the perfect table

I coudn't help overhearing you because I was eavesdropping...

2011-02-21T20:36:00.010-06:00

I've been getting into the music scene a little more actively lately. I got to see Ben Folds on my birthday which was probably the second best performance I've ever seen by him. He played plenty of Lonely Avenue opening with "Levi Johnston's Blues" and even more plenty older songs (skipping most of Way to Normal as expected) and songs from The Five, finally ending with "Philosophy" and "Kate". He spoke to the audience as if we were sitting in his living room and did a great cover of Ke$ha's "Sleazy." Some songs that I was totally stoked to hear him play:

Luckiest

Army

Belinda

Landed

Zak and Sara

Still Fighting

You Don't Know Me (the audience provided Regina's part)

This past Friday, Matt took me to see the Old 97's. The crowd was great, and we were able to sit with some of our trivia night rivals who ended up being great concert companions. The first opening act was a band from Texas called the Whisky Folk Ramblers. They were fantastic. The lead singer looks like Jack White but has a voice like Johnny Cash. They played some old style, rolling, country music. They had an accordion too which often made it feel like Cash fronting the Decemberists. After the show we found out that they made friends with another local band of our buddies Kentucky Knife Fight who convinced them to play The Stagger Inn in Edwardsville in May. So Awesome

The actual opening band was a girl band called Those Darlins. An hour before they played we were sitting (unwittingly) about two feet away from them at a Thai place across the street from the venue. Three girls and a male drummer. They were wonderfully twangy with catchy songs. They reminded me of The Runaways meets Loretta Lynn. One of the girls looks like a young Martha Plimpton but way cuter. Weird.

The Old 97's were on par with Rhett Miller providing all of the hair and energy. There were two women in the crowd who had made shirts that said "Whett for Rhett." Both women were later reported going home by themselves despite their efforts in the front row.

Other than that, my nephew Griffin turns 1 on Sunday. I can't believe how much babies grow in a year. He's pretty cute and just started walking a few weeks ago. Some of his favorite things include the book Are You My Mother?, sitting on my Grandma Mac's lap, peekaboo, clapping, and crumpling up documents. And the park . . .

So "Hello" to all the Chicago babies, and "Hello" to my pals. Please let me know what kind of concerts will be hitting Millennium Park this year so's I can coordinate a visit!

Music Blog

2010-09-04T13:49:00.003-05:00

I've been listening to some great tunes lately. I'm gearing up for fall and am super excited to get my soundtrack for the season up and running. If you already have these albums, which I'm sure the hip, Chicago crew mostly does, then good for you. You're sure to fully agree with my opinions about the following records...

Arcade Fire The Suburbs - I may get criticized for disliking Neon Bible, but I do. The Suburbs, on the other hand, has those goosebump-making songs in it like Funeral does. Not on the same level as Funeral, but a new level that I quite enjoy. The whole album.

The Black Keys Brothers - Holy Blues, Batman! I'm loving the super grittiness of this album, and, oddly enough, one of the songs sounds like Ryan Adams.

Vampire Weekend Contra - This has actually been my go-to Summer album, but I'll go ahead and carry it into the early Autumn months as well out of respect for Matt who has me play it every couple of days in its entirety. Little surfy, little reggae-ish, little Paul Simon-y. Love it.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits - not a bad song in the bunch. Super mellow and wonderfully familiar and upbeat. Scored it at a yard sale this summer for 50 cents along with The Cranberries, the first Weezer Album, & Blind Melon. Oh, '90's Music, how I adore you.

Stars The Five Ghosts - If you're not familiar with Stars, you should be. They're very dramatic and poetic and kind of glam-rockish (musically not visually) . It's just really honest music with all the emotion packed into the delivery. Male and female vocals which is always a nice touch. They put on a hell of a show too.

Mumford and Sons Sigh No More - I'm a little late on acquiring this one, but they have a great old-timey, gut-wrenching (in a good way) sound. Their style sounds a little Irish Pubby at times, which I'm a sucker for.

Led Zeppelin II -I just bought this on vinyl for Matt for his birthday in August. After seeing It Might Get Loud (which is my sneaky way of also making sure everyone has seen that movie too) I was inspired to delve into a little Zeppelin for Matt's grandmother's old record player to spin whilst we paint and spackle and such.

Well, I've made up a lot of words that should either confuse the hell out of you or make you say "I know exactly what she means and now know what to expect from these bands and their respective albums." Always accepting recommendations...

Movie Review:

The Expendables was awesome.

Remember That Time...

2010-07-15T16:07:00.008-05:00

It was so awesome to see everyone again on such a happy occasion. This blog is mostly so I can start the picture share. Hope you enjoy...

This was in the lobby before the shuttle when Matt thought he was hot stuff in his new threads.

Jay, you look funny in this picture.

Girl dance. Kate and Simone gettin' their groove on.

It was great to meet Mark. Good couple action going on with cupcakes and coffee.

Matt showing his World Cup enthusiasm with a faded soccer golf ball. Oliver chose an American flag ball.

My favorite group photo of the weekend. I wish I would have gotten more.

Matt trying to be more hipster at the Urban Outfitters discount glasses stand on Milwaukee Ave.

I didn't get to see Marty and Megan as much as I would have liked, but I did get to see them for a bit at Chris's party. It was good to see Janice, and Matt and Oliver got more of their much needed one on one time for man love.

I'm hoping to get back up to the city maybe in August. Matt Thompson is getting married! I'm pretty excited for him. Love you guys. Catch up with you soon.

I just wish for once it would be Rick Astley instead of F-ing Madonna

2010-04-30T21:11:00.010-05:00

I cut off my hair again.

This act is always a revitalizing one for me. Really nothing that I do in my life compares to this mundane task, but I always feel more like myself again and in higher spirits especially when I wake up in the morning and see my hair standing straight up as I pass the mirror.

Matt and I will be camping in Southern Illinois near Carbondale Tuesday through Thursday. We set up the tent yesterday for inspection on a rather blustery Thursday. We've also committed ourselves to taking along my family dog Pixel. I'm just starting to realize is a pretty huge responsibility but one that will be better as a shared responsibility with Matthew Dawson.

I've noticed this in the past, such as when my car broke down in Texas, but one thing I love about me and Matt is that we're a good team. When working on a task together such as...oh lets say...setting up a huge tent while there are 40 mph winds, we get along just fine. I was hyper-aware of this fact yesterday because the day (though very windy) was beautiful and green and I had my boy and my sister and my new nephew and spotted dog nearby, and the moment seemed perfect.

Sometimes Griffin's awake. I thought I should capture the moment.

Matt and I went for a good walk with the dog yesterday to hopefully kick off a healthy Spring.

Some things I have recently enjoyed:

500 Days of Summer - I like Zooey Deschanel alright even though she plays the same character in most of her movies. But I was more impressed with that other guy from stuff like 10 Things I Hate About You and Third Rock From the Sun (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). He kinda has a brunette Heath Ledger thing going on now that he's grown up. And the movie doesn't hold back on the reality of life after the break-up and the awkwardness of it all, and even though you're over it, something never really feels right. It was quite beautifully portrayed. Good dance number and soundtrack too.
These sheets I just got from Walmart - I know Walmart is evil or whatever, but they have these Better Homes and Gardens brand sheets that are only 250 thread count, but they feel incredible and come in neat patterns. They're kinda of crinkly but still feel soft and cool. This is what they look like . . . Zoom in to see here.
Netflix in general -Though I like the process of milling about at record stores and picking out music, I do not like looking for movies at Blockbuster. I've recently joined Netflix and have managed to queue up enough movies that every time one comes in the mail, I'm surprised because I can't remember what exactly I queued up online. And . . . I also like getting things in the mail that aren't bills. Which leads me to my next like. . .
Save the Dates and Wedding Invitations - I have three couples whom I adore getting married this year (you know who you are). Colin and Kristin, Cass and Cal, and some friends from my home, Justin and Jen have been cool enough to send out attractive invitations that are very cleverly decorating my bulletin board that I review before I leave each morning. Lookout, 2010! It's sure to be lucky in love.

Give me wine to wash me clean of the weather-stains of care.

2010-04-18T17:02:00.009-05:00

I'm revamping the wine list at work right now. This has its benefits...

Distributors come in with product selected from the list of "needs" I have given them and let me sample an obscene amount of free wine which is mostly only available in restaurants and specialty wine stores. I was also given the opportunity to try a bit of a $270 bottle of Jameson Rarest Vintage that is packaged in a case that reminds me of a coffin. The point that I'm trying to make is that I love my job. I get to spend my time swirling wine in giant glasses and tasting the best of the best wines that I could never do on my own dime. I have also learned a ton and realized just the other day that I can hold my own in a conversation about the characteristics of a good zinfandel, optimal food/wine pairings, and other awesome crap like that. I surprised myself.

I love spring weather. I like the rainy days and I like the sunny, green days, and I love all of the flowering trees in town. I've been enjoying open windows and spring cleaning and music full of memories for a few weeks now. I bought a periwinkle love seat from a rummage sale three weeks ago that will undoubtedly be the defining symbol of Spring 2010 when Matt was fixing up the old house, Griffin was brand new, my grandma surprised me every day, and my sister was so amazing.

I miss Chicago a lot right now. I wish I had time to sneak up there and just wander around the city by myself. I can't wait for the Cal and Cass wedding in July and to see everybody. I hope we're never strangers.

Until next time...

Baby Ga Ga

2010-03-11T14:40:00.009-06:00

It's pretty cool being an aunt. Though he's almost through with week 3, I'm just now able to take the time to blog about it. In short, my sister went through very painful labor, couldn't feel the lower half of her body for the delivery, and then I cut the cord on February 27th at 12:04 p.m.

Funny things you may have overheard in the delivery room:

-Martha: Why ice chips? I don't really get it.
-Carly: They're little, tiny pieces of ice, Martha.

-Carly: Maybe I'm just gassy.

-Carly: I wish...I could just...SHUT UP!

I have never witnessed anything more scarring, weirder, and life-changing than what I watched my tiny, tiny sister accomplish. I'm so proud of her, and it turns out that she's a natural pro. I just go over to the house every spare second I have and hold him, so that's mostly what I've been doing. Here are some pictures of Griffin Douglas Davis...

I hope everybody's St. Patrick's Day was fantastic. Matt and I along with our most awesome pals, my mother, my sister, and Griffin set up camp at the Stagger Inn: the #1 Jameson Whiskey Bar in all of Southern Illinois (they have a sign outside proclaiming this). And don't worry, the baby was only there for lunchtime when it was quiet, although I could tell he didn't want to leave when he did. Here's a picture of him after he got wasted:

So we drank a lot of dark beer and listened to Irish music and played shuffle board and had the best day thanks to the gorgeous weather and high spirits.

Okay, so "Just Dance" on the Wii is maybe the most fun game ever. You can play with up to four people at a time and try to mimic what the dancers are doing on the screen to some really good songs like "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-lite, "Heart of Glass" by Blondie, "Jerk it Out"by Caesars, "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis, "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer....
I brought it over to my Grandma's last week so she could see it (almost everything amazes her), and I played it with my little cousins for a couple hours. Go and buy it immediately if you don't already have it!

I could give you the link to the official online Just Dance demo, but it's super produced and cheesy. It's much better watching these real people try to do it while having actual fun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s_K09TeAEc

A killer whale killed somebody?!

2010-02-25T16:27:00.006-06:00

This is a quick whirlwind blog before my nephew arrives on Saturday.

I plan to cover the following events:

My birthday

Mardi Gras

Valentine's Day

The Office

Onesies

My birthday was great. I met up with a select few long time friends the night before which ended in 80's Scene It back at my apartment. Matt bought me The Office Season One since I never get to watch television shows on a regular basis. He took me to a Welsh Pub in the city for some bangers and cheese and a couple frothy brews, and we ended the night with sake shots and sushi; it was a festival of nations.

Mardi Gras was the day before Valentine's Day this year. Matt and I headed down to the French district of St. Louis in Soulard. We met up with some close friends and watched what we could of the parade over the throngs of people. There was also a mass wedding on one of the floats. Something like seven couples were married right before the parade began. I got to see these guys who resembled Native Americans. I also spotted a gorilla, a chicken, and Santa. It is truly a day filled with good-spirited people having a good time. There is much spontaneous dancing and singing with very little of the gross stuff you would expect.

Valentine's Day:

For me it was spent at work working. Matt had to work too. Though I did all I could to make the restaurant romantic and special, there was little Matt and I could do to make the day special for ourselves. Although, after work was over (right around 9:30 for me) we went to a place that is the equivalent of Applebee's because not much else was open on a Sunday night.

Matt - "Since it's Valentine's Day, we should order something romantic like potato skins."

The Office:

After finishing the first season of The Office, Matt bought me the second for Valentine's Day. Because Matt always falls asleep before me like an old man, I quickly finished Season Two and secretly went out and bought Season Three which I have completed and hidden. I can't stop myself, and Matt is none the wiser.

Onesies:
In preparation of Griffin, I have been decorating onesies and sending them to my sister. Among some of my designs are a garden gnome, a large snail, a tree with a small snail, a featherless chicken drawing, and a large mustache. This one below too. Fabric markers are my favorite new discovery. I'm currently sketching one out for Ms. Penny as well.

So, I'll be an Aunt on Saturday. Crazy! Pictures to come. Say some prayers for my sis...and me because she wants me in the room, and there's a pretty good chance I'll pass out.

Penelope, shoot the apple off my head. I need to go to the store to get some sleep...

2010-01-18T20:11:00.004-06:00

Welcome to the world, Penny Smedwards! My sister's getting close as well. Maybe my future nephew and Penelope can be pen pals. I'll set up a couple of tiny blogs.

Had a time warp moment the other night. I stepped outside of Stagger to smoke a cigarette (which I rarely do anymore). The snow was piled up against the curb, and no one else was around. If I closed my eyes, I just knew that when I opened them, the Chicago skyline would be clearly visible in the far distance just like it was when I lived in my first apartment off Taylor street. The thought made my skin tingle.

My sister is due in late February, and that is weird. My family and I are trying to prepare ourselves for what's about to hit while still being completely excited to have a baby in the family. I'm guilty of buying a tiny pointy hat and booties that look like cowboy boots. That's him above (if you can make it out). I told Carly that he looks like Benjamin Button. Griffin Douglas will be his name; a grand name for a little guy.

I was so busy through Christmas that I didn't get to fully enjoy my tree and my Christmasy apartment until it was over, but I did enjoy it eventually; I just took everything down yesterday.

I officially have business cards to better facilitate my wheelin' and dealin' at work. So now when I tell people that I'm important, it's a little easier for them to buy into it.

Ingredients: Expandable Poultry

2009-11-30T11:26:00.005-06:00

An inflatable turkey adorned the center of our Thanksgiving table this year thanks to me (I was put in charge of decorating). I flanked it with some fake gourds and small candles atop a festive cloth tablecloth. It was a hit. I try to make things as unconventional as possible in order to keep my family on their toes. Matt and I spent most of the day apart, which is fine because I am selfish and refuse to cut the time I spend with my family on my favorite holiday short. I wouldn't ask it if of him either.

After an ungodly amount of leftovers were packed into my grandmother's carefully preserved Brummel and Brown margarine containers, we set up the Beatles Trivial Pursuit board which ended up being loads of fun even though many of the questions were super tough. I reckon Megan Smedwards would have been a formidable opponent.

Yesterday, I walked into my grandma's house to find her making potato donuts out of the left over mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving. I quickly jumped in to shake them in a giant paper bag full of sugar after she pulled them out of the skillet. These are the memories that I would not trade for the world.

Tuesday my little cousins are coming over. Matt and I will be putting up the Christmas tree tonight, and I believe that after rainbow manicures with Ella and Layla we will start decorating the ole apartment for Christmas with the little ones. I'm one lucky lady.

By the way, A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey in 3D was great. Went to see it last night with Matt and the fam. I recommend it. It got me all in the mood for yuletide.

"I've always wanted to be a statistic."

2009-09-11T21:48:00.004-05:00

This was said by Matt in reaction to the news that one of his fellow cyclists was recently diagnosed, treated, and cured of H1N1 in a matter of 72 hours.

Matt's birthday was in August, so I had the first time ever pleasure of visiting the State Fair in Springfield, Illinois. I won't bore you with too many details, but we did see the famous butter cow, which featured a young Abe Lincoln in thought, and everything was fried- twinkies, snickers, hot fudge sundaes, butter, and soda (somehow). Upon our arrival, I was whisked through all of the midwest wonders by Matt in a B-line to a tiny stand that made ribeye sandwiches served in gingham, paper trays. We were able to take our time looking at everything after that. We took in a prize pony show, saw some sheep being shorn, ate brown, crispy food, and enjoyed a perfect birthday.

Recent Guilty Pleasure: 17 Again

It's great.

Pleasantly Surprised: Inglorious Basterds

Wasn't too Tarantino in the bad way but plenty of Tarantino in the good way. It was quite graphic though. He may have finally grown up a bit.

Where Have I Been That I Haven't Heard This Record Yet: Wilco the Album

I bought it two days ago finally, and it put my mind at ease while I was working on Matt's soon to be new old house. Can't help but to let my mind wander back to the days of fall and friends and love in Chicago. Pictures of Matt's house soon to come.

Take care, friends and strangers. Miss you all.

Always a Bridesmaid...

2009-07-25T14:22:00.010-05:00

To be fair, I can't truly claim the "always a bridesmaid" thing considering this was the first wedding in which I was a bridesmaid. I was in my friend Michele's (Shirley's) wedding on July 18th which featuring herself and her groom Jon. As you may be able to tell, my dress was every shade of pink that you could cram onto a dress. I was also given an updo despite my explicit instructions. Either way, we had a blast, and it was fun to be in a wedding. Above are some pictures of me with some work friends who were also invited. Michele and I really haven't been friends for very long compared to most wedding worthy friendships; we were roommates for about six months and became good friends during the last year we worked together. I was fortunate to be with her when she met Jon for the first time, so I did feel like I had something on her cousin from birth and her friend since elementary school.

By the end of the night, I had decided that we three bridesmaids should become an 80's style girl group called Pink Fusion. We have yet to have our first practice.
The blonde Ashley bridesmaid was about six months pregnant, and the brunette Ashley bridesmaid was about eight feet tall. Michele the bride is very funny, beautiful, tan, and punctual. Matt Dawson was dependable, easy-going, and dashing in his pink tie if I do say so myself.

Though we were in a wedding party, the ceremony place/reception hall refused to let us bring in our limo champagne due to liquor licensing restrictions, but they did supply us with some classy styrofoam cups for the bubbly.

Dancing at weddings is on my Top Favorite Things To Do list which I haven't actually started but have a general idea of what I would include. It's up there with swirling red wine in a giant glass and using my label maker.

I cannot imagine what we're dancing to. It appears as though I'm holding up two fingers as Matt is uttering the word "two."

I've also started playing Wii sport. I recently had to switch to being a southpaw because I'm suffering from Wii elbow as far as I can tell in my right arm.

Until next time...

Tag Sale This!

2009-06-25T10:42:00.003-05:00

My Summer rituals are in full force. The Farmers' Market and rummage sales on Saturday mornings with my mom, sister, and Beth (for the moment), Jazz Fest on Wednesday nights followed by beach volleyball, trivia on Tuesday nights,and walks with Matt and Pixel have kept me occupied during the few hours I have free from work. We've already been to three Cardinal's games this year.

Last week I got a green mirror with doors and finials for $10, a set of three, hand-made, yellow ceramic birds for $.50, and a Jade plant for a quarter. It was a good week. Although my closet shelves recently collapsed due to the overload of clothing (I have a small obsession). Everything that was hanging is now resting on the floor, and I fear that only the installation of a steel bar will resurrect them from the depths of the closet. Goodwill here I come.

