Bad with Names, Good with the Ladies

2003-11-03T23:14:00.000-05:00

for anyone who cares

in case anyone wants to read about my life, i write more on my lj (www.livejournal.com/gardenhead). my comments field doesn't work on blogger. plus, it doesn't always let me post. and what's the point of that.

my life isn't that grand. but my chin is up.

here is a basic scoop of what's going on:

my work accused me of stealing money.
then they found out the money was always there, it was just a math error.
then i got written up for that shizer.

i told a girl i liked her lots.
she said she not only liked a brit, she was WITH the brit.
which doesn't make sense to me, b/c how can you be with someone overseas who you only see once every 6 or so months.
and what confuses me is we spent all this time together. and it seemed like we were going in the direction of a relationship.
i need a dictionary on girls. webster's or dr. ruth...help?
so i'm trying to get over her. but i've never fallen this hard for anyone in my life. so it might take months or longer.
grr. and did i mention i work with her 3 days a week. fuck.

school-wise. that's coming along.
i'm applying to pratt, r.i.t., r.i.s.d., art institute of chicago, and columbia college (chicago). i'm hoping to go to pratt or something like that. i would like to live in nyc for one year at least.

i'm going to chicago for thanksgiving to visit my friend leigh. i miss her lots.

oh super congrats to mlyttle for her america 24-7. i was in a bookstore (not mine) the other day and looked through it. and yes, melissa lyttle. up in that joint.

2003-10-06T09:17:00.000-04:00

r.e.m. ticket(s)

if anyone knows of someone who needs tickets to the r.e.m. show this wed. (oct. 8th) please let me know via e-mail: abeguin23@hotmail.com. the person who was supposed to go with me couldn't go. so i might sell one or both depending.

2003-10-02T15:36:00.000-04:00

billy bragg's best

on oct. 28th billy bragg is going to drop a 3-cd best of album. and it looks pretty good. also the first pressing will come with an extra disc. that's a whole lot to bragg about.

2003-10-01T01:30:00.000-04:00

baleted

that was too personal. nevermind. grandaddy/sfa @ the 9:30 club thursday. word.

2003-09-28T20:22:00.000-04:00

mending

good luck to corey in his recovery. who says biking isn't dangerous?

2003-09-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

lights action jackson

i got my power back around 11 p.m. last night. it makes me so happy. the only problem is a naked juice mysteriously broke in my refrigerator, thus rendering my refrigerator juicy and my apartment musty drink smelling. mmm.

chief moose will be on the loose at my store tomorrow. should be crazy. we've had too many events this week. i've already worked 35+ hours and will work 8 tomorrow. geesh.

i'm hoping to go to richmond one of these weeks to visit some peeps. i don't think i'll go to the reunion. paying for that crap seems wrong. especially considering i see most of the people i want to see. or at least i know where they are.

good luck to stew in n.c.

i have to think of a good domain name so i can put some pictures up in this peace.

2003-09-25T01:40:00.000-04:00

feeling like walter matthau...grumpy old man

maybe it's just my job. maybe it's isabel. but i just don't feel energetic or ecstatic about much. i realized recently that my support group for anything is minimal at best in this area. i have some really good friends. but some have really faded over the year(s). and that's kind of depressing. maybe i feel claustrophobic in this area. who knows. i'm figuring things out.

my job is blah right now. i babysit half the time. i don't get paid much. and i feel underappreciated. plus i'm a "yes" man so people expect me to do everything..never say "no". even though i don't always want to do that crap. geesh.

maybe once the lights come back on i'll feel better. supposedly this might happen tomorrow. if not, people will be in for a disgruntled luscious.

2003-09-23T00:12:00.000-04:00

no power

i still don't have power. isabel is kickin my ass.

i'm thinking about having an american party, but obviously i can't have it at my place. my friend leigh might have it at her parents' house. we'll see.

people keep asking me if i'm going to my 5 yr reunion. here's the thing. all the people i want to see are in richmond or nova. i see all the ones i want to see. and i don't know if i feel like paying all the bogus charges for brunch and afternoon celebration. we'll see if i go. maybe.

i hope my peeps in richmond get power soon too.

jasmine is 4. what a cutie pie.

2003-09-18T09:19:00.000-04:00

isapirate

waiting for isabel. she hasn't lost any of her power. and that's kind of scary. i thought it usually did when it hit land. my friend alexis told me last night we haven't gotten warnings like these in over 30 years. woah. time to brave the storm.

last night i went to see goldfrapp, and it wasn't as frappy as i would have liked. i really don't understand how bands can play their songs the same way they are on the album. what gives?

at least tomorrow is talk like a pirate day

2003-09-17T14:54:00.000-04:00

storm izzy, hmm.

what's the chances we'll get a heavy rainstorm and not a hurricane? i'm guessing highly likely. a majority of the warnings we've gotten in the past have been fluff. at least i have some bread, water, and root beer.

2003-09-16T14:55:00.000-04:00

it's official....

i'm american.
there were lots of speeches. one by sen. lamar alexander (tenn.) he gave a pretty good speech. some of the others were very patriotic.

they also showed a cheesy america video featuring g.dubbs.

some russian dude didn't even show up. i guess he wants to be "back in the u.s.s.r."

over and out,
a-citizen

2003-09-15T10:15:00.000-04:00

why it wouldn't be so bad to have another job

i have a little story to tell about three customers that came into work...

customer 1

a country bumpkin. he was looking for a criminology book that we didn't have so i let him call a store i recommended downtown called reiters. when he called the bookseller put him on hold. he turned to me and said "i think they speak ebonics over there." then he turned to my indian co-worker and said "do you speak ebonics?"

uhm, who the heck says that anymore? answer: ignorant fools.

customer 2

pre-question before i start: when you go into a store, do you search for what you need first, then ask if you can't find it? or do you ask immediately where something is? me, i search the store for what i need...and i usually find it on my own.

so this customer comes in and asks "where is the reference section?" i tell him "against the back wall, next to audio." he asks me to show him where it is. i'm already helping a customer, so i tell him i can't. so he goes over to the registers where my co-worker matt is ringing up about 3 people. there is a line. he asks matt "where is reference?" matt says the same thing i say. and the guy says again, "show me where it is." after ringing everyone up, he helps the guy to the section. i notice when the guy finally comes back he has a dictionary and a thesarus and asks "which one is the dictionary?" then he asks for two of a particular kind, which we don't have. and finally he rings out. i remember he asks another frustrating question that makes matt have an expression like "are you finished yet?". i am just in awe.

what makes me frustrated isn't the fact that the guy wanted us to show him where the section was, it was that he kept asking when it was clear that we were helping someone else. i really don't like it when customers think they are the first ones in line ALWAYS and must be helped IMMEDIATELY.

customer 3

drunk rich lady who spend a lot at the bookstore calls up. her name is maggie smith. not the actress. sorry, this is not professer mcgonagall. anyway, she is infamous in the store. my co-worker chris dealt with her 2 weeks previous. she is really snippy and demanding. she made him carry her stuff to the taxi. (that isn't bad if it's a good, nice customer. but for one who complains about everything, not so fun)

so she calls the store and i answer. she asks for the song "something" by the beatles. i tell her it's on abbey road and beatles 1. she tells me to read of all the songs on both albums so she can select the one she wants. so i read of all of abbey road. then she scolds me "you didn't say SOMETHING." and i respond, "i did. song 2: something." then i read off all of beatles 1 and she says "i hate that one. forget that one." (i'd also like to note this lady ends most of her sentences with honey or babe." and she usually gets drunk by 10:30). so she hangs up and calls back immediately. "do you have 30 minute tapes." i say "i don't think so, but i can check." then she scolds me again, "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET ME FINISH, GOSH." so this is what i'm thinking. will her question end with "and does the tape come with rainbows? does the wrapper sing to you when it comes off? is the inside tape green?" no. she just repeats her question. the same question. i tell her we don't have it and that she might find it at a best buy or something. although i haven't see 30 minute tapes before.

i'd like to also point out that the conversation was 30 minutes i'll never get back in my life.

on a better note, i went to ryan's on saturday night and had some good tempeh sandwich, beans, and tofu cheesecake. yum! we also watched freaks and geeks which is always amazing.

