...her?

weekend recap: re-revival edition

2009-03-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

so i read my last post and laughed at myself. here i am sick again, smoking again, but at least i really have been creating quite a bit. go me.

friday
-dylan and i did a shoot for johnny lloyd rollins.
-well, dylan shot it, i "styled" johnny and made some somewhat helpful suggestions.
-we visited a cemetary, a pile of rubble, a sex club, and made johnny splash in huge puddles.
-if there's any way to accidentally visit a sex club, it's with your ex and a mormon. totally.
-headed back to plano for a SLEEPOVER with a bunch of boys.
-at this point i should have rested....

saturday
-avoided the greenville st. patty's parade because a) i'm probably too cool, and b) i was still cold from our outdoor photo shoot in 40 degree rainy weather.
-headed to blake and dave's for an afternoon par-tay and enjoyed laughs and food and rock band.
-highlight of the day was when batman (leaving a child's bday party) made me a balloon animal. in his underwear. from his van. it was just as creepy as it sounds.
-sometimes being the only sober person is hard....i don't wanna struggle through a conversation with you if you can't focus your eyes....i think that's fair....
-i actually drank a little, gave up pretty quick, god i hate drinking, i CANNOT BELIEVE how much i used to drink.
-realllllllly should have rested at this point....

sunday
-jon jon arrives and we play and talk shit to each other in that special way that only siblings can.
-head out with alex to the bath house cultural center to see a new piece a good friend shayne had in their natura fragilis.
-the show was AMAZING, lots of really cool art by women, shayne's piece was great as usual, and they had the best snacks i've ever had at an art show. cream puffs, lemon cookies, chocolate swirl pound cake, and coffee.
-then we went to the sold out (!) adele show at granada.
-IT WAS SO GREAT. i cried when she sang 'melt my heart to stone'
-actually i cried a few times, it was really nice.
-still no rest, i had this coming.

some adele for you, if you don't love her yet:

guess what i found?

2009-02-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

my old video camera from back in the day. now if i can just find the power cord, i will soon be able to show you footage of berry's 21st birthday, new year's eve 2002, and the beer-lympics (also 2002, i believe). get ready to be embarrassed of your younger self. especially you, bogan. haaaaa.

other happenings, i quit smoking. it's pretty much all i'm thinking about, but i know it will get better. and i can't bear the thought of NEVER again enjoying coffee and cigarettes, so i think i'll still allow myself to have one when the mood strikes. yeah....that always works...

i'm producing a ton of work this year. get excited. cakes, crafts, photo projects, styling, etc. they will be documented thoroughly here. but some of them are secret so you'll have to wait.

my health is better than its been in awhile. i feel GOOD. turns out that vitamins and excercise are freakin magic. who knew? oh, right. everyone.

so this is what's happening

2008-11-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

i haven't had my phone since friday. i've been sick since saturday night. i haven't driven anywhere since then. i haven't slept more than a few hours at a time. on the other hand, i haven't been able to stay awake more than a few hours at a time. i haven't smoked until today. my stomach only want french fries with copious amounts of ketchup. i throw up at least once a day and threaten to do so much more often than that. i've spent my days in hospital beds, waiting room chairs, and curled up in my sheets. i have ice packs and juice boxes delivered to my room regularly. i'm not complaining, really. it's not bad, and i'm really well taken care of. it's just annoying and turns your world upside down a little. it's weird to be cut off from the world, be on a different schedule, your life revolving around one thing, your shitty health. i haven't even played with my clothes for days AND i have tons of new dresses to play with. that's how sick i am. these meds make me feel crazy and have weird, innappropriate dreams. we haven't had thanksgiving yet, something about a football game, i don't know, i'm sure it's stupid though. i can't think of a legitimate reason to postpone a holiday having to do with football. jon jon gets here tomorrow and i can't wait. he takes good care of me. my hippie, political protesting, guitar playing aunt also arrives tomorrow to celebrate the holiday with us. she annoys the shit out of my parents with her liberal ways so that's always appreciated. she's also terribly witty, which i enjoy being around. so we're having a late thanksgiving which is fine because holidays just make me all anxious anyhow, what with expectations and all, i mean, isn't that the quickest way to be disappointed? yeah, it's probably best not to have expectations. that's why i never make big new year's or birthday plans. hello, plans? meet disappointment. oh, you've already met? of course you have.

what the hell is my problem?