If you go to http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=56475 you can check out some of the new images for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland which is due out next summer. I'm quite excited, even though I'm sometimes disappointed with Burton films though never disappointed with his artistry.

Transformers 2: Good

Very long. Too much action. Just enough of Megan Fox running in slow motion to make you role your eyes just a little. And an excessive amount of references to balls. Small amount of racial stereotyping. Overall, it's your typical Michael Bay movie . I still very much enjoyed it.

Heading to Springfield for the weekend with some pals for a small engagement party. Keep cool, my Babies. Someone just died in Edwardsville from hypothermia, and on the same news report they brought up Chicago and how excessive heat killed over 500 people about 14 years ago. I hear those tiny misting fans are very effective.

New Blog Post: Star Date 6-7-2009

2009-06-07T11:45:00.009-05:00

I have finally decided to start blogging once again as part of my Summer Rejuvenation Project (also the name of my band). I've been organizing and minimizing the physical clutter in my life thus reducing my emotional clutter. I also like plants and recently purchased a new stand for my basil and thyme. Matt and I have increased our walking of the dog and are also playing sand volleyball once a week which I love. I can also put my hair up in pigtails, so that too is exciting.

April brought the passing of my Grandpa Mac which put a large stop to many things, but we as a family are adjusting surprisingly well thanks to his strong Irish blood. We also drank a surprising amount with which I will also credit my heritage. I miss him.

On a more futuristic note, I have been avidly watching the first season of Star Trek Original Series.

10 things I like about it:

1. When the crew is jostled on the ship

2. When Spock says "Cens-OR" or "Detect-OR"

3. How Kirk makes a pass at every woman in the galaxy, even young girls as the episode I watched last night proved.

4. How Kirk really just wants to make tender love to the Starship Enterprise

5. In every episode Jim Kirk manages to tear his shirt open in some way

6. The little chirp their communicators make

7. How unacceptably short the female crew's uniforms are

8. Every planet they visit has a desolate, rocky terrain

9. Dr. McCoy's racist remarks toward Spock about his Vulcany ways and his green blood

10. The disposable nature of being a red uniformed security guard

Randomonium:

Yesterday I went to rummage sales with my mother. Sitting between a George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine and a candle holder was a sweet potato donning a green 10 cent sticker.

Davis out.

Mexico Nuevo: Picture Blogo

2009-03-08T16:52:00.012-05:00

Greetings, all. Matt and I have returned from our New Mexican trip nearly in one piece, or since I am speaking of two separate entities, I will say two pieces. We began our trip in the early morn, barely squeezing everything in my car including Matt's bike and two six packs of St. Louis brewed Schlafly Hefeweizen per Beth's request. Many do not know that once you pass the fifty or so billboards in Missouri trying to entice you to visit Meremac Caverns where Jesse James hid out, there are a series of porn shop and gun billboards juxtaposed with Jesus billboards. Then you hit Oklahoma. Make a fist with your right hand and hold it in front of your face. Now point your right index finger to the left....That's Oklahoma. It should look something like this:

But in actuality I would be selling Oklahoma short if I didn't include a mind-blowing landscape picture.

Matt and I stopped in OK City and went by the memorial which was very impressive and very well thought out and executed. It was beautiful and haunting all in one. Still very sad.

This is a picture of the "Survivor Tree" which caught on fire that day and was surrounded by burning cars and still lived.

The following picture is of Matt freaking out when my car finally broke down in Shamrock, Texas. You may not have heard of such a place because it is a town of 2,700 people.

By the grace of God, right when my transmission went out, we were at the Shamrock exit and literally coasted the length of the exit where my car finally came to a rest in the parking lot of the Irish Inn. I highly recommend it for your next destination vacation. It was thankfully very clean and cozy, and the woman at the counter gave us a ten percent discount given our predicament at the time. We got to our room; Matt drank some of the beer; I drank vodka.

In the morning, we tried to eat breakfast and then walked ourselves next door to an automotive repair place (also very lucky). The kind gentlemen there informed us that they could not do transmission work, but that he could help get us lined up for a tow to Amarillo which he did. The rest of our good fortune in the midst of our disaster was because of Bob Edwards of Edwards Towing.

He towed us to Amarillo and talked of politics, religion, wild fires, and towing disasters. All subjects were light-hearted and welcomed.

He told great little jokes as we drove by "the largest cross in the Western hemisphere." Bob already had one of his own.

I sold my car to Bob in Amarillo, Texas for $150 or "a hundr'd and a half," as Bob put it before dropping us at the Budget Rental Car. A Chevy Cobalt had to serve as our noble steed for the rest of the trip. We still made it to New Mexico by 8:15pm.

After some New Mexico micro brews and a well-needed sleep. I woke the next day and went to watch Beth instruct her Drawing 1 students.

She then took us to the historic area of Mesilla. The weather was incredible. This is a picture of us in front of an old monastery.

The next day Matt and I headed to Dripping Springs to do some major mountain hiking. I can't describe how perfect this day was, but this picture does pretty well.

Broccoli Tree.

This is Matt in front of Dripping Springs. "Can't see the spring," you say?

We realized rather quickly that the name Dripping Springs was more literal than we had anticipated. It was dripping out of a pipe no stronger than a leaky faucet. We laughed 'til we cried. Here's a zoomed in picture. I've circled the pipe. There was a little bit of foliage beneath it and then some flies.

We couldn't help ourselves.

Flying Saucer Cloud

Later that day, our friend from Edwardsville, Chris, who has been living in Tuscon, drove up to Beth's as well and stayed for a few days too. Friday, we all headed to White Sands National Monument.

Looks like snow. Is actually sand.

We rented a sled and waxed the bottom and shot down the dunes. It was like being on the moon. The sand is actually gypsum, doesn't absorb heat, and is as fine as table salt.

Beth!

I had the best Mexican food and margaritas I've ever had in my life. The weather was perfect. We played some pool and hit up a couple pubs. We also fit in a heated game of Scrabble and a few hours of The Office Season Two. Everything went perfectly once we got to Las Cruces other than when Beth's neighbor backed into the rental car. We headed back early Friday night to get a few hours of driving out of the way in order to get the car back by Saturday night. Funny enough, we went from driving through desert to driving through a snow storm all in one day; there were six inches of snow in Springfield, MO.

The Children Lose Their Minds in Such Uncertain Times

2009-02-19T18:27:00.006-06:00

I would like to submit a formal apology for my lack of blogging. Now that all that is out of the way, this blog is to do a super quick catch up before Matt and I head to New Mexico on Monday for our super awesome road journey to Beth in Las Crusas. First and foremost, I want to thank all that sent out birthday wishes. I personally am bad at remembering birthdays even though there are many handy tools out there to remind me such as Myspace, Facebook, and other people. I kicked it off the day before by going on a snowy hike with Matt in the woods followed by sushi. We had waited for a good snowfall all winter, and it luckily came right before my birthday.

The next night was spent with mostly family and a few friends at Fast Eddie's which is a local bar in Alton, IL. They claim to have the coldest beer. I wouldn't know because I drank lady drinks.

The following day I was laid up with a severe cold which put a quick end to my birthday festivities, but I'm getting old and shouldn't be celebrating as much anyway for chrissake. I was actually without voice for about five days. Old people call it laryngitis.

A few weeks prior, I hosted a very important slumber party with guests of honor Layla and Ella. We ate popcorn and pizza and watched movies together and played dress up. I emptied one of my big closets and filled is with costumes which wowed the crowed. They liked going through the tiny door and turning the light bulb on and off by the chain. They woke me promptly at 7:00 a.m. the next morning by jumping on my bed and demanding Fruity Cheerios which I had purchased for the occasion. I was happy to oblige.

The Mardi Gras celebrations have already begun in St. Louis and the big parade and wandering of the streets is on Saturday. I have no visitors from the North this year, but I shall have fun for us all. I very very much miss Chicago right now, and am almost sick that I haven't been up there in so long. Has anybody heard about summer concerts in the park? I've become quite the workaholic so I've been told as of late by family, boyfriend, and friends alike. It's time to get away. Hopefully New Mexico will remedy some of my blues. I also hope to do some productive writing to share with you again. What is happening to me?

So, I promise to keep in touch more regularly. Lent is coming up, and as a semi-good Catholic girl, I can't think of a better reason (excuse) to get my life back in order. Miss you. And who is making comments and then erasing them? Shame on you, person. Shame on you!

I have a drawing pad on my phone...

2009-01-12T18:20:00.010-06:00

The holidays seem like a blur now. Christmas was great. I think my favorite gifts were my rain boots from Matt and Friends Scene It from my pop. We played Cranium which, if you've never played, is one of the most awesome board games ever, and nothing is better than when all of the teams have to hum at the same time while you try to guess the song. I worked on New Year's Eve but was off in plenty of time to ring in the New Year with Matt and some pals at the local wine bar. Beth came into town from New Mexico which was the greatest gift of all. I miss having her around and being able to talk about anything which we did a lot of but not nearly enough. Matt and I are headed her way at the end of February. Beth bought me Sylvia Plath's Unabridged Journals from a second-hand book store, and it's pretty awesome. Not nearly as melancholy as one would guess. I've been carrying the fat book with me in my over-sized bag that I got from my sister. Here's a picture of me and Beth at trivia during her last night in town looking a bit confused about our prompt to smile:

My grandma was thrilled with the whiskey and was quoted as saying, " I just can't get over it!" in her excited, tiny grandma voice. The following Sunday, she had two glasses picked out for us, sitting on the counter. I originally had gotten up to get some nog, but she quickly intercepted and had me pour each of us a shot to sip on at about 11 a.m. and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Seems as though all went well up North for the holidays. Wish I could be there right now. Hopefully I'll make it soon. We have yet to get any good snow, and I hear that you guys are surrounded by it, or at least you were. All we're getting is ice everywhere and it's a pain.

Here's a few more randoms from Christmas beginning with Dad...

My Aunt Peggy brought everyone Santa hats. My kid sister proudly sported hers as well as Matt.

Above is my cousin Layla. I bought her and her sister finger puppets, miniature Slinky's, hair glitter, & tiny pens, but instead of drawing pictures, she found the tiniest spot and proceeded to write her thesis which consisted of line after line of letters, numbers, and symbols.

Below is proof that my grandpa can fall asleep at any moment such as when he's playing with a reindeer.

So I wish you all well in '09. It's been pretty interesting so far politically speaking, to say the least. And, though I have no set plans, I have requested off work in order to watch the inauguration. I miss all of your faces and will inform you as to when I will be there next. Rock!

Can I listen to your necklace?

2008-12-15T19:02:00.010-06:00

Christmas is great.

Let it be known that I switched to Christmas music today for my morning routine, but before that I was enjoying the musical stylings of Joshua Radin whilst brushing my teeth and what not. Simple Times is an awesome record to pick up for yourself or a good friend. I also recently purchased Missy Higgin's On a Clear Night for the super girly side of me. The first track makes me cry, and the rest of the album is pretty good, but I am of the belief that she's trying to sound too much like Alanis Morissette.

Walker's Deluxe Whiskey

This paragraph is the story of the aforementioned spirit. My Grandma Mac has drunk Walker's Deluxe Whiskey for who knows how long, and two years ago finally finished the last drop of the bottle she has had for many years (she's not a heavy drinker). This whiskey was actually discontinued in 2001. I have spent approximately 9 hours in the past two years searching the Internet for a spare bottle and have come up with nothing. My mother has done the same thing. I have only found one bottle on the Internet from the fifties for $165.00; I'm not paying that much. Last Sunday with blood-shot eyes from searching the night before I was telling the story about the elusive whiskey that no one seems to have to my father and step mom . In the middle of my story my dad stands up, walks in the other room, and brings out a full bottle of Walker's Deluxe Whiskey that he has had since my parents were married. He had bought it in case my grandma ever came over to our house and wanted a drink. It was a Christmas Miracle! I plan to break it out on Christmas after most of the family has left and have a whiskey and water with her as the night grows still from the hectic day.

On a braggart's note: My low tech self got a new LG Dare for Christmas, and Matt got the new Blackberry Storm. He named mine Pepper Potts and his Alfred because he thinks he's Batman and Pepper Potts is awesome.

Enjoy the season, Chicago and beyond. Hopefully I'll be able to join you soon!

Waiting for Snow

2008-11-22T22:20:00.005-06:00

I'm stuck at work while the people I love are at a stellar house/apartment warming party I suspect. Kudos to Megan and Marty for being so awesome and well off enough to have a swanky pad in the city. I would have loved to come, but the notice was too short for this working girl.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for being so sweet to Matt. I didn't think that you would point and throw things at him or anything, but he had an awesome good time and adore all of you. But you are all adorable, so that wasn't hard. After brunch on Sunday, we drove into the city and after dropping off the Ediths at their Chili's, Matt and I hit the open flea market on Des Plaines where I bought Super Mario Bros. 2. It was cold. We found a tiny building with these pictures of Obama on them. I thought they were cool but have just been informed by a coworker that these images exist all over the city. Still these are the ones I saw and was impressed with.

Then we ended up at this little mall place where Matt insisted on buying me a pair of plaid rain boots that I was drooling over as part of my Christmas present. Unfortunately it's been a dry week.

I thought it was great that Brian and Liz were able to spend time with all of us in the hotel after what I'm sure was the longest day of their lives. I also like when we all have occasion to dress up and float about. Thanks to the Schultz duo for providing us with the opportunity to clean ourselves up. Miss you all!

Picture Blaaahg!

2008-11-02T16:45:00.007-06:00

What a fantastic Halloween everybody! Mine was quite eventful. My apartment is still decorated to the creepiest max but still needs to be documented for archival purposes. Matt and I were invited to a few parties, but one of them was a zombie prom, so we decided to zombie it up. First I should note the following pictures are of my dad and Lisa's car. They were hit by a drunk driver last Saturday around 6:00pm. That's right 6:pm. I believe it was still daylight. Their car rolled a couple times and they had to cut the top of the car off to get to my step mom. The first picture is of their car pinned against a tree. Dad climbed out of the sun roof and called for help. Lisa said that when they finally got her out, there were some sexy fireman to greet her. When she started whistling at them, they new she would be fine. They're both feeling better and luckily just suffered some scrapes and bruises along with a concussion that Lisa had to nurse on her birthday the next day. Sad face :(

While they were stuck at home recovering, I was a couple of blocks away carving pumpkins with my tiny cousins. Layla had a little help from my cousin Lindsay, and was happy with the results.

We made our model faces to celebrate our creative success.

Ella was my creative partner. She came up with the design, and I simply made it a reality for her. This thumbs up is a bit half-hearted though because she was still pretty upset that her pumpkin wasn't as full of guts as her sister's.

Last night, I did some carving of my own. This one's for you, Jay! We left it as a gift to our zombie prom hosts later that night.

And then Matt tried to eat my brains. I'm much speedier though, and got away with ease.

Hope everyone had a great holiday. I look forward to seeing a lot of you in a couple of weeks! Voting is cool, and everyone's doing it!

OhBama 'Oh8

2008-10-20T20:21:00.006-05:00

All arrangements have been made for the Brian/Liz wedding, and I'm excited! Can't wait to see you guys in November.

Edwardsville throughout my life seems to be at its best in the fall, and it's not just because it's my favorite season, I don't think at least. Though our farmers market held its final Saturday display last week, our parks and recreation quickly picked up the slack with Parkfest where local vendors and organizations gather to make kettle corn, candied almonds, walking tacos, flea bags, and cider for the residents. There is also a local book club organization that collects all of there extra books and sells them to the public for next to nothing.

The children's Halloween walk is this Saturday, and all of the Main Street businesses will be handing out candy while my mom and I spectate from Laurie's Bar and Grill. I'm just really happy about the season.

Matt and I have been good about taking the pup out a few times a week. Here's Pixel attempting to drink as the humans do through a straw after running around in right field at a local sandlot:

I hosted my Mother, Mel, Matt and Pixel last Wednesday for the final debate which was stupendous. I loved the split screen and the sit-down style rather than the roaming around. I feel like they can really get down to business with the moderator right there. Though I am of course a huge Obama supporter, I was still disappointed with McCain's performance. I would like to feel a little more secure with him if he does in fact manage to get elected. Fortunately Mel supplied us with some tasty wine, and McCain didn't say "maverick."

Other than that, I'm heading up to our Springfield restaurant to fill a couple of management gaps that they have been left with due to the firing of their GM. It will be a nice change of pace. Hope you're all enjoying your October!

Taking Care of Business

2008-09-30T17:55:00.005-05:00

It's been some time, I know. I've yet again been negligent. I've been busy working and vigorously decorating my apartment for Halloween. I plan to have it just creepy enough to host a small spooky cluster of chums in the next couple of weeks. I'll try to remember to take pictures.

I can't stop watching CNN. People are taking money out of the bank and literally hiding it under their mattresses. At this juncture in my life, I'm actually mildly excited to be poor. I guarantee that my removing my money from the bank would actually make them feel better that they don't have to deal with me anymore. What I also don't understand is that while one of the most historical elections is in our midst, and the economy is crumbling before our very eyes, the only thing that real Americans seem to be interested in is football and their fantasy leagues.

It's my mother's birthday today, so I made a special stop over to drop off a gift and a card and keep her company until Mel got home. Tomorrow I have a puppy date with my mom, and we're going to take Pixel to the new puppy park in town. Edwardsville is getting so with it. We even had someone doing spoken word at Stagger last week. He had the most intricate mullet I ever did see and proceeded to dedicate his poem "Intellectual Babe" to me because there was no one else paying attention. Post performance, he then invited me to a poetry slam in STL and asked me to read one of his other works as I sipped on a vodka gimlet. Nice.

Pumpkins are popping up all over town, and I am happily wearing a large poncho-like yellow and white sweater with fringes on the bottom and big white buttons to celebrate this 60's something day.

On a movie note: I rented a Japanese "horror flick" for kicks the other day called Recycle. It started off to seem as if it would be another Ring flick with a long-haired, creepy Japanese girl crawling around, but then it turned into a movie about another dimension full of abandoned thoughts and forgotten things. I actually recommend it if your looking for a creepy sci-fi ish movie as long as you don't mind the sub-titles and jumping rather embarrassingly at the scary parts.

Welcome back, Jay!

My Turn

2008-09-09T15:45:00.006-05:00

I figured everybody else is doing it, so I should too. Here's my review of the 2008 Andrew Bird Concert Extravaganza: Moderate to friggin' awesome, and I mean that it the classiest way

Some pictures from my perspective:

I would just like to say for the record that Kristin is a peach, and I liked her boots which were unintentionally cut out of this picture.

I really don't have a comment for this next picture. Hope you enjoy.

I broke my pinky toe as I was leaving my apartment to go to Chicago. This put a slight damper on my venturing around the city, but my guides were most patient even though they made fun of me a lot. Jay and I got to spend some quality time together pre-show and were the dream team to get the essentials together before staking out our spot without stressing or rushing or feeling any type of urgency whatsoever really. And actually (how much do you love our tiny world?), Jay and I hopped on the same train car that Jay's brother Andy happened to be in on the way to the concert.

I had some great talks with Simone as well, which are always wonderful but now mean so much more to me since Beth is so far away. Sometimes a girl needs a girlfriend. Plus Simone doesn't mind when I spray tonic all over my shirt. Colin was a good whiskey companion and breakfast time converstion starter. We all got to meet some new people and become better acquainted with the ones we have known for years. I don't know how it didn't rain. Love you all!