2003-09-12T09:11:00.000-04:00

man in black

sad sad day. johnny cash dies at age 71. listen to some cash today. i know i will.

"Johnny Cash transcends all musical boundaries, and is one of the original outlaws."

-- Willie Nelson

woah, john ritter died too. i grew up watching three's company. this day is crazy.

2003-09-07T23:16:00.000-04:00

in case you didn't know...

when you ride a bike 25+ miles and you are out of shape, you actually become sore afterwards. really sore.

when there is not sufficient liquid running to your battery, or it gets overheated, the battery does explode. and the top does get knocked off.

2003-09-04T13:22:00.000-04:00

mentionables

i forgot to mention. happy 2nd anniversary to ryan & huyen.

also, good luck to corey and rob on their rock night @ the national press club.

2003-09-03T08:27:00.000-04:00

i got the call

on sept. 16th, i'll be sworn in as a u.s. citizen. i might have to have an america party. who knows.

my labor day weekend was spent unlaboring as much as possible. on sunday i went to with some co-workers to my friend's parents' lake house. it was in this enclosed community outside of fredericksburg called "lake of the woods". basically you must have the cash money soldiers to live there. we spent a lot of time pontooning around the lake, then eating lots of good grub. on the way back, i was amazed to see how much of fredericksburg has changed since i've last been there. wal-mart has moved to central park...along with ten million other stores. i remember driving way out there just to go to wal-mart for whatever stupid thing i needed. also the fredericksburg nursing home has changed it's name to the fredericksburg chateau. such a vacationy name for a not so relaxing place. the spotsy mall has a digital board/sign in the front instead of the 1980's old school sign. it kind of looks like the new board/sign at the pentagon.

so much has changed. and i'll be american soon.

oh, i forgot to mention i'm going to the washington JETSskins game on thursday. it's the season opener. how sweet is that ?!!!!!!!!

2003-08-23T08:56:00.000-04:00

hail to the philly

last friday i went to philly to visit my friend keltie and eat at one of the best restaurants ever: gianna's grille. so good. i had the vito and it was vitabulous. then i spent a couple of days back at the homefront. then this past monday i spent MORE time in philly. but this time i went to kingdom of the vegetarians. the food was really good. i had the vegetarian platter which involved sesame chicken, shrimp, duck, and dumplings. everything was good except the duck, which tasted like sweaty slabs of nothing. the main reason for this trip to the city of brotherly love was radiohead. they played an amazing set:

SETLIST
01 the gloaming
02 there there
03 sit down. stand up
04 where i end and you begin
05 exit music
06 backdrifts
07 lucky
08 paranoid android
09 sail to the moon
10 kid a
11 go to sleep
12 like spinning plates
13 i might be wrong
14 talk show host
15 idioteque
16 fake plastic trees
17 the national anthem

Encore #1:
18 nice dream
19 my iron lung
20 no surprises
21 karma police

Encore #2:
22 2+2=5
23 everything in its right place

on wednesday i saw radiohead again, but this time at merriweather post pavillion. for those of you who haven't gone there yet, it's like the bigger venue for jaxx shows. the setlist wasn't as good. they didn't break loose too many old stuff. i was surprised to hear "creep".

thursday back to work. next week i start school. phew.

oh i got a cable modem and digital cable. supposedly only costs $19.95 for 6 months through comcast. we'll see which way they'll find to screw me.

2003-08-14T08:25:00.000-04:00

take that peter jennings

i got 100% on my test. i probably get sworn in the last week of november.word. eurasian-americano.

2003-08-13T10:35:00.000-04:00

A-Citizen

At about 1:40 p.m., I will take my U.S. citizenship test. Wish me luck homies. I'm not too worried. It's basic U.S. History. We'll see. Hopefully I won't be deported. That would suck.

2003-08-11T00:13:00.000-04:00

new job, guitar, tv?

after thinking about it over the weekend, i'm considering being the next store manager at the national airport store. i'll see what they offer first.

on sunday, i bought a pretty sweet ibanez acoustic-electric guitar. very rich sound. nice features. best for the buck. thanks to corey for helping me spend money.

sunday night i went over to corey & kristy's house for an amazing meal. kristy needs to have a cooking show. seriously. she's that damn good. i even have lunch for tomorrow. yes!

i'm looking at new flat screen tv's. anyone hear of good deals or brands for flat screens? please let me know.

2003-08-05T20:15:00.000-04:00

working on changes

looking for some flak seed. trying to feel better.
doctor says i need to eat more fish.
i'm in my desperate stages...i desperately want to feel normal again.

got some greek food from mama "mother-in-law" markos. she hooked it up. grape leaves. zucchini. desserts. yummerific.

lance armstrong is coming to my store. so is chief moose. so is al franken.

i think my boss wants me to be the store manager at our airport store.
perks: big pay raise, my own parking spot, and first dibs at music play copies
downers: it's the airport store, you work by yourself a lot, it's the airport store

i'm also re-applying to all the grad schools i WAS going to apply to last year. 4 more classes until i have a B.F.A. in photography. yay! looking at schools in nyc, boston, philly, and possibly rhode island. we'll see how that goes.

oh. need help. i'm trying to make a mix tape for my friend who is moving from d.c. to chicago. i want to make a mix tape that is one side songs about d.c., another side with songs about chicago. any thoughts? please list them in comments if you have some. any help would be appreciated.

2003-07-22T17:54:00.000-04:00

thar she blows

i saw pirates of the caribbean with corey and kristy on sunday night. the movie was great except for the 15 minutes when the film went dead. sucks when that happens. also sucked that there were so many commercials before the previews. and it sucked more that there were all these brats kicking each of our chairs. consideration out the door.

i also went on a 24 mile bike ride to/back from old town. it was a great ride, but i'm definitely out of shape.

