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.