In Good Company

2008-08-27T15:31:00.004-05:00

Unfortunately, our long time family dog, Oscar had to be put to sleep on Friday. He took a turn for the worse and was in a lot of pain. It was hard on the family, but had to be done. Having a puppy in the family is keeping us all in good spirits despite our recent loss, but I've also been worried that Pixel might be a little bummed out that her little buddy isn't around anymore. So, on Sunday afternoon, Matt and I took her running on the cross country and mountain bike trails around town. She's doing great and looks outstanding when she's in a dead sprint. Here are a couple of pictures.

On a more obvious note, Colin came my way to Edwardsville for the first time ever. He was a great guest and better sport. Luckily he's not wild and crazy and doesn't expect constant entertainment that I and my town may sometimes be unable to provide. We got to listen to some down home tunes at a local bar with some spicy food and cold brews. After, pillaging my friend's garden, we headed into STL to the Boss's drop off point. I believe the concert was roughly 5 hours long. Matt and I spent our time at the Schlafly Tap Room and saying farewell to our good friend, Mikey, whose headed to lawyer school in Michigan. All in all the visit was a great success and much appreciated, and all to the North of me are welcome as well as those who are currently out of the country.

Also, kudos to Hillary on a great speech delivered. It was the first time she's genuinely moved me. I had a few goose bumps in places I didn't even know I had geese. This is going to be great.

I'm the Mother Flippin'

2008-08-14T15:32:00.003-05:00

This is just a quick catch up before I leave tomorrow. The plan is to go to Dunlay's for some grub on Saturday morning. All are invited along with significant others of course. I'll be able to let you guys know what time by tomorrow sometime. Yay!

In the mean time:
I had to say goodbye to my best friend last night. Beth left for grad school in Las Crusas, New Mexico today. It's weird, but we celebrated at the final Jazz Fest of the year in Botanical Gardens. I made cookies because the mood of the evening called for some comfort food, and we winded down back at my place to the happy tune of Flight of the Conchords to lighten our spirits. I will miss her marvelous much.

Anyway, I hope to see at least a few of you on Saturday. Until then, keep your short on.

You would be gum because you're hard to swallow

2008-08-03T10:43:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've touched base. I'm at my dad and Lisa's house with my sister, and we've just finished another delicious Sunday morning breakfast featuring crepes with honey and crispy bacon. As I sit here typing while having an allergic reaction to the cats, I feel the imminent end to the summer is near. While I would like to pretend that I am a summer sun goddess, alas, I am not, and am more of a harvest queen. I can't wait for fall, as usual.

Last week my Edwardsville group was rained out of our weekly picnic, so I gladly hosted an indoor event at my abode. Plates of crackers, cheese, prosciutto, and tiny toasts were had by all along with some delicious Sangria. We played this game called Imagine If, where you pick someone and read a card and then say, "Imagine if so and so could end a world crisis would it be 1. war 2. the environmental crisis 3. immorality 4. the disco revival etc... It was fun for a while until people started to get offended.

Pixel is getting quite large, but the house training is slowly improving, or so I've been told by my mother. I've been a little busy. I recently found out that my friend Zack is being whisked away to Colorado, while my best friend (you may know her as Beth) is leaving for grad school in New Mexico in a couple weeks. It's all happening so fast and scares me a little, but I left her for Chicago, so it's only fair that she take her turn abandoning me.

***Attention Chicagoers***
Matt and I will be in the Downer's Grove area on the 16th and 17th of this month. If you haven't been, Downer's Grove is pretty awesome with some great shops and spots to spectate the cycling. I was planning on taking Matt up to Chicago on Saturday morning before heading back to the grove for his race. Let me know if you'd like to carpool from the city for some laid back weekend antics and a chance to meet my mythical boyfriend. I'll need some company while my man races around in spandex. Otherwise I would settle for some Saturday city breakfast with a few chums. Let me know!

Pixel

2008-07-07T17:17:00.003-05:00

Somehow my sister and I successfully conned our mother and stepdad into allowing us to bring them home a puppy while they were out of town on Saturday. A family was giving them away for free at the local farmer's market. She was the only girl. I'm hoping that my mom will let me share in the responsibility of the pup considering that she looks so good in my apartment and compliments the clothes I have lying on the floor. This is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've never really had a through and through, clumsy, big-pawed, floppy-eared puppy. It was quite an ordeal naming her. I was all for Toaster, but I couldn't get anyone else to go for it. Among some of the other names mentioned were Emmy, Gracie, Spaghetti, Lady Liberty, Dottie, Pixie, Juniper, Dionne Warwick, and we actually spent an entire day trying out the name Olive. We did settle on one. So without further ado, here are some pics of Pixel the pup:

My Independence day was spent grilling with some friends and then ended atop Monk's Mound in Cahokia Mounds, which is an ancient Native American dirt mound that was built for royalty. If you stand on top of it on the fourth, you can see all of the surrounding towns' and cities' fireworks displays. It was pretty awesome. I felt so thankfully free.

My very good friend and ex-roommate Michele came into town to visit from Springfield last week and we discussed the details of her upcoming wedding. We had a few drinks with some great friends and some blurry trivia back at my apartment with the few party animals that remained. Next weekend I'll be celebrating my cousin Ella's fifth birthday at my grandma's house. Ella has requested some of my clothes as her birthday present. So I'll be spending the week carefully choosing some designer pieces for Miss Ella to twirl around in. I'm already prepping for an elaborate picnic and praying for good weather on Wednesday. I dragged my mom, sister, and stepdad to the gardens last week and we (along with a few hundred) had to scatter in doors to seek shelter from a pretty violent storm. The good thing is that they're still up for going this week, so we'll see.

Take care all! Hope you had a wonderful July 4th.

There are no dictionary entries for taste viscosity, but taste, viscosity are spelled correctly.

2008-06-18T16:08:00.005-05:00

My trip up to the city was semi-successful; I had not a single red ribbon (sad face). Other than the long drive due to my negligent train ticket checking & the humidity, the trip was nice. I had a few lunches and some breakfast with Colin, some quality time with Janice before she flees to California, great convos with Jay and Simone, and I got to see my very good friend Todd for a couple of days too. Now that I think about it, I did a lot in four days...

I assisted Nate in making butter burgers, got to see the White Sox win a game, beat Janice in Tribond, watched Say Anything for the first time (although Janice tried to get me to watch some kind of catlady porn, Megamart), cooked out, caught a Wicked Awesome softball slaughter (by the other team), got ditched at a bar at four in the morning by Chris Martin, and got some new tunes for the road. I should be returning possibly with Beth in tow for the Andrew Bird concert on September 3rd. I will also be in Downer's Grove for Matt's bike race on August 16th and 17th, so we might hop up to the city then.

Check out Matt Costa if you're looking for some summertime tunes. Do not purchase M-Coast as they are very boring to listen to. I'm off to Jazz Fest '08 in Missouri's Botanical Gardens. Take care, Chicago and beyond!

Jay, post!

3-2-1 Amphibi-on

2008-05-28T15:27:00.003-05:00

Alright, so I'll be up to Chicago on the 5th of June. Janice, Chris, Matt, and my friend Todd are going to the Sox game on that Thursday night and then my weekend is seemingly open. I go back on Monday night.

My only expectations:
1. To gather new music to listen to on the train ride back home
2. To possibly grill out at some location
3. Drink at least one Red Ribbon

I hope that's not too much to ask. Janice will be busy on and off this weekend with her sister's wedding preparation, and since I don't have Megan to sit on the couch with and watch Days of Our Lives, I'll need constant entertainment and general tomfoolery to keep me in good spirits.

Growing a Frog: Stage 1

2008-05-07T16:05:00.006-05:00

I'm currently sitting at my mom's house on a rainy day. It's a good spring rain, if you know what I mean; big fat drops lazily falling to the ground. No big hurry.

Yesterday at work, this strange, rich man came in to the bar, drank about seven double rum and cokes and tipped me $75 dollars before giving a fellow customer on a bicycle a ride home before the storm hit. It all sounded very dangerous and happened in about a twenty minute period. I don't know what to say about it really either than mentioning that he has a house in Newport Beach which he claimed to have purchased from Burt Bacharach. Before he came in, I was visited by my mom and my Grandma Mac for lunch and then serenaded via Chicago.

Last week, my dad had me over to my Grandma Gee Gee's house to go through some of her things before they sell the rest at rummage sales. It was weird to see everything she had; unfinished cross stitch projects, baby hospital bracelets, several sets of glassware, and an army of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and random saints in tiny statue form. I took a Jesus, antique mixing bowls, a plant stand, and a giant glass cookie canister. My aunt gave me one of my grandma's glass bluebirds and a vintage purse, and my dad gave me her metal crucifix that still had her and my grandpa's name written on the box. It was nice to see the old house again and my aunts' faces when they found their baby shoes stashed away with hand-knit blankets and such.

I'm coming to the city in June! I don't know if anyone will be joining me on my journey north, but now is the time for you city dwellers to begin exciting your selves. It's on. See you soon.

Even artichokes have hearts

2008-04-11T16:50:00.004-05:00

I went to see Leatherheads last night. It was about an hour into the movie before I was able to laugh at anything. I plan to never sit through this movie again. And I hate Renee Zellweger. That movie can now consider itself reviewed-- reviewed to the max.

I keep seeing the Counting Crows performing on late night talk shows, but have yet to get their cd despite liking their performances. Adam jumped at one point and I saw his adorable, jiggly belly. He reminds me of a muppet. I imagine that Colin could verify that notion as I sit waiting for a response to e-mails. Sigh...

I've been out of the blogosphere due to lack of technology and the man. He's always getting me down and blocking me from blogging at work and such. It's a miracle that my soul hasn't just shriveled and died. But alas! There is always light at the end of the tiny office vortex; I am still able to buy charming things, such as coasters, for my apartment. I can also scan Amazon for new tunes whenever I want. Plus, I went to our local toy store yesterday and bought these things called Inani-mate. It's a packet of eyes and mouths that you stick on inanimate objects so you feel like the things surrounding you are more like your friends. The stapler is my friend despite the uneasy look I just literally gave him. I also bought a miniature lawn jockey to set in my houseplant, Cornwalis. I haven't named the jockey yet, but I figured my other plant, Steve, already had a gnome. . .

Other than that, I picked up my dry-cleaning today. I felt so grown up when I actually uttered the words, "I have to pick up my dry-cleaning." It's expensive. But still, it's all part of my new productive lifestyle that I'm trying out. I've decided to be productive for nearly every moment of my waking days. I've been cleaning, crafting, paying bills, doing laundry, bringing my mom a television, boiling eggs, writing, and visiting family. It feels great, and at the end of the day, I actually have a sense of accomplishment rather than impending doom. That's all I have for now. Later.

PostScript: Jay, I am looking over my calendar. I will get there soon, my friend. I heard that one Fergie song today and thought of you. "...myself and I...we got some straightening out to do." Fergie knows how it is.

table-making has never seemed so possible

2008-03-12T17:52:00.004-05:00

I've finished the My So Called Life phase of my so called life which wasn't too difficult considering that only nineteen episodes were made. I continue to have weird dreams about Jared Leto though and am saying "like" at inopportune times. It's finally open window weather! With that said, I went home and opened my windows today before dropping off some tomato bisque for my mother. When I arrived at her house, there was a bird flying around in the living room. Oscar the dog and I managed to scare it out of the front door after outsmarting it and scaring it out from behind the recliner. Oscar would later be quoted as saying, "I didn't know weather I wanted to bite it or make it my friend. Either way, I wasn't about to share my bone. Ruff." Here's a picture shortly after his victory against the winged intruder.

Right now, I'm in St. Patrick's Day preparation mode which really doesn't mean anything other than the fact that I'm mentally preparing myself to drink. I've taken the day off, gotten my mother to take the afternoon off, and will be spending the entire day with my very dear friend Todd. Todd and I have been spending St. Patrick's day together for four years now, and I couldn't ask for a better partner in Irish crime. Black and Tans will be calling our names at the Stagger Inn on Monday. The Sunday before will be blessed with a McPeak family tradition of my Grandma Mac making corned beef and cabbage for the family.

If you're feeling like listening to silly music, check out Kate Nash "Made of Bricks" if you haven't already. Her accent is thick and she uses great slang and has very clever lyrics. She's been cheering me up lately whenever I'm feeling all blah. Also the Frozen Custard Stand across the street from my apartment has opened for the season, so I'm in sundae heaven between the hours of 11am and 10pm. I've also had the really strong urge to get a puppy lately. My plants Cornwalis and Steve are great and all, but they don't give me the companionship that I crave after a long day at work. Too bad that Matt doesn't fit onto my lap, and I can't have pets. More random thoughts to come. Stay tuned...

Four Funerals and a Wedding

2008-03-03T18:25:00.002-06:00

So I've a had a weird past few weeks. On the Davis side, my Grandma Gee Gee passed away, my four year-old second cousin Parker died of childhood cancer the morning of my grandma's funeral, and I had another newborn second cousin die of complications due to pneumonia. I just got news this morning that my Uncle Bob's mother just died too, so I'm off to another wake. There really is no Wedding in my near future, so my title is a bit misleading.

My dad, being the oldest son, spoke at the end of the funeral service, which was nearly impossible to witness and comprehend at the same time. They played Italian music at the burial. We all left with heavy hearts knowing that Parker's funeral was already being planned. It was about two days ago that this really creepy feeling I've had finally subsided.

And now for something completely different. . .

Last Thursday Beth, Matt, and I had a tiny wine and cheese gathering wherein we watched My So Called Life and giggled. Well, Beth and I did most of the giggling while Matt read a book and tried not to act interested, just like when he tried not to act interested in a preview to the Sex and the City movie, but I totally caught him trying not to look like he was looking up at the TV when it came on. I connect quite a bit with Angela Chase; I was very innocent in high school and took turns hanging out with different types of people who weren't. I loved my mother, but wasn't as introverted as Angela is. And I unfortunately don't remember any guy in my school looking like Jordan Catalano. On the flip side, nearly every episode accurately depicts how I and all teenagers think and act. It really is a phenomenal that someone was able to capture that on a television show which is in such stark contrast to, I don't know, something like Dawson's Creek let's say.

And then I had a dream. . .

I was in this world/on this island called Wormawood. There was an island city in the middle, water encircling it, and a cityscape with mountains encircling the water; they were all rotating around each other. Everyone there was very happy and nice until an inflatable motor boat which somehow controlled the flow of Wormawood lost control and everyone was in the water until finally the boat was cornered and stopped. I was a little girl in a hooded coat and was looking into the water as I was walking home and saw a pair of red mittens. I reached into the icy water and grabbed one while the other sank, slipping out of reach. This simple innocent act apparently disturbed something in the water and awakened a race of icy fish people with dark circles under their eyes. I saw a single girl ice person with ice built up on her shoes and offered her a coat when the rest of her race came out of the water and scared all of the Wormawoodians. I narrowly escaped and ran home as I looked back to see everyone in the city turning to different colored glass birds.

I know this post is really disjointed and all, but, without sounding all deep, I really couldn't make it any other way. Spending time with my dad and especially my mom always does the trick of making me feel better, and I couldn't be more blessed in the friend department than I am. I miss you, Chicago. Spring should be here soon. Later.

Allowed Aloud

2008-02-08T14:35:00.001-06:00

This is officially my 100th post. I'm pretty stoked about it, and you should be too because it's a picture blog full of people you know and one chicken.

This is Janice in my apartment giving me the straight dope.

After a late start after a late night at the Stagger Inn and some girl-on-girl snow tackling, we finally woke up and got ready to go after having lunch and early drinks with my Dad and Lisa.

It was a good day with a lot of snow still left on the ground and plenty of sunshine over the city.

We took the Metro Link over, and it seems as though the boys posed for a non-existent album cover.

My favorite photo of walkin' the crowded streets of Soulard.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the things you see.

We made it back to the shuttle safe and sound with all of our party members and headed to a bar closer to Edwardsville.

All in all, it was a perfect trip with tons of fun and no bickering. Chris opted to buy these beads with adorable little rubber frogs on them that the ladies went crazy for. Matt Thompson got less adorable rubber toad beads that said "Me so horny." They seemed to be more of a repellent. There are a few more pictures and one priceless video I still need to get from Janice, but you will want to see it. The next day was spent at Denny's with a Moons Over My Hammy that is sure to haunt Chris until the day he dies, some sweet goodbyes, and a long recovery for myself while playing trivia as my local buddies watched the big, boring game.

Yesterday, Matt and I went to see Body Worlds which is stunning, and fantastic. If you haven't seen it and have any interest in the human body or just your body, you selfish jerk, then you should try to catch one of these exhibits. We then went to see There Will Be Blood which I liked but don't really care to see again. Daniel Day-Lewis was of course brillant, but it's a long, anti-climactic movie that's definitely worth the rent. And the Family Guy's Blue Harvest is really well done and hilarious, if you like that sort of thing.

That's all on this end of the world. Later.

That's The Thanks I Get

2008-01-31T14:11:00.001-06:00

I'm at my mom's house right now getting ready to hunker down for the rest of the day and night. Edwardsville is all caught up in a winter storm, and it's absolutely beautiful. They're saying we're supposed to get about 6 to 8 inches, but I'm predicting 3 and hoping for 12.

My birthday was nice, and 26 feels nicer than I thought it would. I went out to lunch with my mom and sister and then went to a tapas place and shared food with some of my favorite local people for dinner. The night was of course ended at the Stagger Inn where my name was added to the "Famous Birthdays" Chalkboard just under FDR, and one of my favorite local musical artists sang Happy Birthday. A couple shaky games of shuffle board and a couple Jamesons and I was headed home.

Janice, Chris, and Matt will be headed my way by tomorrow night which I'm totally stoked about especially since there will be snow, Mardi Gras, and good friends happening all at the same time. I'll take some pictures and report back. So, if you're Catholic, live like a hardcore sinner this weekend because, come Wednesday, you'll have to be really good for like forty whole days.

And I am giving Sawdust by The Killers two thumbs up. I like Brandon Flowers' trembly voice and his pretty, pretty name. Also, on another note, I was talking to one of my friends the other night, trying to get him to look into listening to some Wilco. For some reason not a lot of people around here know them which is silly since they're from Belleville which is about twenty five minutes away. My friend came up to me a couple days later and said that since I had mentioned Wilco to him, he had been hearing about them everywhere. He said that he saw them on Letterman the other night and "in a year or so they are probably going to be really big."

The shame of it all. Later.

I feel it all

2008-01-24T17:25:00.000-06:00

When I watch Antiques Road Show, I can't help but be disappointed in people's reactions to the price quote. The problem with these people is that they are disappointed with any dollar amount short of $100,000 which is partially understandable if you take into consideration the plummeting value of the dollar, but completely unacceptable since they (or should I say their antique neck rest) have been chosen to be on television, which is a thrill of it's own. These snooty women get there with their great grandmother's earrings which they've been telling everyone else are worth $100,000, and when they find out that they're only worth $50,000 all they can think about is how their neighbor Doris is probably sitting at home laughing about the whole ordeal as she watches the show and serves dinner out of that casserole dish that she still hasn't returned.

I've been experiencing sort of a lull as of late, most likely due to my grueling work schedule and the fact that by the time I get out of work, there is nothing to do besides chores. Today I'm doing my laundry and blogging as my whites tumble around in the dryer. I just got back from shopping at Goodwill, which is something that I absolutely love to do. I'm more of a knick-knack shopper; I don't look at the clothes unless I need a costume of sorts. Today I found two decanters for my mother to put her Christmas egg nog in next year, yellow polka-dotted shot glasses, a glass cake stand with matching candy dish, two funky baskets, and Pac Man for my NES. While there, I also spotted an Al Jolsen record, black face and all. It's interesting that Al Jolsen isn't too taboo for the Goodwill of 2008 even with 80% of it's cashiers being African American at the Edwardsville location.

