let's fucking party, 2009.
1 year ago
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
new years eve part 2
i'd like to thank all the hundreds who applied to be my new years eve kiss.
we have just finished tallying the votes and the winner is... KENNY!
yes, my roommate kenny!
there is some suspicion that there may be some voter fraud involved.
regardless, kenny.. get ready for the kiss of your life.
we have just finished tallying the votes and the winner is... KENNY!
yes, my roommate kenny!
there is some suspicion that there may be some voter fraud involved.
regardless, kenny.. get ready for the kiss of your life.
2008 in review.
2008, you are a shit year. i will be glad when midnight hits and i can officially roundhouse kick you in the FACE.
i can say without a doubt that 2008 was the most difficult year of my life. the good news is that here i am, december 31st, still alive and still kicking. i have a positive attitude. i see good things on the horizon. so if that was the worst life has to offer so far, then everything's gonna be fine and things can only get more awesome.
january. 2008 started at dan and tess's party and migrated to empire. i was temping at the amazingly boring wachovia and pretty much hating it. i was living with brett and jenna in their attic. it was in late january that i made one of the most difficult decisions i've made in my life - to quit olympia and decide not to tour anymore. i'm satisfied with the decision that i made, but there's not a day that goes by where i don't miss it.
february. in february i left my job at wachovia in grand style (YAY!) and returned to my former job at the marketing agency. it was the official beginning of the "career", a conscious decision to commit to long-term employment without the escape of an upcoming tour or album on the horizon. i played my last official shows with olympia at mojos in richmond and rock'n'roll hotel in DC.
march. in march my grandmother got very ill and passed away shortly after. we drove up to ohio for her funeral which, despite being sad, was one of my most cherished memories of spending time with my extended family. shortly after that, i attended the funeral of a high-school friend, rob slimak, who died in an accident at 27. in non-death related news, i decided to buy an autoharp and started taking my first lessons.
april. april derailed just about everything, including autoharp lessons. as most of you already know, april was my bike accident. i broke most of the bones in my face, stayed in the hospital for about a week, had two surgeries, had metal plates and screws put into my face, and had my jaw wired shut for about 6 weeks. it was a very trying time, but thanks to the amazing surgeons, i have made a full recovery.
may. all of may was spent in bed, taking painkillers every four hours, hardly sleeping. i was only able to drink liquids and ate all my meals through a straw. may was when my love for rob & big began due to all-day MTV2 marathons. without a doubt, i survived may because of the support of my amazing mom and jenny, who were completely selfless and were by my side for most of this difficult time.
june. things are starting to look up! i moved into an amazing loft apartment with kenny and bill. bill hadn't arrived yet, but we saved him a room. i returned to my job and to a semi-regular richmond life, despite my jaw still being wired. there were a few notable dance parties and many trips to the james river. one of my favorite accomplishments of june was being able to interview my grandma on my dad's side of the family for storycorps.
july. july started with my jaw being un-wired. THANK GOD. july started with robin & jess's wedding in williamsburg and then a week-long trip to the beach with my family, followed by an epic 4th of july at hadad's lake. we had an exciting prom night at bank and i started my love affair with cous cous. i officially switched from pc to mac.
august. in august we had a few epic rooftop hangouts at 319. best friends day came and i played the most intense game of volleyball i've ever played. kenny debuted 240 minutes at cous cous and a legendary evening was born. the dental stage of my recovery began and i got seven (OUCH!) root canals. NOT fun.
september. in september i turned 28 and continued hurtling towards 30. i had an amazing daytrip to kings dominion with brandi and kenny. bill chubb finally arrived in richmond, so we threw a fancy party to celebrate. kenny let me join in the fun on 240 minutes, which was the best b-day gift ever. september saw the birth of MANCATION, a new yearly tradition for dudes only that involves kayaking, bbq ribs, and drunk dialing. i also took my first work trip and stayed in the fanciest hotel room i've ever seen in my life.
october. in october, i took an epic solo roadtrip to albany to visit my equal vision dudes and then to brooklyn to hang out with the one and only mari. i saw hot chip play in manhattan and it blew my mind. october had so many amazing weddings. garrett & olivia tied the knot and we all got drunk, had life-changing conversations, and slept in tents. samm & spencer got hitched the next weekend in staunton and i unleashed my DJ skills, got drunk again, and bill and i stole giant helium balloons and took them to a bar. missy and clay had an amazing fancy richmond wedding at plant zero, but i kept it sober and drank some amazing root beer. halloween closed out october in grand style. bill and i dressed as confederate and union generals, got our first missed connections on craiglist, and had a crazy night.
november. november started out with my first ever civil war re-enactment. AMAZING. after that, we discovered that this dude we met on halloween night was actually STALKING us. after a few really creepy encounters, a call to the cops, and a few weeks of looking over my shoulder, i think our stalking incident is officially closed. november's shining achievement was the election of barack obama and the impromptu parade that erupted in front of my house until 3:00am. definitely a night that i will never forget in my lifetime. courtney came to visit and we found some of my old ancestors in hollywood cemetary. 240 minutes hit the road and played in DC, followed by the debut of slanted & enchanted, an indie dance night back home in richmond. both were a big success.
december. here we are! december was one of my craziest months at work since i started, and there were a few days i wanted to tear my hair out. december also saw a number of christmas parties, a trip to antietam battlefield, and time with family and friends. 319 threw our big xmas party and nothing was destroyed. in december i officially started working on getting my record label idea off the ground.
2008.
so that's it. i thought when i started this thing that it would be a huge 2008 pity party due to all the bad things that happened, but after june i was pretty hard pressed to find anything that bad. the repercussions of my recovery carried on throughout the year, but i am so lucky to be fully recovered and feeling more or less back to normal.
2008 was mostly about waiting and transitions. letting go of my touring life and transitioning to a career. waiting to heal from my accident. transitioning back to work and back to my regular life. in a lot of ways, i'm still waiting and transitioning and i'm not really sure what comes next, but i'm ready for a new year. i think it's gonna be a good one.
i can say without a doubt that 2008 was the most difficult year of my life. the good news is that here i am, december 31st, still alive and still kicking. i have a positive attitude. i see good things on the horizon. so if that was the worst life has to offer so far, then everything's gonna be fine and things can only get more awesome.
january. 2008 started at dan and tess's party and migrated to empire. i was temping at the amazingly boring wachovia and pretty much hating it. i was living with brett and jenna in their attic. it was in late january that i made one of the most difficult decisions i've made in my life - to quit olympia and decide not to tour anymore. i'm satisfied with the decision that i made, but there's not a day that goes by where i don't miss it.
