Friday, January 29, 2010

Recovery



I would be lying if I said that this week was fun, or that I remember most of it. It's been a week of deadlines at work and friends going through tough situations outside of work. Several friends are ending this week pretty stressed and battered. Also: no sleep.

Every morning I wake up and think, "Tonight, I will go to bed before midnight". Then it's 1 am and I'm totally still awake.

On the bright side, I met a new friend this week. It was one of those cases where two people hear so much about each other that by the time they meet, it's almost like they're already friends. We've started making group plans weeks in advance, and our next get-together involves waffles and Alice in Wonderland. As a bonus "cool factor", when the group is together, we will have one person named Starr and one name Emerald.

I've decided to hold off on Coachella. After staring at the lineup for a while, I realized that there were no bands on there that I was dying to see. Yeah, it's a great lineup, and I know that music is only part of the experience, but I would prefer to wait for a year when I've had some time to prepare a little more. Until then, I'll have to live vicariously through my friends Blair (whose countdown to Coachella is a must-read) and Cary who will totally represent. This will give me more money and time for shows and trips that I'd like to take very soon (hello Chicago, New York, and Liverpool!).

Now, with a weekend, a fun new project, new music, and apartment hunt to tackle, I'm going to step away and begin recovering from this week.

*Picture credit: Sally Mann

Monday, January 25, 2010

So much music

A music update is way, way past due. My apologies. What I consider to be "concert season" (aka, when the sun comes out) is coming up and this one promises to give last year a little competition. Here's a quick rundown of the shows coming up that I am either going to or considering going to:

January 29: Burglar
I haven't seen these guys live, but they promise to put on a good show. Channeling the days of dark cabarets and burlesque shows, and with some real local talent, I'm really excited to finally catch them!

February 9: Jemina Pearl
I wasn't a fan until I saw her live, but wow was she fun. I may not ever listen to her in my car, but the girl knows how to rock. I'm guessing that this will be great to see in one of my favorite dive bars.

February 20: St. Vincent

St. Vincent is one of those artist that I just can't help but like. Even if I didn't like her, I would still probably try. Maybe it's the whole vintage style, or maybe it's just her eclectic style in general. She'll be playing at a local goth bar, so even if the show disappoints, the venue will not.

March 4: Margot and the Nuclear So & So's

I was devastated to learn that this band had been in town only one day before I found their music. I fell for them immediately and now, a year later, I can't wait to see them live. Check out their single A Children's Crusade on Acid and you will understand completely. Or just watch the clip above and swoon.

March 29: Joanna Newsom

The high ticket price for this show (after Ticketmaster robs you with fees, about $50/ticket) has me doubting I'll be there, but I'm sure it's going to be great. While this is one artist that not everyone can appreciate, I find that her lyrics more than make up for her unusual voice. And hey, kudos for making it big by playing a harp.

March 30: Tegan + Sara
They were on the list, then off the list, and now they're back on the list again. It's taken a while, but I think I've finally come to terms with the new sound on their latest album. Plus, I've always wanted to see them live and I've missed the last three or four shows they played in town.

Tuesday, March 30 - Thursday, April 1:
Cincinnati's MusicNOW Festival

Okay, Cincinnati: who has a music festival in the middle of the week?! I would absolutely hand over the the mere $50 to see St. Vincent, Joanna Newsom AND Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) but alas, I am normal and work during the week. To top off the awesomeness of this event, all of the shows will be held in the historic Memorial Hall. So, if you're closer to Cincinnati than I am or have the freedom to just not work, please go and enjoy this for me.

April 5: The XX

One of my favorite new bands of 2009, I was more than happy to find out that The XX would be stopping in Columbus. There might have even been a shriek of joy involved. While I'm not expecting a thrilling show (just watch the video), there is something undeniably addicting about their music that will still give me a concert buzz.

Somewhere in the midst of this concert frenzy I will be heading to Coachella, but that requires an entry all its own...

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Apartmentology

My apartment serves as a very telling representation of my week. Each room has its own story to tell, even the ones that haven't changed all week. What does my apartment say about this week?

:: Kitchen
The fact that my dishes haven't been done all week is the first indication that it's been busy. Upon closer inspection you would see that the sink contains only spoons, bowls, and glasses. This is because the only meal I've actually eaten at home all week has been breakfast. My fridge, mostly empty, has unopened food and half a gallon of orange juice. Usually, take-home boxes would also indicate a busy schedule but their absence shows an even busier week because they all just went straight to the fridge at work.

:: Living room
A blanket has laid in the same spot on the couch since last week. Random jackets are on top of the blanket as the result of a particularly rough fashion emergency. There are two issues of Nylon and one issue of Relevant, both waiting to even be opened. Firewood waits patiently to be burned. My plants need to be watered. Now.

:: Bathroom
You know it says something when the bathroom is the cleanest room because that means that is where I've spent the most time - getting ready to leave.

I've just spent an entire day writing, cleaning between entries and articles. Laundry is humming along in my terrifying basement below and more new music than I even know what to do with is being played up here. Hopefully, tomorrow my apartment will say that I had at least one normal day to get it together.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Time's up

Today has not been fabulous. I will spare you the details, but it simply was not pleasant. Also, it lasted ten years.

I come home, in the pouring rain, my not-waterproof boots now thoroughly soaked, and smile simply thinking about the heating blanket waiting for me.