Next week, should contrast this week rather well. Others seem to be planning to celebrate the day of my birth on Wednesday, while I apparently am hosting a small handful of Chicagoans for Mardi Gras on February 2. And since Superbowl is on the 3rd and the restaurant will be closed, I'm predicting a lazy afternoon of recovery, homemade fries, and Bloody Marys at the Stagger Inn even though it's not much of a sports bar, but I don't like football anyway.

Well, this seems to be a short one lacking any useful information. I hope you enjoyed! By the way, did you know that there are adult human quadrupeds in existence? They have a smaller cerebellum which affects their locomotion, so they walk on their hands and feet rather than standing upright. I just watched a documentary on a family who has three quadruped siblings. Weird. Later, Gators.

Jay needs to post more, don't you think?

2008-01-06T10:47:00.001-06:00

I've decided that subtlety is not the best approach when demanding blog posts from the Jaymeister, but if he has time to sit around and grow a mustache with Simone, then he has time to write. So there.

Sunday morning has unfortunately brought me back to work. This day would usually be spent having breakfast with my dad and stepmother (still getting used to saying that) and then going to G-Mac's house to visit with my kin. To ease my tension (which I tend to carry in my shoulders) I've decided to blog. But I dare not begin to complain about work as it is strictly prohibited in the office:

Anyway, I went to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street the other night. Though I am a huge Burton, Bonham-Carter, Depp, and Rickman fan, I admit that I have trouble with certain types of musicals. I like the types of musicals where there is a song thrown in here and there amongst the dialogue, but not the type of musical where dialogue is thrown in here and there amongst a barrage of songs. Sweeney Todd is the latter. Though Rottentomatoes.com gave it an 87%, I would probably give it a 67%. On the plus side, there was tons of blood, Sacha Baron Cohen's performance was quite impressive, and it held nothing back. Overall, I would recommend seeing it as long as your expectations are reasonable. If you have low expectations you'll be impressed, but if they're too high, I fear the worst for you, moviegoer.

It's 65 degrees outside. I wish there were 65 inches of snow instead, although I do have this strange urge to go play football. Maybe later.

Saturday night I went out to the Stagger Inn and met up with Mom and Mel for a few drinks, some sweet bluegrass, and a heated political debate. I uttered the word "Muslim" to my mom in reference to Barack, and now she's going to vote Republican. I know you're reading this, Mom. I'm not going to comment any further on the issue and, rather, rely on my politically savvy friends to do the commenting on the issue. But, other than the argument about the little issue of the future presidency, I had a blast with my mom, Beth, Matt, and Mel. And I got to wear my new, ridiculously large sweater which didn't reek of smoke by the end of the night due to the new smoking ban. Huzzah!

Miss you. See you later.

The Future is Now: Picture Blog

2008-01-02T11:18:00.001-06:00

Everything's great in '08! What a stellar visit! Good work, friends of mine. Here are some pictures for us to always remember.

I was so happy to be able to spend so much time with two of my favorite Londoners/Ex-Chicagoans, the MegaMart duo.

Time on the el. Colin hates this picture, but I don't.

A darkened Jay on my last night of visiting.

Low-key beers and take out were a good call after the crazy weekend.

My hat shopping was more miss than hit as happily displayed here by Janice.

Luckily I finally settled on one.

What an awesome best friend I have!

I had to include the classic view.

The holidays couldn't have had a better ending on my end of the deal. I wish I could have been able to ring in the new year with everyone, but I consider our visit the ultimate finale to a good year and promises of a better one to come. I came home to a wrecked apartment as a result of my neglect between Christmas and traveling. It's really hard to accept the fact that I'll have to take down my Christmas tree (sad face). Anyway, I am so thankful for all of you, and hope we can stay this way for a long time. I'm willing to keep it up if the payoff is this good every time we're together. Plus, I hear that tickets to London aren't nearly as expensive as people think. Love you guys! Later.

Keep the change, you filthy animal

2007-12-06T20:41:00.000-06:00

I've had my Christmas tree up for a couple of weeks, but just recently took the time to photograph it. See how it sparkles! It sways a little every time a big truck drives by, but I kind of like that.

I've been listening to my Ultimate Christmas Mix inside of the home and Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas in my car. I think my favorite song in the set is "This is the Worst Christmas Ever!" even though I don't share his sentiments at this particular juncture; I'm enjoying my Christmas very much so. I haven't been able to go shopping yet, but I will be joining my mother and kid sister in the great search for presents tomorrow afternoon. I have no idea what to get anyone.

I watched It's a Wonderful Life by myself the other night. I've decided that George Bailey is my dream guy, breakdown and all. One of my favorite parts is when they fall in the pool while doing the Charleston, but instead of just swimming around, he keeps trying to dance with Mary in the water. If you haven't seen this movie...well, I don't know...but I can't imagine that anyone reading this wouldn't have seen It's a Wonderful Life because that would be weird.

I'm missing out on a lot of good Christmas time this year. I'm at work constantly and haven't been able to spend time with my mom like I would. All I really want to do is be able to help her out with her chocolate chip cookies and watch White Christmas. It becomes more and more of a tall order the older I get even though the older I get the more I appreciate it . And also, it's been raining down here quite often. Apparently the weather isn't aware that it's winter; the rain should be snow! And every time I hear someone say that they're dreading snow, I want to punch them in their stomach. I have a feeling that Chicago will get all of the snow, and Edwardsville will get the ice. Ice is pretty too. I'll take what I can get, but I just bought these new gloves/mittens that I want to give a whirl.

It's better when you win it

2007-11-26T20:03:00.000-06:00

So, over the years I've been finding these little figurines in antique stores, flea markets, and rummage sales. I recently discovered what they were via eBay. They are vintage Tonala figurines from Mexico. Here are a few that I've obtained thus far. A couple of weeks ago, as I was perusing the eBay arena, I came across a penguin figurine, so I decided to bid on it. I got it pretty cheap even though I thought that the shipping and handling was a little pricey. But I also know that sellers will hike up the price of the shipping to make up for the lower selling prices.

Here is a picture of the penguin

Because I live above a business, I had the item shipped to my Mom's house a couple of blocks away. She called me one day saying that a GIANT BOX had arrived with my name on it. It turns out that the penguin was practically life size. You wouldn't believe the size of box it came in. It keeps me company in my living room. I feel like I should name it.

The holiday was joyful. I woke up early to watch the Macy's Parade while getting ready to make the trek to my Grandma Mac's house. I helped peel potatoes and ready the corn while helping my grandmother lift the heavier items in and out of the oven. The stuffing was out of this world! But I nearly ruined my mashed potatoes and corn (which I had of course mixed together) when I accidentally sprinkled them with some sort of salt substitute that my grandma keeps on hand for my grandpa. Salt substitute tastes of chemicals and burns a little bit. My problem was quickly remedied with a second trip to the buffet style layout. These are my cousins ready for some grub sitting at the same kids table that I remember sitting at when I was that small.

The dinner was concluded with pie and a heated game of Trivial Pursuit with nearly every one of my family members participating. My team won. Did you know that Bobby Kennedy was assassinated the day after Andy Warhol was shot?

After the McPeak end of Thanksgiving, my kid sister and her boyfriend and I picked up Matt and headed to the overwhelming company of the Davis family. I have seven aunts and uncles, and 27 first cousins on this side, some of which have begun having families of their own. Catholic Italians. I think Matt was impressed if not scared. I shared some wine with my dad and stepmother and sat around a huge dining room table, flipping through Christmas ads as my aunts and uncles came up with a plan of attack for taking the maximum advantage of Black Friday deals.

My only regret: Not scoring enough left overs. I don't know what I was thinking.

It's A Major Award!

2007-11-11T21:07:00.000-06:00

So I took a bit of a hiatus from the blogosphere. Apologies. The weekend before Halloween was sort of a bust and I became immediately enraged that I had spent a long time designing and constructing a costume for one lame party, but alas, my Stagger Inn came through for me on Halloween night, and then I knew that it was all worth it. Unfortunately, I still don't have pictures, but I did look something like this:

And my dog had to have surgery yet again, so he looked like this thanks to my kid sister:

On Thursday, I took advantage of the perfect fall weather and went hiking with Matt among the bluffs. It was pretty gorgeous. We hopped around on rocks and looked through binoculars and things like that. Here's a picture of Matt inside a tree:

Other than that, I've been working hard and watching movies and trying to figure out the perfect Martha Stewart recipe to present for Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) even though no recipe will ever top my mother's sweet potato casserole. When I was living in Chicago, she froze some for me, and I lived off of it for a week and a half. On another note, two SIUE students were recently arrested for assaulting another student by paddling them and then burning them with "freshly baked cookies;" a crime against cookies if you ask me. I bet the person who baked those cookies was pissed, unless that was why they baked the cookies because if that's the case, that just sick.

So I guess we've officially moved into the holiday season. I say this because rummage sale and farmers market season has ended, and I found myself without anything to do yesterday morning. Also, my step-mother myspaced me and asked me for my Christmas list. Right then I realized that I have never had a Christmas list and have become increasingly less demanding throughout the years. I told her that I might want curtains and left it at that. I wish there was a tactful way to request that she look in on a few specific e-bay auctions that I've been keeping track of, but I don't think that's possible. There are these antique doorknobs I've had my eye on. Later, Gators.

The Exorcist Isn't Scary

2007-10-22T17:31:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks have seemed busy, but there are only a few things of note. One is that my best friend, Beth Carlson, has her art displayed at a local gallery this month. She put three of them up for a Friday night opening and two had been sold by early Saturday afternoon. Here's a couple of samples of her work.

Yesterday morning was the first official pumpkin carving for the season. Usually we all do the carving at our respective households, but now that we have little ones in the mix once again, we've decided to make it a joint effort at Grandma Mac's. Ella eventually dug into the gooey guts of the pumpkin while Layla remained loyal to her over-sized spoon to do the job. The actual carving was left up to Aunt Marty. Unfortunately they didn't opt for the traditional jack o' lanterns and instead wanted to do Disney princesses. It took me two and a half hours to carve Ariel in one pumpkin and Belle in the other. The girls are both being mermaids for Halloween.

I began constructing my costume. Right now it consists of foam and chicken wire. The final touches will have to be completed this week because my buddy Pat is having his Pre-Halloween Halloween party on Friday night. I'll be sure to take pictures because I'm sure you all are just dying to see.

I rented Planet Terror the other night. It was much more entertaining than Death Proof and is worth the rent if you didn't already have the good fortune to catch it in the theater. It's gross. Which leads me to a rough list of my favorite slasher/zombie/Halloween/scary movie list in no particular order (with the exception of #1):

1. Army of Darkness - "Give me some sugar, Baby"

2. The Nightmare Before Christmas - Also on my top five Christmas Movie list

3. 28 Days Later - Just a good, complex movie in general.

4. 13 Ghosts - Though this movie has Shannon Elizabeth in it, the ghosts are really well done.

5. The Blair Witch Project - I know I'm going to get in trouble for counting this one, but it scared the crap out of me. Scariest Scene: When all three are in the same tent and then they hear little children laughing outside and then their tent is attacked!

6. 1408 - Readers of the novel may disagree with this, but I didn't read the book and I like John Cusak.

7. Shaun of the Dead - There's humor in the undead. My Favorite Scene: When they're in the Winchester and that Queen song is playing.

8. The Others - Paranoid Nicole Kidman is always a winner. Obvious Best Creepy Scene/Quote: "Are you mad? I am your daughter."

9. The Thriller Music Video - Not technically a movie I know, but they made a big enough deal about it back in the day. It's freaky, and Vincent Price's narration is the icing on the cake.

10. Poltergeist - Don't really have to say much here

11 & 11 1/2. Casper and Witches - Does anyone remember loving these movies as much as I do?

12. The Adams Family Movie - The best part of this had to be the MC Hammer song. Way to go, Christina Ricci for making two of the top twelve!

Your thoughts? Later.

Necessary Movie Review

2007-10-04T10:38:00.001-05:00

I find myself at work again, but fear not! The results of my drinking exploits rarely extend into the next day. So it's fall and 10:30 in the morning and...let me check real quick...yes, it's 80 degrees with a high of 90. WTF?! I know that we've all been criticizing the temperature, but I feel that we should continue to complain until the weather gives us reason to celebrate.

I recently watched Death Proof which is one half of the Grindhouse double feature. Planet Terror is due out October 14th or 16th I think. Though I am an avid Tarantino fan, I could not help but be immediately exhausted by the inconsequential, meaningless banter that takes place among his characters. It's supposed to be hyper-realistic but in actuality, it quite the opposite and sickeningly contrived. I know that it's his signature just like his unnatural love and use of the 'n' word, but movie after movie, you'd think that he would get a little better at it. On the upside, I loved the movie despite my impatient nature. Rosario Dawson can do whatever she wants, and Kurt Russel totally floats my boat in this one. I love the campiness of it all.

Stuntman Mike: "Do I frighten you?"
(Arlene Nods)
Stuntman Mike: "Is it my scar?"
Arlene (Butterfly): "Its your car."

On another note, my couch made it through my window on Sunday night. My mom helped by taking pictures with a disposable camera that was left over from her wedding. Pictures to come. I now have a microwave but only for popping popcorn and the occasional Easy Mac because I don't really believe in microwaves. I also have a television stand but no TV. I'm slowly moving into the twentieth century.

Other than that, Operation Halloween Costume Manifestation has got to be underway by this weekend or else I fear that I'll run out of time. I know that some of you are spoil sports about adult costuming (Caleb), but I defy adulthood whenever possible. You just need to come up with a good idea. Later.

I don't understand what's happening

2007-09-26T19:08:00.000-05:00

9-26-07 10:00pm
At work

I figured I should update because, well, I don't know...updates are just nice. To begin with, my mom and Mel finally got hitched on Saturday. It was great and the most fun I've ever had at a reception before. I danced nearly every single song with my mom and my cousins at my side. Mom made/bought too much snacky things, cakes, and cookies, and now her house is overrun with munchies. I'll bring some next time I visit. Right now she's out of town with Mel on their honeymoon. Awww. And last I heard she was sitting next to Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend about to see a show of some sort. That's exciting! She got Doogie's autograph after he had congratulated the two of them.

I've officially been working doubles for three days now and have two more to go. If I wouldn't squander my money on yard sales, red wine, and trips to Chicago, I could probably not have to work as much, but where's the fun in that?

9-27-07 10:00 a.m.
At work

Do you ever go out and eventually think, "I can have one more," and the next thing you know, you're at work, it's daytime, and you're supposed to be everyone's boss but you're still kind of drunk? No? Maybe that's just me right now.

I Loooove Surprises

2007-09-20T19:31:00.000-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago, I was out garage saling with my Beth and I came accross a cheap VCR as is to be expected at these sorts of things. I went ahead and bought it, but it had been sitting on my living room floor until the other day when I had an urge to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze. To my surprise, there was already a tape in the VCR. . . It was porn.

In case you can't read my blurry picture, you are looking at "The Complete Guide to Sexual Positions" from the Encyclopedia of Ecstasy. It's part of the Sexual Enrichment Series. So, at least it's educational, really really educational. There'a an index, and everything is separated into "chapters." Let me know if want a copy.

Sha-Boom Sha-Boom

2007-09-16T16:29:00.000-05:00

Hey, Gang. Sorry about the delayed blog posting as usual, but I'm a busy girl. Just a short update. . .My Grandpa Mac is doing much better and is out of the hospital and in much better spirits. We all went to their house on Sunday, which felt good to be able to do again, and I read The Beauty and the Beast to Ella and Layla. This inspired them to do their best beast impressions. Ella was really into it.

Layla, as usual, was a little less ferocious.

My trip to Chicago was too short but very sweet as is to be expected. I couldn't have picked a better host, weather, music, and overall company for my short stay. It was great to finally see Jay, and I love his new hairstyle. Here's a familiar scene. . .

And this is how tall Colin seems when I stand right next to him.

But I didn't take any morning time pictures of Colin because that's mean. The Burlington was very dark and tiny and wonderful. I felt very hip sitting on their tiny tables/benches. I also liked the look the bartender gave me when I ordered a double shot of whiskey. That's really the only reason I drink it anyway is to see what people's reactions are (not really; it's delicious). It's especially delicious when folllowed by Red Ribbons at ?:30 in the morning. We did see the bassist for Wilco, but I wanted to set the record straight by saying that it was my idea for Colin to play the air-bass and stand right in front John Stirratt and his child's stroller so that he had no way to escape. Colin just wanted to ask what time the "doors opened."

I also got to see Cassie when she delivered a giant box of worms to Jay and Colin's household. What a weird job the three of you have. Then we went to her apartment and tried to spot cockaroaches, but their were none to be found. (Sad Face)

So I scored a sweet set of headphones, a rockin' autumnal mix compliments of Colin, and a couple of books, one of which I have completed. Only two of those three things will be returned. Other than that, my bowling leg healed up just in time to ride my bike to work on Friday morning while wearing my newly-acquired headphones to listen to my new cd. Now it's hot again, and I'm quite upset about it, but I have a light for my bike now, so I can be all nocturnal.

Later, Gators.

The Mashed Potato Diet

2007-09-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

Man, I've been busy. Unfortunately, I haven't been busy doing very interesting things. The hottest topic I have to speak about is my Grandpa Mac. He had a heart attack last Saturday, but he's alright and going to be out of the hospital in a few days, but it scared the crap out of me because Grandma Mac isn't in the best shape these days and he's supposed to be taking care of her. After visiting him on Wednesday, I drove my cousin back to her house and drank and traded memories with her and my aunt and uncle which is always a good time.

Other than that, I've just been workin' for a living. I've been renting the HBO series Rome for about a month now. It's quite good, but I have a hard time watching it often because it really emotionally wears on me how much everybody's lives suck in that show. There's somebody dying or killing someone, or sleeping with their brother, or losing everything they own, or being raped, or being conquered, or being exiled, or thinking that they're a god, or being tortured, or committing honorable suicide. It's a lot to deal with. Plus the only thing that Romans eat is bread apparently. I don't know how they survived on such nutritionally deficient diets. It's still a really well-made show. Superbad was good too. I don't know what coaxed me to rent it, but The Number 23 is possibly the worst movie ever. I think they tried to work in some sort of M. Night Shyamalan ending. They even had this red wall in the movie that they did everything they could to draw attention to like in the Sixth Sense but only everything was poorly executed. Schumacher is way too hit or miss. But everyone should see Factory Girl. It was worth it for me just to see Hayden Christensen do an impersonation of Bob Dylan. Not bad at all.

I actually do have a mildly decent story. . .
My mother is getting married on the 22nd. A little over a month and a half ago she sat down with my two future stepsisters to explain to them that the wedding is going to be pretty informal and to pick out something that you would wear to church on a Sunday. The girls immediately went out and bought matching, deep red, floor-length, beaded, halter top, formal gowns with matching wraps from a local bridal store. After politely trying to explain to them that no one is going to be dressed that formally, not even my mother and Mel, they insisted on keeping the dresses. This has caused a great deal of stress for both my mother and Mel and Mel's family too who have called my mom to apologize for his daughters' behavior because they're going to embarrass themselves. I bought my dress at Target.

The really interesting part of this tale is that my mom e-mailed the Dr. Phil show just to get advice about the situation. They called her back two hours later insisting that she actually come to the show and appear on television with all of us. Mom declined. Two days ago another woman from the Dr. Phil show who knew nothing of the first call that my mom received, called my mother asking if she would like to be on television for a show on etiquette. Unfortunately, we're still not going. I was kind of excited, but Mom said that the girls would be "exposed" and would never forgive her. Still it's funny. I would have figured that it would take months for the show to even get around to an e-mail, but apparently, if it's juicy enough, it only takes two hours.

