goodbye, 2007!

and good riddance. yes, this year really kicked my ass. financially, physically, emotionally, the whole deal, really. lessons were learned the hard way, accidents happened despite caution, harsh (almost cruel) realities were faced. and i drank a lot. three hospital visits. divorce court. aimless wandering. to quote dennis (mr. teubner if you are an 11th grade chem student) on a new year's eve years ago, "there were some trials. there were some tribulations."


i'm grateful for a new beginning, arbitrary as it may be. i kind of like that my birthday is so close to the new year, its fitting.


i hate to call them resolutions, but here are some of my plans for the new year:


-get back into volunteering more often.


-stick it to the man. more accurately, defend my principles. (debeers at northpark has no idea what's coming. seriously, i have a plan and they are gonna be pissed. mall cops can't arrest you, can they?)


-be more green. yeah, this is vague, but i'll be back with a follow up and at least three ways that i will accomplish this to my satisfaction.


-spend more time on creative endeavors. i have several good influences in this department.(cello, keyboard, crafting, sewing, writing)


-go out more, drink less. we'll see.


-study at the hance taplin school of diplomacy. this may not make sense to anyone, even hance himself, but that's ok. i know what it means.


-stay positive and make other people happy.



all of these things make me happier and a better person. ease anxieties and guilt. sounds like the makings of a good year!

tick, tick, tick

something is about to blow up in my face. i see it coming, but i'm not slowing down. nope. i'll give it a few days and then re-evaluate.

had lots of visitors at work today! jackie, hass, and kaitlyn showed up, kaitlyn yelling, "alison! alison! alison!" which was pretty awesome. ran into one of my fave bartenders and discussed last weekend's brawl. embarrasing that bartenders recognize me as their customers? yes. then hance, which created quite a buzz. "who was that guy you were flirting with?" "hey, who's that cute guy?" "is that your boyfriend? he's hot!" so basically, hance could have his pick of many of the chicks at my job. good for him.

then we went to friday's* for dinner with old pals. i must say, hass has some zingers. my favorite of the night for sure. lots of reminiscing, laughing, and bad impressions of british accents. i can't believe all the bad stuff we did when we were so young. shit, i'm never gonna believe my kid about anything.

*it had to be in addison, see? so jackie and hass wanted seafood and we went through 2 different places before giving up on that. the first one was a little too geriatric for our taste and level of energy, the second too expensive. then we tried gloria's but were turned off by the hour wait. and friday's was right there. so yeah, we ate at friday's. so what.

i'm tired. like falling-asleep-in-class tired.

p.s. friday's is gross.

bake-stravaganza!

grrrr

i have to miss yet another event i would kill to attend. stupid work and its stupid socially inhibiting hours. stupid. are felt snowflakes and icicle straws really that important for selling sweaters? really?

i'm looking for another job, and i've found a very promising one that i want really bad. wish me luck!

anyway, i did have a point. CPR (cross pollinating realities, a collaborative art show) is going down at meridian room from 6-10 pm tonight. buy some art, have some beers (monday is 1/2 price draft night), and chat with some of the coolest people around.

meanwhile, i'll be at work till at least midnight. grrrrrr.

i'm feeling a little mischevious, i think i'll wear something wildly innapropriate and freak out the squares. i feel better already.

several things

zach galifianakis was most excellent. highlights include: the pretentious illiterate, kilometers davis, and "hey everybody! here comes the choo choo!" sorry, only hayden will get those. the audience was about 99% dudes. mostly chubby, nerdy dudes. the line for the little girls room was astoundingly short. (yay!)

later that night, we headed to festivus, which turned out to be a bust-ivus. (zing!) we actually didn't go in, there were only about five people there, none of whom i knew. i can't walk into a huge, almost empty room and just sit down, pull the case of negra modelo out of my purse (yeah yeah, my purse is big, leave me alone), and chill out. no, i felt like i was walking into a freshman lecture (you know, the big ones with three hundred people in them) ten minutes late. i hated to be that guy. i would just skip class altogether to avoid being that guy.

so anyway, we went around the corner to fallout. there was a pretty cool band there, a pleasant surprise. i'm not sure if i would like them today, but it was just what i needed to hear right then. shins-ish. much better than the midget-sized goth band who were playing there on tuesday night. geez. anyway, the place was pretty packed with a lot of regulars but also a group of "frat daddies" (that's what hayden calls them, maybe its a tech thing, i dunno...) which is weird. i'm not really sure why or how but a fight broke out several times. i saw some guy fall face first onto the concrete floor and come up with a bloody nose, only to be choked and dragged out of the bar by robbie (a bartender there). turns out robbie will throw down if you mess with him. he seems so mild-mannered. it was weird to watch. a few minutes later there was another scuffle in the back room. not sure what happened, but a shoe went flying, glasses were thrown to the floor, and another dude was tossed from the bar. keep it clean, kids.

this weekend was also my BAKE-STRAVAGANZA, which did not go down as i had planned, but went down none the less. i always underestimate how long things will take. always. jackie surprised and delighted me with her limitless creativity and disregard for the rules while we were baking on saturday. cookie cutters? heck no, not for jackie. she freehands it. christmas trees? fuck that, try a skull and crossbones. welcome to jackie's world. we also had a chance to discuss our various adventures in cake making this year. combine my technical skills with her ideas and you get a powerful force. our collaborations are greatness, and i feel pretty good about saying that, even though it sounds like bragging. we need our own diy show, like, now. help me think of a name for it so i can pitch it to hgtv. hope you fellas enjoy the treats!

i'm tired, but staying positive. looking forward to 26. don't know what i'm doing for my birthday, but i do know there will be sparklers.

top ten things i want for christmas

10. sugar cookies. you know, the homemade, cut-out, decorated kind.

9. time off from work. i'm missing a lot of fun stuff.

8. a night of driving around and looking at lights. preferably with coffee. i LOVE christmas lights.

7. a santa visit with kaitlyn. hopefully she won't cry this time.

6. successful food drive results.

5. a day of baking treats in frilly aprons with my girls.

4. open mic night with hasan. (see, now you have to do it, it's on my official christmas list)

3. a massage and facial.

2. a real christmas tree.

