EARTH FEST 2010

i'm posting about Earth Fest because i'm in shock.

the last time we spoke, i said that they were announcing the band line-up TODAY (earth day). Earth Fest itself isn't for another month.

here is the band lineup in the order they appear on the website:

Collective Soul
Gin Blossoms
Crash Kings
Marcy Playground


now, i don't know what i was thinking. but, i guess i was assuming that the bands playing would be small, up and coming bands, like Crash Kings. BUT NO. um, these bands are super famous. and Crash Kings are in the middle of it all.

their name even has the same size font as the others. and it's not even last! SAME SIZE FONT! that's a huge improvement.

Collective Soul has that great music video with the guy about to jump off the building. and there are pigeons? 'World I Know.' i like that song.

and Gin Blossoms have that great song, 'Til I Hear it From You.' great song.

and Marcy Playground have that one song, 'Sex and Candy.' i'm sure they have other songs too.

but i'm really impressed. and shocked. at first i was like, "wait....what are Crash Kings doing there amongst all the super famous bands?" and then i thought, "oooohhhhh yeeaaahhhh....i guess they're kind of a super famous band too....."

ANYWAYS. i'm super excited for Earth Fest. i'm trying to peer pressure my mom and Kara into coming. AND! my dad will be back from Canada visiting that week. so he can come too!

anybody else want to meet up at Earth Fest?!!? it's gonna be super fun! and super crowded!!! it says it usually attracts around 125,000 people. that's a big crowd.

ok, IF I am having a hard time believing that Crash Kings are in the lineup of those super famous bands - i can't even imagine what Jason, Mike and Tony are thinking.

alright. it's 2:20pm. either wednesday or thursday. no, it's thursday. not much planned for today. gonna go downstairs later and sort through more books.

in 6 boxes yesterday we had 37 copies of Goodnight Moon. i have four more boxes to do today. only 7 copies of The Runaway Bunny yesterday. i'm hoping for more today. although, there are like, 20 more boxes of books down in the basement that i'm sure have more copies.

watched the Michael Moore documentary last night. after like, 2 minutes i was almost in tears. and then like, 20 minutes later i almost had to shut it off because it was so scary. the part when he's talking about how the United States went downhill very quickly with the election of Ronald Reagan. and then it's all the line graphs set against Carmina Burana. MAN. that was a scary part.

i'll talk more about it later.

UNTIL THEN, have a great afternoon. a great Earth Day. Happy Earth Day.



<3

"dave likes to eat applesauce. he eats it on the subway, wearing mismatched socks."

(entry subject taken from the classic Compost Shark song, 'Applesauce.')


LOVE IT.

oh geeze, i almost forgot about the most important part about today.

IT'S DAVE'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! my great friend Dafe. who is the bro of my BFF Maria!




and i just happen to have this wonderful picture here, of these three awesome people.

from L to R: Renee (who had a birthday last week!!!!), Dave (birthday TODAY!), and Maria (birthday on 30 March).

what a great photo! oh, i love friends. this was when we all went to The Big E together. that was lots of fun times.

alright Dave, have a great birthday down there in Colorado Springs.


lovelovelove!!!!!!

"do something to make the world more beautiful."

"but i do not yet know what that could be."


AHHH, great book. we have been getting these HUGE donation of children's books from Border's lately. and will continue so until early May. and today, i sorted through 6 heavy boxes of books. had to read a few including:

- Miss Rumphius
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Time For Bed (oh, i loved this one.)
- Goodnight Moon
- Barnyard Dance

that one, Time for Bed, OH it had the sweetest illustrations of mother and baby animals. just click on that link for the cover picture and it will melt your heart. that's a promise.

i sorted through those books for like, 5 hours. no kidding. and have more to do tomorrow.


ANYWAYS - in much better and more exiting news, i woke up this morning to TWO WONDERFUL BLOG COMMENTS!!!!

well, one was actually a Facebook comment but RELATED to the blog, and one was in the actual blog.


1. BLOOD FEATHERS. remember how they were the opening band for Crash Kings last week in West Chester? WELL, they commented in my blog. IN THIS BLOG. on the Crash Kings entry. oh man - i was freaking out. SO COOL, right?! and i wrote in the entry that i would like to be BFF with them, and i think that dream just came true. i immediately started following them on Twitter. i am very excited about this. :)

2. LAURA! My friend Laura who i've known since....geeze, like, forever? first grade, maybe? she sent me a super exciting facebook comment saying she was driving this morning at 5am and she heard Crash Kings on the radio!!!!! and that made her excited because she knew that i would be excited. AND SHE'S RIGHT!!!!! i was super excited to hear this. it's good when exciting things happen at 5am! especially when it's a Crash Kings related excitement. :)


what a great morning, right?! right.

the afternoon was spent digging through those books.

and tonight i will watch the newest Michael Moore documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story. very much looking forward to it.


YESTERDAY (meaning Tuesday), was also a great day.

:: i woke up and washed my hair.

:: went down for staff meeting at 12:30, only to find out that we weren't having staff meeting.

:: so i hung around anyways, caught up with Courtney, which was lovely.

:: then made plans with Diane to do some errand running in the afternoon. work-related errand running that consisted of going to local businesses and picking up their donations for an upcoming fundraiser. this including going to: a jewelry store, a toy store, a stained glass store, and a fancy restaurant. fun! everyone we met was so nice.

:: during this adventure we also stopped and got ice cream at the place in the parking lot of Home Depot. sounds like a total sketch place - oh, but it's delicious.

:: and then after we were done, we decided to stay in Hanover and get dinner! so we went to the newly opened Salt Hill Pub! we split some "Dublin fries" and baked feta on bread with olives and tomatoes. DELISH! totes delish. and i enjoyed some Bulmer's (Magner's in the states). OOHHHHH so good.

:: we had a lovely time. it was very fun to be social. and the menu at the new Salt Hill is quite extensive compared to the one in Lebanon! it took us a really long time to decide. worth it. it was so good.

fun!


ALSO EXCITING ABOUT TODAY:: i am done with my antibiotics!!!!! took my last dose this afternoon. i am glad about this. it was more stressful than i thought to try and remember to take them. 4 times a day was a lot. there's still a tiny bump on the back of my ear. but, the hole has completely closed up. that didn't take long at all! i was surprised at that. it was closed up after like, 2 or 3 days. that makes me think that it was still not healed. after all this time.

will i do it again? NOPE!

although today i got that tattoo craving that has been semi-constant for a while.


HEY!!!! EARTH DAY!!! tomorrow! 22 april! that's when they are announcing the official band lineup for Earth Fest. in Boston. sponsored by 92.9. two words:

CRASH KINGS.

they are performing at Earth Fest. you heard it here first! unless you've talked to Crash Kings, and they've told you that they are performing at Earth Fest.

hey, speaking of Earth things, i was cataloging a Curious George book called, Curious George Plants A Tree, and it came with a little bookmark that you planted in the ground and then it would sprout flowers! this made me really excited. i wanted to plant it! how fun would that be?! cool.

i was cataloging another Curious George book called, Curious George Goes to the Hospital. first of all - why would you want to read about a monkey who needs to go to the hospital? is he sick? did he break a bone? this sounds sad to me. but when i first read the title, i read, Curious George Goes to the Hamptons. and i thought, "oooo he's going to the Hamptons!" and for one second i imagined a "Gossip Girl-esque" Curious George book. but then realized it said 'hospital.' and that's when i thought the other things.

i started reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius the other day. so far, so good. i was a little confused at the beginning by all the stuff. like, all the notes and such. but then i got to the book part and i liked it.

i just learned via Twitter that my new friend/Crash Queen sister Christina was accepted into UCLA! this is very exciting. :)

hm, okay. it's like, twenty minutes to 10pm. i might get ready to have supper.

oh! the other night at the grocery store i bought peach mango frozen yogurt and it's delish! it's Hood brand. definitely recommend it. this morning i thought, "it's yogurt so technically i could eat it for breakfast..." but i didn't. i had toast instead.