2003-07-19T01:02:00.000-04:00

poor customer service, just me

happy deuce to jack diggins!

does anyone have a good suggestion for job searches? i'm looking for a job and any help would be much appreciated.

why am i looking for a job? b/c i figured out my customer service skills have gone down in the past two years. basically i don't want to deal with retail customers.

helpful suggestions for my customers:

when a door says "this is an EMERGENCY EXIT, please use another door", that actually means you CAN'T go through that door. i'm amazed at the number of people who go to a bookstore but are too lazy to read simple signs.

i am not your personal servant....is my name jeeves? when i'm helping another customer, don't get mad that i didn't dump other customers to be at your beckon call. i really hate it when there is a line at the counter and a customer, who has just entered the store, yells out a question & expects an answer. hi, i'm helping others before you...tough cookies!

when you throw your credit card down on the counter after my hand is perfectly extended out....it's actually rude. and the next logical step is for me to extend my middle finger.

when you don't know the name of the author or title or keyword, THAT just sucks. go do some research then come back. "i'm looking for a book that is kind of red and it's about traveling"

actually, it's not possible for you to just xerox one page of the washington post without buying the paper. stop being a cheap ass and buy the $0.35 paper...then spend another $0.10 at kinkos. woah, $0.45! also, it's amazing how many people bring their work into a bookstore and expect us to xerox some important document for them. i told this one guy to go to kinko's and he scowered the block for more businesses he could bother. seriously, people are braindead.

store hours are there for a reason. people actually like to go home. so if you come/call 30 min. AFTER we are closed, don't be too upset if i'm not that helpful. although i have helped people in these situations, there are countless jerks who get all fussy when you tell them store hours. puh-leaze.

the one funny event today: this crazy guy came in to special order a book. when i asked him what his name was he said...."james bond. shh. undercover". and he was african-american. more like undercover brotha. it was awesome.

shows, three concerts in four days....

neko case
july 27th
@ black cat

iron maiden/motorhead/dio
july 29th
@ merriweather post

rilo kiley
july 30th
@ black cat

2003-07-11T01:17:00.000-04:00

fender bender, gradumacation

i figured out something yesterday. i only have 4 more classes til i have a B.A. in photography. wow! i have to take these this so-so class (photography careers), an interesting one (history of photography) and a choice of two other classes (digital photography, supervised study, or color II).

so i have resent my requests for graduate school applications. i've set a new date for moving. i must be in a different state by fall 2004.

i'm sad i missed mick foley. i saw some digital pictures. it looked like a crowded, rowdy event. i hope ryan had a fun time for me.

i'm still amazed that since i've worked there we've had the following author signings:

al gore
michael moore
toni morrison
mick foley
james watson
and next week....jon krakaur

i went to gianna's instead and had a vegan "vito" sandwich and vegan soft serve ice cream....they were both sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. i really love that place now.

someone rear-ended me yesterday. i didn't see any significant damage to the car. the license plate holder was knocked loose, but there was no damage. i got the dude's name, phone number, and license plate. i didn't get the insurance card number or license number, but probably should have. oh well. the weather was so poor yesterday evening that visibility was low.

that's it. i've talked too much and probably bored most of you already.

2003-07-07T12:53:00.000-04:00

movies

i forgot to mention this in my previous post. my co-worker has been talking about this series of movies called the cremaster cycle. it's supposed to be disturbing and insane. over the weekend, i noticed that in the weekend section:

cremaster cycle @ visions, july 2nd-july 10th i might have to check it out.

also, kristy informed me that george mason is having some free movies outdoors from july 11-19 called movies under the moon. some pretty good screenings.

2003-07-06T23:51:00.000-04:00

pyromania!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this 4th of july weekend went by like a blur. on friday, i went with corey, kristy, jack, and jamoca to centreville to hang out with some greeks. lots of good food (grape leaves, 7 layer dip, fruit salad), perros galore, and a slip(or pee)-n-slide. don't ask. whole day in the sun. hot.

then later that night i went back to corey/kristy/jack's to eat ice cream and watch old school. will ferrell is a comedic genius. long live "frank the tank".

last night i went with ryan and huyen to rodeorob's rooftop party. unfortunately i felt pretty green, so we left the party early. i think the heat mixed with already nagging cold, finally caught up to me. oh well.

please be sure to check out huyen's updated website. there's even a gallery.

i'm going to sleep now. carry on.

2003-07-02T00:45:00.000-04:00

zero duckets

since thursday, it's been a week of FREE-dom. as in, i keep getting things for free. last thursday a music rep called the store and asked me if i wanted 2 tix for the jayhawks/thorns show. so i went to the show, and the jayhawks blew me away. they are really good live. i was very impressed. rodeorob also had some v.i.p. passes for the bar area @ the 9:30 club. we got a good view from the first tier of the bar. nice. i missed the thorns set though. bummer. that's b/c i was at fort reno for the black eyes show. b.eyes were not that impressive.

on sunday, rodeorob and i hit baltimore for an o's-phillies game. again it was free. my co-worker just bought a boat and needed to unload his seats. score! the day was extra special b/c there was a 20th anniversary celebration of the 1983 mlb world champion orioles. so there was an old-timers game, and different other events all weekend. the o's lost, but i come to expect that. carlos mendes...grr. worst player ever.

monday i got free tickets to the wilco/sonic youth show at d.a.r. constitution hall. the show was o.k. not the best wilco experience of my life. i think the main problem is i don't like the direction they are going in currently. especially with jim o'rourke as an influence. it just seems like they played some sonic youth-esque jamouts that were completely unnecessary. i mean even "misunderstood" was flat. jeff tweedy got pissed off at the end too. i think a fan tried to take his picture. but i couldn't see everything.

another problem with the show was the venue itself. it has some good sound, but you have to sit down for most of the show. and with wilco, they are more of a get up, stand up band. tweedy even commented that there would be so much standing then sitting, that it would feel like a catholic wedding.

tomorrow i'm going to the smithsonian folklife festival to see the amazing salif keita. that's free too.

next week, i'm going to nora in d.c. for a free "meet the author" dinner. the book: carolyn parkhurst's dogs of babel

i'm going to watch antanarjuat, the fast runner now. i really have to pay attention b/c i didn't really understand it the first time.

2003-06-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

code red weather

it's going to be 96 today.

2003-06-25T00:58:00.000-04:00

grr

this sucks. i just want my cat back damnit.

[here's a small pic of charlie in case anyone didn't see him before]

2003-06-24T10:44:00.000-04:00

one bike thrashin mofo

happy 27th birthday corey. hopefully this year you will learn the charlie brown and perform it in bowling alley lobbies across the country. the brown n bike tour 2003.

2003-06-23T14:21:00.000-04:00

r.i.p. charlie (1995-2003)

this has been a very hard day for me. my mom called me today and informed me that my cat, charlie, had passed away during the night. cause of death: unknown. feeling right now: painful. at least i know he'll be in a better place full of catnip and lots of tuna. but i dreadfully miss him already.

2003-06-19T21:31:00.000-04:00

free shows yo's

fort reno schedule 2003...get ready suckas.

2003-06-15T22:33:00.000-04:00

i completely forgot....

to say happy 2nd anniversary (june 9th) corey and kristy! play with lots of cotton.

2003-06-13T23:21:00.000-04:00

amazing

this made my day. it really did.

2003-06-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

treadmill, celebrity

i was in washington post's article "12 o'clock buy: first in line for hillary memoir"

supposedly i was also on a morning news show. or at least footage of me selling the book. my friend keltie even said "i almost fell off my treadmill when i saw you on t.v."

2003-06-11T22:41:00.000-04:00

whiskeytown reunion???

recent quote from ryan adams:

"I'd like very much to go and work on some music with Caitlin and Skillet, and seeing as we've been talking about it for a while now, why not?" he wrote "Caitlin has her own life now out there, and so do I, which would only make it more fun for both of us. I think it's time Whiskeytown make an actual record we like."

[news broken through aversion]

2003-06-06T11:56:00.000-04:00

i'm a poet, and damn it, I KNOW IT.

Way to go, your alter poet is Jack Kerouac, who is
by FAR the coolest!

Who is Your Alter Poet?
brought to you by Quizilla

2003-06-03T11:35:00.000-04:00

all in my head

wow, i haven't posted anything in a couple of weeks. geez, catch up already.

o.k.

well, i found out that my endoscopy was negative. the bad news is i still don't know what's wrong with me. i'm going to another doctor. just to make sure.

two saturdays ago i saw alkaline trio at the 9:30 club. they were amazing. except, the whole place was filled with 15 yr olds. crazy. when i left, i saw this huge line of parents outside waiting to pickup their youngins.

oh melissa, don't worry i'm still sending you some cd's soon.

good luck kristy in your race this weekend.