1. a bike (!) with a basket and a bell.

finally!

check it!

still waiting on that hoverboard.

i'm bored

writing about myself is boring. especially when i have a job and far less free time for shenanigans.

art con III this weekend. sunday at 6 at the door (gypsy). it'll be cool. be there and be square.

weekend recap

friday

-suckfest!
-i had to work till midnight and missed out on brian gibb's opening at public trust, the black angels show, and the hot flash party at fallout

saturday

-worked on a habitat house again
-twas rainy and therefore not too much work was done
-no one fun to joke around with
-went shopping with julian and lauren
-i got yiddish magnetic poetry and lauren got a ridiculous sequiny hat, but those are the only things worth mentioning
-delicious dinner at monica's with the spears duo and seth
-i had a watermelon margarita and it was liquid candy (in a good way)
-we drank a few beers, watched tv, and youtubed funny things (i like how youtube is a verb now, just like google)
-seth thinks i'm a weirdo, his exact words: "hm, that's an interesting disposition..."

sunday

-i got a facial for the first time and it was awesome
-this is a big deal, i hate when anyone touches my face, and i don't even touch it myself without washing my hands first
-my aesthetician was on old french lady and we talked about france a lot, she's kickass!
-the only bad part is you have to take your shirt off, who knew
-oh and one thing she put on my face was quite smelly, kinda smelled like southern comfort, which made me want to throw up
-anyway, i'm hooked, i already made my next appointment
-lauren and i saw romance & cigarettes and it was terrible
-i would use the words disgusting and obnoxious to describe it
-after about an hour i leaned over to lauren and said, "this is the worst movie i've ever seen in my life"
-seriously, it's bad, and i hope no one takes my mention of it in the previous post as an implicit endorsement



any ideas for what i can do with my giant stack of polaroids? i have somewhere between 50 and 60 of them. there must be something cool i could do, but i'm at a loss.

movies and more

why are there so many good movies out right now? it's pretty great! here are a few that top my to-see list:

i'm not there


bob dylan biopic, that sounds promising. and it has two of my favorite gals in it, julianne moore and charlotte gainsbourg. yay.


rape of europa


mmmmm....geeky. it's the story of european art being stolen and destroyed during WWII. i have a feeling i'll be watching this one alone or with sarah z.

romance & cigarettes


it looks pretty funny. apparently it's been waiting around to be realeased since 2005, weird. james gandolfini, susan sarandon, kate winslet, christopher walken, steve buscemi, and more. yes!


and if you haven't seen into the wild or the darjeeling limited, watch those.

AND get your zach galifianakis ticket! seriously, they are selling out. i just bought two and the only seats left are in the balcony.

pretentious carnies

i met a dude last night. sarah and i went to meridian after work for some well-earned dinner. we were waiting for a table for awhile and i suggested sitting with these two dudes at a four person table. sarah shot down that idea but sure enough, not five minutes later, one of them walks over and offers us the other half of their table. score! we chat a little and they're pretty cool. we talk about movies, rock band, and the renaissance fair. and in an unexpected and grand gesture, one of them pays for our dinner and drinks. how grand! how terribly grand! (that was an AD reference, and really mostly just for milad) anyway, he gets my number and i'm sure he won't call me cause i dunno, i just don't think he will. but i'm wrong and he texts me today, how surprised am i? anyway, the whole point of this is that this guy is so normal. he's not a huge nerd, total weirdo, artist or musician. he's not even foreign or freakishly tall. wtf? uncharted territory. this should be interesting. i have a feeling i'm going to creep him out. awesome!

i bet some of you are wondering what happened to that insane crush i was gushing about for the last two weeks. ugh, i'm too tired. i can't deal with that excitement, haha. i mean, it's hard for me to breathe around him. that's crazy. not now, not now. i wish i could put him in my pocket and save him for later. i was telling jon jon (my little bro) about him and he says, "sigh...i don't even have to see this guy to know what he looks like. he's really tall, has a beard and messy hair and he probably wears tight pants." touche, jon jon. he knows me too well.

other goings on:

if i haven't already, i will probably solicit you soon for some help with a food drive for the north texas food bank. here's the deal, i give you a box with a sign, you put it out at work, and i will collect the (hopefully full) box at a later date. i would suggest badgering or encouraging people to donate but it's whatev.

i might be moving to kansas city in january. i would say the odds are about 72%, but we'll see. it won't be permanent, but at least until may. sad face.

if anyone wants a discount from a certain store that is associated with another store that i may or may not work for, dec 1st through 18th would be a great time for that. let me know. that is, if you can crack my code.

two-week countdown to jackie time! YEAH!

i miss the kool kids. let's hang out this weekend and get super drunk and dance, eh?

weekend recap (holiday version)

sorry for the delay, i'm tired and busy.

the holiday weekend started on wednesday, you see. this is gonna be long. lots of words, sorry tony.

wednesday

-picked up my sister and took her to dream cafe for brunch, mmmmmm

-watched tv and chatted with fam all day

-vintage shopping at one of my three faves (the rest were closed, boooo!)

-headed downtown for coffee and neiman's (my sister was a neiman's first-timer)
-late night pie making and shenanigans with my mom and sis

thursday

-my dad bullied us into going to dealy plaza for the anniversary of the jfk shooting

-dinner was ridiculous, of course, my mom puts martha stewart to shame (i learned from the best)

-two hour turkey and beer coma (nap)

-roooooock baaaaaaand! YEAH!

-i sang once and most agreed that was enough

-julian wouldn't play, what a square, i don't know how you could watch that much fun and not want to try

-relax, julian, i'm only teasing

-pics below, suckas!

friday

-eh friday was pretty boring: airport, work, lauren's house

saturday

-stupid work, people were really trying my patience all day

-lauren and i headed to pb&j at the loft, but didn't arrive before circling downtown a few times

-i had to make fun of lauren because she still insisted that she knew where the loft was, just didn't know the street name....or how to actually get there, and really, that's the most important part

-the arm-dance guy was cracking us up the whole time, partly because of his strange, spastic dance, but also because of his failed attempts to make out with the girl next to him

-ask me to do an impression of the arm dance guy, i'll do it, try me

-i finally saw hayden's apt (and turtles!) and it's rad, we should hang out there more, it's big

-went to one of ryan and evan's legendary parties which finally delivered on its legendary status, yes it was awesome

-there was an accordion guy at the party *

-lauren and i created a talk show **

obviously, a few things require further explanation

*this is how it went down. a bunch of us are sitting around talking when we notice an accordion on the table. a really nice one. we are all wondering where it came from and whether or not we should play with it. suddenly a dude walks in from the rain, throws off his coat, and yells, "it's time!" he throws on the accordion and starts playing, singing and dancing. and it's cool, and everyone is into it. it was surreal. i'm glad i was there.

**actually i think it was hayden who conceptualized the show. lauren and i were sitting on a bed right across from where the bathroom line had materialized. we would sit and chat with whoever was in line until they were up. hayden said we looked like we were interviewing people on a talk show. genius. so basically, that's the premise of the show. lauren and i talk to people while they wait in line for the bathroom. but see, it's funnier when you consider our personalities. ok, lauren's the hater and the weirdo. she disses their outfits, questions their coolness, or just says something totally off the wall and giggles. then there's me, and i guess i just make jokes and sometimes ask them real questions. kinda like ellen. also important to this show's funniness is the fact that people waiting in line are drunk. yes, this is key. this talk show rocks! i would watch it!

ohhhhh emmmmm geeeee

rock band is so insanely awesome. imagine how awesome you think it might be, then multiply that by three. alex was on guitar, bogan on the mic, and me on the drums. it feels like you're a real band. believe it. just take a second and get a mental picture of this situation.....got it?