Other than that, I've been accompanying Matt to a lot of bike races. It's more fun than I ever expected it to be. Here's a picture from the Gateway Cup that I took last Friday. It was a neat race, and by the time Matt's race was on, it was dark. This is everyone lining up.

See you soon, Chicago!

Picture Blog Part 2 of 2: My Apartment

2007-08-27T17:04:00.000-05:00

Here are a few shots of my new place that I'm in love with right now. Let the tour begin...

This is the area where I keep my wine and other spirits. If you look closely, you can see my reflection in my "Ride Bikes" picture.

This is a view of my living room

Beth left me this in my mailbox when I first moved in. It now graces the door of my refrigerator. (It's Madonna circa "Papa Don't Preach"

holding her boobs)

This is a picture of my bookcase. This will be one of the first things you see as you come in my front door when you visit me.

This is the old gumball machine that I have usurped from my mother. It's still empty, but soon I will fill it with gumballs and they'll only cost a penny!

This is the picture that I had to hang to cover the pre-existing hole in my closet door. (Sorry, Colin. No cross-stitched bird picture needed)

This is my tiny and perfect kitchen. I have next to no counter space, so I bought the biggest cutting board I could find to set over my tiny sink. I haven't cooked a thing yet except for some Top Ramen of course.

This is a better view of my living room. Notice that I only have a love seat. That window to the right will eventually grant the rest of my couch passage into the room.

In addition to what I've shown you, I do have a bedroom and a bathroom. I also have these great little closets everywhere. I think that I'm not going to use a couple of them for storage, but instead decorate them because they look so rad on their own. I'll post pictures Later.

I Am Still Alive

2007-08-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

An even newer post than this is soon to come. Didn't mean to ignore you all.

(Welcome back, Jay!)

Picture Blog Part 1 of 2: Jazz Fest Finale

2007-08-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

Alright, so I often, at least weekly, talk about this Jazz Fest that I go to every Wednesday. I've been attending this function since I was in high school I think. It's actually called the Whitaker Music Festival and is held in Missouri Botanical Gardens. So every week we pack up a gourmet feast or simple cheeses, fruits, and crackers, and delicious spirits of many sorts and lay around listening to music. Here are some pictures of the last Jazz Fest of the summer.

We enjoyed a simpler feast this week due to the heat and not wanting to carry in a heavy load.

This is my friend, Shawn, who has wonderful tattoos everywhere and grows things in his garden. He contributes Flaming Hillbillies, Yellow Zebras, and Black Cherries (which are all types of tomatoes that he's grown), and the best cantaloupe I've ever had in my life.

This is Matt trying to act aloof while he eats apples that Beth brought.

This is the quilt that we sit on that my grandmother made out of scraps of the clothes that she would make for my mom and my aunt and uncles.

And this is Beth, of course. Most of you have met her, and she is always in attendance and by my side despite major heat advisories in the area.

This is our view from our personally designated "spot." It's in the rose garden portion where there's this long, trough-like fountain. A little further out is a larger fountain that splashes water out onto the concrete and the little kids frolic around in it the whole time. We can't even see the stage where we sit, but there are speakers nearby, so the music ads to the ambiance of the whole night.

You all my not have any interest in all of this, but if you ever came to visit in the summer, this is one of the many cool things to do. It's the only thing I really look forward to in the summer besides sand volleyball. I hate summer weather and I have the fair skin to prove it. I'm hibernating until autumn. I'm taking pictures of my apartment tomorrow, so stay tuned. I know that you can hardly wait.

Motorcars, Handlebars, Bicycles for Two

2007-08-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday has arrived so very quickly. I'm at work (of course) and waiting for the night to end. Luckily it's been pretty slow for our "busiest night of the week" which is probably a good thing considering that all of our owners and our General Manager are in Aruba. It's up to me to keep this ship afloat, although I think that it would be fun to see it sink sometimes.

I finally got my keys! It seems like it has taken forever, but they're mine. Colin was the first to see the keys via cell phone picture. I moved a single carload in today which consisted mainly of couch cushions, belts, and some clothes that I had forgotten about until I stuffed them into my trunk and then threw them on the living room floor. All I want to do is decorate, but I figure that before I start hanging pictures and setting up vases, I should probably at least move in my toothbrush. Hopefully I'll have some help moving stuff in tomorrow and then I can post pictures.

Here are my keys before the new addition.

Here are my new keys. (Yes, that is a paperclip holding them)

Last night I was wearing my sneakers. I work so much that I usually walk all day in high heels and then by the time I get home, I go to bed. My sneakers felt so good last night that I felt like I could do anything. I was hopping off of curbs and lightly jogging from front door to my car and stuff. I wanted to do some extreme walking like when those guys do flips off of walls and put metal plates on the bottom of their shoes so they can grind on railings as if they were on skateboards but it's just their feet! I'll stop now. But do you ever feel like there's something on the bottom of your shoe, and you go to look to see what's on the bottom of your shoe, but it's just your shoe feeling weird for a second? (That also happens when I wear sneakers)

I have great news for all of you Chica-goers who miss me all of the time. I'll be in town September 11th through the 13th. It's a brief stay, but I'm coming in for the Wilco show. Hopefully you can pencil me in on one of the two nights I'll be there. I would love to attend one of your many games if they're still going on at that time. Otherwise, we'll find some other mischief to get into to because I miss you guys all of the time too. Leave the light on; I'll find my way.

Jealousy: Take 1

2007-07-29T23:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I was approached at work by a young man in college who requested to use my restaurant's patio as a location for a movie he's shooting with some buddies. I didn't ask many questions other than "How long is this going to take?" Right now they're all set up and doing their takes and whatnot, but I have to say that I'm impressed. They have some nice equipment that they've purchased themselves, including a couple lights with those white umbrellas in front of them and a very nice boom. I can't hear what they're saying out there, but the name of their movie is "Jealousy" (Sends chills down your spine, doesn't it?). I've asked nothing in return, but will ask to be remembered when this kid, Brent, becomes famous. I think it's only fair. One of the cool things about this is how these kids are being so respectful and are really worried about my end of the deal because I'm like the boss of the restaurant to them. In actuality, I think that they're cool and don't really care what they do.

On another note, I was swindled by the DMV on Friday. Somehow I went in there to renew my license plates and change over the title to my car. I left feeling $270 lighter and a bit shaken (I had a melt down) considering that I'm going to have to write a sizable rent check next week. Pay day, come soon! The DMV can go to hell. Jesse White will be receiving a strongly worded letter if I ever get around to it.

So right now, I'm sitting in an empty, darkened restaurant. This is actually my favorite part of work. With the exception of the movie set outside, no one can come in, no one is asking me for anything, and nothing belongs to me. I could stay here until three and no one would be the wiser. It's kind of like when teenagers get trapped in a mall in those television shows except I don't have a cute boy to kiss for the first time. Plus, it still kind of smells like spaghetti in here. Oh well.

Feels like the end of the world this Sunday night.
Later, Gators.

Christmas in July

2007-07-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, in the blistering heat and humidity, I was surprised to enter my sauna-like vehicle to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman." One of the local radio stations was playing Christmas carols all day yesterday, and, I have to admit, I listened to them every opportunity I got. Feliz Navidad! Also, while I was away, my future stepfather discovered that my brake line was leaking. I automatically assumed that some kind of assassin was out to get me, but I was soon assured that it was from rust. I would have never made it to the city had I driven, and I wish never to be stranded again.

Coming back home was a bitter-sweet sort of feeling. I've been in a much better mood since my recent trip especially at work. Nothing seems to get to me, which is a huge stress reducer. On Tuesday, I was thrilled to receive a phone call from my soon-to-be-landlady about my apartment. She's having the carpets cleaned on Tuesday, and it sounds like I can move in later next week. I'll take pictures as soon as I get the key. She keeps calling me Marsha.

So, I was going to finish telling everyone about the remainder of my stay in the city, but Colin has successfully and eloquently accomplished this feat. I'll spare you my re-telling, but I had just as much fun as Colin did and was lucky enough to get some great tunes from him for the long train ride back to Edwardsville. Plus I am now more than just acquaintances with Colin's roommate, Ryan; we're MySpace friends.

I had a dream last night that I was in some sort of living room with my Mom and Dad, and my dad was trying to sleep but kept waking up. He thought it was because the computer was too loud, but we tried to tell him that it was the television that was keeping him up. Then he started yelling at me and told me to answer the television. You know, like when a commercial says something like "When was the last time you checked your oil?" In my dream, my dad couldn't understand why we weren't answering. I should have just said "3 months or 3,000 miles." Funny. Weird. I think I'm going to start a dream journal. I had a dream about Rosie O'Donnell a little while ago and her name was Soup, Dr. Soup.

Later.

Chi-Town Picture Blog (Mainly for my Mother)

2007-07-22T10:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been traipsing around the city for a few days now, five to be exact. I'm currently sitting in Colin's apartment watching some kind of Jeff Tweedy DVD that's wonderful while he drops off Hunka Dorski to a Cubs game. I'll try to start from the beginning. Tuesday afternoon I got into town and just relaxed a bit at Janice's after an uncomfortable train ride before meeting up with Colin and Lily to babysit the two of them while Angela enjoyed some well-deserved R&R at a spa with a friend and Oliver returned from California where he had purchased a VW camper. Janice met up with us after her victorious soccer game, and we headed home after a beer or two, calling it an early night.

Wednesday was begun with my sleeping in until it was time to meet up with Colin for some lunch at Streetside where the both of us were joined by Nate who only enhanced the rest of the wonderful day. After lunch, we paced the grocery store aisles trying to figure out how to bring a bottle of Jack Daniels into a Decemberists concert at Millennium Part. The answer was individual liters of cola and water bottles filled with whiskey. After a brief stop at the Gap Outlet so Nate could purchase and impromptu pair of pants and I some new shoes, we gathered our belongings at Colin's and headed to the Park via the el. (This whole time, I would like to mention, the humidity is about 85% and we're all beautifully drenched in sweat) We got to the concert where we met up with Janice, the Horn sisters, Simone and her sister, and a couple of other people. Thousands turned out for the show and the crowd was on its feet by the end despite the humidity, the lightening show above the city, and the rain that soon followed. We headed for the train once the show was over, missed the torrential downpour while racing along the tracks, and only caught the tail-end of the worst before stomping through puddles on the way back to Colin's. Once there, we drank beers while the power was sort of out, ate delicious food thanks to Ryan, attempted a board game, played darts, and squeezed every second from Chicago that we could manage that night/morning. Thursday was recovery day that started off with lunch with Janice, a day of rest with Days of Our Lives, and brought to a close with a tapas dinner with Janice, Chris Martin, and Matt Thompson where I ate a questionable mussel and paid for it at about 3am. I'll post about the rest later because that would make for a long blog if I didn't break it up a bit. Friday and Saturday were pretty eventful as well, and Sunday is on its way. Here are the pictures thus far.

This is a dramatic shot of Nate and Colin at the pub.

This is Nate and Colin after we finally began our trek to the show.

The view from the fantastic show.

Picture Blog

2007-07-16T23:34:00.000-05:00

Although I will be seeing a couple of you in just mere hours, I figured I would try to squeeze in a quick picture blog. On July 4th I scored tickets to the Card's game and was accompanied by Matt who bought a new hat and we then sat on a closed-down bridge to watch the fireworks after the Cardinal victory.

Yesterday, after visiting my ex-roommate, Shirley in Springfield the night before and drinking an inappropriate amount of Absolut Ruby Red in her new apartment, I spent the majority of the of the day at Ella's 4th birthday party. There was a small pool and a Slip n' Slide which a couple of the adults took advantage of as well as the kids. Ella got a lot of cool stuff but loved the "Happy Birthday" sunglasses that my family bought for her the most. Here's a picture of her in all of her glory yesterday.

So while Ella showed off her new things, Layla, her two-year-old sister who firmly believed that it was actually her birthday, minded her own business in the pool.

I'll see you tomorrow, Chicago. Still gotta pack.

I Hate the Train, but. . .

2007-07-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

My Train ticket has been purchased. I should arrive in the Chicagoland area around 12:30 on the 17th. I expect a small gathering to welcome me at the train station with balloons and cheering. You know, nothing too showy.

Did Everything Just Taste Purple?

2007-07-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

I have finally finished moving for this month at least. Yesterday was a marathon move that I made from my apartment to my Mom's house with the help of my mother and my Mel. This was all begun around noon, and believe it or not, was finished by the time I had to bartend at 3:30. I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty impressive. On the down side, I have this knot in my neck that I believe is pinching some sort of hand nerve because when I lie down to sleep, my hand goes numb. While some of you may refer to this phenomenon as "The Stranger," I am becoming quickly annoyed and mildly concerned about the condition my condition is in.

I will be staying with my mom until my new apartment becomes available. It's a one bedroom apartment in the attic of an old house that has been made into an insurance office. It's perfect and wonderful, and I'm excited to be finally living on my own for the first time ever. We had a going away party last Saturday to say "Farewell" to the old apt. and to Shirley who has moved to Springfield to become a teacher. I miss her. She and I became even closer friends after having lived together, and although she's gone, she's only an hour or so away so the visits will be frequent.

So, I once again find myself in my old bedroom with memories of when I had first moved in after the parental split. It's not half bad at all even though my shit is all over the place. I have a lot of clothes. I would like to post a picture blog of all that I have been doing, but most of those pictures are Polaroids, and I'm going to have to wait until my computer is up and running again to scan them in. On another note, I went to Grandma Mac's today as usual, but this time she cooked a delicious breakfast casserole. It was cheesey eggy sausagey goodness. Ella wore my shoes to go with her "vacation skirt" that she got to wear for being good in church.

I'll see you on the 17th, Chicago.

P.S.- 1408 starring John Cusak is scary.

Have You Seen Me Lately: Picture Blog

2007-06-10T22:06:00.001-05:00

I don't know what I've been doing or where I've been for about three weeks. Wait...yes I do. My father got hitched to a very nice lady. The ceremony was small and was held in her mother's living room and then followed by an Italian dinner. I spilled champagne on my dad and myself before the day was over, but the day was good. The next morning, I rose to accompany Matt to a bike race in Iowa. He raced this course called Snake Alley. Here's a picture that I took from the top of the race. It goes almost straight down and is a brick alley. And yes, he had to ride up the alley, not down.

The following weekend, my sister graduated. We all piled into the car and then sat on bleachers while we listened to the Superintendent drone on about stuff and listened to them call all 570 names. She crossed the stage with much grace, which I was worried about because earlier in the day I had forced her to buy and wear these wedge heels that I was sure would cause her to topple. She didn't. And she came out smilin'.

The next day, we had a party for her at my mom's house where we drank all afternoon, ate potato salad, and played Washers (a Southern version of Bags but not as much fun). The night was capped off with a water balloon fight between Carly and her friends and a much needed nap.
I also went to a Cardinal's game a couple of weeks ago. It was the first game I had been to the new stadium. I had a lovely hot dog and cheered on the team and am happy to report that the Cards actually pulled out a win. I do have to say that the view is much more impressive than the last stadium. Here's my proof:

My tiny roommate decided to move out on a whim so now I have no roommate to room with this next year as of right now. The stress of apartment, finances, school, and work has left me sleepless many a night, but I've been able to invest some time in revisiting some of my records from the days of old. I've also taken up cooking nearly gourmet meals. Last Wednesday was the beginning of Jazz Fest so I went all out as usual but will hold back this coming week and settle for some sandwiches and potato chips and maybe a couple o' brewskies. Following Jazz Fest, I stopped into Stagger for a few and was delighted to see Tim Robbins walk through the door. He ordered a drink and promptly fetched his guitar and proceeded to jam with some of my buds for open mic night. He's not bad at all. He's shooting a movie that is set in Denver, but they are using a local music shop in Edwardsville for one of the scenes with Rachel McAdams. Stagger has become a hot spot for celebs. I don't know if you can recall, but this is my second star sighting that is if you want to count Nick Carter as a celeb. Tim Robbins definitely qualifies and has a pleasant singing voice.

OMG! INBD!

2007-05-21T15:50:00.000-05:00

Tadaa! I've decided to commence posting. Since I last posted this is what has happened...not much. I passed all of my classes. I attended my future stepmother's bridal shower. I attended a random wedding this past Saturday, and I will be attending my father's this Friday. Other than that, I've been working and apartment hunting. My tiny, Mexican roommate has been doing very little of either, which makes me wonder that if I do, in fact, find an apartment, that she'll be able to pay the rent. Her track record isn't looking so good thus far.
On another note, I gave up trying to grow my hair out again. After seeing Megan's hair, I realized that I wouldn't be able to top it and promptly lopped off my hair again. Somehow, because of the haircut, my clothes make more sense now.

I had a dream the other night as I oft' do on many a night, but this one was unique. . .

I am running from Indians (Native Americans) and end up swimming underwater in a river to get away from them. I am swimming with three other people. Two gentlemen whom I don't recognize because I can't see their faces and Debra Messing (Grace Adler from Will and Grace). The gentleman swimming in front of me is wearing a nice pair of suit pants complete with Italian leather shoes and a simple, button-down, white, collared shirt. Even though I have the distinct feeling that this person is my friend, I don't hesitate to use him as a human shield in order to block the arrows that are coming at us through the water. NEXT SCENE: Debra Messing is being interviewed about the attack and showing the home viewers the arrows that are stuck in her left side. She carefully removes them and then goes on to plug a new type of Band-Aid that is manufactured from daisies. She puts the bandages inside of her open wounds and outside as well to seal them. "They're 100% organic!"

The dream went on into more unrelated incidents, one which involved my playing catch with and ear of corn with an ear of corn (think about it). I was sure to write this one down because I always wake up in the middle of the night and think "How could I possibly forget that one?!" and then promptly go back to sleep and forget.

Well, Cardinal's game tomorrow. Dad's wedding Friday. Bike ride in about ten minutes. Meet and Greet long lost friend around nine. Apartment get-together around eleven. And right now my small Mexicana is practicing salsa dancing in her room in anticipation of her date with the pothead across the hall named Cliff. I don't know what I'm getting myself into.

The Bee's Knees

2007-05-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm attempting to work on my poetry book review that's due tomorrow by noon sharp. I went to Borders a few weeks ago to pick out a book of poetry from one of our contemporaries and was delighted to discover Stuart Dybek gracing the shelves. I read a couple of his poems and ended up getting two different collections, one of which is called Streets in Their Own Ink. Once I got home and began to read the poems more closely I realized that they are all set in the city of Chicago and are reflective of Dybek's Polish Catholic upbringing. His language is very fresh and gritty. I would like to suggest checking out some of his stuff if you're interested poetry. He also writes short stories too for those of you not deep enough to "get it." (Was that sarcasm or condescension?)

My sister's prom went off without a hitch as far as I know. I think her hair do lost it's curl by the end of the night, but Carly's easy breezy personality didn't care much. It's funny how her milestones become mine. Here's a couple of shots from her photo shoot at my Grandma Mac's house. Her date had a mustache, so while I've avoided including any shots of him, I've now annoyingly piqued your curiosity as to what he looked like.

The publication finally came out with my poem in it. There's a typo. Unfortunately I can not blame The Riverbluff Review for, alas, is was my own fault. Bygones. I had to read it in this ridiculously large ballroom that was only holding about thirty people, so it seemed like even more of a joke than what I had originally pictured. There was dried-out cake and some type of red drink in a punch bowl, both of which I avoided ingesting and instead opted for a post poem Frappucino with Beth. A couple people got a little carried away with their readings; it turns out that it was the people from the local bands who got most carried away and took advantage of their being comfortable in front of an audience and a microphone.