february. in february i left my job at wachovia in grand style (YAY!) and returned to my former job at the marketing agency. it was the official beginning of the "career", a conscious decision to commit to long-term employment without the escape of an upcoming tour or album on the horizon. i played my last official shows with olympia at mojos in richmond and rock'n'roll hotel in DC.
march. in march my grandmother got very ill and passed away shortly after. we drove up to ohio for her funeral which, despite being sad, was one of my most cherished memories of spending time with my extended family. shortly after that, i attended the funeral of a high-school friend, rob slimak, who died in an accident at 27. in non-death related news, i decided to buy an autoharp and started taking my first lessons.
april. april derailed just about everything, including autoharp lessons. as most of you already know, april was my bike accident. i broke most of the bones in my face, stayed in the hospital for about a week, had two surgeries, had metal plates and screws put into my face, and had my jaw wired shut for about 6 weeks. it was a very trying time, but thanks to the amazing surgeons, i have made a full recovery.
may. all of may was spent in bed, taking painkillers every four hours, hardly sleeping. i was only able to drink liquids and ate all my meals through a straw. may was when my love for rob & big began due to all-day MTV2 marathons. without a doubt, i survived may because of the support of my amazing mom and jenny, who were completely selfless and were by my side for most of this difficult time.
june. things are starting to look up! i moved into an amazing loft apartment with kenny and bill. bill hadn't arrived yet, but we saved him a room. i returned to my job and to a semi-regular richmond life, despite my jaw still being wired. there were a few notable dance parties and many trips to the james river. one of my favorite accomplishments of june was being able to interview my grandma on my dad's side of the family for storycorps.
july. july started with my jaw being un-wired. THANK GOD. july started with robin & jess's wedding in williamsburg and then a week-long trip to the beach with my family, followed by an epic 4th of july at hadad's lake. we had an exciting prom night at bank and i started my love affair with cous cous. i officially switched from pc to mac.
august. in august we had a few epic rooftop hangouts at 319. best friends day came and i played the most intense game of volleyball i've ever played. kenny debuted 240 minutes at cous cous and a legendary evening was born. the dental stage of my recovery began and i got seven (OUCH!) root canals. NOT fun.
september. in september i turned 28 and continued hurtling towards 30. i had an amazing daytrip to kings dominion with brandi and kenny. bill chubb finally arrived in richmond, so we threw a fancy party to celebrate. kenny let me join in the fun on 240 minutes, which was the best b-day gift ever. september saw the birth of MANCATION, a new yearly tradition for dudes only that involves kayaking, bbq ribs, and drunk dialing. i also took my first work trip and stayed in the fanciest hotel room i've ever seen in my life.
october. in october, i took an epic solo roadtrip to albany to visit my equal vision dudes and then to brooklyn to hang out with the one and only mari. i saw hot chip play in manhattan and it blew my mind. october had so many amazing weddings. garrett & olivia tied the knot and we all got drunk, had life-changing conversations, and slept in tents. samm & spencer got hitched the next weekend in staunton and i unleashed my DJ skills, got drunk again, and bill and i stole giant helium balloons and took them to a bar. missy and clay had an amazing fancy richmond wedding at plant zero, but i kept it sober and drank some amazing root beer. halloween closed out october in grand style. bill and i dressed as confederate and union generals, got our first missed connections on craiglist, and had a crazy night.
november. november started out with my first ever civil war re-enactment. AMAZING. after that, we discovered that this dude we met on halloween night was actually STALKING us. after a few really creepy encounters, a call to the cops, and a few weeks of looking over my shoulder, i think our stalking incident is officially closed. november's shining achievement was the election of barack obama and the impromptu parade that erupted in front of my house until 3:00am. definitely a night that i will never forget in my lifetime. courtney came to visit and we found some of my old ancestors in hollywood cemetary. 240 minutes hit the road and played in DC, followed by the debut of slanted & enchanted, an indie dance night back home in richmond. both were a big success.
december. here we are! december was one of my craziest months at work since i started, and there were a few days i wanted to tear my hair out. december also saw a number of christmas parties, a trip to antietam battlefield, and time with family and friends. 319 threw our big xmas party and nothing was destroyed. in december i officially started working on getting my record label idea off the ground.
2008.
so that's it. i thought when i started this thing that it would be a huge 2008 pity party due to all the bad things that happened, but after june i was pretty hard pressed to find anything that bad. the repercussions of my recovery carried on throughout the year, but i am so lucky to be fully recovered and feeling more or less back to normal.
2008 was mostly about waiting and transitions. letting go of my touring life and transitioning to a career. waiting to heal from my accident. transitioning back to work and back to my regular life. in a lot of ways, i'm still waiting and transitioning and i'm not really sure what comes next, but i'm ready for a new year. i think it's gonna be a good one.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
holy shit.
it's almost 2:00am.
i wish someone would write this on the wall of my apartment. i wouldn't even be mad if we didn't get our security deposit back.
i wish someone would write this on the wall of my apartment. i wouldn't even be mad if we didn't get our security deposit back.
2k9 party anthem
i tried making this the 2k8 party anthem, but i don't think it took hold, so i'm gonna try again this year.
this video is totally ridiculous, but the message is crystal clear. having a real job is the new sexy. i'm all about spreading this message.
this video is totally ridiculous, but the message is crystal clear. having a real job is the new sexy. i'm all about spreading this message.
Monday, December 29, 2008
new years eve kiss.
as you may or may not know, i've been off work since before xmas and now i've got this entire week off, which is quite possibly the best thing ever. i made no plans, no travel, i'm literally just relaxing. some might call this laziness, but the time was needed to recharge my batteries and tackle the incoming new year with renewed vigor.
one of the unintended effects of the downtime, however, is endless thinking time. thinking about all kinds of shit. sometimes heavy shit. it's really quite brutal, so i'm trying to keep my thoughts lighthearted and on small stuff. since i'm going to agonize regardless, it's much more fun to agonize over small details of my life rather than the big picture stuff.
so today i was agonizing over this: the new years eve kiss.
oh god.
so agonizing, right?
for us single folks, it's the most awkward intense thing about the whole evening. who are you into at the time? who is going to be at the party you're going to be at? who will be in your vicinity? how do you get into the vicinity of the person you WANT to kiss? do you want to kiss someone at all? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
i have decided this year to eliminate all stress of the new years eve kiss and get it over with right now. we're going to settle this on the blog, days before new years eve, so that on the actual night there will not need to be any panic involved.
first of all, let's set some boundaries:
a) you have to be attending the same party i'm attending (sorry non-virginia residents)
b) our kiss, while intense, will only last 3-4 seconds. no one wants to ring in 2009 with a sloppy makeout, y'all.
c) to quote flight of the conchords, "a kiss is not a contract", and i intend to ring in the new year with my chastity intact, so keep those impure thoughts out of your head.
d) if the new years party is like i'm hoping, i might be sweaty from unleashing epic dance moves for hours - you would have to be okay with this.
e) our kiss must not result in me getting beat up by anyone (current boyfriend, ex, etc.)
if you meet the requirements set forth in the list above, then feel free to submit an application.
the question for the application are as follows:
1) why should we kiss on new years eve?