OK. i think that's all. i'll probably think of more things to say. but right now, i'd say this is pretty good.

although, i'm totally bummed that Facebook is taking so long to upload these posts. why facebook!? it's been taking like, two days per post. that's too long for people to go without reading a Julie Blog Post. hopefully they'll sharpen up their act and get back to the way things were before.

OK, have a great evening! a great morning! and a great afternoon!!! i'll talk to you again soon!!


muchlove.


<3

i wish i was one of those people who went out for breakfast by themselves. i think those people are cool. like, just go into a breakfast place. sit down. get a cup of coffee. some eggs, toast.



i guess i'm not having a very good day so far. i can't figure out what to do. not just with the day, but with everything.

i made a pot of cinnamon almond coffee. it's very good.

i'm super frustrated with Geico.com right now. like, super. and i should call them, i guess. but i don't feel like saying all the information over the phone. it's just easier to do it online. BUT IT'S NOT WORKING. and i've been trying for a long time.

i was really creeped out last night because i thought someone else was in the house with me. i kept hearing noises that sounded like someone was downstairs. i even walked through the whole house because i was so sure that someone had broken in.

and then Ruby made me nervous too, because she was staring out in the kitchen for a long time, following something with her eyes. and i thought, "holy crap, is there a ghost out there?" and then i thought there might be a mouse.

but, there was nothing.

ok, i guess that's it for now.


next time i go to a Crash Kings concert with kara, i am going to have her get another one of mike's guitar picks. and then i will have two. and then i will turn them into earrings. and kara is the master at finding guitar picks.

i should have him initial the back of the pick.

anyways. i was holding the pick yesterday and that's what was making me think of this.

i guess life after an awesome Crash Kings adventure is kind of depressing. because there are not too many things that are as exciting.

ok.

i might put on a movie and finally turn my Rooney shirt into a picture for my living room.

i was thinking of creating a 'Rock Star Wall' in my apartment that would feature the signed Rooney shirt i have, as well as the signed Crash Kings set-list.

i just can't bring myself to put the guitar pick in a frame, though. i just love holding it too much. and feeling the frayed edge.

ok. we'll see what the day brings.

i'll talk to you later.


<3

CRASH KINGS ROCK WEST CHESTER (15 april 2010)

hi friends. and loved ones.

may i just say first, that i think Facebook is taking a 'longer than normal' time to upload these blog posts. so, for all you Facebook readers, i don't know when you are reading this.

but currently, i'm writing and it's 12:47pm on sunday, 18 april 2010. hopefully the whole world will be able to read this entry soon, because it's going to be awesome. and amazing.

it will be much like the first time i met Tony, Mike and Jason at Great Scott. and i could barely form words or sentences. that's how excited i am. STILL. and the show was on thursday.


SO, the last time i left you, i was very excited. and kind of spewing all these excited words. it was a hard time getting to sleep on thursday night. let me start further back.


THURSDAY MORNING:

i woke up in Boston. Ryan was at class. her roomie, Brent was working on a paper in the kitchen.

i went online to check the normal things, email, facebook, twitter, etc. THEN! i sent a Tweet to Crash Kings saying this:


dear @crashkings, [ryan's twitter name] and i are driving down from boston for the show tonight. please don't start without us. love, ryan and julie.


yep. that's what i said to them. i was very excited that i wrote to them. and then when Ryan and I were finally on our way, she said something like, "oh i hope we make it in time." and i said, "well, i tweeted to them saying 'don't start without us,' so hopefully we'll be okay."

we made it out of Boston fine. hit rreeaallyy slow traffic on the Mass Pike for a while. got minorly lost while getting off the exit for I-84. semi-quickly found our way back.

then Ryan had the brillz idea of DRIVING IN THE CARPOOL LANE!!!! so, yeah, we did. we were two people who were carpooling to a concert. made total sense. we did that until Hartford.

then we got on I-87, i think. and did that for a while. we were taking a route around NYC. then we got into New Jersey. on either 202 or 206. the exit was for both roads. i don't remember which one we ended up being on.

but it was supposed to take us 19 minutes. and it took us like, an hour. SOOOOO SLOOOWWWW. omg, we were freaking out. we figured out that Crash Kings were probably going to go on at 9pm. it was like, 7pm, and we still had an hour after we got off this road, which never seemed to end. and was jam packed full of cars.

we drove through Princeton, which was a beautiful, fancy looking part of NJ, but seemed to be semi in ruin due to all the trees and large branches down EVERYWHERE.

FINALLY, we got onto 95 and ENTERED PENNSYLVANIA!! my first time there.

and then it got dark. and later. and it was time to SPEED. we were going like, 80mph for the last leg of the trip. we finally made it to West Chester and found the parking garage i had marked on the map. a short couple blocks away from 'The Note,' where they were playing.

as we are getting closer to The Note, we see their van "Ol' Blue" parked out front. this is very exciting because now it's real. NOW we're here and we're going to see Crash Kings.

so, we see some guys hanging around the van and notice that one of them is their drummer, Jason. who plays drums barefoot and is awesome. and we get closer and closer.

and then, HE recognizes US and says,

JASON: Hey! You guys made it!!

let me make clear that neither Ryan nor I said anything to Jason before he said this to us.

SO, NOT ONLY, did they totally read my Tweet to them, BUT, Jason knew who we were enough to recognize us on the street. not even in a music setting! ON THE STREET. it wasn't like, he waved at us during their set cause he recognized us in our normal spot in the crowd. nope. ON THE STREET.

Jason also said that they were all very excited that we had driven down from Boston. we said that we were very worried that we would miss part of their set, but he told us that the opening band, Bloodfeathers, was just going on now, and that we should totally get in to see them, because they had a saxophone in their band, and he thought they would be pretty good.

so we go inside. the night is off to a SUPER GREAT start. we get our hand stamped and head to the stage area. on our way back, i am apparently in a 'Jason infused daze,' and totally smash right into Tony, who is 'in the zone' walking in the opposite direction as us.

yep. smashed into Tony. i didn't even realize it was him until after the smashing. we were both in the 'Crash Kings are about to perform' zone.

anyways. then we watched Blood Feathers. i guess their name is actually two words. i don't really know why they are called Blood Feathers. they sound like a band who would like to go to Owl concerts. they sound like a scary band.

but no! they are a band i would like to be BFF with. especially the main guy. who i said to afterwards at the bar,

JULIE: Hey, you guys were great!
BLOOD FEATHERS GUY: Wow, thank you! Thanks for coming!

they were like, rock-country-blues-retro ish. Ryan does a good comparison in her LJ and says they are, "a six-man combination of Bob Dylan and the Doobie Brothers." i think that works.

and the main guy, who was really a co-main guy, the one who i talked to for one second afterwards, was a super good dancer. he was constantly moving his feet around. but not like, picking them up off the stage. like, sliding around. kind of like something one might see on Charlie Brown, or something. perhaps. he was awesome.

anyways, yeah, check out Blood Feathers, if you get a chance. i think they should swap band names with Owl. Owl should be called Blood Feathers because they are a creepy band. and Blood Feathers should change their name to Owl, but only not a scary red-eyed owl. a friendly one.

or, they could combine their bands and be called, Bloody Owl Feathers. but, i don't like that. and i don't think anyone else would either.