2003-05-22T01:53:00.000-04:00

music news

according to pitchfork, minor threat demos, dvd, tribute album all planned for release. wow!

if you scroll down more...jay farrar is putting out a new album. how unexciting! he hasn't put out anything good recently. blah!

2003-05-22T01:02:00.000-04:00

stomaching the 2004 election

yesterday i had an endoscopy. it went smoothly.
exept my doctor was late. he went to the wrong hospital. ?#?@?
so i passed the time talking to the older nurse about savannah ga., dogs, and traveling.
then another dude (an anesthesiologist named tony) came in and talked about fish and plants.
weird, but a funny occurrence.
after the whole ordeal i felt o.k., then like crap, now i'm back to o.k. on the mends.
the results come back in a week.

kristy is running in the national race for the cure on june 7th. hook lady fingaz up here!

my co-worker told me about the presidential candidate from ohio, dennis kucinich. does anybody know who he is? all i've heard is he's vegan, democrat, and not g.w.? sounds good so far.

i guess i'm hoping that somewhere, somehow there is a legitimate non-republican candidate out there. lieberman and gephardt...please. i just don't see it happening. this is giving me a stomach ache. damn.

2003-05-20T00:08:00.000-04:00

back to the hospital

my doctor called me. well, actually his secretary called me. since i haven't been feeling well, they are going to do some "exploratory" procedures to find the exact problem. i'm just hoping they find a way to fix me up. i need a tune-up. damn.

so i'll be at the hospital tomorrow morning. back home by lunch. we'll see how it goes.
i'll let you know.

2003-05-19T11:40:00.000-04:00

back to the grind

yes, my vacation is over...grr....at least it's nice out.

2003-05-16T13:15:00.000-04:00

more pain, no gain

so i went to the doctor and he gave me an inhaler. i've been having problems still. damn condition. he said the inhaler might alleviate pressure in my chest. then later that evening i felt more nauseous than ever. so after tracking down the doctor, he said that i might have an ulcer.
great.

i have to set up an appointment for next week to figure it all out. i'm old and broken.

2003-05-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

welldeservedrest

i have the whole week off from work. it's been a long time coming. i haven't taken any time off work since last may. so now that school is over, i'm chillin' like a villain. getting all the errands (visiting the doctors, buying this and that) and hanging out with my niece as much as possible. also i'm planning on doing the following the rest of the week:

-riding my bike on the wo&d trail
-seeing the matrix tomorrow night, 11 p.m., @ the hoffman [i already bought tickets for this]
-eating lunch on friday with my friend allison who i haven't seen in forever
-try to make a mix cd
-listen to the new alkaline trio cd "good mourning" over and over.
-catch up with some other friends
-catch up on my sleep. i don't think i've gotten enough. damn condition.

in da news: man sues over oreo cookies[via: cnn] how can you sue oreo when they just made the new uh-oh! oreo?

here is a fun little activity to keep you busy:

Pick a band and answer only using that band's song titles: wilco

Are you male or female?: Kingpin
Describe yourself: When You Wake up Feeling Old
How do some people feel about you?: Should’ve Been in Love
How do you feel about yourself?: Misunderstood
Describe your girlfriend/boyfriend/interest/spouse: She’s a Jar
Where would you rather be?: Far, Far Away
Describe what you want to be/do: Heavy Metal Drummer
Describe how you live: Dreamer in My Dreams
Describe how you love: I’m Always in Love
Share a few words of wisdom: Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway (again)

2003-05-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

old man walking

i've been meaning to post this for a couple of days. this past weekend i celebrated my birthday. good old 27. yippers. on saturday i went to little viet garden for some good rice vermicilli & tofu. after dinner, i went bowling with a group of co-workers and college friends. i think everyone had a good time. i know i did. i bowled somewhere around 140. not too bad for these old bones. to all those in attendance in person or spirt...thank you.

on sunday i went to luigi's in d.c. with the fam...the "extended" fam. when you go out to an italian restaurant, you gotta bring a crew. more fun for all. then later that sunday i went to see x-men 2. it was pretty damn good. although the lady with kid next to me "brought her own soundtrack". her 3 yr old was a little rambunctious at 7:30 p.m. here are some lessons for good parenting:
1) don't bring a 3 yr old to a PG-13 movie
2) don't bring a 3 yr old to an evening movie
3) don't curse in front of your 3 yr old. [my friend stephanie told them to be quiet and the mother got all huffy and puffy. upon leaving she said "wait until you have kids you stupid bitch."] nice parenting. i just don't think it's a good idea to ever curse in front of a kid. don't be stupid people.

on tuesday i finally picked up my marlin. got to ride it like crazy that evening. sooooo nice.

2003-05-02T12:57:00.000-04:00

concert a go-go

last night i saw floetry w/blackalicious & little brother. sold out show. blackalicious were a lot of fun. floetry was a little too sloetry for me. but they have really good voices. good show nonetheless.

siren festival 2003...modest mouse, ted leo, sahara hotnights.....@ coney island.....free.

according to dischord tour dates, lungfish are playing the black cat on june 28th. anyone?

2003-04-29T22:57:00.000-04:00

can i get a woo-woo?

school is almost over. the summer break is coming. i can't wait. feeling blah anyway. need a break.

26 is almost over. 27 is almost here. damn.

weakerthans announce mini-tour...which includes baltimore, but not d.c.... diss!

2003-04-25T01:45:00.000-04:00

it's a doggy dogg world

who says cats only have 9 lives? this is the best dog survival story

been busy at work...the school semester is almost done. i'm still trying to figure out whether to take digital photography during the summer or fall. maybe i need a break?

this has been a week of crazy purchases/offers. so i'm going to buy the gary fisher marlin. i test rode it today @ revolution cycles again today. it felt so awesome. i ordered it through rev.cycles and should get it by next week. i thought i should give them the business considering i have test rode their bikes like mad. also, i'm planning on frequenting that bike joint, so i should set up good relations.

so the other offer. my teacher offered me a large format camera for $350. i think that is a sweet deal. they usually run pretty high, so this would be a steal. so i'm contemplating whether to buy it. i'm "test-driving" it this weekend. we'll see. something to think about.

over and out.

2003-04-16T01:02:00.000-04:00

from the w.a.s.t.e.land

There will be 3 ticket options for sale via w.a.s.t.e
1 day ticket for Saturday 7th June $65.00 plus booking fee
Weekend ticket without camping $120.00 plus booking fee
Weekend ticket with camping $150.00 plus booking fee

Field Day Quick Facts:

What: Field Day - A two-day music, arts and camping festival

When: June 7th and 8th

Where: Enterprise Park at Calverton
Calverton, NY
70 Miles East of New York City on the North
Fork of Long Island

Who: Saturday, June 7
Radiohead
Beck
Thievery Corporation
Spiritualized
Beth Orton
Interpol
Royksopp
Liz Phair
Tortoise
TheRaveonettes
Ben Lee
My Morning Jacket
Gemma Hayes
22-20s
Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players
And More!

Sunday, June 8
The Beastie Boys
Sigur Ros
The Roots
Blur
Elliott Smith
N.E.R.D.
Blackalicious
Peanut Butter Wolf
The Music
Polyphonic Spree
Le Tigre
And More!