2) i have a beard - is this okay?
3) what will you be drinking on new years eve?
4) do you regularly wear chapstick?
5) how tall are you?
6) if we kiss on new years eve, would it be because you genuinely like me or is it because you want to become famous on the internet because of my gigantic blog readership?
7) what celebrity do you most resemble?
i will review applications and contact the winner. if the magic midnight moment is photographed (which may not be possible because it might be too epic to capture on film), i will post it on my blog and you can start collecting royalty checks from the internet when all your worldwide fame begins.
if this thread receives no comments or applications, i will know it's not because no one wants to kiss me, but that you are all way too intimidated by the thought of being famous on the internet and you'd like to keep your private life private and not be hounded by the internet paparazzi. i understand completely.
one of the unintended effects of the downtime, however, is endless thinking time. thinking about all kinds of shit. sometimes heavy shit. it's really quite brutal, so i'm trying to keep my thoughts lighthearted and on small stuff. since i'm going to agonize regardless, it's much more fun to agonize over small details of my life rather than the big picture stuff.
so today i was agonizing over this: the new years eve kiss.
oh god.
so agonizing, right?
for us single folks, it's the most awkward intense thing about the whole evening. who are you into at the time? who is going to be at the party you're going to be at? who will be in your vicinity? how do you get into the vicinity of the person you WANT to kiss? do you want to kiss someone at all? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
i have decided this year to eliminate all stress of the new years eve kiss and get it over with right now. we're going to settle this on the blog, days before new years eve, so that on the actual night there will not need to be any panic involved.
first of all, let's set some boundaries:
a) you have to be attending the same party i'm attending (sorry non-virginia residents)
b) our kiss, while intense, will only last 3-4 seconds. no one wants to ring in 2009 with a sloppy makeout, y'all.
c) to quote flight of the conchords, "a kiss is not a contract", and i intend to ring in the new year with my chastity intact, so keep those impure thoughts out of your head.
d) if the new years party is like i'm hoping, i might be sweaty from unleashing epic dance moves for hours - you would have to be okay with this.
e) our kiss must not result in me getting beat up by anyone (current boyfriend, ex, etc.)
if you meet the requirements set forth in the list above, then feel free to submit an application.
the question for the application are as follows:
1) why should we kiss on new years eve?
2) i have a beard - is this okay?
3) what will you be drinking on new years eve?
4) do you regularly wear chapstick?
5) how tall are you?
6) if we kiss on new years eve, would it be because you genuinely like me or is it because you want to become famous on the internet because of my gigantic blog readership?
7) what celebrity do you most resemble?
i will review applications and contact the winner. if the magic midnight moment is photographed (which may not be possible because it might be too epic to capture on film), i will post it on my blog and you can start collecting royalty checks from the internet when all your worldwide fame begins.
if this thread receives no comments or applications, i will know it's not because no one wants to kiss me, but that you are all way too intimidated by the thought of being famous on the internet and you'd like to keep your private life private and not be hounded by the internet paparazzi. i understand completely.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
brother appreciation post.
hey, so .. i don't think i've talked much about my brother on this blog.
in case you didn't know, he's a fucking rad dude.
my brother and i have had our ups and downs over the years, but in the past 2-3 years we finally got over our teen angst and realized that we get along really well and have a lot of fun together. over the past two years, when i was home in between olympia tours and stuck in northern virginia with no friends, clayton went out of his way to invite me and include me in activities with his friends. it was really cool of him and i really appreciated it. through him, i got to accomplish one of my life-long dreams, which was to become a semi-regular at a karaoke dive bar.
my brother is now a successful computer engineer, making more money at 26 than i'll probably make twenty years from now. he's living in DC, having fun, and being generally awesome.
anyway, clayton and i spent a lot of time over the holidays, which was awesome. his girlfriend leah was hanging out as well, which i think helped him be on his best behavior. we played a lot of wii, played board games, goofed around, and had an all-around good time.
clayton has a great sense of humor and he always has me laughing. he has great comedic timing and a dry wit, splashed with a dose of complete nonsense. and when you put us together in the same room, it just gets more and more out of control.
i couldn't figure out how to make it not sideways, but here's an awesome video of clayton doing a christmas dance to mannheim steamroller, even inspiring my dad to get in on the action:
but it's not just the christmas dancing. clayton gets an A+ for the holidays for two more crucial reasons:
1) he's trying to grow a beard. i could not be prouder.
2) he rocked this amazing ben sherman skinny tie that i want to steal from him
here's a pic of clayton rocking his fashion forward christmas outfit:
you can't really see the tie as well as i'd hoped in this photo. but trust me, it's fucking awesome.
so, clayton.. if you're reading this (which he's probably not - he's too cool to read blogs), this is an appreciation post to you.
in case you didn't know, he's a fucking rad dude.
my brother and i have had our ups and downs over the years, but in the past 2-3 years we finally got over our teen angst and realized that we get along really well and have a lot of fun together. over the past two years, when i was home in between olympia tours and stuck in northern virginia with no friends, clayton went out of his way to invite me and include me in activities with his friends. it was really cool of him and i really appreciated it. through him, i got to accomplish one of my life-long dreams, which was to become a semi-regular at a karaoke dive bar.
my brother is now a successful computer engineer, making more money at 26 than i'll probably make twenty years from now. he's living in DC, having fun, and being generally awesome.
anyway, clayton and i spent a lot of time over the holidays, which was awesome. his girlfriend leah was hanging out as well, which i think helped him be on his best behavior. we played a lot of wii, played board games, goofed around, and had an all-around good time.
clayton has a great sense of humor and he always has me laughing. he has great comedic timing and a dry wit, splashed with a dose of complete nonsense. and when you put us together in the same room, it just gets more and more out of control.
i couldn't figure out how to make it not sideways, but here's an awesome video of clayton doing a christmas dance to mannheim steamroller, even inspiring my dad to get in on the action:
but it's not just the christmas dancing. clayton gets an A+ for the holidays for two more crucial reasons:
1) he's trying to grow a beard. i could not be prouder.
