' comes after that song. and that song makes me want to clap. and dance.
but, 'South for the Winter,' man.
ALSO, 'The Ballad of Oregon,' which is the song that Joe emailed me. OH MAN do i love it. i posted the link to the band playing that song and you should go back right now and watch that video.
BECAUSE THEN, you'll want to come with me to their next show. it's a sure thing.
also, i have gotten 'apology tweets' from both Joe and James in the band (James is the rockin' bass player) for having to cancel the Portland show last weekend. and that's really awesome.
SPEAKING OF BASS PLAYERS::::
my sister, Kara BOUGHT A BASS!!!! a bass guitar. it has been her lifelong dream to learn how to play the bass. and then one day last week i forced her to watch a bunch of random Crash Kings videos with me.
AND THEN she was newly inspired to learn the bass! because Mike is such a hottie! so, we started looking online and it turned out that one of her friends wanted to sell one!
SO, we drove over to the music store in Dover, NH, bought an instrument cord to connect the bass to the amp and also bought a 'LEARN TO PLAY BASS' book. and then we drove over to her friend's house and got the bass.
it's very beautiful. dark sparkly purple with silver. yeah, it's totally hott. and she started learning immediately.
aannddd.....she's a natural! for realz. by the second day she was rocking some scales.
I, HOWEVER, can rock Beethoven's 9th Symphony. which i am proud of say, i can now play on
1. recorder
2. clarinet
3. piano
4. guitar
5. bass
yep! it's a universal song. i taught Kara a little. she'll figure out the rest in no time.
it took us a looonnggg time to tune the bass. it came with a tuner, which was helpful, except it was kind of confusing. so, we also tuned it with the CD the book came with, and again with an online tuner.
Bass sounds great! came with an amp! Amp looks great. and now Kara will be the coolest person. i asked her,
JULIE: So, when you go out in public now, do you feel just a little bit superior to everyone else, now that you own a bass?
KARA: OH YEAH, definitely. A LOT superior.
she's pretty cool. we decided we're going to form a band. the next step is for me to buy a drum set and fulfill MY lifelong goal of becoming a drummer.
the other people in our band will be:
- Kara's friend Liz
- my friend Maria
it's gonna rock. a lot.
SO TODAY, was Father's Day! happy father's day to all those dad's who read my blog :) LIKE MINE. who i love so much.
HA. that's, Me, Kara, and my dad at Lake Louise! back many years ago. i love this picture. that was on our epic adventure back to the homeland. Canada. funnest trip ever.
i'm glad we got to spend Father's Day together before my dad goes back to Canada. :)
hm. what else.
last week i had this weird Crash Kings dream. i tend to have those. like my two dreams where Tony and I are doing tequila shots. that was weird. WELL THIS ONE, took place at an actual Crash Kings show. i was seeing them live. and Tony was onstage playing the violin and Mike was playing bass, but he was like 'the leader' of the band. and they were trying to end this one song for a big finish, and Tony couldn't get the time right. like, the time signature. and the two had this exchange:
MIKE: Tony, we're in 3/4 time!!!
TONY: ...Oh, I thought we were in Family Time.
MIKE: NO! It's 3/4 time.
family time?? i don't know what that's about. and then they were able to do the big finish. it was strange.
DID EVERYONE WATCH THEM PERFORM ON GEORGE LOPEZ?!?!!?
IF YOU MISSED THE SHOW, you can watch their performance right here. it was amazing, as always. and there are great shots of Mike playing the bass, which Kara was very excited about. i think they definitely seem more relaxed than on Jimmy Kimmel.
anyways!
soooo, last week Kara and i went to Claire's. my guilty pleasure store. A LOT. oh man, i love going into Claire's. and we tried on glasses for like, ten minutes.
and i ended up with a new pair of FAKE GLASSES!!!!!
so, to get you all up to speed: i wore a pair of fake glasses every single freaking day of my senior year of high school. this pair had no lenses in them.
yep. i totally started the trend A LONG TIME AGO. so, you're welcome.
AND! i bought a new pair.
and i had a photoshoot.
so, deal with it: i have lots of pictures.
AWESOME, right?!?!
i realized just before it took the picture that i could see Mike's reflection (from my desktop) in my lenses...
so then i did some crafty positioning.....and you can see all three Crash Kings in the lens! sooo cool.
ALSO, i got a haircut! goodbye FOUR INCHES. hello lots of layers!! i was kind of sad because it meant i was losing teal. but, i was gaining volume. trade off.
yep. kind of a hottie.
THESE were the ones i wore in high school!!!! EVERY DAY. my physics teacher called me '20/20' because, clearly, i had perfect vision. especially with no lenses.
(that piece of paper behind me is the Crash Kings signed set list from the Boston show 1/31/2010.)
AND THEN, i decided to test out the special effects....
i think these should qualify as a screen test for the next James Cameron film.
yep! that feature was called, "pop art." i think it came out pretty awesome. one of those last three is totally going to be my solo album cover. probs the middle one.
ANYWAYS! that's me being bored and living alone. :)
sooo. what to do now... hm.
i might watch some Friday Night Lights.
i have some business items to attend to while i watch. these include:
- repainting my nails
- repainting the plastic ring that kara won for me. it used to be bright blue. but then all the color rubbed off on my finger. and i just happen to have bright blue nailpolish. so, i'm going to repaint it.
ALSO, I HAVE MADE A BIG DECISION.
i have STOPPED importing my notes into Facebook. that means THIS BLOG.
i was so unhappy with the slowness that Facebook took to import these awesome, somewhat time-sensitive entries. SO, i have stopped the automatic import and will be manually importing them myself.
so, nothing will change for you, dear Facebook readers. i will promise to import them directly after publishing them here, on Blogger.
ALRIGHT! i'm going to get going. i hope you all are having a lovely day. had a lovely weekend. and are excited about the upcoming week.
WE MIGHT be getting a new resident today! monday! i don't exactly know when i am going to find out... but, hopefully soon.
OKAY! have a great day! a great week! a great moment! a great time doing whatever you are doing after this. :)
take care be well drive safe.
love,
julie
SECOND OF ALL: i can't stop listening to River City Extension. especially this one song, 'South for the Winter.' (well, and every other song.)
but that one song. the first many times i heard it, i only kind of liked it. it wasn't one of my favorites. compared to POWERHOUSES like 'Friends and Family,' 'Something Salty, Something Sweet,' 'Our New Intelligence,' 'Adrianne,' 'Letter to Lainie.'
but i realized recently that i have 'South for the Winter' stuck in my head like, all the time. and it's weird, because i don't usually listen to it that much.
so then like, yesterday, i started really listening to it. AND NOW I CAN'T STOP. i turn it up really loud in my car. in my house. on my laptop. and it make me want to cry. yes it does.
today in the car i was on my way home from the grocery store and i was listening to it. listening to the lyrics. and yep, almost started crying.
mainly the part where Joe sings:
"The sun's gone down on every hope and dream
I'm yet to figure out just what's been eating at me."
it's one of those lyrics that makes me realize, "HOLY CRAP I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE MY LIFE IS GOING."
but, i can't stay that way for too long, because 'Our New Intelligence' comes after that song. and that song makes me want to clap. and dance.
but, 'South for the Winter,' man.
ALSO, 'The Ballad of Oregon,' which is the song that Joe emailed me. OH MAN do i love it. i posted the link to the band playing that song and you should go back right now and watch that video.
BECAUSE THEN, you'll want to come with me to their next show. it's a sure thing.
also, i have gotten 'apology tweets' from both Joe and James in the band (James is the rockin' bass player) for having to cancel the Portland show last weekend. and that's really awesome.
SPEAKING OF BASS PLAYERS::::
my sister, Kara BOUGHT A BASS!!!! a bass guitar. it has been her lifelong dream to learn how to play the bass. and then one day last week i forced her to watch a bunch of random Crash Kings videos with me.
AND THEN she was newly inspired to learn the bass! because Mike is such a hottie! so, we started looking online and it turned out that one of her friends wanted to sell one!
SO, we drove over to the music store in Dover, NH, bought an instrument cord to connect the bass to the amp and also bought a 'LEARN TO PLAY BASS' book. and then we drove over to her friend's house and got the bass.
it's very beautiful. dark sparkly purple with silver. yeah, it's totally hott. and she started learning immediately.
aannddd.....she's a natural! for realz. by the second day she was rocking some scales.