My Grandpa Mac insisted that I need a "keeper." This was said in regards to my car, a man, and a job after observing the condition of my Taurus, having never met Matt, and his questioning my devotion to my current place of employment. The only response was made by my mother, and she said "Dad, she has a boyfriend!" Thanks, Ma. Visits to my grandparents' house are getting better by the week. They bicker and pick on us more than ever from the comfort of their twin recliners, and their dialogue is television worthy, I assure you. I might have to secretly record them one day. My favorite thing is when my grandma tries to give us tips on how to fix our computers when, in fact, she has never touched one in her life, I'm pretty sure.

Also, have we all been paying attention to the honeybee crisis? The bees are apparently disappearing because of cell phone towers. This is adversely affecting the environment because of the lack of pollination that is usually carried out by the busy bees. But here's the thing, I had a bee sit on my windshield all the way from campus to my house. It hitched a ride all the way to Sheridan Ave. and took off. So all I'm saying is if there is this great shortage in bees, then why was there one chilin' on my windshield. Think about it. Myth busted in my opinion. The media is filling our heads with lies. Here's my proof:

P.S.- That clip of that polar bear straddling a bull walrus didn't really help your gay case any, Caleb.

Given that our blood is just like the Atlantic...

2007-04-23T18:34:00.000-05:00

So, I've been trying to write and need some ideas, my beautiful and brilliant friends. So, go ahead and swallow a bottle. Okay, here's what you look like now:

Alright, so what's in your bottle? I've made a diagram of my bottle, it's exact measurements, and some of its contents because I thought it only fair that I show you mine if I'm going to have the nerve to ask you to show me yours.

Finals are kicking my ass. I have so many papers due, and I really don't need to be focusing on my poetry class so much, but that's all I can think about when I'm supposed to be thinking about and completing other things of importance. The release party for the literary journal I am being published in is on Thursday, the one day this week that I absolutely cannot afford to waste time. I'll be there for the free food with Beth in tow. The day before that is a photography exhibit of my friend Pete. I will also be there for the free food with Beth in tow. My sister turns 18 Thursday as well (menacing music of some sort) and then it's her Senior Prom on Saturday (awww).

So on to the world of academia. It would really help if I had my lap top back, working and ready to be taken advantage of--English style. I will most likely have to go to my Mom's house and take advantage of her PC, which will actually be better because then I can burn some cds while I'm procrastinating. If I get through this week alive, I'll be visiting the Windy City very soon.

Cross-Eyed Strangers

2007-04-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

So, I got to see the Decemberists in almost all of their glory on Saturday. It was a very chill concert. It was sold out, but we still managed to find good places to stand, and there was no smoking, so I didn't smell like an ashtray until after I left the bar that we went to after the show. They didn't play all of the songs that I wanted to hear the most with the exception of Red Right Ankle. I wanted to hear a little July July, Los Angeles...maybe a little Billy Liar, but I am living in the past. The Crane Wife is a pretty solid album. They did sound great, though, and dressed to the nines with bowler hats and ascots and what-not. The set was pretty haunting as well, and they even fashioned a giant whale out of cloth and cardboard (from what I could tell) that came out during one of the songs and "ate" the band.

I returned to E-ville afterward to retrieve a missing scarf that had been ditched at an impromptu funk dance party over the winter. It's good to have her back. And yesterday, I spent the day with my Mom and kid sister shopping for funky odds and ends at Good Will and finishing the afternoon with Frisco Melts and Raspberry shakes at Steak n' Shake. Hopefully my father completed my taxes during this expedition.

Randoms:

1. I recently received my second copies of Give Up and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and am suddenly living in 2003 again.

2. The last weeks of school are coming up. I have to complete two 2-page papers, one 5-6 page paper, two 10-page papers, and one poem. I'm a little stressed yet have not begun any of them.

3. I danced to Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" upon retrieval of my scarf on Saturday.

4. My tiny roommate woke me and Shirley up at 6 in the morning on Sunday by running up and down the hall and giggling while intoxicated. I did not handle it very well. Kids.

5. Did anyone watch Planet Earth last night? Fresh water dolphins are maybe the coolest things almost ever.

6. Caleb, they're starting to play Home Movies on Adult Swim again!

7. My bicycle is fixed, aired up, and ready for take off thanks to my handy dandy cyclist and bike-repairing boyfriend.

8. I think I'm going to have to spend the rest of the day making egg salad, deviled eggs, and Cobb Salads in order to effectively utilized all of the hard-boiled, colored eggs in my refrigerator.

9. I've been playing with Legos lately.

10. Congrats, Jay. I'm super stoked for you, your graduating, and your trip. You completely deserve all of it. Way to go, kid.

Later Gators.

Easter Grass and Deviled Eggs

2007-04-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

Alright. Here's the thing about Easter. I don't really care for it much compared to almost all of the other holidays. The only pure joy besides lots and lots of chocolate that Easter brings me is Egg-Dying Day. I've always loved the activity and never let my age or level of maturity interfere with the pure enjoyment of dying Easter eggs. My last year in Chicago, Janice met me at my apartment. We went and bought a six pack of Coronas and dyed Easter eggs while watching a campy eighties movie. It is one of my most favorite memories. Other than my stint up in Chi-Town, ever since I've been alive, I've gone to my Grandma Mac's house the day before Easter to dye eggs, and thanks to my cousin Katie, we now have babies that are the perfect age for perfect and manageable egg dying activities. I know that I frequently talk about them, but Ella age 3, and Layla age 2 were splendidly mesmerized by the whole tradition and the little bendy metal things that you use to drop the eggs in the colors. Ella was ecstatic about the whole process....

While Layla had her moments. . .

Eventually, they both had their own egg triumphs. Ella placed a Cinderella sticker on the egg and exclaimed, "Why is this so. . .PERFECT?!" (Actual quote)

And Layla warmed up to the camera and her new green egg.

The day was perfect and sweet, and by the time I had to go to work, my hands were covered in a rainbow of the joys the day had brought. Easter Sunday, I went to church with my mom, Mel, and my kid sister where the priest compared grace to electricity and urged us to avoid "power outages" like the ones we experienced this past summer and winter. I promptly went to work after receiving a ridiculously wonderful amount of tasty treats, fresh tulips, and a funky new jacket that my mom picked out. She did right by me with regards to my style and her being awesome in general. That night, I went to see 300, "For Sparta!" I liked it. I am now anxious to go see Grindhouse for I hear that it is fantastic.

I also went to the record store and picked up some second hand hits. Erasure's top 20 hits, the first New Pornographers album, and Sondre Lerche and the Faces Down Quartet: Duper Sessions. Colin, you're going to have to get that last one. So I hope you all had a great holiday and have at least one chocolate rabbit to show for it or maybe a peep or two. He has risen!

So now I have to write a character analysis based on a character in The Boondocks for my African American literature class. Woot.

And for my finale. Have you all seen the Starburst commercial for the new Berries and Cream? If you have, I suggest that you revel in this full-length version and laugh until you cry or cry because it's so creepy.

And thank God that we know the father of Anna Nicole's baby, right? I've been losing sleep over it.

Not Really.

Absolutely Necessary Music Review

2007-04-02T16:36:00.001-05:00

So, I was at the record store the other day to pick up some records that I have been late to getting. I will list them and my level of liking them.

1) Damien Rice 9 = solid
I sat on my bed and thought I was happy, but then I became blissfully melancholy and changed my positioning on the bed so my feet were where my head usually lies and my head was somewhere hanging off the edge.

2) Arcade Fire Neon Bible = alright
As a die-hard fan of Funeral, I just can't see how they're going to be able to make an album that surpasses it or write a song better than "Tunnels." Colin, did you already mention obvious influence of The Boss on this album? Because I can hear it.

3) The Last Kiss Soundtrack = sweet
Though this soundtrack is packed with sweet folksongs and other indie treasures, it doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor, Garden State . I can only blame Zach Braff for this one. He's taken songs off of the same Remy Zero album that he utilized in Garden State and has succeeded in tapping into When the Pawn, Fiona Apple's sophomore album. She has a new one now called Extraordinary Machine that would have been a wiser choice. I will say that Rufus Wainright's "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" is the gem of the collection.

4) Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank = Wowie Zowie
This album gives me the feelings. I think that though this one has a lot of catchy, poppy tunes like Good News had, it still can satisfy the purest of Mouse fans who have been with them since The Moon & Antarctica.

5) Wilco Sky Blue Sky = available for pre-order Amazon.com
I can't seem to get my hands on this one yet. Next time, Gadget...Next time.

There you have it, and there you are. I just had to order Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Give Up because I've either lost my copies or played them to the point of disintegration. Either way, neither of them is anywhere to be found. My gentleman friend, Matt, has recently expressed an interest in getting to know, listen, and understand my music. And though I will make no attempt to listen to his music, I am greatly excited to make up some sort of starter pack for him. If anyone has any suggestions as to which bands would be the best to ease a person into our own tasteful musical stylings, I'm open to suggestions. Now I'm going to go express myself via poetry written in iambic pentameter because my teacher is making me. If it doesn't end up sucking, I'll post it on Dancing Louder, but there's no guarantee that it won't suck. I refuse to make it rhyme. Take that, Robert Frost.
Later gators.

Martha My Dear

2007-03-27T14:13:00.000-05:00

Alright, so last week I found out that my father has decided to get engaged to his lady friend, Lisa. Their union will take place at a courthouse two months from yesterday which will be followed by some sort of classy dinner. Times, they are a changin'.

Sunday I went to my father's house for breakfast and then to my Grandma and Grandpa Mac's house as is my Sunday routine; sometimes I even manage to squeeze in some church time. Our conversation in the living room evolved into talk of religion (as it often does) because my mother mentioned that neither my mother or father is considered to be Catholic in the church's eyes because of their divorce, and the fact that they are both remarrying is the equivalent to adultery. I insisted that if the two of them are already going to burn in the fiery pits of hell, then they might as well yuck it up while they're here, right? Anyway, my mother also voiced her concern about the fact that she doesn't believe that our generation has a solid foundation of religious beliefs. I agreed and then blamed her generation for creating a generation of skeptics and then insisted that our belief system is founded on rock n' roll. This last retort caused my Grandpa Mac to look at the floor and giggle while he wiggled his feet back and forth.

I think my grandparents get a kick out of me because they think that I'm some sort of alien. But they know that I have a good head on my shoulders and are proud of me, but my grandma has made it quite clear that she doesn't like when I make my hair look like "I put my finger in a light socket." We eventually made our way outside to the magnolia tree in their front yard. It's beautiful and looks like it's snowing when the wind blows. Like many typical old people, my grandma tries to find joy in this blessed event but can't help but fret over the fragility of the petals and how short a time it all lasts. I tell her not to worry and that we'll just have to wait until next year to see it again.

Martha McPeak

Thursday, I went to the University City Loop which is a trendy part of the city. It's full of hipsters and thrift stores and expensive restaurants; it's also full of jazz and culture and interesting people walking unusual dogs, which makes it a hot spot for this novice writer and her talented painting counterpart. Beth and I feasted on wine and cheese and talked at length about dreams and dreaming and our kid sisters and boys and shoes and music. Unfortunately, as we were compiling a list of albums to purchase from Vintage Vinyl, it closed for the evening, and our musical desires had to go unfulfilled for yet another night. Still, the weather was perfect for outside dining and our newly-trained waitress was hilarious. We topped the night off at a wine bar.

Does anyone know if that's actually Clarie Dane's boyfriend dancing around with her in The Gap commercial for the Boyfriend Trouser? I can't help but watch that commercial whenever it comes on. I really want those pants. Enjoy the Spring. It's been a long December, and I think we deserve some tulips and whatnot. I'm going to go find my flip flops.

Blarney

2007-03-18T21:25:00.000-05:00

So St. Patrick's Day was awesome at this end of Illinois. I went to the Stagger Inn and feasted on corned beef on marble rye with my best friend, Beth. We sat and drank and had not one, but three luck o' the Irish moments. First of all, they accidentally made us one round too many, so we got free drinks there, then my Mom and Mel showed up and he insisted on paying our lunch and bar tab. Then they accidentally over poured a Jameson once we had bellied up to the bar, so another free drink was to be had by myself. The old Irish eccentric was playing Irish folktales as I had anticipated, as well. I stayed until the minute I had to go to work and managed to get an old dentist at Stagger to write me a doctor's note stating that I wouldn't be able to work due to "debilitating gingavitus." But then we both figured that since the note was written on a beer coaster, my boss probably wouldn't buy it. After the six hour interruption of work, I proceeded to meet up with some friends again and went and danced the night away at Stagger, once again, and then an impromptu dance party insued at my buddy, Mikey's house.

My friend Pat accompanied me for part of the day and the remainder of the evening. Here are pictures of him during and after his Guiness. The pictures are a little dark, but you get the point.

And here's a picture of my favorite bar ever.

My holiday weekend was topped off at my Grandma Mac's house with the rest of the McPeaks where we ate her corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and I taught my baby cousins the difference between a hexagon and a pentagon. Did anyone ever have those plastic ball things that you shook up with all of the plastic shapes in the middle and then dumped them out and matched them up with their corresponding shape hole? I'll have to post a picture of that. It's so simple yet can mesmerize children for a substantial amount of time.

Alright now I gotta close a restaurant and get some sleeping done. Luck!

The Story of Your Gypsy Uncle

2007-03-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

Alright. So I haven't posted in a while. A broken down lap top + not being on campus this past week = no bloggy posty. You know what's nice? When the weather gets to be perfect and I can open my windows and turn the air on in my car and its also the first day that I come back from spring break. I had a faux spring break. I worked more than I usually do and went to no exotic locations. I'm not going to complain anymore.

Colin, I had a dream about you last night, but I don't know what it was about. I think I introduced you to my mother.

So, I don't know if it's because I haven't been inspired as of late, or if I've just become boring and consumed with the mundane, but I can't think of anything interesting to write about. I went bowling last night. It turns out that I can hold my own at bowling. I seem to get over 120 pretty consistently, which seems not to be that impressive but was super impressive compared to the other girls' scores of 58. I've decided that I'm sort of good at almost everything.

I attended a bike race for the first time in my life on Saturday. My boyfriend Matt was racing. He got second place and was awesome; his teammate got first. Apparently he's a category 3 racer on his way to becoming a category 2 racer which means a lot of training and a lot of weekend races. It was way more exciting than I thought it would be. There's a lot of spandex and lingo that I don't understand but am quickly learning . Here's a picture of him riding.

So I guess the best upcoming event to be excited for would be St. Patrick's Day. I will be at my favorite bar eating corned beef and drinking Jameson and Black and Tan's by 11am if I'm punctual. There's always this old Irish guy who sits at a random table and plays old Irish folk songs almost all day, and the weather is bound to be perfect, so I'm hoping for an open door at the bar that will slowly blow the crowd in. And I'm going to see the Decemberists. The only catch is that I don't think I have anyone to go with; there aren't too many Decemberists fans around these parts. Tickets are only $20 if anyone is interested in touring STL and watching sweet concerts on April 14th. Otherwise I'll just have to go by myself and wear heavy makeup and be that solo girl "whose like, totally into the music." Later gators.

I don't remember this part. . .

2007-03-02T11:55:00.000-06:00

So I went and saw the musical last night. And all I have to say is "Eh, it was alright." I found it quite boring but visually appealing. The story was severely different than the movie for reasons I really couldn't figure out, and the only impressive songs were those that were plucked from the original film. And there was a girl behind me who was snoring for a good half hour. Luckily I was in good company. The play was prefaced by a Pan-Asian dinner complete with a sushi appetizer, followed by giant bowls of noodles. Man oh man do I love pad thai.

On another note, I ran into one of my ex-coworkers last night. He had to quit because he had to have knee surgery. I asked him what was new, and he said nothing except for the fact that he has a baby. Now, this may not seem weird, but I haven't seen him or his girlfriend in only two months, and I can guarantee that she wasn't pregnant the last time I saw her, except that she apparently was. Neither she nor anybody else had any clue that she was pregnant, and then one day she started complaining about stomach pains, went to the hospital, and twelve hours later popped out a little girl whom she named Lydia. Weird. I asked all of the questions that you are thinking right now. She's a little bit of a bigger girl but not so big that you wouldn't be able to tell if she's pregnant. She did drink throughout the course of the pregnancy and all cycles continued as usual throughout the trimesters. She never once went up a size in clothes, either. She and the baby are perfectly healthy.

I'm supposed to be writing the last of my midterm papers right now and can't make myself seem to care. I shall keep plugging away. I just got a new 'record' by Matt and Kim called "I Heart Comix." If you haven't heard of them, they're pretty great. They have some simple beats, but its still rock n' roll to me. So, that, paired with a little Joanna Newsom will make you unable to decipher what mood you're in. I dig.

White Rapper

2007-03-01T14:03:00.000-06:00

Alright, so my roommate Shirley and I have been watching White Rapper on VH1 rather religiously as of late. At first there was G-child, Misfit, Persia, Jus Rhyme, John Brown, Shamrock, Sulley, and 100 Proof, and a few others I don't remember. The finale consisted of John ("Hallelujah, holla back") Brown, and Shamrock. John Brown always has this blank stare and is the self-proclaimed King of da Burbz, and Shamrock is awesome and has a jacked up grill that almost fell out while he was rapping during his second to last challenge. John Brown was the stronger of the two rappers, and you sometimes couldn't understand Shamrock because of his grill, but Shamrock won in the end because he was just so much nicer than John Brown who was trying to support the "ghetto revival," which, I think we can all agree, doesn't sound like a good thing. His myspace page is hilarious.

This is Shamrock:

And this is John Brown:

So anyway, when they asked Shamrock to "Step Up" rather than "Step Off," Shirley and I proceeded to hug each other and then do a little dance in the living room before having our celebratory cocktails. We also made plans to go to the mall to get air-brushed t-shirts to promote Shamrock's rhymes. So, Shamrock was bound to win because he's a beast on the mic, bottom line. Hey Colin, ask your kids if they know about it?

That's Martha with an M

2007-02-23T14:37:00.000-06:00

I got a letter of acceptance from a local literary journal, The River Bluff Review. They took one of my poems, "The Two." I've had it posted on Dancing Louder for a little bit if you would like to take a gander. Finally, I can officially call myself a published writer/poet/whatever. I'm pretty stoked. This definitely eclipses the moment when my "Ode to a Pushpin" was accepted into the Literary Journal in High School.

Tonight I'm going to see my friend Phil in a naughty play. At least I think it's going to be naughty because he says that he's practically naked and the website says "For mature audiences only." I put two and two together and will be going easy on the blush tonight. Oh, the play is call The Altruists. I've heard of it but know nothing about it. I was also recently informed that there is no dialogue in Edward Scissorhands: The Musical, only songs. Let me know if this is true. I don't mind, but I always like to be prepared.

I just realized that this blog was kind of pointless, but I wanted to brag as I often undeservedly do. The cool thing is that the whole time I was writing this, I was IMing with Marty who was still at work at 8:45pm. He is, in fact, a working fool. I'll try to include something profound in my next blog and maybe a picture or something. Cheerio!

Bueller. . .Bueller. . .

2007-02-21T18:27:00.000-06:00

I have been in college for how long now? And still I find myself in a class that's telling me how to use the library. This is a 400 level English class, and there is a woman standing in front of a projection screen asking us if we know what a bibliography is. Anyone. . .anyone...?

IN-famous?! IN-famous?!

2007-02-19T12:26:00.000-06:00

It's been approximately five days since I have posted, and I am sad because that means that my lap top has been broken (single tear). As of now, I've commandeered my roommate's PC while she is away and am doomed to be caught. I don't think she'll mind or at least she'll pretend not to mind and then bitch about me to my other roommate who will, in turn, inform me of her disapproval of my blogging on her computer.