i think our best song was sabotage by the beastie boys. yes, we all shone on that one. or blitzkrieg bop by the ramones. wow. that was really fun on the drums. when we played dead or alive by bon jovi, i seriously could not have felt more cool. what great song choices: old weezer and radiohead, the who, rolling stones, yeah yeah yeahs, soundgarden, and black sabbath.

so yeah, if you have the $800 required to buy a system and the game, go ahead and do it. you won't regret it. i really can't wait to play again.

also, my mom and i became convinced tonight that there was a ghost in our house. more on that later.

heads up

buy your tickets for peter, bjorn, and john! it's this saturday! do it now!

but don't be surprised when the ticketmaster fees double the price of the ticket.

also, save the date for zach galifianakis at the lakewood theatre dec. 15th. i'm going and somebody better come with me. oh my, it's gonna be great.







and how about some mitch hedberg? why not?

one last thing to put on your calendar:

the spree has holiday extravaganzas?!? i had no idea, but i'm pretty amped about it. it would seem that everything they do would be an extravaganza, seeing as they have 23 members. this should be interesting. (AND they are taking donations at the door for toys for tots as well as the north texas food bank. i'm starting a food drive at work for ntfb, and it's something we all could do. it's as easy as taking in an empty box one day and bringing out a full one later. very simple. i'll even give you a box and a sign if you like.) only problem is the tickets cost $28! and they're from ticketmaster so let's just call it an even $50. i must find a way to get free tickets.....hmmmm....

i'm siiiiick

i blame lauren, though it's possible that i gave it to her in the first place. anyway, i feel crappy, and no work for me today, which is actually a long story. i'll tell you, but not in print.

the walk for the homeless yesterday turned out wonderfully. amazing weather, great turnout, nearly $300,000 was raised for the new homeless assistance center currently being built. (i saw it, it's freakin huge, obviously there is so much need) i got there early and handed out t-shirts and water bottles. then we (the course monitors) loaded up in the van to be dropped off at various streetcorners along the course. we each had a buddy, and man, my buddy was a badass. thank god, because some of the other people in the van were straight from lame city. anyway, daryl was my partner and we sat on the curb in front of dakota's cracking jokes and eating candy for an hour until we caught sight of the first walkers headed our way. we got into position, choreographed a little "go that way" dance (lucky attendees of julian's party caught a little glimpse of that) and did some awesome course directing. daryl was from the company who sponsored the event so he knew tons of people that walked by, and yelled mocking comments at them as they passed. seriously, could i have had a more perfect partner? hal and dylan strolled by and stopped to pose for a quick pic before rejoining the pack. later, daryl snuck me into the special tent that his company had sponsored and we enjoyed some delicious (and free) nachos and lattes. YEAH! he's gonna email me the next time his company sponsors an event.

see how much fun you guys missed? and ok, while it was definitely an enjoyable afternoon that raised quite a lot of cash, to me it left a little something to be desired. i have a vision for a help the homeless event, and it is drastically different. more personal, totally homegrown, no corporate sponsors, but whatever. i mean, it feels different when people are only there because the boss is watching and they have to do it. i dunno. why doesn't everyone ask me how things should be done before they do them? sheeesh. please don't mistake my sarcasm for arrogance.

anthro by numbers

days i've been back: 3

people i've met: >30 (!)

names i remember: <10

co-workers named carissa: 3 (strange, no?)

other old school kids like me: 2

customers that actually remembered me: 2 (get a life, ladies)

customers that have made me angry: 1 (not too shabby)

display projects i've worked on: 2

times i've geeked out with hannah: >10 (love, love, love this girl)

times we've geeked out about harry potter in particular: 3

amount i'm getting paid: ? (eh, i'll find out soon enough)

old ladies that dig my tattoo: 2 (hell yes)


all in all, it's nice to be back. i was worried i would be treated like a new person, but no need to worry. they kinda let me do what i want and don't bother me, which is ridiculous, but i'm not gonna argue.

one huge perk is the music. it's good. like crazy good. it's like i brought my own personal playlist to the store. imagine neil young, curtis mayfield, ben kweller, lily allen, fleetwood mac, and of montreal in that order and then believe it, because it happened today. most people don't enjoy it as much as i do.

my feet hurt though. and i'm tired.

wish i had written it myself

i'm kinda obsessed with this song right now. i'm play it (badly) on my cello and sing (badly) along several times a day.

aren't you glad you don't live with me?

jenny owen youngs

i guess it's back on

i suddenly felt that anonimity was necessary. my blog is really personal, and i like it that way. really, it's the only way i can write. i love having a forum that's all mine. i can do what i want. i would rather not have a blog than have to edit myself. i just don't want this come back to haunt me. also, now that i have a job, i don't want to get in trouble. it's the google analytics that gets to me. it makes me paranoid. i'm gonna stop using it altogether since i obviously can't handle it.

everyone seemed to think that they alone were blocked from viewing my blog, sorry about that! it turned out that inviting everyone individually to view my blog would be a giant pain in the ass, gathering up email addresses, etc. so it's tentatively back on, pictureless. i should probably use my alias for posting, as well. yes, that will do. no more paranoia.

man, this has been a really rough patch for the past few weeks. i'm stressed. it's hard to be confronted with your character flaws. well, it's hard if you care about being a good person, and i do very much. i try, and i'm trying harder. give me a hug and tell me that you love me even though i am a stupid jerk sometimes. and please remember that i try.


anyway......

we went to denton today! it was great! we showed around lauren's little sister (who is cool beyond her years) and several other teenagers, who are considering UNT for next year. ah, nostalgia. we went to alter ego, which did not disappoint. everyone got something awesome. i got a dress and a skirt for $20, that store is the greatest. worth the drive itself. then we screwed around on the town square, more shopping, more stories about my college days. it's fun being around younger people, remembering what that was like being 18. i was also jealous that lauren got to hang out with her sister, when i miss mine so much. i hope i gave them a favorable impression of denton, i sure did try.

ticketmaster is a bunch of bastards

seriously. i know i'm not the first person to express outrage toward ticketmaster, but i'm still pissed. i bought a ticket for peter, bjorn, and john awhile back through ticketmaster and had it send to my email. the date is approaching so i opened the email to print it. for the first time, i noticed all the extra charges they tacked onto the ticket price. holy crap! i haven't felt this way since my college days. remember all those shady fees that would add up to as much as your tuition? all hidden with nondescript names. jerks. and then they would never let you print from the computer lab, even though you had paid for the god damn paper in those fees! there is still some residual anger, i suppose, but remember i paid for the last few years of school myself.

anyway, back to ticketmaster. get this:
ticket- $20
convenience charge- $7.85 (!!!)
additional tax- $0.65
order processing charge- $4.85
ticketfast charge- $2.70

total- $36.05

basically doubled the price of the fucking ticket! outrageous! wtf is up with all these charges? i think i'm gonna start boycotting venues that use ticketmaster. fuck that.

what a day

my friday was pretty intense. it shall henceforth be referred to as d-day. here's a recap.