ANYWAYS. the whole time we're listening to Blood Feathers, Jason and Mike are standing right in front of us. Mike's hair has gotten longer. he's drinking a beer. and oh, he's pretty.

then Blood Feathers ends and Jason and Mike head backstage. i assume to start getting ready to set up their equipment on stage. like they've done at every other Crash Kings show. even at their other headlining shows in Providence and at Great Scott. they set up their own stuff.

so, the guys that work at the place are doing most of the setting up. and they're up there for a while. i figure they're doing the basics. like, getting out the plugs and stuff so Tony can come out and set up his clavinet.

and then one of the guys sets up the keyboard. and then the clav. and now i'm getting confused. has Crash Kings really become a super famous band since the last time i saw them?!? so much so, that they can just walk out onstage and all their stuff will be set up for them?!!?!

NO, it can't be possible. this is our tiny, secret, awesome band that nobody else knows about.

but then, most of their stuff is set up. the stagehands even put out towels and bottles of water for the guys. and tape their set lists to the floor for them. even their set lists have gotten more fancy. they had the Crash Kings "logo" at the top. the set list that i have is just a list of songs.

and Ryan and i keep looking at each other in amazement.

CRASH KINGS DO NOT HAVE TO SET UP THEIR OWN EQUIPMENT. they had other guys do it for them.

um, holy crap. are they a famous band now? ah, yes. yes they are.

because they start playing, and MOST EVERYONE knows all the words to all the songs. like, non-Mountain Man songs. like, '1985.' and 'Non Believer.'

this was the first Crash Kings show where like, 3/4 of the crowd came to see THEM. it wasn't like a bunch of people who just happened to be there, plus me and Ryan who are the super fans. NO. not at all. our super tiny secret band had become not-so super tiny and secret.

(which made it even more awesome that Jason recognized us on the street.)


and now.... the super famous, super rockstars - CRASH KINGS::







so, Tony walks out onstage and immediately i think, OMG he's wearing the red plaid shirt! but then he comes to the front of the stage, and i see he's not wearing the red plaid shirt. it's like, a red plaid shirt, with strangely placed white spots. and it's lighter red.

and then i immediately think, OMG THERE WAS A LAUNDRY MISHAP AND THE RED PLAID SHIRT IS RUINED!!!!! it was a very stressful time. his signature red plaid shirt - RUINED!?!?

and i was studying the shirt he was wearing and trying trying trying to remember exactly what the other one looked like.

after the concert was over, i immediately asked Ryan what she thought. she ended up getting out her laptop in the car and doing a comparison. it was very hard at first to tell if it was the same shirt or not.

BUT IN THE END - she thought they were different shirts. and in doing further investigation, i think the same thing.

i have posted a photo of THE red plaid shirt below the next pic so you can do your own comparison. you're welcome :)



(Tony's hair had gotten really long since i had last seen him. did you forget what a hottie he was?! and look at that great tattoo shot! he's got the number '13' on his inner wrist. either that or, '1,3.')


(super sexilicious red plaid shirt.)



this set up was not ideal for photos of Jason, which is usually the case.



HOT SWEATY MIKE!!!!!




for the previous three shows we had seen, Tony had been playing on this amazing folding piano. he said that the reason he was playing on the keyboard tonight was because they couldn't lift the piano up onto the stage. :) that's okay.

i really love those two above photos. because you can see his face, which was mostly covered by his hair in all the other pics.



UM, WHOA, right?! Mike, oh Mike. he was having a bit of an off night. he was mostly flat on all his harmonies, except for 'Carry On,' and during 'Non Believer' when he sings the days of the week at the end, he got the order wrong pretty much every time. SUNDAY TUESDAY MONDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY?

also, remember at Great Scott when he told me and Kara and he wrote 'Carry On?' and it made me super excited because it's probably my favorite song? well, when Ryan was talking to Tony in Austin when she saw them, she mentioned that Mike had told me he wrote Carry On. to which Tony replied something like,

TONY: Mike didn't write Carry On. I wrote Carry On. Mike helped a little in the beginning...

i told my mom this story and she said,

MOM: Well, clearly he was trying to impress you by telling you he wrote it!!!!

perhaps. i do remember thinking that Mike and i had a bit of a connection at Great Scott. and i decided that maybe the reason Mike is always in tune on Carry On is because he thinks that he wrote it, so he puts in a little extra effort.

OKAY, so me and Ryan were kind of hating on Mike during this trip, but we made sure we ended by saying that Mike is an excellent bass player and does super sexy bass lines on 'You Got Me' and '1985.' and listening to 'You Got Me' and watching Mike sweat is like the hottest, sexiest thing in the world. true story.




BRO SHOT!!!!!!



During 'Come Away' Tony forgot the lyrics during the chorus, and it was super adorable. he kind of all flustered looked at Mike, and kept shaking his head. hey, even super famous rock stars forget the lyrics sometimes. this made me happy, because it reminds you that they are normal people.




loved his rolled up jeans and boots. and he thinks he's not a hipster?



"HOTTIE ON THE KEYBOARD."

OH, it was such a great show. they totally rocked. the whole place was rocking.

and now for the videos? yes. that sounds good.

so, i took four videos which i have uploaded to YouTube. i will post the links for you to enjoy. i might also post you links to the videos that Ryan took. she got some different songs than i did.


IT'S ONLY WEDNESDAY. this is a great video because you can hear the crowd singing along really well. and then A HOTTTTTT BASS SOLO by Mike, for which the crowd goes wild. you should watch.

NON BELIEVER. great song. "don't forget about the things that make you feel free." oh, i love it. and this is the song where Mike gets the days of the week wrong. about 2:50 in.

CARRY ON. the song that Mike didn't write. possibly my favorite song. this is the song they opened with the VERY FIRST time i saw them. i heard Tony sing the opening words, "carry on," and my mind had already been blown. just watch the first 20 seconds. you'll see what i mean. also featuring: hott bro rocking sesh around 2:55 and a really hott scream around 3:48.

SAVING GRACE. the very beginning of this video features something i like to call, 'A Beliveau Brothers Hott-Off.' where Mike and Tony are both totally working the crowd at the same time!!!! "a hott-off." yep. and during the slow, gorgeous, romantic, sexy part of the song which happens around 2:13, someone screams, "YYEEAAAHHHH TOONNNYYYY!!!!!"

"stay with me late into this night...and lay with me and i promise to make you feel...oooooooOOOOoooooooo..."

"yeah tony!" is right. Ryan and i had fun with that part on the drive home. he PROMISES. he promises to make you feel that way. YEP. soooosexxxyyyyy.


this is a video that Ryan took:

MY LOVE. "all the little pieces of the world come together so well... you're taking me home." yep. and at the end when they do the "ooo oo oo oo ooo oo oo oo" part with clapping, Mike starts clapping on the off-beat until he realizes he's doing it. it's funny and adorable. perhaps he had a little too much to drink before the show? i don't know.

Ryan also took a SUPER HOTT video of "You Got Me," but i can't find it on YouTube. when i find it, i'll post it for you. because if you don't watch ANY of these videos - you're gonna want to watch that one.

ALRIGHT, so that was the music portion of the evening. AWESOME MUSIC. oh, they were so good.

so, after the show, Ryan and i stuck around to have a chat with the boys. the really drunk girls who were obnoxiously obsessed with the band stuck around for a while too.

Jason came out first and came right over to us. we talked again for a minute. told him that in our listening to the record all the way from Boston to West Chester, we noticed that there is a ton of tambourine in almost every song! he seemed really pleased that we noticed and told us that it was something their producer suggested they do. Jason totally kills on the tambourine. and, he's totally the nicest person ever.

then a little while later, Mike came out. he started to walk past us, but then noticed us, and came over. I JUST WANT TO TOUCH HIS FACE ALL THE TIME. ohhhh he looks so soft. like a teddy bear. Mike Bear. love it. Mike seems like a very shy person. a man of few words. we told him how great the show was. i mentioned that it was awesome that they didn't have to set up any of their equipment. Mike said that was really nice to not have to do. we told him we'd see him at Earth Fest in Boston, and then he was on his way. to the bar, i think.