I, HOWEVER, can rock Beethoven's 9th Symphony. which i am proud of say, i can now play on
1. recorder
2. clarinet
3. piano
4. guitar
5. bass
yep! it's a universal song. i taught Kara a little. she'll figure out the rest in no time.
it took us a looonnggg time to tune the bass. it came with a tuner, which was helpful, except it was kind of confusing. so, we also tuned it with the CD the book came with, and again with an online tuner.
Bass sounds great! came with an amp! Amp looks great. and now Kara will be the coolest person. i asked her,
JULIE: So, when you go out in public now, do you feel just a little bit superior to everyone else, now that you own a bass?
KARA: OH YEAH, definitely. A LOT superior.
she's pretty cool. we decided we're going to form a band. the next step is for me to buy a drum set and fulfill MY lifelong goal of becoming a drummer.
the other people in our band will be:
- Kara's friend Liz
- my friend Maria
it's gonna rock. a lot.
SO TODAY, was Father's Day! happy father's day to all those dad's who read my blog :) LIKE MINE. who i love so much.
HA. that's, Me, Kara, and my dad at Lake Louise! back many years ago. i love this picture. that was on our epic adventure back to the homeland. Canada. funnest trip ever.
i'm glad we got to spend Father's Day together before my dad goes back to Canada. :)
hm. what else.
last week i had this weird Crash Kings dream. i tend to have those. like my two dreams where Tony and I are doing tequila shots. that was weird. WELL THIS ONE, took place at an actual Crash Kings show. i was seeing them live. and Tony was onstage playing the violin and Mike was playing bass, but he was like 'the leader' of the band. and they were trying to end this one song for a big finish, and Tony couldn't get the time right. like, the time signature. and the two had this exchange:
MIKE: Tony, we're in 3/4 time!!!
TONY: ...Oh, I thought we were in Family Time.
MIKE: NO! It's 3/4 time.
family time?? i don't know what that's about. and then they were able to do the big finish. it was strange.
DID EVERYONE WATCH THEM PERFORM ON GEORGE LOPEZ?!?!!?
IF YOU MISSED THE SHOW, you can watch their performance right here. it was amazing, as always. and there are great shots of Mike playing the bass, which Kara was very excited about. i think they definitely seem more relaxed than on Jimmy Kimmel.
anyways!
soooo, last week Kara and i went to Claire's. my guilty pleasure store. A LOT. oh man, i love going into Claire's. and we tried on glasses for like, ten minutes.
and i ended up with a new pair of FAKE GLASSES!!!!!
so, to get you all up to speed: i wore a pair of fake glasses every single freaking day of my senior year of high school. this pair had no lenses in them.
yep. i totally started the trend A LONG TIME AGO. so, you're welcome.
AND! i bought a new pair.
and i had a photoshoot.
so, deal with it: i have lots of pictures.
AWESOME, right?!?!
i realized just before it took the picture that i could see Mike's reflection (from my desktop) in my lenses...
so then i did some crafty positioning.....and you can see all three Crash Kings in the lens! sooo cool.
ALSO, i got a haircut! goodbye FOUR INCHES. hello lots of layers!! i was kind of sad because it meant i was losing teal. but, i was gaining volume. trade off.
yep. kind of a hottie.
THESE were the ones i wore in high school!!!! EVERY DAY. my physics teacher called me '20/20' because, clearly, i had perfect vision. especially with no lenses.
(that piece of paper behind me is the Crash Kings signed set list from the Boston show 1/31/2010.)
AND THEN, i decided to test out the special effects....
i think these should qualify as a screen test for the next James Cameron film.
yep! that feature was called, "pop art." i think it came out pretty awesome. one of those last three is totally going to be my solo album cover. probs the middle one.
ANYWAYS! that's me being bored and living alone. :)
sooo. what to do now... hm.
i might watch some Friday Night Lights.
i have some business items to attend to while i watch. these include:
- repainting my nails
- repainting the plastic ring that kara won for me. it used to be bright blue. but then all the color rubbed off on my finger. and i just happen to have bright blue nailpolish. so, i'm going to repaint it.
ALSO, I HAVE MADE A BIG DECISION.
i have STOPPED importing my notes into Facebook. that means THIS BLOG.
i was so unhappy with the slowness that Facebook took to import these awesome, somewhat time-sensitive entries. SO, i have stopped the automatic import and will be manually importing them myself.
so, nothing will change for you, dear Facebook readers. i will promise to import them directly after publishing them here, on Blogger.
ALRIGHT! i'm going to get going. i hope you all are having a lovely day. had a lovely weekend. and are excited about the upcoming week.
WE MIGHT be getting a new resident today! monday! i don't exactly know when i am going to find out... but, hopefully soon.
OKAY! have a great day! a great week! a great moment! a great time doing whatever you are doing after this. :)
take care be well drive safe.
love,
julie
16 June 2010
'hauntingly sexilicious' video UPDATE:::
i have an update!!! it's like a footnote. an, addendum, if you will.
so, i hope you all watched that awesome 'You Got Me' video posted in the entry below this. if not, then please scroll down and watch it now.
here, i'll wait.
*
*
*
*
*
GREAT! well, in the entry i said that Mike was playing an acoustic guitar like a bass guitar, BUT I WAS WRONG, as i often am.
but here's the great part! someone was nice and awesome enough to comment and tell me that i was mistaken! i got a comment on the entry saying that Mike is in fact playing an acoustic bass guitar! WHO KNEW?!
they said you can tell because there are only four tuning pegs on the headstock! and i looked - and there are! only four. i didn't know acoustic bass guitars existed. but now i do! and of course Mike would have one, because he's an amazing bass player.
so great.
Thank you to whoever left me that comment! So happy you actually watched the video! And also happy that you are maybe a Crash Kings fan..... ???? Take care, friend!
(you may now continue having a great day.)
<3
so, i hope you all watched that awesome 'You Got Me' video posted in the entry below this. if not, then please scroll down and watch it now.
here, i'll wait.
*
*
*
*
*
GREAT! well, in the entry i said that Mike was playing an acoustic guitar like a bass guitar, BUT I WAS WRONG, as i often am.
but here's the great part! someone was nice and awesome enough to comment and tell me that i was mistaken! i got a comment on the entry saying that Mike is in fact playing an acoustic bass guitar! WHO KNEW?!
they said you can tell because there are only four tuning pegs on the headstock! and i looked - and there are! only four. i didn't know acoustic bass guitars existed. but now i do! and of course Mike would have one, because he's an amazing bass player.
so great.
Thank you to whoever left me that comment! So happy you actually watched the video! And also happy that you are maybe a Crash Kings fan..... ???? Take care, friend!
(you may now continue having a great day.)
<3
15 June 2010
GEORGE LOPEZ!!!!!
Crash Kings. George Lopez. TBS. Thursday. WATCH IT.
yep, that's right! Crash Kings making their second-ever television performance THIS THURSDAY NIGHT!!!!!
JUNE 17.
they taped the show today and posted an adorable picture of themselves with Bill Cosby, who i guess will also be on the show that night. OH, it's a great picture.
PLEASE enjoy this hauntingly sexilicious Crash Kings performance of 'You Got Me.' It's just Tony on vocals and keyboards, Mike playing an acoustic guitar like a bass guitar, and Jason on the shaker. Kara really enjoyed the video when I forced her to watch it. And she hates those kinds of things.
yep. i think 'hauntingly sexilicious' is a good way to describe that.
AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT GEORGE LOPEZ!!!! THURSDAY NIGHT!!!!! he's on TBS. (very funny.)
OK GOODNIGHT!!!!
<3
yep, that's right! Crash Kings making their second-ever television performance THIS THURSDAY NIGHT!!!!!
JUNE 17.
they taped the show today and posted an adorable picture of themselves with Bill Cosby, who i guess will also be on the show that night. OH, it's a great picture.
PLEASE enjoy this hauntingly sexilicious Crash Kings performance of 'You Got Me.' It's just Tony on vocals and keyboards, Mike playing an acoustic guitar like a bass guitar, and Jason on the shaker. Kara really enjoyed the video when I forced her to watch it. And she hates those kinds of things.
yep. i think 'hauntingly sexilicious' is a good way to describe that.
AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT GEORGE LOPEZ!!!! THURSDAY NIGHT!!!!! he's on TBS. (very funny.)
OK GOODNIGHT!!!!
<3
HOROSCOPE FOR TODAY::
Restlessness in your current line of work could inspire longing for something else. Explore alternative options for your career, and balance your priorities. If you have a family to care for, money could be a large factor. Otherwise, perhaps you simply need to follow your passions in order to be happy.