the divorce

lucky me, i have a wonderful friend who accompanied me to my divorce hearing at 8 am in fort worth. thanks, lauren! i would have cried for sure had she not been there. we arrived not a minute too soon. just as we were walking up to the building i called keaton and told him we were stuck in traffic in dallas. just a little divorce court humor. why do i do stuff like this? when under stress, i make jokes constantly. we met up with keaton downstairs. he has long hair again, and was wearing a suit. he made fun of my haircut and i made fun of his. we waited in court for our turn. it was sad. there were other cases involving child visitation and child support, and it was hard to watch knowing that these are people in real pain. we got off easy. courtroom furniture is ominous. i wanted to pour myself a glass of water from the shiny metal carafe on the table but i didn't dare. keaton reminded me about proper courtroom behavior, and i responded with sass. typical. we parted ways abruptly on the street and it was awkward to say the least. lauren and i made it to mickey d's for a mcgriddle breakfast and tried to forget about the early morning task. i'm really good at denial, but sometimes reality is a ninja, and sneaks up on you anyway.

the tattoo

i got a tattoo! a wise man once explained to me that he never regretted his tattoos because they were like a roadmap of his life. that's what he wanted right then, and it takes you back to that point in your life. i like that. so what better time to get a tattoo than to coincide with a life-changing event like a divorce. indeed. i must say, i was a brave little soldier in the tattoo place. we went to hold fast, and man, i would totally recommend this place. i had heard about it from several people whose opinions i value, and they also won the dallas observer best of dallas award for best skin art. which is good i guess. i kinda wanted to move in. it was decorated so cool! imanine an antique scuba helmet just lying around, day of the dead art galore, a picture of jesus wearing hipster glasses, and a huge stack of taschen design books. i knew i was in good company. and actually, i ran into a gal that i know. we had gone to high school together and we had a friend or two in common. she's a piercer there or i would have had her do my tat. it was nice to see a friendly, familiar face when you're about to be scarred for life. like i said, i was brave, i didn't cry or squirm or freak out. i even boldly declared that it didn't hurt. it was over pretty fast. i am totally fascinated with the process. i wanted to dig through my guy's art bin soooo bad. maybe next time. i told him what was in my art bin. (drafting tape, paints, glue, matte medium, a hole punch, and an exacto knife) do you have an art bin? what's in it?

the first person i got to show my tattoo was lauren's five year old babysitting charge. and i quote, "that's a good tattoo!" a few seconds later she told me that indians don't like to be called indians, and i should remember to call them native americans. i love kids.

there was an incident a few hours later. i was totally fine until i got stoned. i freaked out. i kept saying, "i can't believe i got a tattoo!" and "it's here forever. for-ev-er. ever, ever, ever." i wouldn't exactly call it regret, but more like panic. luckily lauren was there to talk me down. word to the wise, don't get stoned right after you get your first tattoo. it was unpleasant.

the night

i can't drink anymore. i just don't want to. i haven't been drunk in weeks. it's weird. so we went out friday night and had a few drinks. started at lee harvey's where everyone stared at us. we were dressed a little strange, to be fair. someone pointed to lauren and said, "hey look, amy winehouse!" and a whole table turned to stare. who are these people? squares. so we headed to fallout, where freaks are welcome and free from gawkers. what a night at fallout. geez. crazy people, crazy music, crazy dancing. we just sat and watched though. sober and not so energetic. it was amazing people-watching though. highly entertaining. we grabbed late night food at expo park next door and headed for home around 3. the time is important because this means that the parking lot was empty when we left. and thank god. because i fell on my face.
yellow wobbly shoes + gravel = faceplant
grrrrr. the right side of my body was covered in dirt and gravel marks. luckily, no one saw. sarah laughed. i would have laughed if it didn't hurt. and if i wasn't stone cold sober.

so, friday was a pretty rough day.

kool kids help the homeless

shall we?

click here for details.

it looks like it could be a good time, just walking around dallas, and you must admit we already have a formidable team readily assembled.

if we want to do it, we really need to get moving on it so let me know asap.

from the looks of it, they are pretty low on participants, our friends will double the numbers. our participation will make an impact on the event. let's do it.

wanna see me embarrass myself?

more than usual?

go to jonesy's halloween party next saturday (27th) and you shall see it. milad and i came up with a ridiculous pair costume and it's coming together quite nicely. we put his together in a few hours and for around $10. i think i can make mine happen with some help from my dad's closet. seriously, you should come see this. milad is very lucky that i have an excellent sense of humor. this costume is not cute.

i'm still gonna be suzy homemaker for the other parties though. it's a good excuse to wear tons of fun stuff and make cupcakes! yeah!

yesterday sarah, lauren, and i got a little tipsy and starting making plans to get the heck out of here. we're not getting any younger. we have two tentative plans. i'm leaning toward plan 1.

plan 1: move to brooklyn or chinatown, share a place, be poor and bohemian, have fun all the time.

plan 2: trade in all of our cars for an rv, travel the country, have fun all the time, write a book about our journeys.

i wish we could have our adventures funded by someone like on a reality show. yes, we should have our own reality show. with the kool kids. the premise is that we live different places and act cool. it would be like the real world except less boring and exploitative. let's get nbc on the phone.

on another note, tennis anyone? i bought some rackets and balls today and i'm ready to play. i bought two rackets so no excuses, bitches. i'm looking at you, julian, since you get off work so early. i'll buy anyone a beer who plays tennis with me. two beers if you let me win.

one last thing:

should i dye my hair blonde? i'm thinking about it......like scarlett johansson blonde. i dunno.

weekend recap

i went back and read some old weekend recaps, and there was so much i had already forgotten even though it wasn't long ago at all. they made me laugh, so i'm definitely going to keep writing them if just for posterity.

friday

-sarah and i had fun being crafty, flirting with cute boutique owners, and enjoying a wonderful chinese dinner.
-we headed to julian's to hang with the kool kids.
-we were supposed to have a night in, but somehow we got talked into going to greenville.
-they made me smoke a cigarette! gross!

saturday

-lauren's hippie birthday! cupcakes, daisy headbands, presents, big red and vodka (lauren's creation)
-lauren is hard to surprise, sarah is inept at surprising. it's not their fault.
-by the time we made it to doublewide i was already drunk. unfortunately i ran into several people that i know: eric, mackenzie and emily. i don't remember these conversations so i hope i was on good behavior!
-we made it to fallout in time for one last drink, which i totally didn't need.
-i danced with a gay guy, which is better than by yourself.
-late night shenanigans at julian's as several of us were in no condition to drive home.
-sleepover!

sunday

-julian tried to make waffles, it didn't really work out. whataburger served as an adequate substitute.
-my parents returned from their ranch-buying trip ranchless. but they have narrowed it down to three properties. and they brought me some truffles.
-we thought about going to the fair, but the spears duo wasn't feeling it, and julian was kinda tipsy from watching football.
-saw darjeeling ltd., it was pretty good. typical wes anderson fare. i think i'm an adrien brody fan now, he's good.
-storms! i was up all night, i love them!

let's throw in monday, too. just for fun.