2003-04-16T01:01:00.000-04:00

not around, here to stay

i realize that i haven't posted in a while. it's a mixture of having a tempermental dial-up connection, my waning february/march health, spring, and my interest to get more sleep rather than stay up typing on the computer. maybe i'll be in even more trouble when i get a bike or when the weather stays consistently warm. hmm. but oh well. i know i'm here to stay. you couldn't get rid of me even if you tried.

tonight i saw one of the best shows in a long long time. the postal service were truly amazing. i mean, sometimes you don't know how songs will transition from the studio to the stage. but they REALLY pulled it off. so much so i contemplated driving to philly on thursday just to see them again. now that's serious!

[note: the older i get, the more wussy i get too...and i'm starting to get sick of it]

2003-04-10T00:06:00.000-04:00

dog gone it

somebody please please PLEASE, take them home:

cici
magellan
salsa

.....i would if i could.

2003-04-09T23:55:00.000-04:00

making everything green

my car is currently at the auto body shop b/c the stupid toyota dealership dented it when they were supposed to FIX it. go figure. so today i went back to toyota to pickup the free loaner car. and you know what they gave me?....to my surprise......a toyota PRIUS, the hybrid car. and it is so awesome. 48 miles per gallon! my next car, in the way way future, will be a hybrid... damnit.

2003-04-08T11:19:00.000-04:00

vaka

sigur ros to release first ( ) single/dvd pack

2003-04-07T23:55:00.000-04:00

never been bladder

so on friday i went to have some "same-day surgery" (a.k.a. my bladder got checked). and so i went under some anesthesia..which was quite the experience. after i got home, i went to sleep. after a couple of hours i woke up to insane side pains. so my parents took me to the ER. they said i had the effects of post-surgery. painkillers, painkillaz, painkillharharhars. so i slept all day saturday. all day sunday too. now i'm feeling better. i even went to work today.

"i hate you...you and your assface"

i am so looking forward to christopher guest's new film a mighty wind. who's gonna see it with me?

question for syracuse: orange you glad you won?

2003-04-04T01:10:00.000-05:00

hubbabubbalicious

check out melissa's new photocolumn on the universal language of bubblegum. it really is eye candy!

here is rodeo rob's review of the uncle tupelo remastered/re-issues. even more from NATN, a sigur ros interview.

and now for me. well, i've been spending lots of time at the doctors. nothing too serious. just the same gall bladder sickness mixed with the new [regular] bladder question mark. i had a ctc scan on tuesday, and i'll probably have an endoscopy next week. it's really nothing serious. i just need a tune-up. so i'm sorry i haven't been around to blog, but i have a good excuse. i don't get on the internet too often with work, doctors, and all. but hopefully i'll get my blog movin' and groovin' in a jiffy.

the weather is awesome. i'm in the market for a new bike. my sister wants to buy my old one. i think the problem is i bought the old bike too fast. i wanted one right away and rushed the decision. this time i'm doing my homework. test driving a couple. getting my top bike advisor [corey]. this sunday, i'll probably try out these ones:

gary fisher marlin and tassajara
trek 4900.
giant yukon
revolution cycles are having some deals.

we'll see. should be exciting. aaah, biking to work. bliss.

2003-03-27T23:26:00.000-05:00

from the mouths of apatow and feig...

something worth fighting for:

"As you may know, we have been trying to get the show [freaks and geeks] released on DVD for the past year, but it has been difficult due to the cost of the music you hear on the episodes. The only way we can get Dreamworks to buy the rights to the original music and release the DVD is by showing them that a lot of people would buy it if it was for sale.

Please keep in mind, the show is in the red in a major way. Dreamworks has lost a great deal of money on this project. They have been very supportive, but they certainly aren't looking to lose more money on our cancelled show. They would just like to be less in the red. So, be assured, nobody will get rich off of this. We are simply proud of the show and would like to have it available to the fans in its original form.

If it was released we would try to include a lot of fun extras such as commentary tracks, clips of the original audition tapes of our cast, deleted scenes, set photography, previous drafts of the teleplays, uncut dailies of the actors working, and tons of behind the scenes footage. So in order to make this happen we have set up a mailing list for people who are interested in showing their support for the "Freaks and Geeks" DVD.

Everyone who puts their name on the list will be contacted as soon as the DVD is available, but more importantly, you will be showing Dreamworks how many people would be interested in owning all of the episodes of the series, and you'd be helping to insure that the show will be released in its original form.

Hopefully some of you will spread the word that this list exists and well encourage others to sign up as well. Thanks for your continued support, and hopefully we can make this happen before the third "Lord of the Rings" is released." [veeee uh ha ha ha: laze]

go to this website and sign up. if this comes out on dvd, i'll be the happiest little geek around.

2003-03-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

photograph seller

i had a customer come into the store last week who wanted to buy some of my prints. i had shown them to another customer who is a photograph enthusiast and i had already seen his portfolio. so now i'm going to sell two of my prints to his friend. i talked to my teacher and she said i should sell them for $75 each unmatted. the guy came back and said he expected $50 matted. so then i asked my teacher again and she said it would be o.k. if it was $50 unmatted. so this is what i'm going to do.

the first picture which is just o.k.: $60
the second picture which i like lots and have no negatives for anymore: $80
package for both: $130...maybe $125

i'm not sure if it's a deal or not. but i remember when the art at student shows used to go for $200-$500. either way it will hopefully give me money to get a good tripod..which i need desperately.

2003-03-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

48hrs

here is a nice little pic that puts the war in perspective

2003-03-18T02:26:00.000-05:00

dissing d.c.

looks like the fire theft, (a.k.a. the remnants of sunny day real estate), are not going to play in d.c. the closest they will come is philadelphia. thanks for the dis. i would've liked to have seen you.

happy birthday stephen!

i went to philly this past weekend to visit a friend. i had a great time chillin. i didn't get a chance to eat at the vegetarian/vegan philly eatery gianna's. i've heard it's the best. bummer. oh, and i went to spaceboy music, which is indie rock heaven.

my health: i found out on thursday that i have gall bladder polyps, which are so small they don't do anything. but if i don't feel better in 4 weeks, i'll have to get an endoscopy.

did any of you hear about the recent developments regarding don johnson and possible money laundering? woah. it seems like a story fit for miami vice...even nash bridges.

"if i should fall from grace: the shane mcgowan story"

2003-03-13T00:49:00.000-05:00

dd competition

have you all seen the website homestar runner. it totally reminds me of devil dog. definitely check it out... [especially rodeorob and pat]..... may i suggest the toons [where is the cheat?] or e-mails [tape-leg]. funny stuff.

2003-03-12T00:28:00.000-05:00

quite the good mourning

first idlewild, now this:

alkaline trio w/pretty girls make graves
@ the 9:30 club
sat., may 24th
[the a.trio tour]

the best part~ it is not a vagrant only tour. p.g.m.g are on lookout. so it's a fo real a.trio show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2003-03-10T11:54:00.000-05:00

gertrude stein said that's enough

happy belated birthday pat!

i went with corey & kristy to see idlewild at fletcher's on saturday. it was a super-amazing show. some of the crowd sucked. this one guy threw beer on the lead singer. don't piss of roddy please. damn. stupid baltimore crowd. stupid maryland.

yesterday, i went to yuan fu in rockville. had some awesome veg. sesame chicken. mmm. then i bowled one game with my co-workers.

that's it for now. over and out.

2003-03-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

sonorrific

i went to the radiologist today. i get my results next thursday. yeesh.

belated happy birthday to huyen. you go girl!

will write more later.