Awesome Julie Cool
kara and i were driving yesterday on our way to dover, nh and we were behind this car and it had a sticker on it that said, 'AJC.' Kara thought it meant, 'Aroma Joe's Coffee,' which is a popular local coffee chain.
i thought it meant, 'Awesome Julie Cool.' it turned out Kara was right, as we got closer to the vehicle and were able to read the fine print. but then i decided that if i ever own any kind of store EVER it will be called, Awesome Julie Cool.
the only exception: if i own a condiment store. then it will be called The Sauceror.
ANYWAYS! let me update you a bit.
so, i'm in maine right now at home. going through this mindset where i think i want to move back.
this weekend was fun and interesting.
SO - this new band that i love River City Extension was playing a show up in Portland, ME on saturday night at this place called Geno's Rock Club. it was a 21+ show and Kara really wanted to go, so i sent a Twitter message to the band (lead singer Joe does all the tweeting, myspacing, emailing... and i know this because last week we Myspaced messaged each other, normal emailed each other, and Tweeted to each other) asking if there was any way they could get Kara in to the show.
i got a message back from Joe and he said that he would see what he could do and that he would certainly ask, but he wasn't sure how strict this place was on their policy because they had never played there before. GREAT, right?!
yep.
so, then it's Saturday afternoon and i haven't heard back from Joe yet. i have plans to meet my other friend Jo ("sharpie girl" who traveled with us to portland, earthfest and nyc a few weekends ago) in portland later on.
and finally it's getting late and i still haven't heard back from Joe about getting kara in. so, i call Geno's Rock Club and they say the only way someone under 21 would be let in is if they are part of the band.
KARA: Okay, so I'll get a tambourine...
we brainstormed a lot about this.
then just decided that we shouldn't try to sneak Kara in. we're not stealth enough.
so, sadly, i left Kara at home and departed for portland.
arrived. parked. met up with Jo on the street!!!! awesome! and we ended up parking in the same place!!! so great.
so we get to this club and it's super small and super dirty. with a verrryy small stage. also - it's pretty empty. me and Jo immediately head to the front of the room and get a spot by the stage.
and we wait. and wait. and wait. finally, we decide to sit down at one of the tables. there's not more than like, 15 people in this place and so far, we haven't seen any of the members of River City Extension. and there are 8 of them, so we thought it was weird.
FINALLY, something starts to happen. this kid named Miles gets up on stage and performs some songs with his acoustic guitar. but he's got this screamy, angry voice. it was weird hearing it with the acoustic. eh.
and then this other band gets up on stage. i had overheard the guitarist saying, "yeah, i think this is a good place for our first show." FIRST SHOW?! really?! wow. it's like, four guys who look like the type of guys to walk around their respective business offices during the day and say, "hey, everybody should come out to hear my band play tonight!"
you know? they just looked like that. and they weren't very good. it was just kind of boring. which was probably due to the fact that this was their first show. the songs weren't very catchy. it all just kind of fell flat.
AND STILL, we haven't found River City Extension. but, we know they're playing because Joe sent me that message about trying to get Kara in! it wasn't just a misprint on the site.
but, it's like, 11:45pm. the only other people that are there beside me and Jo are friends of the other band. like, 15 people, maybe. so, we decide to go ask the bartender what the deal is...
JULIE: Hi...Is River City Extension playing here tonight?
BARTENDER: Oohhhhh, they broke down in Connecticut!
JULIE: Whhaaatt???
BARTENDER: Yeah, they called around 9 saying they had broken down.
JO: Sooo....what time are they coming now?
BARTENDER: They're not gonna make it. But, how about that other band?! I had never heard them before... they were great!
JULIE AND JO: ......Yep!
and so, River City Extension broke down. in CT. and they didn't make it to the show. WHAT A BUMMER. ohhhhh it was so sad.
and also: if that lady thought the other band was great, she would have had her mind blown by River City Extension.
this band is amazing and great and if you haven't started listening to them: you must.
if you don't like Crash Kings, you will love this band.
and if you do like Crash Kings, you will love this band.
because!
they are impossible not to like. because they are soo freaking good. just go buy their record on iTunes. or Amazon. whichever you prefer. i have that much confidence that you will love them. for realz.
BUT, unfortunately they broke down and couldn't make it to the show in Portland.
so i got home and sent a tweet to them just saying it was sad they couldn't make it, and hope they got home safe.
AND THEN YESTERDAY, i get a Twitter message from Joe and he says, "hey! sorry we didn't make it to the show. any way we can make it up to you?"
UM, how cool is that? this is also why you should start listening to River City Extension: THEY ARE NICE. nice people.
remember how at the Mercury Lounge, Joe said that if we emailed him he would email us a bonus track?
well, i emailed him about it. and he emailed me the song! he really did! THIS IS THE SONG. it's a pretty good youtube video, whereas most of the recordings on youtube aren't very good.
WHICH IS WHY i was so excited to get some video of them in Portland. because they are totally amazing to see live. or to listen to. JUST, you must start listening to this band.
i really think they are impossible not to like.
ANYWAYS.
me and Jo went to The Friendly Toast afterwards. apparently it's Jo's favorite restaurant! and i hadn't been there in forever. like, FOREVER. i remember when that place opened. for realz.
i had coconut pancakes which were DELISH. totes. actually, i just had one. singular coconut pancake. it was almost bigger than the plate. omgitwassogood.
and the place was packed!!! we had a lovely time. and i arrived home just before 3am. a good night! and i just think it's awesome that Jo lent me her sharpie that time at the Crash Kings concert and i had no idea who she was. and now we're friends! that's so awesome.
so i came home and kara was getting ready to leave for work. i went to sleep on the couch, since there wasn't a bed available.
SUNDAY: i woke up and told the family all about how River City Extension broke down and couldn't make it to the show. it was a very sad tale.
then! kara and i had a sister day!!!! SISTER DAY TO THE MAX!!!! we went shopping and i bought skinny jeans. after seeing Kerianne ROCK her skinny jeans in Chicago, i decided i wanted to give it a try. so i bought some. and i love them! and yesterday i bought a belt so they will stop falling down. awesome!
then we went to the pet store to look at the puppies. kara enjoyed this more than i did. even though i don't like animals, i definitely don't like seeing them in cages in the mall. but, then again, i also don't like seeing animals in the wild. which brings me to the conclusion that i just don't like animals. (except housecats.)
after that, we went to Hot Topic. at first i was scared of that store, but the two times i have been in there, the people have been so freaking nice and it's such a fun experience. the punk guy behind the counter is like, singing along to the song being blasted on the speakers. and then he's shouting to his coworker, "I SAW THEM IN CONCERT!!!!!" it's awesome.
although - they don't carry the Crash Kings record? really? but they carry The Devil Wears Prada soundtrack?? really Hot Topic?
then Kara and i had a great rest of the day too. anything we do is fun. we went to this ice cream place in Rochester, NH for supper and then for ice cream.
OH BOY. let me tell you about this.
so, we're sitting in the car eating, and this super mud filled Jeep pulls in.
JULIE: We should go off-roading after this.
KARA: Yeah we totally should. Then we'll be as cool as that guy.
and then this Jeep backs in to a parking space kind of in front of us. like, it's a really good parking space. and this ice cream place gets super crowded. and we start reading his bumper stickers. they include,
- my mom thinks i'm at the movies
- the driver of this car RAN Mt. Washington
and something along the lines of...
- everyday should be topless day.
KARA: I can't wait to see what this guy looks like.
so, he gets out of the car and he's like, a pretty normal looking guy, i guess. a kid. maybe in his late teens or early 20's.
SO THEN, he starts putting on his sneakers (he was barefoot), which is fine.
BUT THEN, instead of going over to the ice cream counter, he starts walking away from the parking lot, and stretching.
JULIE: Wait a sec....is he going running?
KARA: What?!!?!
and then he RUNS off down the street!!! like, he's going for a run. but he got this awesome parking spot. immediately we were upset about this.
so whatever. we get some ice cream and go back to the car.
after about an hour, the kid runs back into the parking lot. BUT, he's wearing a different shirt. we were pretty confused about this.
so, he gets back into his dirty car. AND THEN, he changes his pants. from his running shorts INTO real shorts. IN THE FRONT SEAT OF HIS CAR. we knew this was happening because we were staring at him so much.
this is pretty weird, right?
and then he gets out of the car and we expect him to go over and get some ice cream. since he's using their parking lot to park his car and everything. and it's not even a space in the back - it's a GREAT space.
but what does he do?!?!!
he climbs on the hood of his Jeep and proceeds to take a nap.