2008-07-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

check me out! i don't know why i do this, but i recently realized how many pics like this i have accumulated this year....i'm wondering how many in my lifetime...i've being doing this since i was about 12 or so...isn't that when beavis and butthead was on tv?

honorable mention for 'huge jerk that flips the bird in public all the time': kari (duh)

i feel that hers are more sincere and heartfelt than mine. something to work on.

next week: super drunk pictures, mine and yours

weekend recap: "i don't understand you, art!" edition

2008-07-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

let's replace friday with thursday, cool? cool.

thursday
-jackie and i TORE IT UP at putt putt
-batting cages, we each did 90 pitches, rocked it, sore the next day
-played tons of video games
-jackie is inexplicably amazing at skee ball
-we played some really cool zombie killing game where you have plastic shotguns and it got pretty intense (i was sweating) and now i kinda want to shoot a real shotgun...
-dance dance revolution is fucking fun but tiring, we are old maybe, song choice is also very important
-we scored big time with cool prizes including friendship bracelets, fortune telling fish, and plastic lizards
-i highly recommend being 12 again and making a visit to putt putt
-do it

saturday
-jackie and i lay out, shop, eat, and beautify ourselves all day
-we get ready at her house and her dad teases me about seeing me in 4 different outfits throughout the day...yeah...i do that
-cathy comes over and makes mojitos, sort of
-we head off to pick up adam and friend for the night
-things start out at space for thank you
-got to see fred and jordan and john and valda and dee and sherry and others, yay
-space was the hottest place on earth that night and we were all dying, dying i say
-we head out early to escape the hotness and death and go to cosmos in lakewood
-we run into all the gals from work, they are already wasted, awesome!
-adam sure was a good sport, attending weird art things, with me running off to talk to someone new every 2 seconds
-hilarious conversations here are some quotes:

"only pee comes out the pee hole."

"is your 'medical research' really just porn?"

bike dude #1: "you need to get over leah."
bike dude #2: "sigh..i'm not gonna get over leah, she's my girlfriend."

"so i was getting fresh with this guy and he untied my dress and then i got shocked by an electric fence..."

"ok, that's enough, kids. hey, get off my friend!"

-jackie likes adam so that's good. i like him too. he is very yes. so far.

sunday
-wasted the day away napping and eating and watching tv and putting together outfits, not too shabby

*don't miss the new post below*

weekend recap: (super late) girls weekend edition

2008-07-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

so i was lazy and didn't do a weekend recap of girl's weekend. until now, after another weekend has passed. i suck. but hey, now you get two recaps. lucky.

friday
-sarah, jackie and i (and moco, sarah's furball dog) head down to austin in my car
-the car ride is one of my favorite parts of the trip
-we smoke a joint and laugh at jackie
-stoned jackie goes from zero to ten, normal to retarded, it is so awesome and funny
-the hills and trees and views in austin make me so happy
-at the house sarah pulls out a box of old notes from high school and we read them and laugh at what we thought was SO important, so dramatic
-the highlight was an IM convo between sarah and zach, a dtr of sorts, omg so hilarious
-went out for dinner at trudy's, jackie was appalled at our 11 pm dinnertime, she's a square
-food was AMAZING, my inner fat kid loves austin so much
-drinks and stuff and good times and no one gets crazy and there are no disasters

saturday
-we headed to the river in our matching tie dye t-shirts
-it was kind of an ordeal, late start, parking far away, waiting forever for tubes, walking super far to the river, crashing and spilling the cooler, ehhhh
-once we got to floating, things were cool
-jackie totally fell in front of tons of people, one second she was standing, the next she was not, so funny
-we tricked a guy into thinking we were all british: "wow, that's so cool, i'm floating with people from england, whoa..."
-the float seemed to last forever and we were certainly ready to get out when it was time
-we went to "the shanty" a dive-y looking place that promised "drinkin' and dancin'" inside, but were turned away due to a wedding party being held there
-seriously? the shanty? for your wedding? come on.....
-had a most delicious dinner again, at rudy's this time, jackie gave her compliments to the chef she liked it so much, this place is connected to a gas station
-leaving rudy's, shani insisted that this series of speedbumps was actually an optical illusion, and maintained this assertion even after driving over a few of them, they were bumpy, she finally gave in...gotta love shani