2003-02-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

closer to march, things looking up

i got a call from my w.e.a. rep. she put me on the guest list for the kasey chambers show tonight at the 9:30 club. score!

the weakerthans sign with epitaph, work on reconstruction smile

i am knee deep into six feet under. the box set is amazing b/c i don't have to wait a whole week to watch another episode. just one click of the button. now i just have to wait for the season 2 to come out on dvd when you are through. oh bother.

2003-02-23T20:45:00.000-05:00

more february splendor....next saturday..joy

as if things couldn't go any worse this month. i woke up on saturday morning and found both my tires [on the left side of my car] slashed. what the f? where am i living...really?

so to recap...my february consisted of:
1. me getting sick....doctor says if medicine doesn't work it's probably my gall bladder.
2. my car not starting on two occassions, going to toyota to get it fixed, then coming back a week later b/c it wouldn't start again.
[note: at one point the mechanic said, "oh if it doesn't start again just put it in neutral and try starting it that way." hmm. that's not how a car should start.
3. walking to work b/c my car wouldn't start and almost getting run over by crazy drivers.
4. getting my tires slashed.

really. i've had enough.

what i'm looking forward to.....

rilo kiley
@ the black cat
march 1st
$8 advance/$10 at the door

idlewild w/ the french kicks
@ fletcher's
march 8th
$12

sigur ros
@ 9:30 club
march 19th
$25

new idlewild cd on march 25th.

2003-02-19T21:53:00.000-05:00

fabulous FEB thoughts

i can't wait until february is over. it's making me nauseous.

my car is still beneath the snow. i didn't have time this morning to shovel it out. maybe tomorrow.

at least i know that alkaline trio's new album, good mourning, is coming out may 13. yes may.

2003-02-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

lenstacular

mlyttle's 2.17.03 photocolumn

2003-02-19T00:31:00.000-05:00

hlemmur

sigur ros release score for icelandic film, only sold during their tour.

2003-02-19T00:25:00.000-05:00

snowed in, the pains

wow, it's been a week since i've updated this blog. but guess what...i really don't have that much to say. sike.

i've been sick since saturday with some kind of stomach thing. it's mostly nausea. plus i've been stuck at my parents. so it hasn't been that much fun. i've missed most of the snow fun. that is...if shoveling = fun. although i get to do that fun tomorrow since i found my car under a mound of snow in front of my apartment.

i watched dazed and confused last night. alright alright. it's so good.

i watched sweet home alabama a couple weeks ago. i think reese witherspoon should pay me back for that one. it was one of the worst movies i've ever seen. she's done some real poopers. ex: fear. nicole 4 'eva. puh-leaze.

carrying a large format camera is tougher than i had hoped. but it is a really fun medium. good motto: do everything big.

bruce barnbaum is going to be at nova community college on friday. 1 p.m. he's supposedly one of the best with large format anything.

i entered 3 photographs into the student exhibit. got a big doughnut. none were selected for the show. second time in a row that has happened. quite a bummer.

parker posey is cool.

i missed ladytron. will miss bats & mice. crap.

that's all i have to say. i'm starting to go incoherent b/c i need sleep.

2003-02-11T08:12:00.000-05:00

currahee

i'm knee deep in the band of brothers box set. no, i didn't buy it. i rented it for free through work. it's really good. so much so i've contemplated laying down the duckets for it.

my car wouldn't start again yesterday. this occurred right when my break was over. so i had to try and run back to work. too out of shape. i flagged down a taxi. i had time constraints. yeah, that's my excuse for using a taxi. so now, at 8:15 a.m., i have to go get my car fixed AGAIN. i've spent more time at toyota in the last two months than i have at any of my friends' pads. i hate toyota. nothing but jackasses.

2003-02-09T22:49:00.000-05:00

the best piece of television i've seen in the past month

inside the actor's studio: the simpsons

2003-02-07T01:16:00.000-05:00

snow. more snow. woah snow.

i really wasn't expecting this kind of weather

aimee mann was well...good as expected...then she covered lots of songs (like wonderwall and sweet home alabama) which was unexpected. the place was so packed with couples it made me sick. sold out show. saw only 7 songs coz i got there late. good while it lasted. i left kind of early so i could get to my car before the mad rush. then i drove through the snow, very carefully, and got home safe. yay!

[sidenote: a lot of drivers have been cutting me off or riding my hide recently, and almost all of them have had maryland plates...damn, i hate maryland]

2003-02-06T01:18:00.000-05:00

donnas turn mainstream

i went to see the donnas tonight and it was completely different than the last time i saw them. why? mtv.
last time: black cat, not sold out, true fans left and right
this time: 9:30 club, sold out [no room to move], "take it off" groupie high schoolers with their parents
both times were fun, fun, fun. they can rock my face off anytime.

i missed o.k. go. i've seen them before.

i really wanted to see longwave, but i had class. and they were the opener to the opener. so that's way early.

thursday. aimee mann. never seen her before. should be a much different crowd than tonight. i'm looking forward to it.

2003-02-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

i am trying to break your wallet

the wilco 2 disc dvd is officially coming out april 1st.
you can pre-order now, get a 10% discount, and receive it one week earlier than the release date.

the scoop on the 2nd disc:
-contains 23 extra (some unreleased) wilco songs, interviews, goofing around.
-wilco featurette
-this disc is practically as long as the first, the actual movie.

2003-02-04T23:44:00.000-05:00

mmm. interesting...hmm.

the futuristic jacket [via: mlyttle]

rodeo rob's golden bull awards 2002

2003-01-30T01:56:00.000-05:00

photostorm

part of me is hoping that one day i will realize what photography road i would like to go down.... i mean which specific area of photography will be the most exciting. i hope it hits me like a hurricane.

i realized a few things this weekend that i should note:

1. maybe saying "i already have a watch" is not the best way to let someone down easy.
2. prediction: this dude i know will marry his sibling in 10 yrs...and it will be scary.

finally, the dave barry blog [via: ml/beatific]

2003-01-28T12:33:00.000-05:00

ian mackaye, thievery corporation lead bush protest tonight

"On Tuesday, January 28th, musicians, politicians, social action leaders, writers, commentators, and Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping will converge on Washington, D.C. for the first-ever Sorry State of the Union Rally at the U.S. Capitol. Performers will include the perpetually vocal Mr. Lif, the perpetually screaming Milemarker, and the perpetually-playing-in-SoHo-boutiques Thievery Corporation. Meanwhile, the perpetually straightedge Ian MacKaye will join a cast of speakers that will include: Congressional Whip of the Black Caucus, California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA); Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH); author of I, Senator, Global Exchange, and Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin; and, author of Prayer at Rumalya and co-founder of the National Gulf War Resource Center, Charles Sheehan-Miles." [via: pitchfork]

location: west side of the Capitol's aptly-named Reflecting Pool at 3rd Street, NW

schedule:
6:00 p.m. - The Whips, Peace Action, Barbara Lee, Dennis Kusinich, 1905
7:00 p.m. - Charles Sheehan Miles, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, David Rovics, DC Anitwar Network
8:00 p.m. - 302 Acid, Jeff Bale of the Washington Teachers Union, Mr. Lif
9:00 p.m. - Thievery Corporation
10:00 p.m. - Shirts Off, Natalie Johnson Lee of the Green Party, Reverend Billy, Medea Benjamin, Milemarker, Steph Sherer of Safe Access Now
11:00 p.m. - Jungle Jessi, DJ Tom B
12:00 a.m. - Funk DC

2003-01-26T11:49:00.000-05:00

tusk revisited

last night i went to see camper van beethoven at the 9:30 club. it was pretty good. the first set of the show started at 10:15, then a 20 min. break, then second set at 11:30-1 a.m. pretty long show. but at least they got all the fan favorites in. mine was "take the skinheads bowling". really good song. i have one problem with their set. they played a lot of fluff jams that just made me tired. i mean 10 minutes of the same riff-raff is unnerving when you can fit another song or two in there. also, they used their laptop computers a lot for certain sounds and TO CHECK THEIR E-MAIL ONSTAGE!!! grr. damn. camper van laptop. 3/4 of the show was good, 1/4 was forgettable.

today is super bowl sunday. i have one thing to say: go bucks, i hate the raiders [esp. bill romanowski].