I walk into my humble little home and I am greeting by the sound of my neighbor yelling. This happens most nights. Last night, it was power tools at midnight. Tonight, the fighting is so loud that I can hear every word. He and his basically live-in girlfriend fight almost every night and I get to overhear every brutal insult, door slamming, and thrown item.

Yesterday, I found out that I am free from my lease. I am free from the breezes that blow through the old windows, free from the yelling neighbors, and free from the leaking walls. In the near future, coming home at the end of a crappy day will actually be a good thing. Let the neighbors yell, let the wall soak up the rain. I'm outta here.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The flames got low


It's been a fairly amazing week. My friend from Liverpool is still in town and I was able to meet her for lunch. We met up at one our favorite places. We fought the lunch crowd and I barely ate any of my food because we were so busy talking. I guess that's when you know you've had a good lunch.

Last night, I met up with another friend and we nearly closed down the restaurant (It is worth mentioning that the meal was uh-mazing). We started out with the usual conversations: work, design, apartment woes. The conversation went from one topic to another until three hours had passed and we were talking about some pretty deep concepts. If you've ever seen My Dinner With Andre, it was a little like that.

While texting, email, and online social networks (even this blog) are great, they can't come close to the real thing. I got to see my pregnant friend's belly under a familiar shirt. Candles melted, fireplaces cooled, glasses clinked. There was actual laughter, over Frank Sinatra and under dim lights. There were things outside of our control. There were puddles of rain, layers of fog, and pasts to discuss. I don't remember a lot of the conversations I have online, but I do remember simple moments that happened years ago. I'm not one to make resolutions, but cheers to actually making memories instead of just typing about them.

*On a completely unrelated note: working out at midnight guarantees that every mill is your mill, and that you will most definitely not have to watch Lifetime or ESPN.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

New faces

At this point in life, it's not that uncommon for several of my friends to be pregnant. Some are even on their second or third child. When you go to a private Christian University, that's how things go. On the other side of the spectrum, I have tons of single friends that are experiencing equally normal lives without spouses or children anywhere on the radar for now.

It's an amazing thing to see my best friends experience pregnancy, birth and the tiny little humans that they have no clue what to do with at first. These new little lives are especially exciting when they come against the odds. Two of my friends were told that they wouldn't be able to have kids, and yet, they both did. Short of my own children, I don't think I could be more excited.

Six months is an amazingly long time to not see a pregnant best friend. My friends found out they were pregnant right after they moved overseas and I've been limited to photos and emails. I finally got to see her and her tiny little baby bump today and you would think I had never seen a pregnant lady before.

We sat around her mom's house surrounded by her family. They were from Lebanon, L.A., Vegas, and little country towns in Ohio. They were an amazing group of women and I had some really good conversations. It reminded just how big and simultaneously small the world is, how many people there are to meet, and how many places there are to see (and how many languages I do not know how to speak).

It's a giant world out there. Here's to a year of new faces.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Not proud, still laughing

You know how sometimes, the most unexpected things are actually really funny? The past few weeks have presented a few unexpected (and embarrassing) gems:

1: PeeWee's Breakfast
I haven't watched anything PeeWee related in years, but this was revived recently. I may or may not want his house (kudos again, Mr. Burton) Mr. T cereal?! And check out the butter knife. Awesome. (1:15 to 4:45)



2: Method Commercial
I awkwardly get the phrase "use the loofah" stuck in my head at least once a week. After this, you will, too. It's worth it.



3: Hot Rod
I am so not proud of this one. I put off watching this movie for over a year because I accurately imagined it as a couple hours of brain draining dumb comedy. It was, but I definitely laughed. A lot.



In other news, I laugh at really inappropriate moments. I seriously can't help it, no matter how hard I try. This week was an excellent example. Falling is funny, people. When it happens, I am genuinely concerned about whether you are ok or not, despite my reaction. And I am a bad person.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

It's Time

"Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over."

Gloria Naylor (via brokenmachine)

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Impeccable

So, snow. And snow and snow and snow.

I spent my first day of the new year traveling to see four of my absolute favorite people on this planet. I had a fun drive through back roads and enjoyed some new music on the way there (Fun Fact: I downloaded music while I was driving. Technology, you are beautiful.). The two hour trip was filled with lightly drifting snow, crumbling snowmen, small towns, and rambling farmhouses. Interestingly, Say Hi To Your Mom's Impeccable Blahs fit the drive perfectly.

My friends have the cutest and most adorable little girls. I know a lot of people feel that way about a lot of kids, so these are my two token "I fall apart" kids. I mean, check her out:

So, we hung out and I got to experience life with two little girls. We went to the mall (indoor play area!) and by the time we left, the cars in the parking lot were more than covered. It snowed so much that I ended up spending the night. When I was little, that was the best thing ever, and it was still pretty awesome as an adult. We played cards around the kitchen table until almost 1am, then we all dragged ourselves off to various couches and beds.

When I woke up early the next morning, it looked like the roads had been cleared. So wrong. I ended up following the road via the mailboxes. One white-out and four hours later, I finally made it home. Still, that time with my friends was worth every single white minute and mile.

Now half-way into the week, the Impeccable Blahs is still impeccably fitting. Sometimes, you just need to feel blah and get it out of your system. I'm going to start the Great Gym Search tomorrow evening and hopefully pin down a place to move around a little. The rest of this night, however, will be spent buried under covers and layers and, hopefully, sleep.
 
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