KARA: WHAT A CREEPER!!!!!!!
this guy was so weird. WHY was he taking a nap on the hood of his car right now?!??!
it was by far the strangest thing ever. and we couldn't stop staring at him. and talking about him. he was being so weird!!!!!
it was hard to leave because we wanted to see how this whole thing was going to play out. but eventually, we had to leave. and we don't know what became of the strange runner/napper kid.
and then kara and i went into the bakery! i took pictures of all the delicious things she makes!!! i will post pictures of them soon.
TODAY: kara and i might go get haircuts. i might get 4 inches cut off. i don't know what i have that number in my head. but i think i want shorter. because lately even if i get a haircut, i feel like it's in that 'horrible long stage.' where it just never looks good.
TOMORROW: kara and i are most likely going to Boston to see PAPER TONGUES!!!!! yep. they're performing at The Paradise. awesome. one of their songs is Kara's ringtone.
actually, it's the song, 'For the People,' which is the song that will become the new national anthem when i become president.
anyways, i hope everyone else is having a great day!! GREAT DAY!
i'll talk to everyone later. :)
take care!
<3, julie
i thought it meant, 'Awesome Julie Cool.' it turned out Kara was right, as we got closer to the vehicle and were able to read the fine print. but then i decided that if i ever own any kind of store EVER it will be called, Awesome Julie Cool.
the only exception: if i own a condiment store. then it will be called The Sauceror.
ANYWAYS! let me update you a bit.
so, i'm in maine right now at home. going through this mindset where i think i want to move back.
this weekend was fun and interesting.
SO - this new band that i love River City Extension was playing a show up in Portland, ME on saturday night at this place called Geno's Rock Club. it was a 21+ show and Kara really wanted to go, so i sent a Twitter message to the band (lead singer Joe does all the tweeting, myspacing, emailing... and i know this because last week we Myspaced messaged each other, normal emailed each other, and Tweeted to each other) asking if there was any way they could get Kara in to the show.
i got a message back from Joe and he said that he would see what he could do and that he would certainly ask, but he wasn't sure how strict this place was on their policy because they had never played there before. GREAT, right?!
yep.
so, then it's Saturday afternoon and i haven't heard back from Joe yet. i have plans to meet my other friend Jo ("sharpie girl" who traveled with us to portland, earthfest and nyc a few weekends ago) in portland later on.
and finally it's getting late and i still haven't heard back from Joe about getting kara in. so, i call Geno's Rock Club and they say the only way someone under 21 would be let in is if they are part of the band.
KARA: Okay, so I'll get a tambourine...
we brainstormed a lot about this.
then just decided that we shouldn't try to sneak Kara in. we're not stealth enough.
so, sadly, i left Kara at home and departed for portland.
arrived. parked. met up with Jo on the street!!!! awesome! and we ended up parking in the same place!!! so great.
so we get to this club and it's super small and super dirty. with a verrryy small stage. also - it's pretty empty. me and Jo immediately head to the front of the room and get a spot by the stage.
and we wait. and wait. and wait. finally, we decide to sit down at one of the tables. there's not more than like, 15 people in this place and so far, we haven't seen any of the members of River City Extension. and there are 8 of them, so we thought it was weird.
FINALLY, something starts to happen. this kid named Miles gets up on stage and performs some songs with his acoustic guitar. but he's got this screamy, angry voice. it was weird hearing it with the acoustic. eh.
and then this other band gets up on stage. i had overheard the guitarist saying, "yeah, i think this is a good place for our first show." FIRST SHOW?! really?! wow. it's like, four guys who look like the type of guys to walk around their respective business offices during the day and say, "hey, everybody should come out to hear my band play tonight!"
you know? they just looked like that. and they weren't very good. it was just kind of boring. which was probably due to the fact that this was their first show. the songs weren't very catchy. it all just kind of fell flat.
AND STILL, we haven't found River City Extension. but, we know they're playing because Joe sent me that message about trying to get Kara in! it wasn't just a misprint on the site.
but, it's like, 11:45pm. the only other people that are there beside me and Jo are friends of the other band. like, 15 people, maybe. so, we decide to go ask the bartender what the deal is...
JULIE: Hi...Is River City Extension playing here tonight?
BARTENDER: Oohhhhh, they broke down in Connecticut!
JULIE: Whhaaatt???
BARTENDER: Yeah, they called around 9 saying they had broken down.
JO: Sooo....what time are they coming now?
BARTENDER: They're not gonna make it. But, how about that other band?! I had never heard them before... they were great!
JULIE AND JO: ......Yep!
and so, River City Extension broke down. in CT. and they didn't make it to the show. WHAT A BUMMER. ohhhhh it was so sad.
and also: if that lady thought the other band was great, she would have had her mind blown by River City Extension.
this band is amazing and great and if you haven't started listening to them: you must.
if you don't like Crash Kings, you will love this band.
and if you do like Crash Kings, you will love this band.
because!
they are impossible not to like. because they are soo freaking good. just go buy their record on iTunes. or Amazon. whichever you prefer. i have that much confidence that you will love them. for realz.
BUT, unfortunately they broke down and couldn't make it to the show in Portland.
so i got home and sent a tweet to them just saying it was sad they couldn't make it, and hope they got home safe.
AND THEN YESTERDAY, i get a Twitter message from Joe and he says, "hey! sorry we didn't make it to the show. any way we can make it up to you?"
UM, how cool is that? this is also why you should start listening to River City Extension: THEY ARE NICE. nice people.
remember how at the Mercury Lounge, Joe said that if we emailed him he would email us a bonus track?
well, i emailed him about it. and he emailed me the song! he really did! THIS IS THE SONG. it's a pretty good youtube video, whereas most of the recordings on youtube aren't very good.
WHICH IS WHY i was so excited to get some video of them in Portland. because they are totally amazing to see live. or to listen to. JUST, you must start listening to this band.
i really think they are impossible not to like.
ANYWAYS.
me and Jo went to The Friendly Toast afterwards. apparently it's Jo's favorite restaurant! and i hadn't been there in forever. like, FOREVER. i remember when that place opened. for realz.
i had coconut pancakes which were DELISH. totes. actually, i just had one. singular coconut pancake. it was almost bigger than the plate. omgitwassogood.
and the place was packed!!! we had a lovely time. and i arrived home just before 3am. a good night! and i just think it's awesome that Jo lent me her sharpie that time at the Crash Kings concert and i had no idea who she was. and now we're friends! that's so awesome.
so i came home and kara was getting ready to leave for work. i went to sleep on the couch, since there wasn't a bed available.
SUNDAY: i woke up and told the family all about how River City Extension broke down and couldn't make it to the show. it was a very sad tale.
then! kara and i had a sister day!!!! SISTER DAY TO THE MAX!!!! we went shopping and i bought skinny jeans. after seeing Kerianne ROCK her skinny jeans in Chicago, i decided i wanted to give it a try. so i bought some. and i love them! and yesterday i bought a belt so they will stop falling down. awesome!
then we went to the pet store to look at the puppies. kara enjoyed this more than i did. even though i don't like animals, i definitely don't like seeing them in cages in the mall. but, then again, i also don't like seeing animals in the wild. which brings me to the conclusion that i just don't like animals. (except housecats.)
after that, we went to Hot Topic. at first i was scared of that store, but the two times i have been in there, the people have been so freaking nice and it's such a fun experience. the punk guy behind the counter is like, singing along to the song being blasted on the speakers. and then he's shouting to his coworker, "I SAW THEM IN CONCERT!!!!!" it's awesome.
although - they don't carry the Crash Kings record? really? but they carry The Devil Wears Prada soundtrack?? really Hot Topic?
then Kara and i had a great rest of the day too. anything we do is fun. we went to this ice cream place in Rochester, NH for supper and then for ice cream.
OH BOY. let me tell you about this.
so, we're sitting in the car eating, and this super mud filled Jeep pulls in.
JULIE: We should go off-roading after this.
KARA: Yeah we totally should. Then we'll be as cool as that guy.
and then this Jeep backs in to a parking space kind of in front of us. like, it's a really good parking space. and this ice cream place gets super crowded. and we start reading his bumper stickers. they include,
- my mom thinks i'm at the movies
- the driver of this car RAN Mt. Washington
and something along the lines of...
- everyday should be topless day.
KARA: I can't wait to see what this guy looks like.
so, he gets out of the car and he's like, a pretty normal looking guy, i guess. a kid. maybe in his late teens or early 20's.