2) he rocked this amazing ben sherman skinny tie that i want to steal from him
here's a pic of clayton rocking his fashion forward christmas outfit:
you can't really see the tie as well as i'd hoped in this photo. but trust me, it's fucking awesome.
so, clayton.. if you're reading this (which he's probably not - he's too cool to read blogs), this is an appreciation post to you.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
yo gabba gabba
bill has been singing the praises of this show for months now, but i had never seen it until this week.
this show totally rules.
now that i know that this show exists, i feel hopeful now about having kids. even though the economy is fucked, we're destroying the planet, and everything else is going wrong. i know that there is quality children's programming available, so my kid will grow up to be super cool.
thank god.
this show totally rules.
now that i know that this show exists, i feel hopeful now about having kids. even though the economy is fucked, we're destroying the planet, and everything else is going wrong. i know that there is quality children's programming available, so my kid will grow up to be super cool.
thank god.
time to go!
christmas restlessness is officially in full effect.
i'll be making my escape tonight around midnight.
don't get me wrong, i love my family. and they've been nothing but gracious and amazing during my visit here. but i miss my apartment and my richmond life and i'm ready to get back to it. tonight the family has tickets to go see a show together and then i'm going to hit the road.
my thought is sundays are a bad day for xmas travel, so i might as well do the trip late tonight and save me the headache.
if you're experiencing xmas restlessness too, allow me to recommend going to see an awesome movie. "slumdog millionaire" was totally amazing. a great story about hardship, love, destiny, all that awesome shit that makes you get all teary-eyed. i loved it. i cannot say the same for the clint eastwood film "gran torino" which was pretty much about an old man who is mean to everyone. NOT so christmas-y.
since i will be returning to richmond late tonight, i am expecting epic hangouts throughout the week. for those of you in richmond who are down to hang on weeknights, i am expecting a phone call. let's get awesome!
i'll be making my escape tonight around midnight.
don't get me wrong, i love my family. and they've been nothing but gracious and amazing during my visit here. but i miss my apartment and my richmond life and i'm ready to get back to it. tonight the family has tickets to go see a show together and then i'm going to hit the road.
my thought is sundays are a bad day for xmas travel, so i might as well do the trip late tonight and save me the headache.
if you're experiencing xmas restlessness too, allow me to recommend going to see an awesome movie. "slumdog millionaire" was totally amazing. a great story about hardship, love, destiny, all that awesome shit that makes you get all teary-eyed. i loved it. i cannot say the same for the clint eastwood film "gran torino" which was pretty much about an old man who is mean to everyone. NOT so christmas-y.
since i will be returning to richmond late tonight, i am expecting epic hangouts throughout the week. for those of you in richmond who are down to hang on weeknights, i am expecting a phone call. let's get awesome!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
top 5 records of 2008
it's the end of the year, which means it's time for all those end-of-the-year music lists. i don't imagine too many people will be super interested in mine, but it's my blog, so... BOOYAH!
i was going to do a top ten but i found out i don't own ten records released this year. go figure. hopefully 2009 kicks things up a notch.
anyway, ENJOY:
1. hot chip - made in the dark
2. fleet foxes - self-titled
3. ida - lovers prayers
4. sigur ros - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
5. sun kil moon - april
i was going to do a top ten but i found out i don't own ten records released this year. go figure. hopefully 2009 kicks things up a notch.
anyway, ENJOY:
1. hot chip - made in the dark
2. fleet foxes - self-titled
3. ida - lovers prayers
4. sigur ros - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
5. sun kil moon - april
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
christmas eve
oh shit! christmas is here!
i think i spent so much time trying to survive UNTIL christmas, that now i'm actually here and i'm off work, it's like christmas totally snuck up on me.
i got home from dallas safe and sound. there were no travel nightmares, even though i was bracing myself accordingly. i seem to have all the travel luck. hopefully that's something that sticks with me for a while.
dallas was a lot of fun. i got all the work out the door that needed to go out, but more importantly, i met some awesome co-workers that i hadn't met yet and got to hang out with some of my favorite dallas folks. there's such a rad crew of people in that office, so it's always fun to go there.
i discovered, quite on accident, that the club that olympia used to play in dallas is literally two blocks away from the dallas office. we drove to this breakfast spot that i was recommended and it was literally down the street from the club. i laughed to myself as i ate my breakfast, recognizing the bar across the street where i had gotten hammered during olympia's last dallas show. talk about two worlds colliding.
it was a strange feeling. looking in on my recent past and seeing myself on a different trajectory now. brought back some good memories but it was also a little bittersweet.
so anyway, dallas was great. i drove up to DC this morning and now i'm chilling at the parents house. as usual, i overestimated the excitement of this trip and i'm already a little bored. i may not stay till sunday as planned.
tonight is christmas dinner and then off to church. in the morning, we'll open presents and then head down to grandma's. tomorrow morning is going to be a little anti-climactic. i asked for 3 things for christmas - a subscription to wired magazine, a subscription to death and taxes magazine, and black socks. mom had me order the subscriptions myself since she's not good with the internet. so i have a feeling tomorrow's xmas surprise is going to be black socks. which isn't actually that bad because i have a legitimate need for them.
merry christmas, y'all. i'm sure with the boredom levels rising, this isn't the last you'll hear from me.
i think i spent so much time trying to survive UNTIL christmas, that now i'm actually here and i'm off work, it's like christmas totally snuck up on me.
i got home from dallas safe and sound. there were no travel nightmares, even though i was bracing myself accordingly. i seem to have all the travel luck. hopefully that's something that sticks with me for a while.
dallas was a lot of fun. i got all the work out the door that needed to go out, but more importantly, i met some awesome co-workers that i hadn't met yet and got to hang out with some of my favorite dallas folks. there's such a rad crew of people in that office, so it's always fun to go there.
i discovered, quite on accident, that the club that olympia used to play in dallas is literally two blocks away from the dallas office. we drove to this breakfast spot that i was recommended and it was literally down the street from the club. i laughed to myself as i ate my breakfast, recognizing the bar across the street where i had gotten hammered during olympia's last dallas show. talk about two worlds colliding.
it was a strange feeling. looking in on my recent past and seeing myself on a different trajectory now. brought back some good memories but it was also a little bittersweet.
so anyway, dallas was great. i drove up to DC this morning and now i'm chilling at the parents house. as usual, i overestimated the excitement of this trip and i'm already a little bored. i may not stay till sunday as planned.
tonight is christmas dinner and then off to church. in the morning, we'll open presents and then head down to grandma's. tomorrow morning is going to be a little anti-climactic. i asked for 3 things for christmas - a subscription to wired magazine, a subscription to death and taxes magazine, and black socks. mom had me order the subscriptions myself since she's not good with the internet. so i have a feeling tomorrow's xmas surprise is going to be black socks. which isn't actually that bad because i have a legitimate need for them.
merry christmas, y'all. i'm sure with the boredom levels rising, this isn't the last you'll hear from me.