I am sad that no one made it down here for Mardi Gras, but I had a blast. We ended up nesting at this place called the 9th Street Abbey which is a very old church with fantastic stained glass windows and Gothic arches where they no longer have church and instead house Cajun Bands where the alter used to be. I drank free Hurricanes out of a blinking goblet thanks to my buddy, Mikey, and danced Mardi Gras away before ending the night with a large shindig at my own place where one of my favorite chairs was mysteriously broken. "Go Go Drunken Detectives!"

In response to Marty's comment about my keeping a camera nearby: Once I realized that I had defeated SMB2, I was with my roommate, Shirley, and in a panic was flailing all around my apartment trying to find my phone so I could take the picture I posted. It was neither expected nor planned that I would be able to take a photo, but you bet your ass that I have a camera with me at all times now.

And Jay, thanks for the suggestion about the poem. I ended up writing about the el. I may post it later once it's been through the editing process. Did you really have a stamp collection? Don't tease me, now.

I went to see Hannibal Rising yesterday. I thought that it was excellent and creepy, and there were, of course, a few corny lines, but I believe it held pretty true to the rest of the Lambs. The kid who plays Hannibal is amazing. Check it out. I shall better blog soon. Later Gators.

P.S.- OOH! I forgot to mention that I got Edward Scissorhands: The Musical tickets for Valentine's Day, and I'm totally pumped about it.

Mission Accomplished

2007-02-14T09:54:00.000-06:00

I don't think they make a t-shirt for that...

2007-02-12T17:34:00.000-06:00

Hey, Gang! So I have a poem due tomorrow on a 'place.' I have no idea what place I would like to choose nor do I like being forced to be poetic about any particular locations. If anyone has any suggestions, I once again will be taking them. And, yes, sarcastic responses will be accepted.

I was working the other night. As I stood in front of the table that I had been serving, I began to gather their plates. As the stack progressively got taller, the gentlemen at the end of the booth asked, "You sure you got that?" To which I replied, "Of course, just let me work my magic." 2 seconds later and one salad bowl too many, one of the plates slipped, shattering onto the ground. I just looked at my table and said "Tadaaaa!" They left me a 30% tip.

I still have yet to beat the final boss on Super Mario Brothers 2. I've decided that I need to acquire a Game Genie because it is becoming quite apparent that I am not becoming more skillful the more I play; I just die faster. Plus this game has successfully begun to consume my thoughts and spare time and blogspace. It's kind of like when you play Tetris for a long time and then when you close your eyes to go to sleep you start to play another little Tetris game but only it's in your mind. I know you know what I'm talking about.

And finally, have I told everyone how clever they are? Everyone is so clever these days, and I just thought that it should be put in writing how clever I think everyone is, especially Caleb. Caleb, you're one clever and witty guy. Keep it coming. Later gators.

Words in Teenage Poetry

2007-02-05T16:57:00.000-06:00

I am currently listening to The Shins' new album, "Wincing the Night Away." It sounds very much like all of there other stuff which is good and comforting in the same regard. I would like to see them reach a little further outside their musical comfort zone in the future, but "big ups" to it all the same. I will have the good fortune of seeing them in concert on Sunday. It shall be a swell time.

On a literary note, I am currently reading a novel right now called Hope Leslie by Catherine Maria Sedgwick. After struggling through the first chapter (which was only a struggle because of the noise resonating from the television because of this event called the Super Bowl), I feel that I have an inkling of what it may be about, forsooth, there is a deeper meaning. As soon as I figure it out, I'll quit improperly using the word forsooth.

Randoms:

Right now my stomach is making fantastic rumbly noises. I'm kind of glad that my cd is over so I can listen and appreciate them.
I've been letting my hair grow out for the past two months, and it doesn't even reach to my earlobes yet.
I said, "Have a nice day, Dr. H," to my black English professor last week, and he replied, "Keep it light, Mautha."
I did not attend a sex toy party yesterday.
I loved how Prince was all, "oh it's raining so I have to wear this doofy thing on my head to protect my curls," but then was all like, "I am rocking way too hard to worry about my hair," and then threw it away and rocked my world.
My kid sister just started her first job last week at a Hallmark store.
Has anyone ever beaten or witnessed someone beating Super Mario Brothers 2 on NES?
I can't wait to see whose going to win White Rapper on VH1.
It either needs to snow heavily or get warmer.
If you get time, check out the "Peter, Bjorn, & John - Young Folks" video featured on YouTube and/or "Le Grand Content" that's featured. They're super funky fresh.

Until next time, y'all. You know I support your rhymes.

Happy Birthday, Jay!

2007-02-02T22:09:00.000-06:00

You're older than I am.

Another Word for Thesaurus

2007-01-30T17:12:00.000-06:00

Alright, alright, so it's been a while since I've blogged it up, but hey, I'm a busy girl.

My father bought me a toaster along with a dictionary and thesaurus for my birthday, all of which I was probably too excited about. I had a bagel this morning and then looked up the definition of dissidence. I also found out this morning that I'm getting a substantial raise, so that was another b-day miracle. Yesterday I submitted my first poem of the semester, and last night my buds from the wrong side of the nerdy tracks took me out for some half-priced Liters o' Long Islands and some Goldschlager. (Yeeeesh)

The Big Snow Storm was not nearly all it was cracked up to be. So much of it had melted by the next day that our snowball fight had to be cancelled along with snowman-makin' hour. There were many carrots and corncob pipes that went to waist that day. Since I last blogged, I have seen Pan's Labyrinth, Snakes on a Plane, and The Descent. Pan's was, of course, the star. Though I was disappointed that the fantasy part took up only about 1/4 of the movie. The more I think about the movie, the more I realized how impressed I was. I shall say no more. I'll let you guys decide.

My weekend consisted of a few late nights and hazy days. I've recovered for the most part, but have definitely come down with a cold as a result of my weak and exhausted immune system. I did meet Jimmy Buffet's drummer, though, so I guess something came of this weekend. I'm going to go feast on tapas with my best friend and close the night down at The Stagger Inn. Oh, and I recently submitted some of my writing to a literary journal, so keep your fingers crossed for me. This blog entry sucks, but I think Jay was getting on my case again; I'll do better next time.

Three Stars Away

2007-01-17T16:21:00.000-06:00

I've decided that it's amazing that even though I have moved and moved out a numerous amount of times, I still find myself needing some of the basic necessities of living on your own. For example, my current "Things to Buy" list consists of the following:

Toaster

Paper Towel Holder

Nails

Level

Shower Curtain

Coffee Table

At one point I know that I have had or had once acquired these things. Where do they go? I can tell you for one that my mother has taken my paper towel holder and my Martha Stewart porcelain spoon rest. I assumed that my roommates would have a toaster and was incorrect in that assumption. And buying groceries is a bitch considering my sporadic eating habits and tendency to let things spoil before consumption. I shall live on juice and popcorn.

I saw Children of Men the other night. Though this movie has a very interesting concept, is well-acted, and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last moment, I would be fine with never having to see it again. It was shocking and thought-provoking during the movie, but until now, I haven't given it a second thought. If you haven't seen it, it's a renter. Someone will undoubtedly argue this point, but whatever. Bring it on.

If anyone is familiar with the Beat Kitchen, The Saps will be having their cd release party on the 19th. The Saps are one of my most beloved bands, and even though I would never slip in one of their cd's to listen to on my own, they put on one hell of a show. They are Chicago natives, and I have a rather large group of Edwardsville friends who will be venturing up there this weekend in a rather large van. I will not be attending because I have to work and other things. Here's a picture of me and my pals last weekend with The Saps at The Stagger Inn. The band members are in pairs. They're the ones who look like they're on each other's backs. The rest of the people are my dumb-ass friends, and the tall gent next to me is my awesome friend Kurt.

So, Yay! for Barack. I'm kind of worried about the little guy but am interested to see what will happen in the next months and years to come. If someone could just get our guys out of Iraq already. Dang! Well, I must return to my rather tedious reading of Wieland. It hurts a little to go on with it, but required reading is required reading.

Joke: Why do mice have tiny balls?

Because not many of them know how to dance.

You've Just Been Nick Carterized!

2007-01-13T13:06:00.000-06:00

So, as I was recalling what happened during my holiday break, I realized that I failed to blog about my partying with Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. Yes, that's right, Nick Carter. He showed up in Edwardsville in what other bar than the Stagger. I was skeptical when people started to mention his presence and then peeked around the corner to confirm. It was indeed him, and he has a limp handshake. Though that was not a surprise, his showing up at my friend's house party was a surprise. The next evening he dined at the restaurant I work at and then left town for L.A. once again. He's dating some chick named Julie who is from here but has moved to California. It was amusing to witness how unimpressed everyone is with this guy, but I have to give him credit for not making a spectacle of himself in the least. He just kind of let his lady have the spotlight. She's more popular in town than he is anyway.

I just ordered six cds today, and I'm totally stoked about it. I pre-ordered The Shins new album and will be seeing them in concert in February. Speaking of cds, I spent about two hours a couple of days ago organizing all of my cds in order to put them into one very large book. I got finished alphabetizing over two hundred cds until I realized that I had left Bowie, David in my stereo. And yes, I did take every last cd out in order to make room for him in his proper slot.

I am officially in my new place. It's nice, and my new mattress is like sleeping on puppy dogs--dead ones, though. We wouldn't want them squirming around on us, now would we? This is a picture of my new roommates Erica and Shirley. Erica is very tiny and can fit in my pocket. Shirley is the blond and quite possibly the funniest chick I know.

So another ice storm's a comin'. I'm going to go to the supermarket and buy some bread and milk just in case we have to mix the two together, creating a weird sort of dough that we can use to seal up our windows and fling at our enemies in an attempt to fight crime. I will also be purchasing large amounts of red wine and setting up my Trivial Pursuit: Pop Culture board. Bring it on, Weather, bring it on. I'm ready this time.

It Seems Like a Waste of Time if That's What It's All About

2007-01-02T18:41:00.000-06:00

The new year has come and gone. Like I told the man from whom I purchased my new mattress, "I've been living for 2007 since 2003." The future is now.

I began my evening sipping cocktails with my best friend, Beth, at my place of employment. I was then an escort to a party in a nearby town and then ended my evening at the local wine bar on Main Street. I had the pleasure of seeing some old Catholic school pals and just some old pals in general. There was much whiskey to be had, and I was surprised to find that I had slept on my buddy's couch when I awoke the next morning. I met my father and kid sister for lunch, gorged myself buffet style, and imagined what I would want for my birthday. Then, last night I went ice skating in Forest Park. Though I'm a little rusty on my skating skills, I managed not to fall even once. I almost fell at least twelve times.

My dog is gradually healing. His next appointment is Thursday morning. Oscar keeps ramming me in the shins with his cone as if he doesn't understand his new dimensions in an attempt to remind me that the cone is just as annoying for him as it is for me. I have tiny bruises all over my ankles, and he knocked over a houseplant yesterday.

Other than that, I began moving in today. It took two and a half car loads just to transport my clothing and shoes. I'll receive my mattress on Saturday, and I think the bed skirt is still with the ex (awkward conversation to come). Until then, I'm just going to be trying to figure out how I'm going to work the brown, shag carpeting into my decor. Ooh, and I have a NES now.

Celebrate Me Home

2006-12-25T17:33:00.000-06:00

What a week! First and foremost, I would like to apologize for neglecting my blog. Deal with it. I was planning on blogging Friday, but plans changed.

See the picture? This is my dog, Oscar. Oscar is actually in a protective cone because he was attacked by a wandering Chow on Friday. Oscar was frolicking in the safety of his own back yard when this unleashed beast happened upon him and broke his tail. Over half of Oscar's tail had to be amputated due to the compound fracture. The following morning, Oscar managed to work his way around the cone and swallow a metal suture and was again operated on in order to remove it from his stomach. He's been through a lot. . .the cone, the tail, the puncture wounds, the tiny metal object, the shaved butt, the really gnarly sedatives. I guarantee this is not what my pup asked for from Jolly Ole St. Nick. He can't even feast on his yuletide bones that we have bought for him due to his strict diet and medication.

My kid sister graduated high school on Friday, early if you hadn't noticed. She's pretty stoked and has no immediate plans. This weekend has brought lots of out-of-towners who I've missed so much, and Festivus turned out to be spectacular. I got new sheets and a new mattress for Christmas to prepare me for my move. 450 thread count is the way to go especially since Martha Stewart recommends that you sleep on no less than 250. Trivial Pursuit 80's occupied most of the family's time. Hint: every answer is either Ronald Reagan, Pete Rose, or Erasure.

Ella

Ella is my cousin's daughter. She told me two weeks ago that she wanted cookies and stickers for Christmas but was specific in noting that though she would like Santa to bring her these things, she saw no reason to come into contact with him because he's scary. I'm pretty sure my cousin spared her the confrontation. I bought Ella scarves for Christmas. Children are spectacular because her Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Great Grandparents, etc. spent all of this money buying her Baby Alive and Baby Alive accessories, yet as she opened her presents, nothing compared to her reaction when she saw that I had bought her three tiny silk scarves, much like the ones I let her borrow on Sunday mornings. She put them all on and wore them around like Steven Tyler for the rest of the day. She's a rock star.

I hope that all of your days were merry and bright. The carols will now be silenced and the nog will be emptied. There will be no more fruit cake jokes and threatening misbehaved children with Santa Claus (no wonder my little cousin is scared of him). I do love Christmas, though, perhaps a bit too much. I'm always sad to see it go by in such a blink. I'll most likely close the holiday at Stagger with some old friends and cool music. Hopefully they have some mistletoe hanging around. Merry Christmas, guys.

There was a great natural light in the sky and people ran in fear...

2006-12-14T18:36:00.000-06:00

There was a meteor shower last night. I drove out to the country with my friend, Matt, and laid on the hood of his car at 2 in the morning. Luckily it was a very clear night. It's always a cool thing to witness and makes you feel oh so very small. It also makes you want to know all of the constellations, but my semester of astronomy didn't stick with me so well. I'm pretty sure I saw a little and/or big dipper.

Randoms:

I turn in my final final tomorrow which is an extremely detailed, three-week unit plan.
It turns out that if you go to Mark's Muffler in Edwardsville, they can hook you up with a new battery and a new alternator for only $400. It's a small price to pay for safety and avoiding the situation of breaking down on the shoulder of 55 South.
I hope everyone is beginning to receive Janice's homemade Christmas cards; I got mine in the mail today. She had put a random sticker of a cat on the front.
It's hard to "think Winter" when short sleaves will suffice.
I was victorious in my debate about the use of cell phones while driving.
The picture on Cassie's blog reminded me of how comfortable Kevin is with casually resting his delicate wrist on Brian's knee.
I finished my Ultimate X-Mas Mix just now.
I'm hearing rumors that Clinton and Obama will run together. Unfortunately, I think it may be a while before America sees Obama in the White House.
Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Chirstmas Soundtrack is a staple for the holiday season as is Sufjan Stevens' Songs for Christmas. Put it in while you wrap presents and dream about sugar plums.
I have yet to purchase a single Christmas present.
I need ideas for presents. If anyone would like to contribute any ideas by letting me know about the best/most creative present(s) you've ever gotten, that would be great.
I took that picture of Marty's nipples and pinned it to the ceiling above my bed. Sweet sweet sweet sweet dreams, Martha.

The Mighty Mighty Bostonians

2006-12-11T17:32:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to thank Jay, Caleb, Cassie, Matt, and Janice for making it out Thursday. It was great to see you guys even though it was only a short visit. It always means a lot to me when you guys go out of your way to make time for me even when I don't stay for very long. I promise we shall do it again soon. Plus, my short visit only reminded me of how adorable everyone is, so how can I possibly resist that? Let me know your thoughts on a St. Louis Mardi Gras.

Boston was a blast. If I kept out all of the good parts, this trip would sound like a trip from hell. Except it wasn't at all, but let me explain. . .

To begin with, I had driven for about a half an hour out of Edwardsville to head to Chicago when my mom called me to make sure everything was fine. Then, I was all like "Yeah. Things are cool. I'll call you in a little bit when I realize that I forgot something stupid like my shoes." And then my mom said, "Yeah, or your gown." That's when I realized that I had forgotten my gown and my shoes. I turned around. As I turned around my car made a funny noise, and then the check engine light came on. Nothing else happened with my car after that, and I successfully made it to Chicago after I had retrieved my gown. When we got to O'Hare, as I was sliding my garment bag on the little conveyor belt, I realized that I had again forgotten my shoes in the front seat of my car which was parked in the city. Oh well. Upon our arrival into Boston my luggage was mistakenly placed on the wrong flight but was guaranteed to be delivered by morning. It was. The next day was spent shopping for formal shoes. This took three hours not because I'm picky but because I couldn't find a pair of shoes in the mall that was attached to the hotel that were less than $200. I finally found a pair. They were $80, which was a far cry from the $15 shoes that were in the front seat of my car. Fast forward to Monday. I am leaving the city and rear end another car, but there was no damage done, so we go our separate ways. Fast forward to 4 hours on the road later. My care breaks down. My speedometer dial starts moving in sequence with my windshield wipers, and then my car dies on the shoulder of 55 South.

Anyway, thank God for AAA. They towed me all the way home for free and before someone hit me while I was parked on the shoulder of the highway. I didn't get to see much of Boston; our stay was brief, and I'm not the touristy type. The party in the ballroom was fantastic, and Chris and I were looking sharp for a change. All of his co-workers were fantastic people (no exaggeration) which made the trip that much sweeter.

So, in the end, was it worth all the hassle? Completely.

Light up a Stage and Wax a Chump Like a Candle

2006-12-04T21:25:00.000-06:00

So, I've been without power since the evening that I last blogged. We had a hell-riffic winter storm complete with freezing rain that coated everything with a quarter inch of ice. As the water collected and froze on the branches of the trees, the limbs started collapsing. I sat in my candle-lit living room with my mom and my sis listening to the limbs of the trees all around the neighborhood come crashing down. It felt like the onslaught of an apocalypse. The next morning, amidst the destruction of fallen limbs, downed power lines, and tiny car accidents, everything was beautifully encased in ice. I really don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful.

Anyway, as I sat there with my mother and kid sister trying to remember how to communicate without the hum of electricity and blue light of the television, my sister remembered my Ouija board that I had when I was like 13. She went downstairs and rummaged around in a closet and found it. My mom sat on the couch while my sister and I swore that it was working. And I think it was because I wasn't pushing it and my sister can't spell; she's a math whiz. We asked it stupid things like how old we're going to be when we get married and how many kids are we going to have. Then we asked it who the next president would be. It replied "Hillary." So, that was disappointing and weird. Then, my mom asked from the couch when the next coming of Christ was going to be. It answered, but we had all forgotten the reply by the next morning. Later that night the church that's next to our house caught on fire. The reason for this, I believe, is because my sister and I were most likely communicating with the devil. . . and Parker Brothers.

So now I'm at work and taking advantage of the technology. I've felt like a gypsy for the past three days, and, much like Stevie Nicks, I've grown accustom to the lifestyle. I've been a transient in three different households this weekend. So, actually, it's really no different than any other weekend of mine.

Snowman Joke:

Two snowmen are sitting in the front yard. One snowman turns to the other snowman and says "Do you smell carrots? I smell carrots."

Hunkered Down

2006-11-30T12:43:00.000-06:00

Due to inclement whether in the St. Louis region, I am at home today rather than in class. The freezing rain was too much to take for a town without an efficient public transit system. March on, Chicago. You have no choice.

(That's me taking shelter in my scarf. I just bought a polaroid camera, and now I know why.)

Today I was supposed to debate in my oral argumentation class. Resolve: Cell phone use while driving in Illinois should not be banned. My opponents are arguing that any type of cell phone use while driving whether it be hands-free technology or an emergency situation should be completely illegal unless the car is in park and pulled over.