OH, he did say that the sound was weird onstage. which led Ryan and i to come to the conclusion that that's why maybe he was a little off tonight. BUT, he rocked the bass and looked good doing it. all that matters? yep. i still want to touch him all the time.

and then we stood, waiting for Tony. he took a little while to come out from backstage, and when he did, he came out onto the stage. (this next part is probably the second best part of the night. after Jason recognizing us on the street.)

so, Tony came out onto the stage. he had changed into a red t-shirt which made me think that he was shirtless backstage. which made me happy. so, he's doing something on the stage, and then he sees us standing on the floor.

he SMILES AND WAVES at us, and then JUMPS OFF THE STAGE to come over to talk to us. did he stop and talk to any of the other people waiting for him first? nope. he walked right over to us and was very happy that we safely made it from Boston.

and then we proceeded to talk to him FOR TEN MINUTES.

Ryan has been giving them transcriptions of their songs ever since we saw them in New Jersey. she gave Tony a transcription of 'It's Only Wednesday' and Tony said it was the coolest thing anyone has ever given him. or something awesome like that. so, on this night, she was giving him a corrected transcription of 'Come Away' and also 'Saving Grace.'

she hands Tony 'Saving Grace' and he immediately starts studying it. intensely. now, Ryan had the time signatures go: 7, 7, 5, 4, 4. Tony saw this and said, "no, i think we count the whole song in 7."

this was very confusing, because every time Saving Grace came on in the car, it made sense that it was counted 7, 7, 5, 4, 4. but now he was saying it was ALL in 7? really?

so Ryan says that she doesn't think so.

AND THEN, Tony stands there, counting out the song in his head. it was the most awesome thing ever. he's like, staring up at the ceiling, hearing the music in his head. AAAAHHHHHHH SOOOOOOO COOL!!!!!!

in the end, they disagree on the time signature. Tony says it's all in 7. Ryan says 77544.

we also talk about how awesome the show was. Tony said something like, "Yeah, but I forgot the lyrics!" (referring to Come Away.) we assured him it was still awesome. he said that they are so focused on going home in a few days, that that's all they can think about. he said they haven't been home since February and that everyone is really looking forward to it.

(he means Los Angeles, not Boston.)

and he talked about eating healthy on the road and how it's very hard not to eat junk food all the time. he said they just go to Whole Foods and stock up on light food things to eat. he made it seem like he has to watch his weight. but, he doesn't. we like him just the way he is.

then we again bring up the awesome tambourine track on almost every song.

TONY: It's even in 'It's Only Wednesday!'

he was very excited to explain to us that they recorded the tambourine throughout the whole song, but muted it every half measure. then he demonstrated for us the sound of the tambourine. AWESOME.

AND THEN, we were talking to him, and this other random fan came over and said,

OTHER FAN: You guys can keep talking, but can I just get a picture real quick?

and so Ryan and I stepped back so this guy could get a picture with Tony. um, HE'S SUCH A CELEB. i couldn't believe it was happening when it was happening. and then Tony picked right back up in our conversation.

something else we noticed in listening to the record the whole way from Boston, is the sound at the end of 'My Love.' it's the "clapping part" that they do live. but, on the album, it doesn't sound like just "ooo oo oo oo," it sounds like something else. Ryan and i discussed whether or not it might even be the clavinet. so, we asked Tony.

AGAIN, he seemed very happy that we noticed this little thing. and he said that it's actually him singing, but vibrating his bottom lip kind of like a trumpet. AND THEN HE DEMONSTRATED. and i was standing like, a foot away from him, staring at his vibrating bottom lip. OOOHHHHH it was amazing.

you could really tell how much he just loves talking about music. and thinking about music.

AND OH, he's so pretty. and he smiled a lot when he was talking to us. and i could feel my heart melting. it's like he smiles and you are paralyzed and everything else in the room goes dark.

and he thanked us again for coming all the way from Boston. and told us to have "safe travels" back. and we told him we'd see him at Earth Fest.

and as soon as we walked away, he was mobbed by other fans. other fans who he did not smile and wave at from the stage.

and that was when we talked to Tony for ten minutes. standing a foot away from him.

my euphoria from that night is still continuing. we're in day 3. Euphoric Day 3.

and then we stopped by the bar for glasses of water. that's when i had the one second conversation with the Blood Feathers guy. and then we were on our way!


i would like to post one more video for you. it's a video of a radio station gig they did a few weeks ago. on Mike's birthday, actually. and Tony is playing 'It's Only Wednesday.' and i think he sounds SO GOOD, i can't get over it. his voice sounds perfect. like they haven't been on non-stop touring since the fall.

you want to watch that video for these reasons:

1. um, me and Ryan are BFF with this band. and we talked to Tony for 10 minutes. we can kind of say, "yeah, we know those guys."
2. our BFF Jason who could recognize us on the street, is sitting behind Tony and you get some good shots of him.
3. Tony is playing in front of some windows. you can see the trees blowing in the background and also cars driving back on the road. this is a good video because it reminds me that other things in the world are still happening when Tony is singing. it's not like, he sings and the whole rest of the world stops, like sometimes i think happens. the wind still blows and people can still drive cars.
4. super hott close-ups in the end.

there's some other CK footage from the radio station that lasts like, 30 seconds in the beginning. but after that, it's all Tony. and Mike and Tony are both wearing plaid shirts. and they totally look like brothers.

ok, so go watch that video.

it's a strange thing to listen to Tony singing on the record after talking with him for a while. because, sometimes i think that his singing voice sounds much different than his speaking voice. but, if you hear the two close together, they don't sound so different.

ANYWAYS. that was the amazing night we had in West Chester. so awesome. because they have turned into totally famous rock stars and also our BFF. and it's so great that both of those things happened on the same night.

now, i know this is getting long, but i have to continue. just a little further. can you make it? do you need something non-Crash Kings for a minute?

ok, hold on.

let's NON-CRASH KINGS for a quick break:

these pictures were taken on the day last week when Ruby Tuesday slept on her back everywhere she went:




first she slept on her back in the sun on the window sill. this makes me very nervous. but, she was super comfortable, very warm, and very cute.




then later on in the day, i caught her sleeping on her back on the couch. look at her belly!




her evening nap was spent on my craigslist chair, on her back. i don't think she looks comfortable at all, but she stayed there for quite a while. she loves being on her back so much.

all in the same day, mind you.




and this precious gem of a photo was taken just a few hours ago. today! that's right. we're both sitting on the couch. i was blogging and she took a nap. she is so happy i'm home. she's been nonstop cuddly ever since i walked in the door. oh, i missed her so much.

she's so cute i can't even stand it. right now, she's sleeping completely under that blue blanket with her head resting on my foot. yep. that's happening right now.


OK. great break!!!!


now, to continue on with the night.

we get in the car to drive back north, and after the plaid shirt comparison saga, we put on Saving Grace many times to try and figure out if the whole thing was actually counted in 7, like Tony said it was.

we tried. Ryan tried way harder than i did. but, it didn't seem to make sense that it was all in 7. IT COULD, HOWEVER, be counted, 7, 7, 7, 6.

so, Ryan tweeted to them that the closest we could get was three bars of 7 and one of 6.


and then we arrive in NYC to stay with one of Ryan's friends who lives in the West Village. great apartment! we slept on the sofa bed.

and we immediately go onto the internet to catch up on other thing that have been happening in the world, that are non-Crash Kings related. (less cool things, obvi.)

and i go onto Twitter....