Monday, December 22, 2008
hello from dallas!
so i made it safe to dallas.
i'm chilling here in my hotel room. it's under 20 degrees here right now and i don't have anything more than a hoodie. it's cool though, i don't see myself spending any significant amount of time outdoors. i can tough it out here and there.
the flight was... interesting. i sat next to tyler. tyler was in 3rd grade and flying by himself to dallas to meet his dad. for a third grader, this kid was super cool. however, he was clearly quite restless and bored and proceeded to talk my ear off for the entire three-hour flight. we discussed various scenarios in which the plane might crash (not my chosen topic), what it would be like to ride a shark, and his thoughts on cowboys and indian movies. he quizzed me quite relentlessly about various facts about air travel - what do the oxygen masks do exactly? how fast did you think we are going right now?
i got a short break mid-flight where i told tyler i was taking a 15-minute nap. i told him he could wake me up if anything important happened. 15 minutes later on the dot, he woke me up to tell me the pilot announced that we were landing in 20 minutes. i suspect he made that up, since we remained on the plane for another hour and a half. however, it was all good since i had my 15-minute eyes-closed sigur ros time. i was recharged and proceeded to talk to my buddy tyler for the rest of the flight.
unfortunately, we were sitting behind this lame family. the dad was seated directly in front of tyler and since he was restless, he kept inadvertantly kicking the seat in front of him or playing with the tray which shook the seat as well. the guy turned around and kinda snapped at tyler. and then he looked at me like i was responsible for him. and i wanted to be like "DUDE. SERIOUSLY?!" have a little sympathy for what it's like to be a third grader all by himself on a plane and feeling restless. whatever. that guy was a douchebag anyway.
so anyway, we arrived safely. i told tyler he was one of the coolest kids i know and then proceeded to navigate my way out of dallas's gigantic airport. i was picked up by a rad dude named sylvester who took me to the hotel.
the hotel is nice and fancy, but perhaps the BEST perk of the hotel is the 7-11 around the corner. i saw it on the way in and my first errand was to run out to get a big gulp. i was also trying to find a razor (which i forgot), shaving cream (which i intentionally didn't bring) and toothpaste (again, forgot). i got toothpaste. people are just gonna have to handle me looking a little grizzly.
off to work. everybody stay warm!
i'm chilling here in my hotel room. it's under 20 degrees here right now and i don't have anything more than a hoodie. it's cool though, i don't see myself spending any significant amount of time outdoors. i can tough it out here and there.
the flight was... interesting. i sat next to tyler. tyler was in 3rd grade and flying by himself to dallas to meet his dad. for a third grader, this kid was super cool. however, he was clearly quite restless and bored and proceeded to talk my ear off for the entire three-hour flight. we discussed various scenarios in which the plane might crash (not my chosen topic), what it would be like to ride a shark, and his thoughts on cowboys and indian movies. he quizzed me quite relentlessly about various facts about air travel - what do the oxygen masks do exactly? how fast did you think we are going right now?
i got a short break mid-flight where i told tyler i was taking a 15-minute nap. i told him he could wake me up if anything important happened. 15 minutes later on the dot, he woke me up to tell me the pilot announced that we were landing in 20 minutes. i suspect he made that up, since we remained on the plane for another hour and a half. however, it was all good since i had my 15-minute eyes-closed sigur ros time. i was recharged and proceeded to talk to my buddy tyler for the rest of the flight.
unfortunately, we were sitting behind this lame family. the dad was seated directly in front of tyler and since he was restless, he kept inadvertantly kicking the seat in front of him or playing with the tray which shook the seat as well. the guy turned around and kinda snapped at tyler. and then he looked at me like i was responsible for him. and i wanted to be like "DUDE. SERIOUSLY?!" have a little sympathy for what it's like to be a third grader all by himself on a plane and feeling restless. whatever. that guy was a douchebag anyway.
so anyway, we arrived safely. i told tyler he was one of the coolest kids i know and then proceeded to navigate my way out of dallas's gigantic airport. i was picked up by a rad dude named sylvester who took me to the hotel.
the hotel is nice and fancy, but perhaps the BEST perk of the hotel is the 7-11 around the corner. i saw it on the way in and my first errand was to run out to get a big gulp. i was also trying to find a razor (which i forgot), shaving cream (which i intentionally didn't bring) and toothpaste (again, forgot). i got toothpaste. people are just gonna have to handle me looking a little grizzly.
off to work. everybody stay warm!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
so full.
this is the face that i make when i can't believe how fast i ate that chipotle burrito.
i am concerned for my well-being. i can feel the brick moving down my digestive system.
but it was so delicious.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
RIP SPARKS: 2002-2008
sparks,
we came a long way. you got me completely crazy drunk on a lot of brand new disaster tours. we had a falling out about two years ago, but i still have a lot of love in my heart for your tasty sticky sweet malt-beverage goodness.
i salute you, sparks. for all the good times.
you will be missed.
XMAS FEST 2008
in case you missed our xmas party on saturday, try not to be depressed when you look at these awesome photos by karen.
today has been fucking AWESOME
man, the clouds finally broke.
shit's been crazy at work, but today i finally can see the finish line and we're on track. we've been thrown some crazy curveballs with deadlines and things getting behind schedule and we were like, "you know what, curveballs? fuck you."
so we're good.
this relieves me to no end.
friday is upon us tomorrow where i will be out and about making appearances at a few holiday parties. saturday is 240 minutes christmas-style. i'm worried with it being the saturday before christmas, there will be too much going on and we'll have a smaller crowd, but that's okay too. it's fun no matter what.
sunday night i'm on a plane to dallas. the big project's final phase is monday-tuesday. i will be on deck to make sure that things are moving, questions are answered, etc. i will also conveniently be present for the dallas office xmas party which totally rules. the creative folks in dallas are fun and awesome, so i can see us getting a little rowdy.
on tuesday night i'll by flying back to richmond hopefully without incident. i'm a little nervous about flying at the peak of holiday travel, but i seem to be pretty lucky with my air travel these days.
wednesday i'm off to northern va for holiday home chilling extravaganza 2008. church with the fam, hanging out with grandma, enjoying dad's tivo, eating all the good free food.
then, a glorious WEEK of relaxing and recharging.
so needed.
i'll also spend that week preparing for my world takeover in 2009 which includes starting the record label, going to iceland, getting a raise, saving the world, and getting the girl.
shit's been crazy at work, but today i finally can see the finish line and we're on track. we've been thrown some crazy curveballs with deadlines and things getting behind schedule and we were like, "you know what, curveballs? fuck you."
so we're good.
this relieves me to no end.
friday is upon us tomorrow where i will be out and about making appearances at a few holiday parties. saturday is 240 minutes christmas-style. i'm worried with it being the saturday before christmas, there will be too much going on and we'll have a smaller crowd, but that's okay too. it's fun no matter what.