monday

-hanging with rachael at northpark.
-we bought almost exactly the same stuff, i still didn't find any boots. somebody help me.
-my favorite bartender at fallout sells jewelry at nordstrom. who knew?
-lunch at luna de noche, which is in my top 5 fo sho.
-baby isaac is cute enough to get attention everywhere he goes. he's also exhausting! how does she do it?

so i've been secretly learning calculus

and i'll tell you why. i had to take it my freshman year and from the very first day, i did not understand. i could fake my way through the homework, but the tests were killer. just 3 super hard problems. i tried and tried and got a big fat D. it never clicked, i never really got it. i cried. a large part of my self-identity is being intelligent so when something challenges this, it's distressing to me.

so, like i said before, i've been secretly learning calculus. on my own, with the occasional question for my little bro. i get it! i get it! i get it! i'm smart! the sun is a little brighter, the air a little fresher. i'm proud of myself. do you think i can retake calculus and add it to my already complete transcript? eh? me either. so i guess there's nothing left to do but officially declare calculus my bitch. seven years later.

also, it has inspired me to do other things that are complicated and challenging that i would not have done before. when i broke my polaroid i took it apart and put it back together properly. more recently and more impressive, i think, i fixed the fountain in my mom's fish pond. first of all, i had to figure out how to get it out without actually putting my hand in the water, you know, since there's fish in there. then i took it apart and put it back together. and it actually worked!who knew i was so mechanically inclined? not i.

tony said my blog has too many words. :(

new cake

i got a pastry bag (for icing), and revived my passion for cake-making! if i had known how fun and easy and cheap these were i would have bought one about 10 years ago. seriously. i can't wait to use it again. do you have anything that needs to be iced? i only have one tip so far, but it's pretty versatile, and i have big plans for it. and i can't wait to get more. oh the possibilities!

i made this cake for milad this week:

it's fancy because he's fancy. he drives a beamer, has a nice place, and runs an upscale rug store. fancy. he said it tasted nice, so i'll take his word for it. also, i didn't write 'alison rocks' underneath it, but i sure can't argue with it.

i have a plan

in case you were wondering, i don't plan on being a lady of leisure much longer. indeed, i have a plan. i know, i've had quite a few plans in the last few years. let's see....there was grad school for library science, there was talk of going back for psychology, then the law school ordeal. i can't even remember what i wanted to do when i was in college. i really don't think i had a plan. and here i am.

it's too hard to decide what to do for the rest of your life. how do people know? how do you guys do it? i can't commit. to anything. unfortunately, most of the careers that interest me require advanced degrees. going back to school = major commitment. therefore, i back out at the last minute. its the fear that gets me! though i think i was right to back out of law school. i'm pretty sure i would be miserable right now if i had gone through with it. 80 hours a week is no way to live. i like life.

here are a few things holding me back, careerwise:

1) i am a person divided. i have two sides that are in conflict with each other. i am artistic, creative, and bohemian, yet i have a nerd inside me too. i like geeky books and science and writing a lot. i was always afraid that an art job (like graphic design) would be intellectually unsatisfying. but a smarty-pants job (like law) would be missing the creative element. what's a girl to do. with such varied interests its no wonder i could never choose anything and go with it.

2) my parents. they are not terrible people, but they can be a little demoralizing. prestige is important to them. only respectable careers for our family. studying art in college actually caused a large rift between us. we didn't talk for awhile, i was cut off financially, and i ended up paying for my last few years of college. they were psyched about law school, of course, and ever since i told them that i wasn't going, my dad has been trying to get me to work for him. they have given up on me. they are not on board with the plan.

3) my perceptions. i think i've been a little silly about things. careers aren't permanent. they don't completely define you as a person. you still have your personality, friends, and home life. it's ok to choose something. i can change my mind.


i've decided to become an art teacher. i'm thinking elementary. it's not prestigious, it doesn't pay much, and i'm sure it's very challenging. however, i love kids, art, and the creative process. and summers off? heck yes. it's great for now. i'm letting my bohemian side win until i'm thirty. then i'll reevaluate my situation.

a goal for the future is to get into art therapy. i have taught art at scottish rite children's hospital before and seen the positive effects of art therapy. amazing. i do need grad school for this. hopefully after teaching for awhile, i can get my school to pay for my master's. yeah!

the plan is to enroll in the alternative certification program this summer. in the meantime, i dunno. office work? retail? whatev. i'm just killing time. my parents hate this plan. they think i'll never be able to retire. i'll be poor forever. just terrible.

i think it's a good plan.

weekend recap

pretty good weekend, if you ask me.

friday

wonderfully successful shopping day. i'm most excited about my amazing new dress (btw thank you, anna sui, for making your clothes in america) and my cool headband. good stuff. although i was meant to get boots.....oh well, another day. while i'm being narcissistic i should mention that i am loving the way my hair is growing out. it's finally long enough to be curly and messy again, which is fantastic. friday afternoon i headed over to julian's place and we watched american pimp and started our weekend off right. grabbed some dinner with lauren at taco c and started in on the drinking. we tried power hour but lauren was resistant. we got a little too tipsy to leave the house, but a great night anyway. at one point, lauren started doing this voice that totally sounded like the creepy old child molester on family guy, and i laughed and laughed and laughed. my only regret is that more people didn't join us at chez julian.

saturday

something about saturday felt festive. a good day to dress colorfully, wear my hobo hat, and drink heavily. i showed up at hance's ready to party with a giant bottle of tequila and little umbrellas (festive, you see). i think my margaritas got progressively better with every round, but perhaps i'm flattering myself. i will admit that i got a little out of control, and things are fuzzy. you might say i pulled a sarah, but he wasn't entirely random. and let's face it, being a friend of hance's lends a lot of credibility. hance has some pictures that could probably ruin a campaign for public office. damn. luckily, sarah was totally on my level so there was someone else running around acting as foolish as myself. we went to fallout, which turned out to be a good choice. just enough off the beaten path to be invisible to texas/ou fans. also, i can dance like a dumbass by myself there and no one even notices. i am norm peterson, and fallout is my cheers.

sunday

"if i don't eat something right now, i'm gonna throw up." -sarah

sarah and i woke up on hance's couches. josh was on the floor, i can't believe we didn't share couch space! sorry! the night's events came rushing back, and we compared notes. sarah and i were filthy from the knees down, how does this happen? it looked like we had rolled around in the alley behind meridian. we didn't, right? we were starving and headed to jake's, which was a great choice. spicy fries do wonders for a hangover. i went home, watched napoleon dynamite, and slept the day away.

highlights

-playing caps with the world champions. josh and i beat sarah and hance, and i helped. 2 points!

-sarah, lauren, and i matched again. that's crazy. how do we do it?

-josh's disgusting but quite hilarious vegas story. i'm never going to vegas.

-dancing at fallout with hayden, we were both cracking up. yet more evidence that hayden rules.

-nap time.

fuzzy memories

-did we play spin the bottle in the cafe? whaaaaaat the hell?