2003-01-24T00:35:00.000-05:00

weeeeee little football

my weekend will start off rough. friday = give back bart watch, talk to crazy customer. grr.

saturday = work late

sunday = football football football

a couple of days ago i watched the royal tenenbaums with commentary by wes anderson. two comments that were cool:
1. the actor who played dudley was on one of judd apatow's shows. wes noted him as a friend.
2. anderson admitted whenever bill murray is in a film he should be used more. and he wishes bill murray's role in the r.tenenbaums was bigger.

2003-01-21T00:45:00.000-05:00

the ideal end?

so tonight at work i got asked out by a customer. this customer has been coming in the past couple of weeks. we talk about music. she ends up buying stuff i suggest. last week she had a burger king simpsons watch on. i told her i never got around to buying one. so tonight she brings me the bart one. it says "cool your jets man."

the weird part is her sister comes in first and says "oh my sister wants to marry you. she's going to ask you out for this friday." WHAT?

i mean, as a customer, i think this person is cool. but i really don't want to date her. so she did indeed ask me out. and i was like "uhm, i have to work late." i'm really not good at being at this end of the ask someone out/be asked out line of dating? i'm usually at the other end, and frankly i'm no good there either. eventually i want to be in the middle.

this customer is really weird b/c she waits around for me to get through with some customers to talk with me more. and last week she got a city paper and wrapped inside was the washington blade. she came up to me and whispered, "i had to get the washington blade, you know the gay paper, for my friend. sssshhh." who says that?

so now she's going to call me at work on friday, and i have to get out of it. i have to give her the "i just want to be friends" talk. maybe i should just give the watch back and tell her to "cool her jets." grr. i hate this end.

2003-01-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

bad habit, dropped like one

yeah, i'm definitely going to drop digital imaging. the more i think about it, the bigger my smile gets. i just think it would be too much to take 3 classes. plus, i would miss my must see tv [which includes scrubs].

so far i have a couple of fun assignments. i have the same teacher for both studio lighting and large format. this semester should be swell.

plus, for the large format class, we will probably develop 20 x 16 prints or bigger. very nice!

obsessed

that's what i am. about music. it's like the gbv line "i am a lost soul/i shoot myself with rock n' roll"

weekend: mellow, not too eventful

-watched about a boy
-hung out with my niece. she read me a story for a change.
-watched lots of football
-got a crick in my neck.

also, i figured out every time sigur ros comes around, i have this conflict with my work/class schedule that involves me rearranging that part of my life. i'm dedicated to these icelanders. they are amazing live and they bow afterwards. go see them if you can.

2003-01-17T12:33:00.000-05:00

no more no less

last night i went to see matt pond pa @ the black cat (backstage). really good show even though their set was short. they were the openers. but they are really good emo peeps. i can't stop listening to their cd the nature of maps

so my friend, who is the biggest dplan fan, just let me know the band is breaking up. kind of surprising, since the band is at their highest point in popularity amongst the many states of america. must be a disagreement in the band over the use of travis and his trombone. maybe that could be the next project for mr. morrison. presenting, travis & his trombone.

add 1

so i went to my large format class and it will be super cool taking BIG pictures. i'm pretty excited. my teacher informed me that he had placed me in his studio lighting class too. this was quite a shocker b/c i was pretty low on the waiting list. so now i'm taking 3 photography classes. phew.

the last class, digital imaging, should be interesting. i'm one of the 4 people out of a 25 person class who is below the age of 50. the teacher has weird googly eyes too. i hope i get through enough to learn more in-depth photoshop. oh, the cool thing is the teacher said by the mid-semester all the computers would be replaced with iMacs. i'm not really a mac person, more of a pc pleaser. just never got into mac mode. their computers sure are pretty though.

2003-01-16T00:23:00.000-05:00

see mess stir '03

tomorrow [which is actually today], i am starting my spring classes. this semester i'm taking large format photography and digital imaging. should be a lot of fun. it will be all day every thursday until may. i'm excited. although i have to think of new portfolio ideas and i'm never good at that. grr.

next week will be busy. i have to close the store 4 times including both friday and saturday b/c my co-worker needed to switch opening-closing shifts for sat. the good news is the closing hours were shaved by 1 hr, so i'll get out a little earlier than usual...and double the good news, my co-worker is going to cover my friday closing shift two weeks from now, so i'll have fri-sat. nights free...at least for one weekend. yay!

o.k., it's 5 months away, but i'm ready to read harry potter 5 now.
# of people i've already promised to reserve a book for: 2

2003-01-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

down the road to hogwarts

harry potter and the order of the phoenix (book 5) news:
-on sale 6.21.03
-38 chapters
-255,000 words longer than goblet of fire

"The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive ... The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside No. 4."

2003-01-09T01:34:00.000-05:00

upward, downward...nerdalert

tonight i cashed in on another work perk. i was invited to an author dinner at galileo's in d.c., a really pricey restaurant. it was kind of high brow. the food was amazing. and it was free. the author was pretty cool too. i must admit i have not read her book yet. probably won't. doesn't seem that interesting to me. i'm kind of a picky reader.

speaking of reading...i'm gonna make a concerted effort to start reading more books and watching less t.v. i work at a bookstore. i might as well read or something.

more reading.....rodeo rob's joe strummer tribute

i must admit my nerdity. a couple of nights ago i stayed up until 4 a.m. to watch the 4 dvd set of the lord of the rings. it was super awesome. i want to go to new zealand. seriously.

2003-01-08T01:45:00.000-05:00

blog bodaciousness

mlyttle has gone beatific [you go girl!]

look out for new concoction from my friend stew: buttstew

two double-O trifecta

i'm back after an unscheduled vacation. actually, a forced vacation b/c i didn't have a phone line/computer access until last week. plus i haven't had the gusto to write anything. took a vacation from that too. but now i'm ready to get back in the swing of things.

so here goes...new year, new words.

highlights of the past three weeks...

-had a fun time with the family during xmas celebration. ate lots. unwrapped. smiles all around. jingles and lights galore.
-corey and kristy's new year's party was awesome. more food. hammer time. ringing in 2003 with good people. except the chyna girl who ended up making people's smiles turn upside down. i knew it was bad once she blatantly said to me "i hate new year's" as the ball dropped..and then she dropped a glass. i don't like her at all.
-work is renting out dvd's now. so i get them free. score!

will write more soon...promise.

2002-12-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

d 2 e 5 c

happy holidays everyone!

2002-12-20T13:11:00.000-05:00

i still have more to say...

from here to the recording studio: alkaline trio's recording journal. tour dates in the works.

idlewild's new cd the remote part due out july 15, 2002. tour dates in the works too.

i hope when they say tour, they mean TOUR...as in hitting some d.c. clubs. each of these bands seem to avoid d.c. like the plague. it's not that bad. i swear.