sunday night i'm on a plane to dallas. the big project's final phase is monday-tuesday. i will be on deck to make sure that things are moving, questions are answered, etc. i will also conveniently be present for the dallas office xmas party which totally rules. the creative folks in dallas are fun and awesome, so i can see us getting a little rowdy.
on tuesday night i'll by flying back to richmond hopefully without incident. i'm a little nervous about flying at the peak of holiday travel, but i seem to be pretty lucky with my air travel these days.
wednesday i'm off to northern va for holiday home chilling extravaganza 2008. church with the fam, hanging out with grandma, enjoying dad's tivo, eating all the good free food.
then, a glorious WEEK of relaxing and recharging.
so needed.
i'll also spend that week preparing for my world takeover in 2009 which includes starting the record label, going to iceland, getting a raise, saving the world, and getting the girl.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
as cities burn.
i hesitated posting this video, because i'm not sure if it translates to someone that doesn't know the band. it's a live performance, and it's not the best quality, but it's so fucking amazing to me. i don't know.. i hope it translates in some way that you might appreciate it.
only way to find out is to post it, i suppose.
i spent a month of my life touring with cody and his band as cities burn. it was one of the best months of my life and those dudes had a huge impact on me musically and personally. these guys struggled through so much as a band and had to deal with shit that olympia didn't come close to having to deal with, and they kept making amazing music. they put out one of my favorite records of the past few years and it was a total departure from their original sound, which they got a lot of shit for from dumb kids who didn't know any better.
i don't know what i'm trying to get at exactly. they're inspiring to me both as musicians and as individuals and i'm proud to call them friends. the fact that there are little hints and videos popping up of new unreleased material gets me really excited to know that they're still creating and writing.
this new song is so beautiful. it's hard to hear in the video, but i can imagine how amazing it's going to sound fleshed out in the studio.
anyway, just wanted to post it. i'm excited.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
hiding out
i've been hiding from the blog lately.
lots of things swirling through my mind and all of them break the "do not make your blog into a livejournal" rule of my blog.
my life is in a holding pattern. i can see things starting to take shape ahead of me, but it's too early to do anything about it. the anticipation combined with the inaction is something that's hard to get used to.
there are plans i want to start putting in motion, trips i want to make, adventures i want to go on, projects i want to start, things that i've been intending to do for a while. but all around, everywhere you look, there's signs that now is a "wait and see" kind of time.
somewhere between work being too busy right now and everyone saying recession! recession! recession! it seems like now is the time to keep your head down, work hard, try not to get laid off, save money where you were previously spending it, and get through what could potentially be a very difficult time ahead. now doesn't feel like the time to be reckless.
so instead of being reckless, i'm hatching plans. i'm letting them see the light of day in very small increments. knowing that once the time is right, i'll be ready to come out guns blazing.
it's just hard to wait. but i'm planning nonetheless.
lots of things swirling through my mind and all of them break the "do not make your blog into a livejournal" rule of my blog.
my life is in a holding pattern. i can see things starting to take shape ahead of me, but it's too early to do anything about it. the anticipation combined with the inaction is something that's hard to get used to.
there are plans i want to start putting in motion, trips i want to make, adventures i want to go on, projects i want to start, things that i've been intending to do for a while. but all around, everywhere you look, there's signs that now is a "wait and see" kind of time.
somewhere between work being too busy right now and everyone saying recession! recession! recession! it seems like now is the time to keep your head down, work hard, try not to get laid off, save money where you were previously spending it, and get through what could potentially be a very difficult time ahead. now doesn't feel like the time to be reckless.
so instead of being reckless, i'm hatching plans. i'm letting them see the light of day in very small increments. knowing that once the time is right, i'll be ready to come out guns blazing.
it's just hard to wait. but i'm planning nonetheless.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
things making me happy right this second.
going shopping for records with bjork today would be pretty fun.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
office christmas party
oh the office christmas party.. a time to have awkward conversation with co-workers and drink free beer as quickly as possible.
last night was our office's party. it was a good time. i actually had some great non-awkward conversations with co-workers i don't talk to very often. also met the spouses of co-workers which is always cool. you start thinking that people work so hard at my office that no one even has a life outside of it.. and then you meet their spouse and you're like WHOA!
our office always does this game called "dirty santa" which really is just one of the many variations of the same game played all over the world. you get a number, pick out a present, someone can steal.. you know the drill. anyway, our office intentionally picks out really weird and/or bad gifts, so it's always funny to see what people bring.
i brought a gem i'd been saving for years for an occasion like this.. the ethel merman disco album.
QUITE a treat.
sadly, because i don't know how to wrap gifts, nor do i own wrapping paper.. i had to improvise with some construction paper and duct tape. i'm not proud of this, but i thought i did a good job with the tools i had.
due to my crap wrapping job, my present was last to be picked. depressing.
anyway, i walked away with quite a prize. i got a masquerade mask with FEATHERS. this thing is clearly my style and i plan to wear it to a lot of parties in the near future. it's the ultimate diva look.
watch out, ladies.
last night was our office's party. it was a good time. i actually had some great non-awkward conversations with co-workers i don't talk to very often. also met the spouses of co-workers which is always cool. you start thinking that people work so hard at my office that no one even has a life outside of it.. and then you meet their spouse and you're like WHOA!
our office always does this game called "dirty santa" which really is just one of the many variations of the same game played all over the world. you get a number, pick out a present, someone can steal.. you know the drill. anyway, our office intentionally picks out really weird and/or bad gifts, so it's always funny to see what people bring.
i brought a gem i'd been saving for years for an occasion like this.. the ethel merman disco album.
QUITE a treat.
sadly, because i don't know how to wrap gifts, nor do i own wrapping paper.. i had to improvise with some construction paper and duct tape. i'm not proud of this, but i thought i did a good job with the tools i had.
due to my crap wrapping job, my present was last to be picked. depressing.
anyway, i walked away with quite a prize. i got a masquerade mask with FEATHERS. this thing is clearly my style and i plan to wear it to a lot of parties in the near future. it's the ultimate diva look.
watch out, ladies.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
a blog message to the past
dear marianne faithfull circa early 1960s,
stop.
stay away from mick jagger. stay away from drugs.
invest the money you'll save in time machine technology.
come find me. i live in richmond. it's 2008 here.
sincerely,
phil
p.s. - thanks for sharing, sara!
stop.
stay away from mick jagger. stay away from drugs.
invest the money you'll save in time machine technology.
come find me. i live in richmond. it's 2008 here.
sincerely,
phil
p.s. - thanks for sharing, sara!
also, while we're talking about bill murray...
i have to quote the end of the article i posted below, because it ends with the most amazing urban legend i think i've ever heard.
i want it to be true so bad.
AMAZING!
i want it to be true so bad.