-did ak just show up at fallout? and wasn't john w. around for awhile?

-sarah and i drunkenly putting on makeup at around midnight.....

-i don't remember anything after fallout, i probably don't want to know.

oh yeah, i fixed my polaroid! i had to pretty much take it apart and put it back together. and thank god, or else i wouldn't be able to bring you this:
sorry, sarah. it's funny.

everybody has aids!

aids, aids aids!

i hope you've seen team america: world police, or else you're probably thinking that i'm a deeply disturbed individual. oh well.

anyway, a good friend of mine is doing an aids walk in indiana and you should donate money to her cause. i'll give you three good reasons.

1. you can donate whatever you want. $5 if you so choose. you won't miss 5 bucks. do it.

2. it's easy, you can do it on the internet. you don't even have to stand up. geez.

3. kari rules. she has dedicated a huge part of her life to the aids crisis and public health in general, and i think we can honor her sacrifices with a little support for the cause.

yes?

yes.

http://AIDSWALK2007.kintera.org/haecker

my hometown

from the front porch:

my grandma's "chicken house"

the town square:

a bar in north kc, i went with my stepmom between homecoming events.

homecoming!

ah, high school. they have giant lockers, and all day i wondered if i could fit in one. i think yes.
rehearsal. nothing says homecoming queen like soccer shorts and heels.
formal assembly. quite a production.

pep assembly. the candidates had to do a rather embarrassing dance to a medley of popular rap songs. alex was not psyched about it.
parade! cool car, vintage shades, i like her style.



the game. the big moment.
look closely. flipping the bird in public is sort of a family tradition. don't ask.
and the girl with the ugliest dress won. ah well.

i'm unbelievably glad i was able to be there for my sister. was more than worth the effort of the trip. she was actually a terrible queen candidate, and i mean that in the best possible way. she forgot her tiara, got stoned before the assembly, phoned in the pep assembly dance, and neglected most preparatory details until the night before. she was the anti-queen, really. the underdog for sure. it would have been nice to see her win.

now check this out:

my mom in her homecoming parade in 1975. she won. in case you're wondering, i tried on that outfit, but it didn't fit.

back and worse for the wear

oh my, what a trip. most of it was unpleasant, but there were some highlights. like taking my little 5 year old cousin to the park. she's cute.

earlier this summer we were hanging out and picking dandelions. when she made a wish she whispered, "i wish alison was my best friend." she'll break your heart with the cuteness.

incommunicado

until sunday.

admit it, you'll miss me.

i'll be back with stories and pictures.

smiles and high fives!

birthdays all around

tomorrow (the 24th) is the birthday of two very special ladies in my life. (and dan dean, give him a shout) this is a good time to talk about how wonderful they are.

the first is my sister, alex.

she's turning 18 which means cigarettes, rock shows, and voting are all fair game. she rocks, literally and figuratively. i will forever be jealous of the talent and charisma that this girl possesses. president of her choir, soccer scholarship offers rolling in, homecoming queen nomination, she's pretty impressive. though i think i'm most proud of her social conscience, hippie inclinations, and feminist streak. that's my girl. stop on by her space and wish her a happy 18th.this is her present:

espresso maker w/ cups and a few t-shirts. i think she'll especially like the andy warhol one.

second in my blog, but not in my heart, is kaitlyn.

she's my bff's daughter and she's turning 3! no longer a toddler, i believe this officially makes her a big girl. she's way cooler than your average 3 year old. she likes penguins, jelly beans, gymnastics (which she calls "matchsticks") and rocking out. she does not like santa. and she has a british accent which makes everything sound cuter. "rubbish" is my favorite. and i think we should celebrate jackie as well today for raising a lovely girl to the age of 3 on her own, while in med school and having a job. yes, apparently she is a superhero. i'm tired just thinking about it. and this is her present: princess roller skates and kneepads, pink glittery skull t-shirt (which jackie tells me she will wear with her black skinny jeans, i'm dying from the cuteness), and harmonica (not pictured are the sweet tattoos i threw in at the last minute). and i sent a camera so i can see pics from her party.

top 5 things dudes said to me last night

these things were all said completely out of the blue by random guys. no context whatsoever.


5. "what do you think is the sexiest fruit? that guy over there said grapes, what a dumbass."

4. "so i was arguing with my friend about whether or not elvis is a good baby name..."

3. "hey. are you with me or against me?"

2. "do you like horses? no? cause i knew this girl in like 3rd grade and she liked horses a lot. and you kinda look like her."

1. "your necklace reminds me of fort knox."

weirdest dudes ever. if they weren't kinda cute i would have been totally creeped out. surprisingly, the guy who insisted that elvis was a good baby name shot down my idea of phoenix. yeah, because that would be crazy.

when we left julian said, "man, the dudes were all over you tonight."

yes, but.....

got a question for hance

have you ever been to casa bonita? you know, since you're from denver and all. i just watched the south park episode about it, and it's probably one of all-time my faves:



and while i'm on the topic of south park, alternate universe cartman is an awesome episode too:

starter bike

so i've had my eye on a beautiful green paul frank bike with a basket and a bell and a hefty price tag. it was pretty cool, but there are so many things i'd rather spend $300 on. let's see....rent, a plane ticket, these boots, etc. so i decided to get a starter bike and see how i like it. check it out:

i think it's pretty sweet, and it will be mine for the extremely reasonable price of $70. it's a cruiser, which is all i really wanted, and i can paint it (red or green?) and get a basket and a bell for it. then i will have a killer bike and everyone will be all jealous and stuff. yes, this is the bike for me. unless someone wants to go in on this with me:

i didn't think these were real! julian and lauren should get this since they are next-door neighbors. while i'm on the subject, congrats on the new place, buddy! i'm psyched for julian, but also quite jealous.

normally, i would make a housewarming cake for the occasion, but i think i've lost my cake making mojo. if you haven't already heard, hayden's 'welcome to dallas' cake was a cake-tastrophe. quite a setback, indeed. i almost killed my mom in the process. we gave the leftover cake to the homeless guy who "keeps an eye on the cars" in the parking lot behind meridian. he was pretty amped.

perhaps i'll go to the cake store for inspiration. i think i'm gonna give up on fondant altogether and start experimenting with frosting bag tips. and maybe i'll buy a new cake pan. a new shape to shake things up.

i went to happy hour at martini ranch tonight with my good friend rachael, really the only good friend i made in fort worth. she's amazing. and i finally remembered to ask her how much money she won on millionaire, an impressive $25,000. i was one of her phone-a-friends and she didn't call me, but it was still very exciting to be part of the process. her husband is oh so weird, and therefore she has the best stories. i may have convinced her to do stand-up comedy with me, we'll see.

like endless rain into a paper cup

i give you my pro/con list on a new movie:
across the universe
i keep going back and forth about whether it's gonna be great or crap.