JULIE: Um, have you been on Twitter yet?
RYAN: No..
JULIE: Ok, go there immediately.

THEY RESPONDED TO RYAN'S TWEET AND SAID,

"you're right! We like 3 bars of 7 and 1 in 6. That's how we count it at least. Great job!!!"

please note the 3 exclamation marks at the end.

THE AWESOME EXCITING TIME CONTINUED!!!!!!! not only are we real life BFF with Crash Kings, but we are Twitter BFF.

amazing. oh-so-amazing. and it was very hard not to freak out in loud exciting screams at that moment. we couldn't because it was like, 2:30am and there were people sleeping in the apartment.

i would say that the Twitter convo was number 3 of the highlights of the evening. shall we recap?

(in order of awesome, in my opinon)

1. Jason recognizes us on the street.
2. Tony smiles, waves, and jumps off the stage to talk to us.
3. Tony (presumably) responds to Ryan's tweet about the time signature. Aanndd, she's right.

and then there was all the amazing things that happened in between each of those moments.

and remember how super famous this band is now? YEAH. and how their song was the number one alternative song in the country? YEAH.

so, also while in NYC the band posted another tour date at The Mercury Lounge, which, happens to be in NYC the day after Earth Fest. SO, we were proactive about this and decided that we would probably end up going to this show. and rather than pay the lame internet fees when you buy a ticket online, we should just go over to The Mercury Lounge and buy the ticket there.

SO WE DID.

and now we have another Crash Kings Adventure Weekend planned for May 22nd and 23rd. Boston and NYC.

and things are wonderful. and i think this is going to be a good summer. Rooney is also coming back to Boston which i'm very excited about.

THANK YOU ROONEY, for wanting to tour with Crash Kings.

i knew that Robert Schwartzman would somehow better my life, not just through Rooney music, but through something else. and perhaps (unless we have some sort of romantic encounter), that something is Crash Kings.

ALRIGHT! i'm going to end this now before i start talking about too many other things. i will update you on all our NYC happenings later. i'll give this entry some time to sink in. it's a big entry. an epic night in my life.

hope you all are enjoying this weekend. it's sunday afternoon. with all the video watching, snack getting, coffee making, and more video watching - this entry has taken me like, 4 hours to complete. i don't mind. my plan today was to write this entry, and i am pleased with it.

ENJOY your night! be well. take care.


♥ ♥ ♥



They don't even know what it is to be a fan. Y'know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts.

and another thing worth mentioning::

we left Boston at like, 1:45pm this afternoon.
we arrived in West Chester at around 8:30pm.

we listened to the Crash Kings' record THE WHOLE FREAKING WAY. yep.

and then,

we left West Chester around 11:45pm
we arrived in NYC around 2am

and we listened to Crash Kings the whole way here. that's like, 9 hours of Crash Kings in the car. plus like, an hour of them playing live.

the only non-Crash Kings music we listened to was the opening band, Bloodfeathers. and they were really good. and really cute to watch.

ok. i just thought i should mention that. since i still can't bring myself to go to sleep.

OK NOW. now, i will try and force myself to sleep. oh, i dislike those night.

although, i think perhaps once i actually get into the sofabed and try and calm down, i think i will find i am tired. from allllll the driving and alllll the rocking. and from being so super excited. it takes a lot out of ya.

ok, i can't WAIT to tell you all about our night.

but it will have to wait because i don't have my pictures uploaded yet!!!

FROM THE MOMENT WE WALKED UP TO THE CLUB (not even inside yet!!!) IT WAS ALREADY AMAZING.

and it didn't stop until we walked out the door.

OOMMMGGGG. i can't calm down. and we have to be quiet because there are people sleeping in this apartment. so i am being excited through written form.

WHAT A GREAT NIGHT.

OKAYFORREALZNOW. i am going and i am turning off my computer and i am going to sleep. because i have to wake up in the morning. and then drive to Boston. and then possibly either Maine or New Hampshire. i am not decided yet.

AND - the city of Boston did not tow my car!!!! so, city of New York, please be as kind and don't tow my car. because i got a really awesome parking spot right outside this building. i know, right?!

oh yeah. i said i was going to sleep now.

oh alright.

have a great day.

take care. be well. "safe travels."


:) <3

O.M.G.

updating from the west village right now. exciting, right?

AND i went to pennsylvania today for the first time. what a great day.

let me say it again:

WHAT A GREAT DAY.

um, also we went to a Crash Kings concert. and it was so totally awesome. and there is so much awesome to report that i can't even sort it all out right now. only to tell you that we are still (as ryan puts it) 'basking in the euphoria.'

yes. oh yes. it was wonderful.

i got some great photos and great videos that i can't wait to share with you.

OMG IT WAS THE BEST TIME EVER.

wow. yeah. it was the best. i can't even talk about it right now.

THEY ARE SUCH ROCKSTARS. it was so crazy. this time was way different from the previous 6 times i had seen them.

THEY ARE FAMOUS ROCKSTARS NOW. drunk girls were screaming, "OMG I LOVE YOU!!!!" at the front of the stage.

it was crazy. it was SO CRAZY AND SO AWESOME AND SO AMAZING. omg.

i want to tell you all about it, but i can't even form words.

so i will tell you about other things. like, what's happening today. which is friday, i suppose.

we are waking up and meeting one of Ryan's friends for brunch. then we have some time to kill. then we are meeting another one of her friends for coffee in the afternoon.

then i believe we are heading out.

oh, it's so fun.

IT'S SO FUN having an exciting adventure and going to new places and meeting new people and talking to rockstars.

i love it. and i rreeaallyy don't want to go back home to the nothingness and the aloneness.

i also really don't want to wait more than a whole month to see our BFFs again. and by 'BFFs' i mean Crash Kings.

because when they play at Earth Fest in Boston they will be even more super famous! and it will be a whole new kind of crazy.

IN OTHER NEWS, yes, i have been remembering to take my antibiotics. although, i'm not getting in 4 doses a day. only 3. who's up for a 6:30am dose? not me. i think i'll have to space them closer together from now on.

AND IN MORE EXCITING NEWS, Ryan tweeted to Crash Kings on our way from PA to NYC AND AND AND they tweeted her back. and we are both insanely excited right now.

AAAAAHAHHHHHHHHH soooo much fun.

ok. perhaps i need to go to sleep? it's 2:55am. friday morning. sleeping seems so boring. so boring for such an exciting time.

okay. now i'm just rambling.

i hope everyone else's thursday night was so super exciting like mine was. i will post pictures and the links to the videos i will upload to youtube.

alright, have a lovely friday. i will talk to you later sometime.

i might go to Maine after dropping Ryan off in Boston. i don't want the excitement to stop. and i want to see Kara's bakery.

ok. i'm really going now.


LOVELOVECRASHKINGSLOVE!

<3

hi again!

wanted to do a quick blog before we left. nothing much has changed since i last talked to you.

EXCEPT!!!!!!!

it's Renee's birthday today. she is one of my dear readers in Colorado Springs. i hope you have a wonderful day and a fantastic night and a lovely birthday!!! i'm very excited for you because i love birthdays.

YOU AND DAVE should have a big birthday bash since his birthday is coming up as well. FUN!

i will celebrate today by ROCKING OUT at a concert. YES!!


happy day!!!


<3

Dear Boston, please don't tow my car tonight.

Love, Julie.


AAAHHH I MADE IT!!!! after a day of being completely unmotivated, i made it to boston. i don't know what it was about today, but i couldn't make myself do anything. i blame it on the rigorous course of antibiotics i am on.