It was late one night, a few years ago, when a young man was walking through Union Square Park. He suddenly felt someone behind him, their hands over his eyes. When he turned in surprise, there was Bill Murray, his creased face leaning in close. Bill whispered, "No one is ever going to believe you," and then just walked away.
AMAZING!
attn: world. step off bill murray.
bill murray's had a rough year, dudes. he just got out of a messy divorce and there was that whole driving drunk on a golfcart incident. he's getting older. he's probably trying to figure important things out about himself and ask himself deep poignant questions about what he wants to do with the rest of his life.
but for now, in the meantime, i think bill murray just wants to have fun. and shouldn't we let him? he's fucking BILL MURRAY.
so according to an article in the new york post, bill murray has been sighted showing up at brooklyn hipster house parties and bars and they ask the question "is bill murray nyc's new party boy?" the article itself is kinda condescending, but hey, you know... dude is lonely. he is beloved. why not go out and have a little fun when you're 58.
if there are 21 year old girls who are willing to flirt shamelessly with bill murray, i say bill should be allowed to indulge just a little.
it's painfully obvious to this blogger that he is self-fulfilling his own prophecy and becoming the character he played in "lost in translation", which means he's about to find himself in a whole new way, fall in love with scarlett johannsen, and have a series of incredibly beautiful moments with a girl half his age.
see below:
(spoiler alert - this is the end of the movie if you haven't seen it yet.)
so, new york media, please leave bill alone and let him party if he wants to.
i, for one, celebrate any decision bill murray makes. party on, sir.
but for now, in the meantime, i think bill murray just wants to have fun. and shouldn't we let him? he's fucking BILL MURRAY.
so according to an article in the new york post, bill murray has been sighted showing up at brooklyn hipster house parties and bars and they ask the question "is bill murray nyc's new party boy?" the article itself is kinda condescending, but hey, you know... dude is lonely. he is beloved. why not go out and have a little fun when you're 58.
if there are 21 year old girls who are willing to flirt shamelessly with bill murray, i say bill should be allowed to indulge just a little.
it's painfully obvious to this blogger that he is self-fulfilling his own prophecy and becoming the character he played in "lost in translation", which means he's about to find himself in a whole new way, fall in love with scarlett johannsen, and have a series of incredibly beautiful moments with a girl half his age.
see below:
(spoiler alert - this is the end of the movie if you haven't seen it yet.)
so, new york media, please leave bill alone and let him party if he wants to.
i, for one, celebrate any decision bill murray makes. party on, sir.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
it's cold outside.
time for striped sweaters!
i'm sick of everything on my itunes, so this evening i picked through my cd collection to find a rare gem. right now i am listening to the first my chemical romance album. 2002 phil thought this was this the most awesome shit ever.
2008 phil has 20/20 hindsight.
today at work was trying, but i pulled up and pulled through it. the next two weeks are going to be batshit crazy as we try to churn through this giant project before we break for the holidays.
the deadlines are so tight and they will inevitably be pushed to the absolute limit. i foresee craziness and working over the weekend and various other crazy things.
there is also the chance that i will need to work over my week off between xmas and new years. i am bracing for that possibility, but i have high hopes that the time off will remain sacred.
until then, i will remain the workhorse, and do what i can, knowing that most of this is out of my control.
in the meantime, plenty to look forward to... especially christmas parties! so stoked!
Monday, December 8, 2008
after iceland..
.. i'm going to whatever country these girls are from
.. and asking them to start a band with me.
thanks mari!
.. and asking them to start a band with me.
thanks mari!
e-mail exchange from work
hey all - want to make sure you guys are aware that everything must be final-approved by 12/19. this means that our offer will have to be negotiated and all language approved by that date.
who from the agency will connect with XXXXXX to negotiate the deal?
we're presenting the concept tomorrow and will tell them we need immediate approval to reach out to partners.
please advise - we'll need to start talking to XXXXXX asap.
----------------------
it is my job to form partnerships. i do not believe it is realistic to try to secure a partnership of this magnitude in ten working days.
we'd better chat in the AM.
----------------------
is it unrealistic that we can have any partner secured within the next few weeks? that's how much time we have as everything is supposed to go to the printer for mass production in mid-january.
----------------------
yeah, it's unrealistic to have it done in a couple weeks. these things typically take six to eight weeks... on the short end.
----------------------
uh, then why did we just present it today??
----------------------
uhhhhhhh.....
and you wonder why i get anxiety about work sometimes.
who from the agency will connect with XXXXXX to negotiate the deal?
we're presenting the concept tomorrow and will tell them we need immediate approval to reach out to partners.
please advise - we'll need to start talking to XXXXXX asap.
----------------------
it is my job to form partnerships. i do not believe it is realistic to try to secure a partnership of this magnitude in ten working days.
we'd better chat in the AM.
----------------------
is it unrealistic that we can have any partner secured within the next few weeks? that's how much time we have as everything is supposed to go to the printer for mass production in mid-january.
----------------------
yeah, it's unrealistic to have it done in a couple weeks. these things typically take six to eight weeks... on the short end.
----------------------
uh, then why did we just present it today??
----------------------
uhhhhhhh.....
and you wonder why i get anxiety about work sometimes.
hey hey it's monday
so monday is turning out to not be so dreadful.
the only dreadful thing are all the conference calls i'm booked on - and the fact that i have this scratchy i'm-getting-a-cold voice.
i wish you guys could hear the smooth jazzy saxophone solo i'm listening to while i'm on hold right now. it's so fucking SMOOTH! what a treat.
the only dreadful thing are all the conference calls i'm booked on - and the fact that i have this scratchy i'm-getting-a-cold voice.
i wish you guys could hear the smooth jazzy saxophone solo i'm listening to while i'm on hold right now. it's so fucking SMOOTH! what a treat.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
HAT!
cold weather means it's time to break out the BEST HAT EVER.
i don't care how stupid i look in it, i love it.
i don't care how stupid i look in it, i love it.
work-related blogging
so a big part of my specific job at my agency deals specifically around marketing cameras and camcorders. the way our team is structured, we're kinda divided up in different categories - computers, television, digital imaging. i fall into the digital imaging category.
cameras have a lot of really amazing features these days and one of the challenges we're presented with is how to illustrate those features so that people understand them easily and understand the benefits of owning one brand of camera over another.
nikon just recently did a new campaign illustrating a feature called "face detection". this is where the camera has the ability to automatically find faces and focus in on them. i've never seen a better visual for this feature than this ad:
look closely for the full joke. it's pretty brilliant. well done, nikon.
i wish we had the opportunity to be this edgy/creative/funny.
hooray advertising!
cameras have a lot of really amazing features these days and one of the challenges we're presented with is how to illustrate those features so that people understand them easily and understand the benefits of owning one brand of camera over another.