pros:
-julie taymor! i've been a fan since the lion king musical (which i was just recently schooling julian about, forget the disney version, forget it!) for which she won several awards. she's a badass, she directs, composes, and does costumes. all extremely well, mind you.
-a movie full of beatles songs sounds like an ok idea. i like the beatles. who doesn't?
-it's sure to be aesthetically stimulating and that's a big pro.
-i think it's gonna make me cry, and i welcome a catharsis.
-this trailer makes it look really crazy and kinda cool:


cons:
-the main characters are called lucy and jude. groan. (i realize those links may seem unnecessary, but i can think of a few people that need them)
-it's a musical, which easily treads into cheesy territory. very easily.
-it looks a little heavy-handed and earnest. not necessarily bad things, but i have little patience for them.
-bono makes an appearance. fuck that guy.
-beatles covers tend to make me feel a little icky. i dunno, maybe because i've been listening to these songs since infancy. the only one i like is the fiona apple version of, coincidentally, across the universe.
-this trailer makes it look kinda lame:


anyway, it's out this weekend at the angelika, and i feel compelled to see it even though the con list is slightly longer. i'll give it a go.

on the horizon

there are a lot of fun things up ahead on the social calendar!

there's the balloon festival this weekend!
i haven't been since i was a kid, but i think this is the year to return.

also this weekend, i'm going to see airline at the cavern saturday night! i've never seen them live, so i can't make any promises, but i have a good feeling about it. you should join me. yes, you.

and then

i'm headed to missouri (kansas city) on tuesday to celebrate some birthdays, play with some babies, and watch my sister win homecoming queen! and we are going to t-rex cafe. uh-huh!

and then

i will rush back on sunday (the 30th) in time to make it to THE pub quiz! this is it, kids. if we don't win this time, we will never win. i really want to win.

then, before you can say "mini tootsie rolls" it will be halloween! i'm ready to start talking costumes. any ideas? so far lady sovereign is the front runner. i like costumes that you can get into character for and accents are ideal.

"i'm english, try and deport me!"

one last thing: now that it's cooling off i really want to have a picnic. i have a proper basket and everything. i would love to take a cute boy...but it doesn't look like that's in the cards.

eh.

zero to ten

i'm having a hard time. i'm pretty mellow by most accounts but for some reason, conversations with my ex really set me off. i get so angry. like cartoon angry, red face and smoke coming out of my ears. i go to the bad place. i don't like it.

i don't like that he reads my blog and makes condescending comments about it.

i don't like being judged or held to someone else's standards.

i don't like that he uses personal information against me.

i hate that we can't be friends.

i think we're at different stages of breakup/grief which only leads to frustration on both ends. i don't know what to do, but obviously i'm not handling it well. this is the worst. certainly a low point in my life. ah well, at least i'm young!

i'm already considering erasing this....

dude

i can't believe someone hacked my myspace and sent dirty videos out to everyone. what the hell is that anyway? who does that? it's incredibly uncool. it makes for a pretty awkward situation when someone i may not have spoken to in awhile suddenly receives that sort of comment from me. and i feel terrible about certain people that it went out to. angela's mormon teenage brother, sweet gals like amanda manning, ryan and other people that use their myspace for work.

what's funny is that a lot of people really thought it was actually from me. i mean, i know i can be pretty obnoxious and yeah, i'm known to post webcomics and youtube videos in comments.....but come on, two chicks making out??? that's not something i would send.

i guess that's just part of the territory and i shouldn't get mad. ugh.

stupid myspace jerks.

weekend recap

get excited, this is a good one.

friday

-movie night with a bunch of boys.

-julian finally saw talladega nights so now i can quote it freely.

-george surprised me by returning a movie he borrowed from me three years ago.

-glorious weather for the ride home in the jeep. amazing.

saturday

-woah.

-art show/reception where no one paid much attention to the art.

-saw emily! she's ex-anthro. our numbers are strong, but especially at artsy events.

-saw a former design studio TA. one time he said my painting project was brilliant, which is why i often boldly declare that i am a brilliant painter. i believe my own hype.

-took several first-timers to fallout. the crowd could have been better...

-art show afterparty at suite which is what i imagine clubs in vegas look like. it may have been a little too cool.

-we were on the list so we got to go downstairs, and thank god because it was dramatically less crowded and the tunes were exponentially better thanks to the party.

-i danced my little heart out. that's where it gets a little fuzzy.

-had an awkward encounter with the cobra snake. i was left with an unfavorable impression.

-here are the pics. i'm in two, but you have to look carefully or you'll miss me.

sunday

-woke up to a rerun of home improvement and a pounding headache.

-my feet were blistered (curse those beatiful blue shoes) and mysteriously filthy.

-my polaroid is broken, but i'm ok with it. the novelty has worn off anyhow.

-a quick survey of my wallet revealed that i barely spent any money, which means i obviously owe you guys some drinks.

-at about 10 pm the upstairs hot water heater in my house kinda exploded causing water to flood the kitchen through an overhead vent and several upstairs rooms. hot water, mind you.

-i devised and executed a crude siphoning plan while my mom franctically called plumbers and my dad ran around making sure our house didn't explode and such.

-the only flashlight my family owns is one that doesn't have batteries and must be charged by shaking it vigorously. i was greeted with impatience when i asked why the eff they kept shaking the damn flashlight. it seemed like a reasonable question.

-this went on for about 4 hours.

-when a plumber finally arrived, my dad began the story of what happened with, "(sigh) well, it was a real comedy of errors." my family is oh so nerdy.

tcs: "hey is that a polaroid? take a pic."

i oblige.

tcs: "do you want me to autograph that for you?"

me: "uh, sure i guess."

he autographs it (sort of), puts a sticker on the back, and hands me a stack of stickers

tcs: (smugly) "you got more than you bargained for, huh?"

me: "uh, yeah....thanks."

who is this guy?

i think i jinxed myself

i was telling julian how i'm proud of myself for posting so often and how i'm glad something always comes up to post about. well...

i got nothin.

so here are some clips from my favorite tv show of all time, freaks and geeks:





even though i don't know jason segel i'm pretty confident that we could be bff. and i wouldn't mind making out with him either, you know, if he's up for it.

i can't wait for the weekend so i have some legitimate material.

don't read this if you don't know me

because you will think i'm crazy.

so a lot of strange, coincidental things happen to me. and it freaks me out. you see, i have an insanely active imagination. i get carried away. i'm (big time) afraid of the dark, and lots of things that aren't real. here are the things that currently have me freaked out:
(in reverse chronological order)

scenario 1: today i went to buy cigarettes to mail to england (along with kaitlyn's bday present) for jackie's bf, hass. i've been trying to get someone else to buy them for a week now, but it just couldn't wait. i have never bought cigarettes in my life because it was ingrained in me at a very young age that smoking is bad. if you smoke, you are bad. (maybe we had a really intense d.a.r.e. program at our school?) i can't handle someone, even a gas station clerk, thinking i'm bad. anyway, i'm totally anxious about the situation, but i buy the cigarettes and now i'm ready to mail my package. i run a few more errands and end up at a post office on the other side of town hours later. guess who's there? dude that sold me cigarettes. he jokes (loudly) about whether i'm mailing cigarettes. a) that's pretty random running into him, b) i was mailing cigarettes, c) why is it that the one time that i buy cigarettes (which i'm anxious and embarrassed about) it gets announced to a room full of people? wtf?