(i realized that i will really be taking a pill every 6ish hours for the next week. that's intense.)

(it's easier for me to think of it in hours, rather than days. 4 pills a day. what? a pill every 6 hours. okay.)

anyways, i took a bath this afternoon which wasn't expected. i got in to take a shower, but then i got too tired and cold and didn't want to get out. so, instead i filled the tub and took a mini-bath.

i packed my bag. straightened up the house. cuddled Ruby Tuesday, who knew i was leaving, i think because she was making me feel very guilty by being so sweet and cuddly.

around, 7ish i left my house. i had to stop and get gas. and then i stopped at the atm. and then i stopped at Dunkin Donuts. here's what happened there:

i walk into Dunkers and there is a guy mopping the floor:

DUNKERS WORKER: Hi, how are you?
JULIE: Good, how are you?
DUNKERS WORKER: Good thanks. (says the name of other employee) will be right with you.
JULIE: Ok, great.
(a minute passes)
DUNKERS WORKER: So, are you a student around here?
JULIE: Um, no. I...work.
DUNKERS WORKER: Oh, well that's good too.
JULIE: Yeah...
(then he leaves to go wash the bathroom floor. and then he comes back.)
DUNKERS WORKER: Whoa! You've got green streaks in your hair!!!
JULIE: Yes I do!
DUNKERS WORKER: That's pretty awesome.
JULIE: Thanks.
DUNKERS WORKER: Green is my favorite color.
JULIE: Mine too!
(a minute passes)
DUNKERS WORKER: Well, you seem like a pretty cool person. I hope I see more of you.
JULIE: Well....I come in here sometimes.
DUNKERS WORKER: Cool. I wish I knew my schedule... but it's all messed up.
JULIE: Ohhhh.....

and then when i was leaving he told me to have a wonderful night.

YEAH. THAT HAPPENED. he seemed like a nice guy. had a lip ring. kind of reminded me of Jonah Hill. i like that he said i seemed cool. because of my teal streaks. i was also wearing my teal jacket.

(lots of profanities are being screamed outside the window right now)

ANYWAYS. good encounter at Dunkers. maybe i'll go in again. maybe i won't.

so then i headed off to Boston. finally left around 7:30ish. maybe. had a good drive. started to get a little nervous once i approached the city. just because i am not a confident driver. and i hadn't been "city driving" in the new car before. i'm still not sure of it's size.

so, i get off at the exit. and i think i'm doing all the right things. but, then somehow, i don't end up on Mass Ave. in looking at the Google Maps afterwards, i think i took the 'slightly straight right hand turn' as opposed to the 'really right hand turn' and ended up on the wrong street.

BUT! luckily, the wrong street ended up turning into the street that Ryan lives on! um, awesome!

and i was driving and suddenly thought, 'wait a minute....i recognize this from Google Street View!' and i knew i was on the right street. BUT THEN! there was no parking. so, i had to keep going. and i ended up mildly lost. i stayed on her street for a long time until finally there looked to be confusing construction things happening up ahead, so i turned right. and then found a 'non-parking spot' to stop for a minute while i got out my handy GPS.

AND now that i have TWO POWER OUTLETS in my car, i can use both the GPS charger and the ipod charger at the same time!!!! it's truly amazing.

so, i put in her address and it was very easy to get back to. and then i turned onto her street and saw a parking spot, but it was on the other side of the street.

so i quickly made a left hand turn. then a right hand turn. and then another right hand turn back onto her street. and GOT THE SPOT. i think it's a real parking spot. the length between the car i parked in front of, and the "no parking here to corner" sign was EXACTLY the length of my car. so, i fit in there.

and please Boston, don't tow me. that would put a crack in the awesomeness that will be thursday.

so, that was the mini parking saga. which, was kind of the worst, because i stress about parking. but it ended up okay. and i made it!! Ryan greeted me at the door and it was very exciting!!! her apartment is super nice! and her roommates Tony and Brent are also super nice!!!! it's been very fun so far. we hung around for a while listening to really great music.

TOMORROW will be awesome. actually, it's today. and it's already starting out awesome. OOHHHH I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!

when i was driving here, listening to Crash Kings, i thought, "holy crap i can't believe i'm going to see them tomorrow!!!!!!!"

it's going to rock.

and my ear is getting better. it's not as swollen. it's kind of turning black....but i'm not worrying about that. not the whole ear, just the bump part. it's still a bump, but now a tiny one. before it was so big that it was almost touching my head. YEAH NO KIDDING. that's how swollen it was. but not anymore. it does still hurt sometimes.

anyways....

maybe i'm getting tired. i'm blogging from Ryan's room. it's almost 2am. she has class in the morning until 2pm. and then we will leave! and PUNCH IT all the way to Pennsylvania.

i don't believe i've ever been to Pennsylvania. when Aliya and i roadtripped from Florida to Massachusetts, we passed through Maryland, Delaware and then into New Jersey. so, i think we skipped PA.

i'm excited!!!! a new state!!!!!! how awesome. and a new state plus Crash Kings. any state that Crash Kings are in goes to the top of the "Best State" list. yeah. that's something else i'm implementing when i become president. The Best State List.

i'm kidding. all states are equal.

(except when Crash Kings are there...then that state is a little better than all the rest.)

ok. well. i hope everyone is having a great time. doing whatever you are doing in the moments after you stop reading this blog post.

i may or may not talk to you in the morning. we'll seeeee.

have a great thursday!!!!!!
<3
lovetoyou!

Episode 391: Police and Piercings

oh wow. so much to report.

i'm blogging in the daytime, which i'm not very used to. and i'm eating a bowl of chocolate cheerios. which, i happen to be very used to.

so i had kind of been keeping you updated on the status of my ear piercing. and how it usually gets infected every couple weeks. maybe every three weeks or so. maybe once a month, i actually don't know. only that it feels like i'm constantly cleaning it with alcohol. it usually is fine again after a week of alcohol cleaning.

however, about a week and a half ago, i suspected it was starting to get infected, so i began cleaning it. and as the days went on, it did not seem to be getting better. it seemed to be getting worse.

i woke up this past weekend (kara was visiting!) and my whole left ear was throbbing, swollen and bright red. MAN, it hurt. it had never hurt this bad before, even right after i got it pierced.

and so i began a more strict regimen of trying to fight the infection.

- kara said that when her earlobe piercing got infected once she used neosporin and it cleared up pretty quick. even though i had read that you're not supposed to use neosporin on piercings, i tried it.
- i had read about someone who would brew chamomile tea bags and wrap them around her ear. so, i tried this.
- tea tree oil! i read about lots of people who had killed infections by washing their piercing with tea tree oil. so i tried this. WHOA IT'S SMELLY. i haven't used it in over 24 hours and my bathroom still smells like tea tree oil. i had read that you should definitely dilute it before putting it on your skin, and then i had read that you don't need to dilute it at all. so, i started with like, 2/3 water, 1/3 tea tree oil. then the next time, i went 2/3 tea tree oil, 1/3 water. and then the third time i just used straight oil.
- i also continued to use the alcohol.

pretty soon, the bump on the back of my ear was so big that you could no longer see the end of the earring post. NO, i did not have an earring back on.

so, i guess i was kind of starting to get worried.

now, when i went to bed on monday night, this bump was white. like, full of gross pus infection things. when i woke up on tuesday morning, this bump was a lot more swollen AND purple.

i was kind of confused about the purple. so, i decided that after staff meeting i would see if i could get into the doctor's.

so, staff meeting ends at like, 2pm or so, and i head upstairs. Courtney suggested that i call Alice Peck Day Hospital to see if they could give me an appointment. now, ever since i have moved up here, i have not bothered to find a doctor. so, i am a doctor-less person in need of a doctor.

so, i call APD. i choose the 'same day appointment' option on the long list of automated options.