I'm going to blow them out of the water. There's just too many statistics to back my position up. Let me know if you want to hear any of them.

Other than that, the rain is icing over now, and soon there will be three inches of snow they say. Janice informed me that it was supposed to snow in Chicago or already is. Speaking of which, I will be in the Chicagoland area next Thursday night. Being that my Taylor Street Boys are relocating as of today, I would like to put out an imbiber S.O.S. Let me know if you can work hanging out with me in some random bar into your schedules. You also have to be chivalrous and buy all of my drinks while I stand on your coat that is covering a puddle as you hold the door open for me and stand up when I leave the table.

Casserole-Induced Euphoria

2006-11-24T22:06:00.000-06:00

So I'm hoping the turkey was plentiful and the gravy flowed like wine for everyone's Thanksgiving. Mine was spent gorging myself on complex carbohydrates and trying to get the Nintendo in my grandma's basement to play Super Mario Brothers 3 by blowing into the game. Has anyone ever confirmed whether this tactic is effective or not? I went on a walk with my baby cousins around the house and visited the neighbor's rooster with them. Yes, even though my grandmother lives in a suburban neighborhood, somehow the neighbors have a couple o' chickens that crow throughout the day. We ended the feast with a heated game of Taboo.

I topped off the night with one of my best friends, Furhman, who so kindly escorted me to The Stagger Inn where we proceeded to be entertained by the barefooted music styling of Aaron Kamm. He's a little Jack Johnson meets Sublime with a kick-ass voice. Very mellow and rockin' at the same time. I'm convinced that this guy is gonna hit it big someday. Take a listen if you're curious.

Oh, and I totally mixed the sweet potatoes with my regular mashed potatoes (something I had somehow never considered doing before Caleb's suggestion) and my life is now changed for the better. Only 364 more days to go before I can do it again.

Shaken

2006-11-20T22:05:00.000-06:00

So, I went to see James Bond: Casino Royale last night. Wowy Zowy! Has anybody else seen this yet? Without the cheese or the gadgets, Daniel Craig manages to be both sinister and charming. Though Audio Slave is guilty for the opening song, you're too distracted by the graphic stimuli to notice. It's a long movie, but I didn't seem to notice a bit. Casino Royale is to James Bond what Batman Begins was to Batman. That's the best equivalent I can think of. It's getting really good reviews.

My Memoirs

2006-11-17T11:32:00.000-06:00

This is another Halloween picture with my friend, Mandy, who dressed up as Prostitute Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman. It's Pretty good.

And, Megan, I've seen you get gussied up quite a few times, so quit being so modest. But, the style stays. Last night I wore a sweater that is as flattering as a potato sack simply out of spite.

Nobody's gonna break-a my stride. . .

2006-11-14T18:03:00.000-06:00

Imagine an 80's movie that's a musical about three hairy aliens who crash into a beautician's swimming pool. There's even a dance off. It stars Gina Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans. Anyway, it's called Earth Girls are Easy, and if you're a fan of super ultimate cheesy 80's movies like I am, then you really shouldn't pass this one up. I was watching it at about 3:45 a.m. while I was "doing my homework."

Tonight, one of my buddies said that I should dress differently so I would be "approached more." Really what he was saying is that I should put the goods, so to speak, on display. Apparetly the way I dress seems to be intimidating for Southern Illinois men. To that I said, "Foget it." First of all, if a guy is intimidated by my style, then I suspect that he's not The One. Second of all, man oh man do I love clothes. I refuse to put on some Wal-Mart cleavage top and parade myself around with the hopes that some fraternity guy will give me the time of day. So, keeping in mind my affinity for fashion and my fetish for high-heeled shoes, I would love to know what the city folk are thinking. It's much easier in the city to feel that you're fashionably appropriate, which I tried to explain. All walks of life are, well, walking... around on the city streets, and nobody even flinches when they see something out of the norm. I may not always look good, but I always know who doesn't. I will not sacrifice my style with the hopes of some yuppie's phone number or a one night stand. My buddy doesn't seem to understand this.

So, on that note, I began thinking about the different styles of my Chicago friends. And then that led me to Marty. Think about the stuff that Marty wears. Do we ever REALLY question his sense of style? No. It fits him and his personality, though sometimes too tightly. And Marty totally scored a cool, hot wife out of the deal who also dresses impeccably well, if I might add, whether formal or informal. Colin can be spotted in the same clothes as John Mayer any day, Janice is a sucker for a funky top and a cool set of sneakers, and Nate is sooo Indie. I just bought this new skirt that I plan on wearing Thursday night, and nobody's gonna stop me! Eat shit, Zack (That's the name of the guy I've been referring to). Sorry if my short hair and sassy ways blow your mind.

Tryptophan Junkie

2006-11-11T15:36:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is upon us. Though many may think that my favorite holiday is Halloween, they, alas, are mistaken. For I find nothing more satisfying to the soul than partaking in a giant feast of sweet potatoes and ye old macaroni and cheese. Thanksgiving is a time when I can publicly display my affection for casserole and pie and wear those big pants that I've been hanging on to since that winter when I let myself go .

Every Thanksgiving is the same, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I mean, my father and mother have their respective substitutes now, but I ignore that by drinking my grandmother's whiskey. Our plates are these heavy, deep-brown plates that I believe originated sometime around 1973 and are indestructible. As we carry the food from the kitchen downstairs to the basement, there is always this great fear (and slight hope) that someone will lose there footing and take the stuffing down with them. I have never witnessed such an event. Our family is too big for my grandma's house, but somehow we make it work even though my Uncle Steve and Aunt Dianne have successfully given birth to three giants, and my cousins continue to have children out of wedlock. We used to have a little kids' table that I remember sitting at and growing out of, but now we have a little kids' table, a middle school table, and a high school table within the vicinity of the main table where I've earned my stripes and my seat. My grandpa sits at the head of the table, naturally, and my mother sits next to me and is known to Bogart the salt shaker throughout the feast. My favorite is mixing the corn with the mashed potatoes.

We always have a can of cranberry sauce. I don't know how many other families do this, but even though nobody touches it except for my grandparents, we always have the can-shaped cranberry sauce sitting, gleaming in the middle of the table. Last year I took the liberty of documenting the event with a snapshot that will remain as my profile picture until this, the greatest of holidays, passes.

This picture is of a turkey that my father smoked last year, or maybe the year before.(?) Anyway, I found something disturbingly inappropriate about the turkey in this seemingly vulnerable state. Is that a nipple or a thermometer?

Halloweeny

2006-11-08T15:45:00.000-06:00

Here is just one really great group photo of myself and the idiots I hang out with. That's Phil, the mime in front, who stayed in character all night. I've never met anyone who just listened to me like he did. My four girlfriends dressed up like the Ninja Turtles and sporadically sparred with each other and fought crime. The girl on the left was dressed like Kelly Kapowski at The Max, and Kimber was a pumpkin lady. And then thrown into the mix are a couple of slutty girls and just regular people. That's me in the middle by the way.

To Catch a Bananafish

2006-11-06T21:28:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to post for a couple o' days, but I haven't had anything happen to me. But I figured that I should post something, otherwise I risk being reamed by the Blog Police. So here it is. . .

I went to see Borat last night. I have to say that I completely loved it despite my dislike of blatantly stupid movies. Though Borat is fictional, most of the peoples' reactions to him are quite genuine and surprising. The movie (though seemingly unintentionally) brilliantly portrays the United States in all of its glorious shame. Anti-semitism, racial profiling, blantant sexism, with in-your-face homosexual overtones punching you in the gut the whole time is what makes this mockumentary so touching. "High Fiyve!" The naked fight scene is my fav.

This morning, I completed a unit plan on The Catcher in the Rye. "What type of person do you think Holden is? Is he lazy, selfish, paranoid, crazy? Defend your answer using specific examples from the book in a 1 1/2 to 2 page response." Obviously my unit plan was more elaborate than that, but my professor seems to think that I'm born to teach, and I couldn't agree more. "If only you could get your degree," she said. Well, she didn't actually say that, but I said it in my head and probably out loud a little. I was delirious from pulling an all-nighter. I may have drooled a little on her desk.

And I have a confession to make. Last night, in an attempt to view my friends' Halloween pictures, I joined MySpace. After immediately becoming entranced with the whole setup and trying to figure out how to make the HTML work, before I knew it, like four hours had passed and my background color was still white. After I finish writing this, I'm going to cancel my account with MySpace. They refuse to reconfigure the website so's when I log on, "MySpace" actually becomes "MarthaSpace". I told them that that was the only oossible way I could effectively utilize their interface without feeling like a hypocrite. Negotiations were brief. It turns out that hypocrisy rules.

I bought a pair of rose-colored glasses from a toy store today. What's the harm in it?

What's Your Sign?

2006-11-03T03:07:00.000-06:00

And I quote. . .

Aquarius
January 20 - February 17
A large assembly of forces is gathering at this time to make a bold statement and an important pledge, dear Aquarius. This is the kind of movement that brings together entire generations and unites people to form a revolution of some sort. Put away the petty issues and think on a global scale. Educate yourself about what is going on in the world, and take a more aggressive stand in fighting for what you believe. A small group of intelligent individuals can make a tremendous impact.

I don't usually believe in this crap, but "Vote Obama" when the time comes.

End transmission.

Ease Up!

2006-10-31T21:21:00.000-06:00

Hey hey, people! There is an insane amount of pressure coming from those of you who I know have been guilty of blog neglect in the past. And don't think I didn't notice that you've picked on Caleb too.

Maybe if some of us would get some constructive comments/feedback to our blogs, we would feel a little more appreciated. There has been many a time that I've asked for advice or asked small questions to which I never get a response. So what's my incentive here? Really. Gosh! Geez! Gee Whiz! Holy Hell!

I don't really mind actually, I've just been in love with Halloween this weekend and I threw my back out while lifting a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. What's better than that really? I'm going to dress up like a rock star tonight and go party.

But He Talks Like a Gentelman

2006-10-31T13:05:00.000-06:00

Man Oh' Man! What a weekend. First of all, the Cardinals are the best baseball team in the world. I'm glad we were able to win at home. I had to bartend that night, but as we neared the end of the game, I got this weird feeling that work was the wrong place to be. So I clocked out and booked it home, wherein, I proceeded to watch the final strike-out and then jumped up and down in my living room screaming all by myself. I really wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Then I dressed up for a Halloween Party--actually, two Halloween parties.

Then, the next night, I went to another costume party that I stayed at until about 3:30 until I left there to go to another Halloween party. At that last party I locked my keys in my car, lost my cell phone, and was offered a ride home by a guy in a Canadian tuxedo. I took him up on it and got home safely. I once again didn't get the slutty costume memo, but that's alright because I was warm on those frigid nights. Plus I could carry jello shots in my gigantic sleeves and hand them out to passers by. I'll eventually post a picture of my stellar costume once I acquire one.

I dressed up as a geisha, by the way. During the course of the weekend I had to convince one guy that my wig wasn't my real hair, another guy that my skin wasn't actually that white, and another guy that I wasn't actually Asian. He said he had a thing for Asian girls and then put his arm around me and asked me where I was from. When I replied, "America," it luckily didn't take long for him to exit the couch after that.

On another note, I missed you, Chicago. I don't really know what all went down up there, but I'm sure it may have been a bit better than my sub-par, semi-disastrous parties. I would love to see pictures of your slutty costumes if you wouldn't mind sharing.

P.S.-I went to see The Prestige last night. It was so boring that I and the two gentlemen I was with all took turns catching some z's. Sorry if you disagree, but that movie could have been so much better. And on a musical note, the Killers new album Sam's Town gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. Their single "When You Were Young", in particular, echoes the musical stylings of Bowie. And everybody knows that David Bowie is sexy.

Popcorn Balls

2006-10-24T03:38:00.000-05:00

It sounds perverted, but it's not.

Yesterday, Sunday, I included myself in a McPeak family ritual of making popcorn balls for the trick and/or treater's. It was great. Since before memories began I can remember my grandmother making these popcorn balls. I'm not gonna post the exact recipe, but it does entail popcorn, molasses, and the forming of the aformentioned into balls. After the corn is popped we pour this semi-scalding liquid concoction over the popcorn and then proceed to form it into these ball-like things that we then cover in plastic wrap. We have to coat our hands in butter in order to fashion these wonderful Halloween treats. It's perfect and wonderful and everything that defines a family tradition.

On another note, whenever I have to miss Grey's Anatomy, I have to call upon my father to tape the episodes via VHS. But now I have discovered that you can actually view the latest episodes via abc.com, which is wonderful AND convenient. I've said my peace. Oh, technology, won't you be my wife?

And if you haven't yet visited my links on the right side of my blog, I suggest you do so. In particular, I would like to recommend the My Hands Are Bananas music video. If you don't think it's funny, then maybe you're not my friend.

At the Edge of Greatness: Go Cards!

2006-10-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

So, I've been watching Mr. Barack Obama as of late: his interviews with Oprah and Charlie Rose and his write-up in Time. I can't help but think that we, as a country, are about to witness a great change. Though the man is being quite modest about his potentially running for president and, instead, trying to focus the attention on his new book, he's gonna run. He has to if he loves this country as much as he claims. I haven't been this excited about a presidential candidate since before Dean took the crazy pill up in Iowa. Obama has that Clinton-esque charisma without the Lewinsky-esque drama and a bitchy wife. I think that he could win simply based on the fact that he has a personality and can carry on a coherent conversation. So, ride in on that white horse, Barack! Or at least saunter in with a little grace, intelligence, and a rationale that is contrary to the incongruity of the current administration. Therefore, I delve into The Audacity of Hope.

And shame on you, Lieberman. I never liked you in the first place, but to run as an Independent?! Stop beating around the Bush already. Still, I'm curious to see what Connecticut decides.

On another note, my blood is redder than ever with Cardinal Fever. We managed to pull out a win in Game Seven to take us to the World Series. We almost blew it in the bottom of the ninth, though, when we loaded the bases with only one out. But that was just a tease. We were all like, "Here, Mets. We'll give you a chance. Psyche! Never mind. We'll just go ahead and win." It made for an exciting game. But what did they expect after Chavez robbed Rolen of that homer? We had to get it back. Thank you Molina for your game-winning homerun. And thank you, Suppan, series MVP. Wonderful throwing arm you've got there. Unfortunately, I believe that we are doomed for a major ass-kicking against the Tigers. (just joking, we'll totally win)

Finally, just as I was finishing up Charlie Rose, I flipped to Conan O'brien just in time to see him introduce the one and only Ben Folds as his musical guest. Ben played a sweet ballad while dressed as a pirate, complete with glasses over his eye patch, and he then proceeded to fight off Conan with his sword. I've already pre-ordered Supersunnyspeedgraphic. It's bound to blow my mind.

I leave you peas, my peas be with you.

2006-10-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

I happen to be Catholic. I happen to be a Catholic that frequents Sunday morning mass. As of late, post divorce, I have been slacking in my Catholic responsibility of showing up to mass once a week for about forty-five minutes, but today, in order to appease my father, his lady friend, and my tiny Italian grandmother, I went with kid sister in tow. Now, each week my mother comes back from church and says, "You should consider going to church today. The sermon was all about puppy dogs and flowers and whatnot, and not that esoteric Catholic blathering that the priest likes to talk about so much." (I'm exaggerating a little). Anyway, I went today and the homily was all about divorce and how wrong it is, and if you get divorced and then get re-married, it's the equivalent of committing adultery. And that was just the beginning. My current priest has a way of using any topic as a segue to the abomination of artificial contraception and gay marriage. "If you're not producing children in a loving marriage, then how can you contribute to building the body of Christ?" he says.

What he's really saying, is we, as God-fearing Catholics (women) need to quit slutting it up, get married, make as many babies as possible, and donate 10% of our husbands salaries to the Lord. The more children there are the better the chance of having Catholic asses in the seats in order to mask the degeneration of organized religion, specifically Catholicism.

On a funnier note, my kid sister, in the middle of mass, insisted that the priest skipped over the "Wine Part," as she so eloquently put it. I assured her that the priest didn't forget about the Blood of Christ, but it gave us the giggles nonetheless.

On a ridiculous note, the Catholic religion has now done away with the idea that children who die before being baptized are stuck in limbo. Originally, it was Catholic belief that unbaptized babies went to a place in heaven away from God--Baby Limbo. So as the priest is informing us that all babies go to heaven and are practically sitting on God's lap, I turned to my sister to make a joke about Baby Limbo because I was picturing all of these dancing babies going under a limbo pole on a cloud, and she was just staring at the priest dumbfounded with mouth agape. That sight made me silently giggle until I started crying and then my Grandma Gee Gee pinched us both. Amen.

Props

2006-10-03T02:01:00.000-05:00

Two blogs in one night. What is she thinking?!

So, I got some props from the owner of my fine establishment this evening. I thought that he didn't like me as of about three minutes ago, but I just got a very complimentary e-mail from the head honcho. I hope that he doesn't ever notice that I use a considerable amount of my restaurant-managing time blogging and YouTubing. I did look good tonight, though. I wore this new skirt that he had to be impressed with. If we're using proper grammar, "with which he must have been impressed." Regardless, "Yeah, Me!"

Usually on Monday nights when I manage, I go directly home and watch late night non-cable television until my eyes water and I'm forced to go to bed, but tonight I caught a few cocktails with some co-workers and had a good time. Now, usually I'm an anti-girl advocate with the exception of a select few (Janice, Beth, Megan. . .you know who you are), but tonight I involved myself in some petty gossip and all around trash talking with one of my other co-workers, Michelle, better known as "Counts". Counts is actually her last name. In the beginning, I thought I wouldn't like her, but now, though I do not categorize myself in the same...well...category...as her, I have found that even those outside my realm can be captivating. Woot! Personal evolution for MKD!

Nobody calls me that (MKD). Sometimes in my head I call myself that. You would think that I would refer to myself as something different than my initials, but that's not the case. Come to think of it, I have quite a few names: MD, Marty, Marty Kay, Davis, Mario (long, but short story), Stewart (obvious). . .

Whatever the case may be, I have blogged. Now get off my back for not blogging as often as I should.

Even StepVhen

2006-10-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

I don't really have anything to blog about, and though I'm sure that many of you have seen this, watch again. I was You Tubing and came accross. So, watch this f*#%ing video.

Enjoy.

My mom went to Italy and all she bought me was this stupid necktie

2006-09-30T13:01:00.000-05:00

My mom returned from Italy last week. She told me that there were neckties, beautiful, Italian neckties, everywhere she went. They are apparently all the rage in Italy. So being that I have quite an extensive necktie collection, she thought that it would be an appropriate gift. Well, her luggage was not only lost on the way to Italy, but another piece of her luggage was lost on the way back, therefore, the presentation of my present was delayed. Anywho, once the bag did arrive she opened it and handed me my gifts. Mom said, "I didn't know which ties to get you because you're so critical, but one of these was extra expensive." And then, I retorted (in my head), "Well, did you have to get me the two ugliest ties in all of Italy?" But what I really said was, "Thanks, Mom." Man! I am critical but not ungrateful. If she had told me about all the neckties and then not bought me any, I would have been livid.

One tie is red and white checkered with these little blue dots and the other is this tapestry looking tie with gondoliers on it. Yikes! Here's a little peek:

Last night was her 50th birthday party, complete with a sparkley 50 tiara and classic rock played by my uncle's band. She looks great, if I do say so myself. The party was boring for me, but I'm not fifty. Had I been, I believe I would have had a mediocre time. She had a blast, and that's all that counts, plus my cleverly assembled collage of random embarrassing pictures that I constructed added that extra kick to the evening that she didn't expect.