SO THEN, he starts putting on his sneakers (he was barefoot), which is fine.
BUT THEN, instead of going over to the ice cream counter, he starts walking away from the parking lot, and stretching.
JULIE: Wait a sec....is he going running?
KARA: What?!!?!
and then he RUNS off down the street!!! like, he's going for a run. but he got this awesome parking spot. immediately we were upset about this.
so whatever. we get some ice cream and go back to the car.
after about an hour, the kid runs back into the parking lot. BUT, he's wearing a different shirt. we were pretty confused about this.
so, he gets back into his dirty car. AND THEN, he changes his pants. from his running shorts INTO real shorts. IN THE FRONT SEAT OF HIS CAR. we knew this was happening because we were staring at him so much.
this is pretty weird, right?
and then he gets out of the car and we expect him to go over and get some ice cream. since he's using their parking lot to park his car and everything. and it's not even a space in the back - it's a GREAT space.
but what does he do?!?!!
he climbs on the hood of his Jeep and proceeds to take a nap.
KARA: WHAT A CREEPER!!!!!!!
this guy was so weird. WHY was he taking a nap on the hood of his car right now?!??!
it was by far the strangest thing ever. and we couldn't stop staring at him. and talking about him. he was being so weird!!!!!
it was hard to leave because we wanted to see how this whole thing was going to play out. but eventually, we had to leave. and we don't know what became of the strange runner/napper kid.
and then kara and i went into the bakery! i took pictures of all the delicious things she makes!!! i will post pictures of them soon.
TODAY: kara and i might go get haircuts. i might get 4 inches cut off. i don't know what i have that number in my head. but i think i want shorter. because lately even if i get a haircut, i feel like it's in that 'horrible long stage.' where it just never looks good.
TOMORROW: kara and i are most likely going to Boston to see PAPER TONGUES!!!!! yep. they're performing at The Paradise. awesome. one of their songs is Kara's ringtone.
actually, it's the song, 'For the People,' which is the song that will become the new national anthem when i become president.
anyways, i hope everyone else is having a great day!! GREAT DAY!
i'll talk to everyone later. :)
take care!
<3, julie
10 June 2010
JULIE ADVENTURES TO CHICAGO AND BACK!!! With Special Guests: Kerianne, Aliya, Noel, Molly, Crash Kings, OK Go, and She & Him
NOW - is the awesome part where i get to tell everyone about my journey. GET EXCITED.
GET SO FREAKING EXCITED.
it's taken me a loonnnngggg time to upload all these photos. like, over an hour. but that's also because the internet is slow tonight.
ANYWAYS! let's just get going, right?
you are about to experience a PHOTO JOURNEY to the Midwest! I had never been before. Driving by myself... just me and the Prius.
I was driving from Western New Hampshire to Willoughby, OH, which was just outside Cleveland.
Estimated Driving Time (EDT) = 10 hrs.. I had a 15 hour playlist on my iPod all set up and ready to go. (that included 3 copies of the Crash Kings record.) I was driving WEST on Route 4 until I hit Route 7.
You know what you drive through when you go west on Route 4?
YEP! Killington, VT! The childhood winter-home of Tony and Mike (of Crash Kings, duh!!!) Tony told us (the audience) at the Providence, RI show. And even though I don't ski, I have been very excited about this ever since. I mean, they have a HOUSE up here! A mere 45-ish minutes away from ME!
AND, the winterlicious Crash Kings song, 'Come Away' was written about skiing at Killington.
Don't really know where this is going...only to say that I am awesome. I guess that somehow relates... :)!
And, driving through southern Vermont is really pretty. I had never been down Route 7 before. And the map showed that Route 7A ran parallel to 7, but was more scenic, so I took that way.
AND THIS WAS MY FIRST HOLD-UP:
the now infamous "loose donkey." That donkey held up traffic for a while. Like I said, people were actually getting out of their cars to help the donkey along. I was basically sitting in my car, laughing and thinking, "wow i can't wait to blog about this." so - that's the donkey.
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE!
and then i made it to New York!!!!
where I spent the next many hours of my life. BUT! It was all new to me, so it wasn't bad. I had never driven much north of NYC and much west of Lake George. So, that's a lot of unexplored state.
New York is big. and driving from end to end takes a while. But, there are well-placed rest stops.
AND FINALLY!!!!!!!!
Hey! It's my old friend Pennsylvania! The last time I was here it was for a Crash Kings show! The one in Philly. Awesome! Where Tony demonstrated the trumpet noise he imitates at the end of 'My Love.' (OOOHHHHH yeah i still think about that a lot.)
I drove through Erie, PA, which was very exciting, as it is the home of the classic Tom Hanks film, 'That Thing You Do.' I kept imagining the scene where Liv Tyler hears their song on the radio for the first time and runs through the town with her headphones, all excited. I LOVE that part. I also imagine that's what it was like for Crash Kings the first time they heard their song on the radio....
AND THEN IT BECAME A NEW ADVENTURE, as I entered.......
OHIO!!!! I had never been here before!!!! Officially the Midwest? Their sign says there is, "so much to discover!" Who knew?!
I passed this sign as a Crash Kings song was playing. I got excited. Even though it's the Andover in Ohio and not in Massachusetts. I guess I was just excited about life in general and making it to Chicago!
So, then I finally made it to Willoughby! My lovely hotel room with a KING SIZED bed! All to myself! Well, and Buck too. Yep, he traveled with me, as always. I figured, 'why wouldn't Buck want to see the Midwest?" Same as when I figured, "why wouldn't Buck want to see Ireland?" He's a good stuffed turtle to travel with. And something familiar and comfy.
I blogged that night, which I hope you all read. Went to bed too late. Got up too early. Left the hotel by 8am. Stopped for gas. Google-mapped my way to a Dunkin Donuts. Got a coffee and bagel, which I immediately dropped cream-cheese-side-down on my sweater, which I'm sure you read about. And then was on my way to CHICAGO!!!
This was when I thought I might die in a tornado. Look at that sky! So great.
I loved watching the landscape change! Again, I had never been to the Midwest before, so this was very cool for me.
This is what the Midwest looks like:
Yep! Just how you imagined it, right?! Me too!!
I was still a long way away....
AND THEN IT WAS TIME FOR ANOTHER NEW ADVENTURE!!!!!!
"....here we COOOOOMMEEEE!!!!" (Did you read that already, too? How the Phantom Planet song, 'California' came on as soon as I left Ohio? And I belted the whole thing but switched out 'California' for 'Indiana.' It ROCKED so hard.)
WELCOME TO GARY, INDIANA!!!
It's a giant machine. It's like that photo, times 100. THAT'S Gary, Indiana. It's pretty smoky and depressing. I am now sure that I could probably never live in Gary, Indiana. It would have to be under a pretty awesome circumstance that I would move to Gary.
Sorry, Garyans. I'm not a fan. If you live in Gary, why not just move the 20 miles and live in Chicago? You could still work in Gary! The only thing that should live in Gary are machines.
AND THEN I MADE IT!!!!!!!!
AND I SAT IN TRAFFIC FOR ALMOST 2 HOURS!!!!!! It was lame. But, I got to look at the skyline for a long time. That picture is like, 1/3 of the skyline. It's pretty big.
But once I got off the highway, I made it safely and without trouble to Kerianne's house! Kerianne was at work, but ALIYA was there!!!! It was so great! I ate a sandwich! We caught up. Oh, it was lovely. And then we took the El downtown to meet up with Kerianne, her husband Noel, and Aliya's brother Sam for delicious Thai food!!!
Chicago reminded me a lot of Providence. Like, a lot. The way the river cuts through the city. It was so pretty.
Thursday night we ate Thai food. Kerianne had to go back to work, so Noel and I took the El back to their house. Aliya and Sam went off to see some fancy theater production and then spent the night at Sam's FRAT HOUSE. (you should talk to Aliya if you want the recap of that experience.)
I went to bed early that night.
Woke up on Friday excited and ready to go!!!! Kerianne was home! The AT&T guy had been to the house and now they had internet! All while I was asleep! So great. We made breakfast and sat and talked.
For those of you who don't know, I met Kerianne (and Aliya!) when we all went to a Ben Kweller concert together (with Jenny, too!) in Boston. Kerianne and I kind of instantly became best friends. THEN, Kerianne left for a semester in Ireland, where she met her husband, Noel! And the reason I was in Ireland ONE YEAR AGO was for their grand Irish wedding in which Aliya, Elizabeth and myself were bridesmaids and Joe was their awesome photographer.