APD: Hello, this is triage.
JULIE: Hi... I'm hoping you can help me... I kind of recently moved to the area and haven't set up a PCP yet, but I do have health insurance..
APD: Okay.
JULIE: Um, well, I think my ear piercing is infected and I was wondering if there was anybody that could see me....
APD: Well, we're not set up to take patients that we've never seen before. The same day appointments are only for prior patients. You're best bet would be to go to the Dartmouth Emergency Room, but you should definitely get it checked out if you think it's infected.

so that was a bummer. they're not set up to take people they've never seen before? i didn't really get that. like, they don't have any blank forms.....? i don't know. but i DID know that i didn't want to go to Dartmouth Hitchcock because, although it's top notch, it's also a giant scary machine.

PLUS, an ER visit would have meant a higher copay. and, i didn't really think it was an emergency.

so, i did some googling for 'walk-in clinics' around here. there is a great walk-in clinic in Berwick, Maine that i have been to twice. they are awesome. and i recommend Jeffery.

the closest walk-in clinic to here was in Concord, which is like, 56 miles away. UGH. i decided i would make the trek.

so, i set off on my journey. i am ALMOST in Concord (like, a mile away from 93) when i get pulled over. YEAH. like, by a police officer. a state trooper, actually. i don't know if there's any difference. i was kind of worried, because i knew that i wasn't speeding. and i was also worried that i was not going to make it to the clinic before they close at 5pm.

so, the statie walks up to my car:

POLICE: License and registration.
JULIE: (says nothing)
POLICE: So, why isn't your car inspected?
JULIE: My car is inspected.
POLICE: Actually, it's not, and it's a $150 fine.
JULIE: Okay, but it is inspected.
POLICE: You have a '2' sticker on your license plate, but an '11' sticker on your windshield. So, to me that means that you were supposed to get your car inspected in February, but didn't.
JULIE: No, the car is supposed to be inspected in November.
POLICE: No, give me your license and registration and I'll explain it...

okay, let ME explain. even though i was born in february and that's when i SHOULD get my car inspected and registered, since i'm leasing this new car, it moves to the "toyota month," which is november. now, i had the new stickers in my car from when i registered it a few weeks ago, but i just hadn't put them on my license plate. why? well, basically because i thought it was lame.

i ALREADY had a 2011 sticker on my license plate from when i got my old car registered in february. now i was going to have to put a 2010 sticker BACK on, only to switch it to 2011 again in november? nah, that just seemed lame! so, i didn't.

POLICE: Well, actually, you're right, it is in November. But why haven't you put these stickers on your car?
JULIE: ....I guess....I just didn't want to.
POLICE: ......So, where do you live? Lebanon?
JULIE: Yeah.
POLICE: Well, this has a PO Box address on it. Do you live in a PO Box?
JULIE: I live on Abbott Street.
POLICE: Okay, cause a PO Box would be kinda small.
JULIE: No kidding.
POLICE: Okay, sit tight, I'll be back with this.
JULIE: Sure.

so, he's gone for a while. i'm worried i'm not going to make the doctor's. and then finally he comes back.

POLICE: Okay, I'm giving you a written warning. Where are you headed?
JULIE: To Concord for a doctor's appointment.

(i said 'doctor's appointment' because i wanted him to think that maybe he was making me late for something important.)

POLICE: And what are you going to do when you get there?
JULIE: I'm gonna put those stickers on my car!
POLICE: Great, have a good day.
JULIE: Thanks, you too.

and i put the stickers on my car. i lost. how could he have even seen that the '2' on my license plate didn't match the '11' on my windshield? i don't know. he was like, one car behind me and in the other lane. whatever. maybe i was a little mean to him. but, he was kind of mean to me, so i don't feel bad.

ANYWAYS, back on the road.

i find the clinic! after a bit of confusion as to which building, i finally get there. and WALK IN!!! i had made sure they took my insurance before leaving my house, so i knew i was going to be all set.

although, i was nervous because i had never used my health insurance before. like, MINE. it was the first time i was using it NOT being on my dad's. it was mine. i was the adult.

CLINIC LADY: Hi! What can we do for you?
JULIE: Hi!! Well, I think my ear piercing is infected.
CLINIC LADY: Let me see.... (shows her my ear)... WHOA! Yeah, that doesn't look good. Okay, we'll have someone take a look at it! Do you have insurance?
JULIE: Yes!
CLINIC LADY: Okay, so, just let me see that card so I can make a copy of it, and you can fill out these forms and we'll be good to go!
JULIE: Thank you so much!

so, i go and fill out the forms. and bring them back. it's a $15 copay, so that's not bad.

JULIE: These forms are all set...
CLINIC LADY: Hey, rock on! Alright, just sit tight and I'll be out to get you.
JULIE: Great!

so, i wait like, five minutes and then she comes out for me. and i go into the room. she takes my temperature, (98.4) and my blood pressure, (118 over something - which she says is great!). then she says that Danielle will be in to see me shortly and that she is a sweetie.

and then like, one minute later, Danielle comes in. and yes, she is a sweetie. and she looks at my ear and says,

DANIELLE: So, this is all healed over in the back.
JULIE: It is?
DANIELLE: Yeah, there's no more hole for the earring to go through. Are you wearing an earring back?
JULIE: No.
DANIELLE: Are you sure?
JULIE: Yes.
DANIELLE: Okay, because if you are, then it's trapped inside there.
JULIE: I'm definitely not wearing one.
DANIELLE: Okay, good. So, you have two options, either we could open this up now and drain it out, or, you could go home, soak it in warm water and Epsom salt and try and do it yourself.
JULIE: .....Umm....I think I'd feel better if you did it.
DANIELLE: Okay. And either way you're getting antibiotics. Alright, let me go get some numbing medicine.

okay now i was getting nervous. i didn't really know how this was all going to play out. and she comes back with this huge kit.

DANIELLE: Don't worry, I'm not going to use all these things. And I'm not going to use this big needle, I just need to get the medicine out.
JULIE: Okay, good!
DANIELLE: Alright, I'm going to give you this tiny needle to numb up the area. It will probably feel like a beesting and then burn a little after. Well, you got it pierced, so it will probably feel like that.

and now i'm nervous because i've never been stung by anything, so i don't know how that feels. but, it only pinches a little. and as soon as she sticks the needle in she says,

DANIELLE: Wow, there's stuff already coming out! Wow, lot's of stuff.
JULIE: Like....what kind of stuff...?
DANIELLE: Pus. Wow, you got this infected pretty good!!

and she's standing there for a while, draining all this stuff out. it didn't really hurt, which i was glad of. probably because she numbed it first.

DANIELLE: So, did you do this yourself, or did you go to a place to get it done?
JULIE: I went to a place. And, I've had it over a year.
DANIELLE: Oh!! It's not a new piercing?
JULIE: No, not at all.
DANIELLE: Wow, that's weird.

and she wrote me a prescription for antibiotics. and put a bandaid on my ear. no more earring. she said she could try to push the earring through if i wanted. but she didn't really seem to thrilled about that idea, and neither was i.

so, goodbye earring! so far, i don't really miss it.

BUT!! let me tell you about these antibiotics that i am on.

- 500mg
- four times a day
- for seven days!!

2000mg A DAY!!!! holy crap!!! i couldn't believe it when i saw the bottle. that's a lot of medicine for my little ear. it must have been about to fall off, or something.

and i looked up the drug online and it said that most people get an dosage of either 750mg twice a day, or 250mg four times a day.