nikon just recently did a new campaign illustrating a feature called "face detection". this is where the camera has the ability to automatically find faces and focus in on them. i've never seen a better visual for this feature than this ad:
look closely for the full joke. it's pretty brilliant. well done, nikon.
i wish we had the opportunity to be this edgy/creative/funny.
hooray advertising!
sunday. fuck.
sunday, this is so fucking unfair.
you at least have to give me a few hours.
the sinking dread feeling isn't supposed to kick in till the afternoon.
and here it is, right when i wake up. fuck.
fuck sleeping in.
fuck missing important texts.
fuck working on a sunday.
fuck laundry.
fuck anxiety.
i just need to take a deep breath. eat a sandwich or something.
i just want to not show up to work tomorrow, get on a flight to iceland, and stay there until i run out of money, which, thanks to my personal financial situation wouldn't take me very long. fortunately, iceland is also in a bad financial sitaution. so it makes more sense to go now than ever!
ugh.
you at least have to give me a few hours.
the sinking dread feeling isn't supposed to kick in till the afternoon.
and here it is, right when i wake up. fuck.
fuck sleeping in.
fuck missing important texts.
fuck working on a sunday.
fuck laundry.
fuck anxiety.
i just need to take a deep breath. eat a sandwich or something.
i just want to not show up to work tomorrow, get on a flight to iceland, and stay there until i run out of money, which, thanks to my personal financial situation wouldn't take me very long. fortunately, iceland is also in a bad financial sitaution. so it makes more sense to go now than ever!
ugh.
darth vader
this morning i woke up to a pleasant surprise.
there was a christmas parade going down broad st. right in front of my apartment.
it was a normal christmas parade until darth vader showed up with a bunch of stormtroopers.
this may not be a big deal to you, but it is to me. i PARK on that street.
darth vader walked down a street i park on.
can you say that about your street?
no, you can't.
i know what you're thinking.
"phil.. you said you were in your apartment, yet all these photos are street level."
yes, the answer is that i saw darth vader from my window, ran down three flights of stairs as fast as i could, nearly tripped, and ran up to the side of the street to get epic star wars photos.
if i were to make a list of "dorkiest things i have done in 2008", this might top that list. or at least make top three.
there was a christmas parade going down broad st. right in front of my apartment.
it was a normal christmas parade until darth vader showed up with a bunch of stormtroopers.
this may not be a big deal to you, but it is to me. i PARK on that street.
darth vader walked down a street i park on.
can you say that about your street?
no, you can't.
i know what you're thinking.
"phil.. you said you were in your apartment, yet all these photos are street level."
yes, the answer is that i saw darth vader from my window, ran down three flights of stairs as fast as i could, nearly tripped, and ran up to the side of the street to get epic star wars photos.
if i were to make a list of "dorkiest things i have done in 2008", this might top that list. or at least make top three.
Friday, December 5, 2008
thanks to my ridiculous job...
...i will be WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND!
doesn't that sound fun?
big meeting on monday. shit's not ready for said meeting. it is what it is.
needless to say, i will only work if i get to wear one of these awesome outfits.
oh, loverboy. why are you so fucking GOOD?
doesn't that sound fun?
big meeting on monday. shit's not ready for said meeting. it is what it is.
needless to say, i will only work if i get to wear one of these awesome outfits.
oh, loverboy. why are you so fucking GOOD?
went to bed at 2:00am last night.
god, grant me the serenity to accept the things that i cannot change.
red bull, grant me wings.
red bull, grant me wings.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
what's better than videochatting with mari?
videochatting in FULL SCREEN HIGH DEFINITION! WHOAAAAAAAA!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
liveblogging the new britney spears album
i have received a downloaded mp3 copy of the new britney spears.
i will be liveblogging my first impressions as i listen.
1. womanizer
i can relate a lot to this song, because i am a womanizer. and i do, in fact, try to front. but britney sees right through that. which is why she makes millions of dollars and i make something in the mid-$30s. i counted how many times she says "womanizer" and it's 39,210 times.
2. circus
from what i can tell, this is britney laying it out for you honest-style. she's an entertainer and you're the audience and she's ready to party. we're seeing some more themes about love, loss, and god in this song. okay, maybe not any of those things.
3. out from under
oh man, an acoustic jam.. this early in the album. what a treat! someone is definitely singing about kevin federline... and listening to dido albums. i was dancing before, and now i've stopped. this is not good for track #3. FAST FORWARDING.
4. kill the lights
one of my favorite virginia bands ever was called races to april. they had a song called "kill the lights". it was better than this song. that's all.
5. shattered glass
this song is pretty good. but i think if they let justice remix it, we could be talking serious hit potential. not bad, brit.
6. if u seek amy
i was starting to wonder when the idea of liveblogging while listening to a britney spears album would start to become a bad idea. turns out it is during this song. BAD BAD BAD.
7. unusual you
i don't think this song is about when she shaved her head and attacked an SUV with an umbrella, but i'd like it to be about that.
8. blur
9. mmm papi
okay, the title had me interested. this is like britney spears trying to write a B-52s song? i can't even handle this on any kind of level. FUNNY BUSINESS. FAST FORWARDING.
10. mannequin
whoever wrote the backing vocals for this song needs to be shot. also i have issue with these lyrics: i like it and i do what i like and you do what i like and you like it. i'm not even joking.
11. lace and leather
SLAP BASS! THIS SONG FEATURES SLAP BASS! seriously, the seinfeld theme song guy is fucking live and in full effect on this track. love it. okay, so... lace and leather. clearly we're singing about the good girl/bad girl dichotomy. britney obviously excels at this. i also identify with her struggle as i am constantly balancing my badass bearded self with my softer emotional side.
12. my baby
OMFG. it's a song about her kids. of course. she's a mom now. don't get me wrong, i fucking LOVE moms. i have a mom and she's great. but we don't need another song about being a mom, y'all. not by britney spears. first line of the song: tiny hands / yes that's you when i first heard it, i thought she said "tiny heads", which was infinitely more awesome. also, there's this gem of a lyric: i smell your breath / it makes me cry / i wonder how i've lived my life i am not even kidding dudes. if and when britney's children grow up and they're angsty teenagers and she's long since retired... i hope that when they're in a big fight about being grounded or getting bad grades, one of them says "MOM, THAT SONG YOU WROTE ABOUT US..... IT SUCKS!"
13. radar (bonus track)
i'm so lucky that when i stole this album on the internet, i got a free BONUS TRACK. i am not entirely sure, but i think this is the exact same song as womanizer with different lyrics. it was 12 songs back, but i'm reasonably confident about this.
OKAY, THE NEW ALBUM HAS BEEN LIVEBLOGGED.
please download the album yourself, and read along in real time for the full effect.
overall score: C+
considering all she's been through: B+
odds of listening to again not as a joke: 24%
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