AND - the five of us lived together at college for one amazing year. MOD 16! (a.k.a. Mod Four Squared.)
And now that I've explained who all these people are, let us put some faces to names:
self-timer photo #1billion. YES! so, from Left to Right: Kerianne, Noel, Julie, Aliya. Front: Molly, who reminded me so much of Ruby Tuesday it was incredible.
That picture was with Aliya's camera, I just stole it off Facebook. :)
So!
Friday: Kerianne needed to drop off insurance paperwork at the YWCA, where she works. So, we drove into the city, parked illegally with the flashers on, I sat and guarded the car while Kerianne ran up to her office. The car was fine. And then we left!
Drove into Lincoln Square, right near their house! Walked around a lot, got some delish German food for later.
Then went home! Met up with Aliya again! Cooked a delicious dinner: Coconut curry with chickpeas, mushrooms, onions and peas over rice! YUM! also with bread cheese and other cheesy things. Because we all love cheese. It was a great supper.
Then very sadly, Aliya had to depart for her Landmark conference, which was going until Sunday.
But, Kerianne's friend Audrey, who I had met in Ireland last year, came over after! We all went out to a local bar to watch the Blackhawks game. And drink lots of beer and yell at the TV.
Saturday: was the big day. The totally confusing, sketchy-seeming Q101 Jamboree, which Crash Kings were playing at. They weren't releasing the schedule until the day of the show, which was so lame. And Crash Kings were only on the "side stage." Not even the main stage. Ugh, it was annoying. And we weren't sure about parking, and ticket prices, and then the tickets were sold out and they wouldn't let you buy them online anymore... So I called the place and asked and the lady said we could buy them at the door.
There were many confusing things about this concert. BUT ONCE WE LEFT, around 2:30pm, things went smoothly. Arrived at the HUGE MIDDLE-OF-NOWHERE venue around 3:30. Bought tickets. Went back to the car to sit inside and eat the sandwiches we had brought from home.
One of the things it said on the website was "Absolutely no tailgating." And there are a million people tailgating. Openly drinking beer with their trunks up. Finally, people start coming around policing the tailgaters.
Me and Kerianne have the trunk up for one minute to put our purses in, and the guards come over and say,
GUARD: You girls aren't thinking about tailgating, are ya?
KERIANNE: Nope, we were just putting things in the trunk.
GUARD: Because tailgating is NOT ALLOWED.
KERIANNE: Yep... we're heading in now.
ONE MINUTE our trunk was up. NOT EVEN one minute. How long does it take for you to put something in your trunk? That's how long it was. Whatever. That guy was lame.
SO - we head over to the side stage. Flobots are just ending. The crowd of people walks away, and we end up getting pretty close to the stage.
AND, HEY! Look at these familiar faces!!!!!
It's Tony!
Jason! (love this shot of him with the drum figure)
And Mike!!
Let's just enjoy these, shall we?
Love that one!
And I don't really like this one, which is why I posted it. It's too controlled! It's crazy! Like, who gets a picture like this of Tony? Who!? Nobody! Because he's ALWAYS going rock-crazy! EXCEPT for this split second where he looks like a classically trained Clavinetist. So weird.
Also, his shirt looks strangely like the new Crash Kings merch. I'll post pictures of both. Not in this entry, but soon. You'll see.
Aliya and I were talking on Thursday and she was like,
ALIYA: So, tell me about Crash Kings!
JULIE: Okay! .......What do you mean?!
ALIYA: Well, all I know is that they're very sweaty.
Loves it. At least someone is paying attention to the sexy sweaty photos.
During the end of 'You Got Me' it started drizzling. Yep. YOU GOT ME. The sexy song! Ohhh...it was so perfect. Like, it just had to rain because it was so sexy.
AND THEN, people started a mosh pit. And crowd surfing. LAME. SO LAME. And Kerianne and I just happened to be on the very edge of the moshing. It was horrible, actually. My feet got trampled. And you could no longer focus on the music because you had to worry about your safety.
And the worst part? There were security guards lining the front row of the stage. Did they do anything? NOT ONE THING! Did they try and stop it? Nope, they just looked on. They definitely saw it happening. MULTIPLE TIMES. And how long did we have our trunk up before that guard came over? YEAH!!
They are super strict about tailgating, but allow moshing?!?! HOW does that make sense?!
And right before they played 'War Pigs' I said to Kerianne, "Ok, this one is going to get bad." And so we moved way over. You shouldn't have to worry about being trampled to the ground.
Also for this show, Tony was swearing left and right! Like, all over the place! F-this and F-that everywhere! Oh, Tony. Sure, I would say it's at least once per show (except at Earthfest, where it was zero), and I'm okay with that. I guess being a person who tries her hardest not to swear, I always notice it when other people do. It just doesn't sound very normal.
And then he dedicated '14 Arms' to the Blackhawks and the crowd went WILD!
TONY: Fuck the Flyers!
and again, the people went crazy.
Tony told everyone that they would be signing things at the Merch booth, so go find them there.
So, we headed out to find the merch booth. We walked to the main stage merch booth and asked them where the side stage merch booth was. The kid pointed to the direction we had just come from. So, we walked back. When we walked back to the side stage, Tony was out talking to fans. So, we loitered!!!
And then Tony saw me and gave me a big smile and started laughing,
TONY: Oh my God - WHAT are you doing here?!
and I explained that I was visiting Kerianne...
KERIANNE: (to Tony) I live here!
... and that while I was planning on being here, Crash Kings were also going to be here, which was rather perfect. I also introduced Kerianne as "the newest Crash Queen," to which he smiled at. Tony was very happy and as always, so appreciative that we made it to the show.
I asked him about the moshing, since I had never seen it before at a Crash Kings (or any) show. He said that people had started doing it in Jacksonville.
Then, he had to go to the merch booth to meet with less-cool fans. I felt I held it together pretty well. It's definitely easier to just go up to them. The first time I talked to Tony (at Great Scott in Boston) it was like torture standing there awkwardly waiting for them. And it was like, 'will they just come start talking to me if they see me standing around.... or do I have to make the first move!?' But now that part is normal. It's just like, Oh, it's Tony. or, Oh hey, there's Jason. Jason's definitely the easiest to approach. :)
Also, while we were talking to Tony, Mike came over and said,
MIKE: Tony, do you have the keys?
TONY: Uhh...no, Jason has them.
which I thought was cool. Really, anything they do is cool, so....yeah. So, then Tony told us and surrounding people that their merch booth was at Gate 5, so to go find them there.
And once again, Kerianne and I set off to find Gate 5. We looked around. We walked around. We asked people. We asked the Crash Kings roadie, Josh. Finally, we decided to go ask the scary looking guys who were working the main gate.
They told us we needed to go AROUND THE WHOLE MAIN STAGE to get to the side stage merch booth. HOW did that make sense? It didn't. It still doesn't. It was like a 15 minute walk from the side stage to the side stage merch booth.
The whole walk we were giddy about talking to Tony. He has this affect on people. Kerianne was very excited that he knew where I was from enough to be surprised that I was in Chicago. I was also very excited about this. It was my first show without the normal group of people, especially Ryan, and I was worried he might not totally recognize me. BUT HE DID! And it was amazing.
And ohhhh, he's so pretty.
So, once we finally got over to the merch booth, it was just Jason. He saw me and gave me a big hug, again, surprised that I was there. I introduced Kerianne again and we all lamented the lameness of the location of the side stage merch booth.
JASON: Yeah, I had to walk the whole way around!!
Which made me remember in NYC when he told us he was annoyed the bouncer in Portland asked him to leave when the club was closing. It makes me happy to know that they haven't quite made it that far... where everyone recognizes them and they don't have to walk the 15 minutes to their own merch booth.
Although maybe Mike and Tony were able to drive over? I don't know. Anyways, I love Jason. He's super nice.
So we waited around for a little bit to see if Mike or Tony would come out, but we must have missed them since it took so freaking long to find the merch booth.
We walked back to the side stage, where OK Go was just starting to perform! We stood in the very back for a while, but gradually moved closer and closer as people started to leave.
This is what the band looks like! Who knew they were such cuties?!
Hey wait, I'll find out their names.
OK - Damien is the lead singer, Tim is the bassist, Dan is on drums and Andy is on guitar and keyboards!!! So, I just decided that Damien can be Aliya's boyfriend.
Also, it doesn't look like any of them are brothers, so unfortunately, the band won't be joining us on the Bro Tour 2011.