2002-12-20T12:56:00.000-05:00

nerdalert 2002

so yesterday i saw the lord of the rings: the two towers again. it was just as amazing this time as the last one. i'm going to see it one more time b/c i have this free ticket from the fellowship of the ring 4-dvd box set. i've entered nerddom.

the two towers is really long...as in 3 hours long which does not include the 30 minutes of previews and commercials preceding the flick. here are some helpful tips to preparing for hours of middle earth:

1. don't eat a big meal before the movie. bring snacks. you might want to eat post movie.
2. get/bring caffeinated beverages. perhaps a red bull or two.
3. get a good nights rest the preceding night. you can't be mildly sleeping going in.

yes, this movie is a commitment.

holiday spirit: here is the cutest reindiggins you will ever see!

in case you need a last minute idea for gifts...this is a really good one.

"I write a book that isn't about my kid, and then someone writes a beautiful song based on an episode in my book that turns out to mean something much more personal to me than my book ever did." ~Nick Hornby

nia news: my big fat greek sitcom

2002-12-10T01:08:00.000-05:00

winter break

well, it's been almost two weeks since my last post. things have been, well, busy. and unconnected. as in, i'm not connected to the internet at my new place b/c i'm waiting for my phone to be hooked up. i never knew how difficult it is not to have a telephone.

but my new service is pretty cool. it's through cavalier telephone. they have pretty good deals and their customer service reps are really nice. plus i hate verizon. stupid bastards.

my move went pretty well thanks to help from some friends. super kudos to corey and kristy for putting in almost 8 hours of hard manual labor. they are super cool.

for the past week, i've put furniture in their proper places while discarding crap i don't need. i had to get interior design superior kristy to help me yesterday with ikea purchases and more rearranging. and now i have a living room that works.

[on a side note: ikea should start paying me now b/c 95% of my apt is ikea which serves as good promotion for them]

tough enough III sighting: prospective wwe wrestler/hometowner/pee on himself scott was in my bookstore.

on 12/3 i saw an advanced screening of lord of the rings: the two towers. it was completely awesome. believe all the hype.

this post is extra long b/c i don't know when i'll be able to post again. til then i bid you all adieu. over and out.

2002-11-29T14:21:00.000-05:00

ladyfingers

happy birthday kristy!

here is a message for my bro-in-law for tomorrow since i won't be hooked up: happy birthday richard!

what else? moving. busy. busy. cleaning. busy. bzzzzzzzzz.

2002-11-26T15:42:00.000-05:00

workables

yesterday i was at work from 3 p.m. - 2 a.m. aaah. the long hours of work. so i'm tired.

i'm looking forward to wednesday [my day off] and thursday [my eat off]. plus lots of football on the tube.

oh, what else am i doing the next couple of days. packing lots. and i'm not talking about heat either.

2002-11-25T00:14:00.000-05:00

hands down...

this is the best poster ever

whirlwind weekend

friday ~ i cleaned and packed like a mad fiend.

saturday ~ went to work until 2:30. arrived in richmond at 5. attended amazing wedding reception for mary kate and steve. congratulations again. it was a wonderful party. rocked out at an after-reception party at shasta's. super awesome. it was hammer time for lots of peeps.

sunday ~ woke up at 7:30 a.m. left richmond at 8. took pictures at a waffle house. went to work to call some people. then went to fedEx field to watch the redskins beat the rams [awesome!]. arrived back home at 6 p.m. ate chinese fried rice w/vegetables and tofu from cafe asia. then went bowling from 8-10:30 p.m for jp sendoff.

phew i'm beat.

2002-11-22T00:27:00.000-05:00

movin' on up

so a week from saturday, i'll be moving from my old apartment to my new apartment. yes yes yes. i'm really excited. and stressed of course. i went to 4 different rental places to reserve a truck for next saturday. my checklist looks like this:

old apartment packed: 30% done
old apartment cleaned: negatory
rental truck secured: check
moving buddies to help: semi-check
excited to move to new digs: quadruple check

sometime i wish i lived in nyc. then i could go to the 48 hr photo exhibit

2002-11-21T10:13:00.000-05:00

all this moving business is stressing me out.

2002-11-19T00:51:00.000-05:00

a good sign for future bliss

strummer, jones jam on stage [via: aversion]

2002-11-15T01:27:00.000-05:00

[this was kind of fun....enjoy]

FAIRY TALE

nce upon a time there has a young PRO SKATER named BORIS. He was RAPIDLY BREAKDANCING in the SLUSHY forest when he met SCARY VINNY, a run-away GANGSTER from the BRIGHT Queen CONSUELO.

BORIS could see that SCARY VINNY was hungry so he reached into his TIN CAN and give him his DIRTY GUACAMOLE. SCARY VINNY was thankful for BORIS's GUACAMOLE, so he told BORIS a very SUNNY story about Queen CONSUELO's daughter AMELIA. How her mother, the BRIGHT Queen CONSUELO, kept her locked away in a SKYSCRAPER protected by a gigantic TIGER, because AMELIA was so ECSTATIC.

BORIS DUNKED. He vowed to SCARY VINNY the GANGSTER that he would save the ECSTATIC AMELIA. He would RUN the TIGER, and take AMELIA far away from her eveil mother, the BRIGHT Queen CONSUELO, and SPIN her.

Then, all of the sudden, there was a LOUD HURRICANE and SCARY VINNY the GANGSTER began to laugh. With a puff of smoke he turned into the gigantic TIGER from his story. BRIGHT Queen CONSUELO SMELLED out from behind a BOX and struck BORIS dead. In the far off SKYSCRAPER you could hear a AHHHH OOOGA.

THE END.

Make your own Fairy Tale at fuali.com

2002-11-15T01:09:00.000-05:00

on the upswing

i'm feeling much better. i guess all i needed was some sleep...who am i kidding...lots of sleep. i was in bed all day yesterday. i didn't really get up and do anything until after 8 p.m. that's how sick i felt. but after that, i felt really good. so i went to see some rock. might not have been the best idea to recuperate, but it was the donnas, and i was on the guest list. i've been dying to see this show for 2 months. the show was amazing. i almost bought a donnas belt buckle. but it was too pricey.

anyway, whoever was checking id's at the black cat door. i have a special message for you. kiss my ass you jackass. [pardon my language trusty readers] i'm fed up with people with the "i'm too cool for you" and "i can be a jerk b/c i work the doors" attitudes you run into. grow up. i just want you to check my id, take my ticket, and let me rock like no one's ever rocked before. just another reason NOT to go back to the black cat. and i'm starting to lose places to see shows. damn.

sunday i'm going to see harry potter & the chamber of secrets. it will be as awesome as catching a snitch and winning a quidditch match. you betta recognize!

did anyone know about the other gyllenhaal? maggie gyllenhaal she's cute.

2002-11-12T23:46:00.000-05:00

how fitting

i'm sick. been sick for 2 days. but at least i found my inner badass.

Find Your Inner Bad-Ass...
Hey there, Danger Boy! You're Slash! Thrash it, bash it, and sell it to the butcher in the store... You are the all-american bad boy, and as long as the band stays together, the world will know it soon enough...

2002-11-11T01:06:00.000-05:00

sweet sunday

i'm not sure if i've mentioned this before, but i love the new vegan eatery in d.c.: sticky fingers bakery

i've eaten sweets all day. at 5 p.m. i hit a sugar wall and had to take a 2 hr nap.

also, here are 2 reasons why corey is the top dawg amongst labs:

reason 1: he loves people
reason 2: he does well with other dogs

[i want a dog...damnit]