scenario 2: so a few weeks ago i worked on a habitat for humanity house in wylie. everyone there was from my dad's company except for one lady. she didn't know anyone so i ended up talking to her quite a bit. last week i'm in a hobby lobby in dallas and who do i see? habitat lady. she's checking out as i'm walking in and she flags me down. she's buying cake pans and a decorating book because i inspired her to bake cakes. and i show up at this exact moment! i don't know her. this is not my regular hobby lobby. what are the freaking chances of that?

scenario 3: in july i went to this play with my parents and sister. it's interactive theatre where you can talk to the actors and you throw popcorn at them as well as other audience members. usually feuds develop between tables. this one guy was picking on my mom all night. the next night i went to plano super bowl for alex's bday party. and who's there? popcorn guy. these are two very random, very different places in different cities. it's weird that i went to either of them in the first place, but to run into the same dude at both? creepy! (fyi, we are myspace friends now)

anyway, it's like my life is a movie and they couldn't afford enough extras or something. it freaks me out.

also, why do strangers talk to me everywhere i go? and why do so many people tell me that i'm "glowing"? that is a weird observation to be made repeatedly...

if there is a truman show-like thing going on, i'm gonna be totally pissed.

you guys would tell me, right? eh?

keep denton shitty

i recently went back to denton (where i attended good ol UNT in my youth, ha) to reminisce and hit up my old hangouts. i was 100% unsuccsessful. i knew that they had torn down a few things on fry street, but i was shocked at the changes all over town. i couldn't find anything! the irish store on the square is now a bath junkie (dear god why?). the used bike store is a gas station. my favorite vintage store is a lame comic book store. my second favorite vintage store just sits there vacant. mr. (or monsieur if you're feeling fancy) chopsticks was a pile of rubble soon to be an apartment complex. then, last week someone told me they were closing down rubber gloves rehearsal studios, and that was just the last straw. (it turns out this joker was ill-informed, but it was a good warning, because obviously it can happen.) this was really the only bar i frequented thanks to their giant $3 beers and excellent (very, very excellent) music. i would go there with 2 girls from design studio every week after class. i saw the shins there juuuuust before they were popular and that was one of the most fun nights ever. seriously, ever. the point is, denton overwhelms me with nostalgia and i hate to see it's character destroyed. sure, it was trashy and run-down, but you really didn't mind. it was almost like a mini-austin. kind of. if they're not careful, it'll look like frisco soon! so....

i propose a denton day.

ice cream (homemade) on the square, vintage shopping (i've managed to track down my fave at a new location), perhaps bike shopping, a trek over to the art building for the sculpture garden and student gallery, pizza at the tomato, coffee at brick haus (if it still exists), and finally giant beers and a show at rubber gloves. also, i will tell you funny stories all day.

this may be my last chance. who's with me?

*EDIT* so it has come to my attention that the tomato has gone the way of mr. chopsticks. fuck. this cannot wait till after football season.

blogger anxiety

i'm feelin it. i never realized how many random, unknown people would be reading my blog. and really, i can't understand why they are. my blog is pretty much just the alison show, and i cannot imagine this is interesting to someone who doesn't know me or anyone that i talk about.

anyway, my point is that i'm not a real blogger, and i hope these random readers aren't holding me to real blogger standards. i would imagine that an 8 minute pee wee video wouldn't pass as content for a real blogger. however, if you know me, you know that i am in fact a pee wee aficionado and talk about him quite a lot, and the post makes perfect sense.

i started this with two goals in mind: occupying some of my time and hopefully amusing some of my friends in the process. notice that impressing strangers did not make the list. i don't like the pressure of outsiders reading it. i feel like i should maybe edit my writing or use capitalization or something. but i don't wanna. i'm blog-pouting.

also, it turns out tons of people want to make quidditch cakes and their google search leads them here. sorry, guys.

because NO ONE remembers the breakfast machine

..or the mr. t cereal, of which i was a huge fan. i totally remember what it tastes like.


sad but true, i have the sheet music for that song on piano. actually, a large portion of my repertoire is made up of tv and movie themes. i'm such a sellout.

also, normally i don't really like family guy, but this made me almost pee my pants:


oh man, the secret word. that never gets old.

weekend recap

though i'm not sure why i bothered....

friday

-several times it struck me that we could very easily be in an episode of that 70's show.
-my towelie impression was a little too convincing.
-we drove out to frisco for frozen custard.
-interpret those statements as needed.

saturday

-knitting, how cool am i?
-made nutella & banana crepes, and i will make some for you if you like.
-spent the evening alternately struggling to breathe and being tweaked out on allergy pills.
-lots of daydreaming about an nyc trip.

sunday

-job searching.
-got a call from jon jon saying he hurt his foot and there were bits of his teva stuck in it. sick!
-cut out pattern and material for an apron i'm making. that's right.
-wondered whether enough time has passed to dye my hair, i want to be a redhead again!

my first weekend of self-inflicted grounding totally sucked. staying home is boring. no hangovers, though. i feel sorry for people who don't have lots of cool friends and have to do this all the time. yes, i'm lucky.

tate tracks

so if you're not familiar, the tate britain and the tate modern are some pretty sweet museums in london. in fact, the tate modern is my favorite museum of all time, and i'm a huge museum fan/snob so that actually means a lot. i spent 5 hours there once on rainy january day. anyway, check this out! tate tracks! they've brought in musicians to choose a work that inspires them, compose a song, and then they play the song alongside the work that inspired it. very cool. i was especially psyched to see that someone chose a franz kline, since his name popped into my head immediately when i read about this project. good choice, graham coxon! i have so many questions about this. i wonder if they really do let the artists choose the work on their own. does the museum educate them about it or are they supposed to just be inspired by the aesthetic? do they get guidelines on writing their song? i wonder if it's different writing a song when you know the audience is not your typical fanbase. my only complaint is that i was hoping for more energy in the songs. the headphones logo is a little misleading in that way. it makes you think you're about to rock....not so much. ah well.

it's amazing that the tate was able to pull this off. museums are always trying to think of new ways to show art and ways to attract new patrons. unfortunately, bureaucracy (ah-hem, board of directors) usually waters down any good ideas until they're nothing special at all and nothing ever changes. at least that's my experience with art museums. indeed, european museums put ours to shame.

BUT...

there is something amazing going on at the modern in fort worth. there is a ron meuck (a "hyperrealist" sculptor) exhibit that is truly the best thing i've seen in years. i know my opinion doesn't mean much, but trust me this time, it's great. even if you're not into art, it's very accessible because his sculptures just plain look cool. here's an example:

this one isn't the best, but i don't want to ruin it for you by showing you the best one. duh. the exhibit is on through oct. 21st so you have some time. wednesdays are free, so i would recommend going on that day.

sorry for the pretentious art-kid post.