Also - they are from Chicago, so that's why they said something like, "it's great to be home!" Which, probably was pretty self-explanatory, but Kerianne and I were both like, "Hmm, I wonder if they're from Chicago?!"
OK, so here we have Tim, wearing a lovely baby blue suit, accented by a pink shirt.
And, DAMIEN!! I liked him. I think him and Aliya would make a great couple.
And, Tim again! I think he's probably the most recognizable of the band. Love that suit!
And, Damien and Dan!
SUPER CUTIE = Andy on guitar and keyboards! I really loved him. And his red orange suit.
They were great! I had seen OK Go perform once before at UMass during my 3rd year at Hampshire. They were great then, too!
And - if you haven't seen their most recent music video for the song, 'This Too Shall Pass,' you should really go check it out.
And during OK Go, Mike came out to the side and was talking to people, and Kerianne and I went back over to say hi. I don't think Mike remembered me, but accepted the hug I gave him (that's right, I gave HIM another hug.) He was drinking, and kind of just said that was exciting to see everybody.... But we love him!!!!
While we were talking to Mike, Jason poked his head out from the backstage curtain and smiled and waved at me. And it was the cutest thing I've ever seen Jason do! He's a great man.
And then we went back over to watch OK Go, and could see Tony TOTALLY rocking out!! It was great. Like, so great. He was standing in the backstage area behind the curtain, but the curtain was kind of sheer, and there were big gaps in between the panels. So, you could totally see him. And it was really great to see him getting so into the music, just like I do at their shows. And he was singing along and everything! Aw. Another great man.
Mike was standing next to Tony, but less rocking out and more drinking.
AND SO NOW, while I think I have your attention, and before we move back into the 'reality' section of the trip, I would like to share just a few more pictures with you that I think you must see.
Most of them were taken by my friend Margie, who lives in Kansas City and attended the shows in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri which were the two nights AFTER I saw Crash Kings. She really got some great photos, and since I can't stop looking at them - figured you might enjoy them as well.
And this all will pay off! I promise. Because when I was with Kerianne at the show, as soon as they came out on stage she said to me, "I can't believe I'm actually seeing them in real life and not in your blog!!" It was great!
AND EVEN BETTER - I got a text message yesterday from Kerianne telling me that Crash Kings are playing in Chicago again at the end of July and she thinks she's going to go!!!! Newest super fan? I think so. SO EXCITED that she enjoyed them. But, how could you not? And we listened to the CK record the whole way to the show (and the whole way back), but before that, Kerianne had never heard their music.
So - when I reach my new goal of attending a Crash Kings show with each and every one of my readers, you too will become a fan. And that's a blog promise!
OK - here are the pictures. NOT taken by me! But by other super awesome people :)
Ah yes, this is what Tony on the Clav mostly looks like. Not that other guy I have a picture of. Who was that? Tony imposter.
One thing about this picture that doesn't have to do with his hair, is that I think he looks really tan. The Pacman shirt photos are from The Blue Note in Columbia, MO. Yeah, this photo is amazing.
When we saw them perform, I kind of thought that Tony had some unnecessary hairography going on. (Anyone watch GLEE? The episode on hairography? Yep.) But, I love this picture. What a great moment to capture!!
This photo also makes me very happy because you can see Tony's face, which is a rarity during a performance. Also, he is smiling. Which automatically makes everything in the world better. Was this during War Pigs? It looks like he's saying something, and during the claps in Mountain Man, there are no lyrics.
AND BY THE WAY, remember in NYC when me, Ryan, Jo and Kelley all did the Mountain Man claps just like Tony does in the music video and he looked down at us and shouted, "YEAHHH!!!!" ?? Remember that? Well, during the Chicago show, TONY DID the claps on stage! Which was something I had never seen him do before! Was he inspired by the Crash Queen Claps? Probs.
Ok now for this photo, we have to reign in our imaginations and be civilized. Either that - or let the imaginations go crazy wild. Yeah, my brain automatically goes to the second one. It's like a muscle memory thing: I see a picture of Tony, brain automatically goes crazy wild. If you've seen Tony live, or seen video of him on the Clav, you know that he gets pretty intense. It's actually pretty sexual watching him, because he's just throwing his body all over the place. Which, I have no problem with.
Anyways, this picture is great in many ways.
And this picture is from Pointfest, which was the day after the show we saw. Notice the main part about this photo.......RED PLAID. It's the shirt. And it's a great photo of Tony wearing the shirt. Also, it semi-looks like a shampoo commercial because of how voluminous his hair looks.
I can just hear the lady's voice, "Going to be rocking out at a concert? You don't want hair that falls flat! Try new Herbal Essences Maximum Rockstar Volume Shampoo and Conditioner! Our exciting new formula maximizes your hair's natural volume, while giving it shine and bounce, so you can looks great under those stage lights! Bring out your inner rockstar with new Herbal Essences Maximum Rockstar Volume Shampoo and Conditioner! It'll rock your world!"
And can you believe I don't have tv? I mean, WOW. Did that sound accurate OR WHAT?! I'm kind of impressed with myself right now. I could write shampoo commercials!
Anyways, the point is: what a hottie.
And this concludes the section of the blog where I force you to look at Crash Kings photos in order for you to continue reading..... :) Come on, you love it.
SO AFTER the show, we drove back to Kerianne's house where Noel was waiting. Kerianne didn't have much time before she had to go into work, so we all hung around for a bit. Kerianne left for work around 10pm. Noel went to bed shortly after. I heated up my leftover pad thai from a few nights before and watched an episode of Friday Night Lights. Great. Then I went to sleep. Great day.
It kind of took me awhile to fall asleep because I had a second wind of Crash Kings excitement when I kept imagining Tony's face light up when he saw me. Yeah. I have a feeling that keeping that image in my mind can get me through any tough situation.
So we woke up on Sunday and made plans to take the El to the Belmont stop, where there are lots of hip, trendy places and people.
We went to this store called The Hollywood Mirror and I bought two scarves! The sign said, $4 each or 2 for $6. So, I got two, but the lady only charged me for one! She said, "I cut you a deal." It was awesome. Chicago loves me!
We walked around, and then decided to walk down the street to Wrigley Field! Home of your Chicago Cubs!!!
Harry Carry. The announcer for the Cubs for many years. Not to be confused with Harry Canary, the popular ZOOper Star character. Yep. Shameless ZOOper Star plug.
Awesome! Wrigley Field!!!! It was exciting to be there, even though I've never seen a Cubs game. Kerianne is a huge Cubs fan, so it was great.
And across the street is the Cubby Bear, which was the bar that sponsored the side stage at the Q101 Jamboree. The side stage that Crash Kings and OK Go performed on. So, I got a picture.
Then we walked back and got frozen yogurt! I got coffee with raspberries mixed in. OMG it was so good! Totes delish. And then we took the El back home, where Aliya and Noel were waiting for us!!! Yes, Aliya was back!!
We had dinner reservations for this Ethiopian restaurant called Demera. I had never had Ethiopian food, but it was so great! It's like the ultimate communal eating experience, so you really have to like the people you're eating with. Everything they make is a stew, and so you order a bunch of things, and they bring it out on this giant platter which is placed in the center of the table. There's no silverware. They give you a basket of this spongy, sourdough tasting bread that you eat all the stews with! You like, dip and pick up the food with the bread. So interesting, and super delish. So much fun!
Went back home after. Hung around. It was Aliya's last night, so we stayed up late, watched Little Children and ate tasty things. Aliya's friend Serena, who we all knew from Hampshire College, stopped by around 10:30 or so to give a quick 'hello.' Nice to see her.
Then we all went to bed. We were waking up at 5am to drive Aliya to the airport. :(
It was a sad time. I'll hopefully see Aliya this summer when her family goes to Maine for a bit and I always drive over and crash the party. They have their annual Whoopie Pie Tasting Contest, which I was lucky enough to be a part of one year. So great.
(Hey remember that picture of Tony leaning way back?)
When Kerianne and I got back from the airport, we immediately went back to sleep. Nice! Woke up around.... noon? Showered. Got ready to go out for lunch. We were going to the Vienna Beef hot dog place so I could experience a real Chicago hot dog. I didn't even know there was a special kind of hot dog associated with Chicago!