I ALMOST DIED!!!! oh, that earring. i went 23 years without a single piercing, and then i get one, and the whole thing goes to crap.

NEVER AGAIN will i put an unnecessary hole in my body.

so, i've started taking the antibiotics. i've taken three already. four times a day is a lot. and Danielle told me to still soak it in warm water and epsom salt. so, i've been doing that. and she said that more stuff will probably still come out, and do just keep working at it.

aren't you so happy to know all this?!?! i bet you are. it's like the time i blogged through having the stomach flu. that was great too, right!?! oh, you all are so lucky to have me in your lives.


ANYWAYS. i was talking to kara yesterday on the phone before going to the doctor's and she said,

KARA: I mean, you want to get it checked out before you go see Crash Kings.
JULIE: Yeah, that's a good point. So that if Tony starts making out with me, he won't be totally grossed out.
KARA: Yeah, like, what if he wants to brush your hair behind your ear?
JULIE: Like the kid in Zombieland!
KARA: Yeah! I mean, that huge purple bump might be kind of a turn off.


which is a perf segue, because TONIGHT i am driving to Boston to stay with Ryan at her apartment! and then TOMORROW, we're driving to West Chester, PA to see CRASH KINGS. at The Note.

aaahhhh it will be sooooooooo great!!!!!!!! no JET this time, ONLY Crash Kings. well, and this other band, which we'll probably miss.

and after the show in PA, we're driving back north to NYC to stay with one of Ryan's friends. and then hang out in the city on friday! so great! oohhhh i'm so excited. we are great adventurers.

i did laundry last night. i washed all my pillowcases. wasn't that smart of me? i think so. i probably don't wash them enough, which could be a reason for the infection, i suppose. also, Ruby Tuesday walks all over them to try and get me to wake up in the morning so she can have her breakfast. that probably doesn't help.

ALRIGHT. i have things to do! before i leave this evening.

i haven't been to a Crash Kings concert since The Paradise on 9 March!! this is the LONGEST i've gone since the show on 31 January!

okay, let's play a fun game. let's see if Julie can name all the dates of the CK's shows she's been to. READY, STEADY, GOOOO!!!

- 13 December, The Middle East
- 31 January, Great Scott
- 4 February, The Collosseum
- 6 March, Northern Lights
- 7 March, Starland Ballroom
- 9 March, The Paradise
and soon to be:
- 15 April, The Note

so crazy, right?! so awesome.

ok, i'm gonna go now. perhaps eat something else. this entry has taken me quite a bit of time. it's like, 3pm now. tree! treepm.

hope you are having a lovely day. i will try and update you again soon. maybe like....in boston? or nyc? i don't know. you can keep you eyes open for Twitter/FB status updates as to my whereabouts.

OMGI'MSOEXCITED.

i think i'm going to embrace the dresses these next few days. it's supposed to be super nice weather. i might pack some dresses to wear. although, the dresses i'm thinking of don't have pockets. eh, i'll think of something. DRESS WEATHER! my fave.

dresses are also easier to pack than shirts and pants. they are generally better in every way.

OK! time for me to go do something productive. although, i consider this productivity. i wanted to let you all know about my piercing saga.

alright, i will talk to you at a later time and date. hopefully not too much later. take care. drive safe. i will drive safe. and hopefully not get pulled over again for nonsense reasons.


lovelovelove!

TAKE BACK THE JACKET (win!)

take back the freaking jacket. might i remind you of my Teal Jacket Saga? oh, such a painful time in my life.

it will be the three year anniversary this May of when i lost my precious teal jacket. my favorite item in the whole world. i had it one second, and then the next it was gone. i cried. multiple times over this jacket. OH THE PAIN. OH THE AGONY.

oh how i love my teal jacket,
my teal jacket i got for free.
and now that i'm lost without it,
i wonder, is it lost without me?

i found that in my old livejournal. yep. i wrote a poem about the jacket.

and as Josiah said to me when i told him i had lost the jacket,

JOSIAH: That jacket defined you. That jacket defined your generation.

it was a pretty important jacket.

TO THIS DAY, not a day goes by where i don't wish i had that jacket....




here i am after coming home from a shift in the Airport Lounge. we had a bad rainstorm that night, as is pretty obvious. one of the worst storms i've ever had to be outside in. i was soaked. but, at least i had my jacket. (and my hott Rooney poster in the background!)



driving in my car. hott sunglasses. hott jacket.



here are Kara and i at the Quabbin Reservoir. kara is wearing the jacket. note, the super trendy pins that i put on. anyone who wore that jacket was automatically the coolest person in the room.


AND THEN CAME THE PART THAT WAS EVEN MORE HORRIBLE THAN LOSING THE JACKET:




seeing the jacket on Natalie Portman in the film, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. i came to the conclusion that Nat Port stole it. STOLE IT. she even stole my trendy pins. now, i am not a person to hold a grudge. but, i hold one against Nat Port.


AND THEN,


Kristen Bell, starring here as Veronica Mars, is seen wearing the jacket. look how cute she looks. i decided i can't hate on K.Bell. CLEARLY, she got the jacket from Nat Port. so everybody can just hate on Nat Port.

here were constant reminders of my favorite thing which i had lost. i tried and tried and tried to supplement the teal jacket with other teal things in my life. lots of other things, actually. but they never quite filled the void. some came close. my teal purse is one that came very close. i even bought another teal jacket! but, i never wear it. it's not right. it's just not right. the implementation of the teal streaks in my hair was a BIG IMPROVEMENT.

but, i decided something last week. it was a simple decision. one that one quite clear, and quite obvious.


i needed to TAKE BACK THE JACKET. and so i devised a plan. so, so simple! why had it never come to me before?!? i don't understand this.

i had seen a white denim jacket for sale on oldnavy.com. now, my old jacket was corduroy, but i would settle for denim. it was the same style as my old teal jacket, at least. and, BONUS, it had pockets. something the old one did not.

plan:
1. buy the white denim jacket
2. dye it teal

SO SIMPLE!!!!!! why oh why had i never had this idea before??? i have dyed clothes before! created colorful things out of non colorful things!!!! i could do this!!!! i could CREATE another teal jacket!!!!!!!!

AND, i would photodocument the journey as to be more fulfilling for you and for me. :)


TAKE BACK THE JACKET!!!!!




Old Navy white denim jacket.



wet jacket in the sink waiting to be dyed.



i couldn't have done it without these guys. i decided to buy two bottles. i tried to dye some shirts black over last summer and only used one packet of black dye. the shirts came out gray. this is what made me decide to get two bottles of teal dye. i wanted VIBRANT.



i had a little emergency once i put the jacket in the hot water on the stove. i needed to bail out some water because it was overflowing. hence, the second stainless steel pot.



teal jacket cooking away on the stove!!!!! i was getting REALLY EXCITED by this point. it looked like it was going to come out AWESOME.



it was by far the messiest dye job i've ever done. don't worry, it all came off very easily.



and the mess overflow. dye coming off my skin?? yeah, that's a different story. it's almost 1am and my hands are still teal.



wet jacket in the sink!!!!!!!! the buttons came out a funny shade of green, but i don't mind. the teal color is PERFECT.



all washed and dried and perfect and wonderful.

WIN. WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN. I WIN AGAIN!!!!!!!! i now have an awesome teal jacket. and i love it. and i took it out of the dryer and my heart was full again.

all the little pieces of the world come together so well.

it was a perfect moment. i might never take it off. i might just never let it out of my sight.


HOWEVER, seeing as i've been using my teal purse, i feel like that might be teal overload. is there such a thing? i fear there is. i'll have to decide about the purse.

but oh, oh, oh, i am so happy. so excited.


take back the jacket = success.


<3