That's it! The very hot dog that I ate. Except, I took a bite of those peppers and they were waaayyyy too spicy, so I took them off. Sorry, Chicago, I can't handle your peppers. But, the rest was really good! Unlike anything I had ever tried before. A Chicago hot dog includes:
- tomatoes
- a pickle spear
- mustard
- onions
- sweet relish dyed lime green
- celery salt
- poppy seed bun
CR-AZY, i know. If you eat ketchup on your dog, you're pretty much ostracized from society. And, I wanted to fit in. I'm happy I tried it.
After the hot dog, we took the El into downtown and got off at the spot to pick up a WATER TAXI!!!!
For the price of $2 you can take a water taxi up the Chicago river!!! In looking back at these photos, I realize I took way too many. Being on the water taxi was so excited, I guess I felt I needed to capture every second.
Note the Blackhawks flag.
Hotties on the water taxi!!!!
So great, right?! It was super fun. The best way to travel the city, definitely. And so cheap! I decided that I want to get my water taxi driving license. And that will be my job when I move to Chicago. I've always wanted to be the Captain of something. Water Taxi Captain. How awesome would that be!?? I wonder if water taxi captains can marry people?
So we got off the taxi at the John Hancock Building. Not to be confused with the John Hancock building in Boston.
Here was the deal: we could take the elevator to the top floor, 100, pay $15 and walk around the observatory.
OR
we could take the elevator to the 95th floor where there was a swanky lounge, and sit and order a drink. Now, all the drinks were like, $12, but, it was like view + drink = same price as just view.
so, we chose the option with the drink. :)
Oh, the view wasn't bad either...
Sears Tower! But not called that anymore. It's the Willis Tower! It looks kind of exactly like the John Hancock building, so I was getting pretty confused. But, they're on opposite sides of the city.
LAKE MICHIGAN!!! That rounded roof structure is the planetarium.
Navy Pier!! It's this pier with theaters and restaurants and a ferris wheel!!!
Great shots, eh? I think so. It was so cool being up there. And, we didn't have to wait at all to get on the elevator (Kerianne says there's usually a wait), which was great. And then! We walk into the lounge and the host is practically waiting for us and says,
HOST: We're just opening up this section... Table by the window?
So, we got the most perfect table in the whole place. Like, they waited until we were there to open up the best part. So great!
We stayed there for a while. It was hard to leave because it was so pretty. Kerianne said she had never been there during the day, so it was cool to be able to really see everything. Finally though, we left.
Took the El to meet up with Noel. Ate some great sandwiches. Then, we parted ways.
Kerianne and I were off to Millennium Park to see a FREE She & Him concert, Noel was heading back home.
So, She & Him. This is the band that actress Zooey Deschanel is in with a guy called M. Ward. I am a fan of their music. It's different, it's familiar. Catchy.
Millennium Park! Most notable, "the bean" sculpture with it's mirrored surface. Lots of people take a picture of their reflection in the bean...
Cool, right?
Lights on a building!! The whole city was super excited about the Blackhawks. And (spoiler alert) THEY ENDED UP WINNING!!!! The Stanley Cup!!! Good for them! Well done, Hawks.
Um, just two hotties waiting for the show to start.
The place was PACKED. Like, THOUSANDS of people. It was insane. Every inch of grass and chair was full. But then! We found a tiny nook!! And we made it our own. We couldn't see the show from here, but it was good for waiting purposes.
We sat there while the opening band, Hollows, performed. An all-girl band. They were pretty good. Reminded me of Los Angeles girl band, Rocket, who I love.
And then She & Him came out!!!!! A little while in to their set, we decided to get up and try to find a better spot where we could actually see Zooey.
Oh, this is what they look like:
I chose the hottest picture of Zooey I could find. I figure it was the least I could do to my male readers after posting all those Tony pictures. :) Yeah, she's a total hottie. And She & Him played with Crash Kings a few nights before this in Milwaukee, so for a moment I was nervous that Tony and Zooey would fall in love. But then I remembered that Zooey is married to the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and I felt better.
So, this is the view we had!!!!
M and Zooey!!!! On stage! In real life!
Here is a close-up picture I found from this blog/review of the show. And here is a link to watch She & Him perform my favorite song, 'Change Is Hard', on Craig Ferguson!
Zooey also played keyboards!!! She was great and super fun to watch. Whenever she had a tambourine, she would jump up and down or run excitedly around the stage.
Millennium Park!
Giant sculpture above and around the stage.
Great show!!! For realz. I really want to be a She & Him backup singer. Either that, or a water taxi captain. :)
So, we went home after the show. The El was packed, but we made it home safe.
Kerianne's bro Tyler was staying the night at Kerianne's house when we got back! Nice to see him. We all hung around. Kerianne and I watched a Zooey Deschanel movie on instant Netflix. We ate cheesy delicious things.
Then, I packed up my stuff and got everything ready so I wouldn't have to do it in the morning, when I had to leave. :(
Tuesday morning, we woke up and it was pouring! We decided to brave it and head out to the local farmer's market anyways. Kerianne bought eggs and mushrooms!!! It looked great.
Then we came home, made breakfast, hung around for a few last moments, and then I had to leave. My goal was to leave by 10am. But that was pushed back until 10:30. And I think I finally left around... 11? Maybe 11:30.
I was sad to leave. What an awesome trip I had!!!!
Another king sized bed awaited me in Buffalo. I was sooo happy to see it. It was a long, rainy day of driving. And the check-in lady at the front desk was from New Hampshire too! So, that was nice.
The motel was definitely not as nice as the first one I stayed in. Seedier. Dirtier. At least it was only for one night.
So, Tuesday was June 8th, which was the day the new Rooney record was being released!!!! I didn't have a chance to go buy it then, so I looked up directions to the nearest Target and planned to go the next day. Targs was selling the record for $7.99 until June 12 and I wanted to get in on the action.
So, Wednesday, June 9th, I woke up, showered, re packed some things and checked out! There were two police officers questioning two teen boys in the lobby. It looked pretty sketch, so I was quickly out of there.
Drove to Targs, which turned out was like, 3 miles down the road! Bought the record!!!! Drove back, stopped at Dunkin for a coffee.
DUNKIN LADY: You want mocha coffee...with raspberry?
JULIE: Yep! It's my fave.
DUNKIN LADY: Hmm...that's an interested combination...I'll have to try it!
and then I was on my way!!! Again, it was pouring the whole day, which was a bummer.
I wasn't quite sure the route I was taking to get back home, so at one of the rest stops closer to Albany, I said, "okay, I'm just going to put my address into the GPS and go whichever way it tells me to!" and I did!
I drove through Saratoga Springs and Lake George.
This barn was cool, I thought.
back to Vermont!!!
watching the landscape change was cool, again.
and there's my exit!!!! Back home.
Really nice to be greeted by my dad and Ruby Tuesday. She missed me so much!!!! I missed her a lot too.
AND - that's the night the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup!! My dad told me that the guy who scored the winning goal was from Buffalo, NY, and since I was coming from Chicago by way of Buffalo, I think I was the good luck charm. Yep! Totes.
Anyways - WHAT A GREAT TRIP, RIGHT?!?!?! I got to see some of my best friends AND BONUS, also got to see three bands perform!!!!
OH - and update on the Rooney record::: IT ROCKS. Wow, it's so good! Like, really good pop songs. I'm happy about how much Louie Stevens is featured! Sometimes, I kind of forget that there is a keyboardist in Rooney. But, not this album! It's great. My fave song is 'I Don't Wanna Lose You.' Love it. Also, I love the song that Ned wrote and sings, 'The Hunch.' Suuuper catchy!
AND MORE GREAT MUSIC? Yep, it's true.
MY FRIEND DAVE, who sometimes comments in this very blog, has put out a record of his folk-pop songs and you should absolutely check them out.
I listened to the record last night and thought it was great. Track 5 through the end are my favorites. Especially, 'Samesame.' It's a great CD. It sounds like Dave is becoming quite the local celeb in Colorado Springs. I think he should open for Crash Kings when they are there in July. Brillz, right?!
So definitely check out that music.
Alright! I think that about does it.
My plan for the weekend includes possibly going to see River City Extension in Portland, ME tomorrow (saturday) night!! I really want to bring Kara, and she really wants to go, but it's 21+. I'm trying to think of a stealth and legal way to get her in. I might call the place tonight and try and cut a deal.
ANYWAYS :
TOTAL TRIP MILEAGE = 2048
TOTAL AVERAGE MILES PER GALLON = 50.2
Hope you enjoyed your photo trip to the Midwest!!! I certainly enjoyed reliving it all. Can't wait to go back!!!
Have a great weekend! I'll talk to everyone later! Take care, be well, drive safe. :)
Love,
Julie
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