sunday
-one more incredible meal before we were headed back north, kerbey lane i love you so much, i would weigh 500 lbs if i lived in austin, i'm sure of it
-i want some coffee and pancakes right now just thinking about it....god...
-john joined us, with audrey and dillanger of course, they are off-the-charts cute
-audrey told us about her recent tea party, her new backpack for kindergarten, and the new word she just learned: androgynous
-my heart goes out to john, doing it on his own, doing it well, putting them first FOR REAL and not even making an issue out of it (teacher alert, i'm watching and appreciating and learning)
-the drive is so fun again, i wish shani could have been there for all the giggles
-we get high again, and stumble upon this convenience store that was frozen in time about 10 years ago
-i first discovered it back in december with jackie and hass, this place has candy you only remember from your childhood but haven't seen since, it probably is actually that old, oh well...nostalgia is awesome
-sarah downs a red bull and falls asleep, who does that?
-thus concludes girls weekend '08, can't wait till '09

girls weekend '08

2008-07-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

was totally fun and cool. more soon....

MUST SEE

2008-07-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

for real. like i will pick you up at your house and deliver you to this event (not you, kari) if that will make it happen. yes, this is important.

these kids (they are 17 and 18) are writing and recording original songs (10-12 last i heard...) to be played alongside accompanying visuals (videos and photo series) in a surround sound type setting. the thing is, these kids are good. they are talented and know what they're doing. it's gonna be great. it's this huge undertaking and i'm so proud of them for pulling it off and my heart wants so badly for this to happen with a full house at space. not only that, but i genuinely believe that this is not to be missed. they'll be happy, you'll be happy. i'm always happy.

so yeah, i guess this is just for milad and hance (who NEVER come to anything i invite them to) and anyone else who secretly reads my blog. hi. please come.

read their artist statement here.
check out some of the songs here.

weekend recap: edition

2008-07-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

fri

-work, ugh
-lacy, her bf, and several of the bebout siblings came to eat dinner with me, awwwww
-then they were off to some emo sounding band i've never heard of, booooooo
-whatevs, we finish pretty early and i head home and hang with my bro
-we do our usual movie quote-a-thon and try to think of the meanest thing to say to each other and laugh about it, awesome

sat

-the dreaded wedding
-no one recognized me, weird
-justin, kris, and matt all looked right at me and didn't know it was me
-um, hi, we know each other, have for at least 10 years....yeah....
-an act of hostility from 'the wives' early on had me worried about the rest of the day
-ran into keaton, but just once and quickly, said 'hey' and carried on looking for a place to smoke at a church, no easy task
-thought i should stay away since he had the girlfriend in tow, best be cautious when other people's feelings are concerned i think
-plus she probably thinks i'm a crazy bitch
-i'm not
-reception was super nice, lavish, glamorous, movie wedding style
-open bar, duh
-highlight of the reception was mac & cheese in martini glasses, we were all impressed and delighted
-the band actually kinda rocked and played some cool songs ('livin on a prayer' brought the house down) and we danced and laughed at other people dancing (mostly old people)
-the couple really seemed to enjoy their day, it was completely their style and went off just right
-dennis was a lovely (non)date, big thanks, love you much
-"i forgot how creepy kris's mom is. she would bang any of us." -zach

sun

-decided i needed some work, i've been pretty selfish lately
-searching for new jobs, non-prof stuff, we'll see
-spent the day riding my bike and reading against the stream (again)
-working on cake ideas cause chassidy is turning 10 and having her party at a water park, fuck yes
-i'm thinking beachy themed....sand castle, perhaps? buckets, shovels, starfish, shells, etc? or maybe ice cream cone cupcakes? eh?
-my new favorite phrase is "unflinching priority"
-write that down

pics soon. or whenever pim decides to send them to me. holla.

dear urban outfitters,

2008-07-11T09:32:00.001-07:00

you are jerks. i don't like you. after i search for months and months for a hippie fringe vest (and FINALLY find one to my satisfaction) i visit your website and see this:

wtf? a fringe vest? does this mean tons of a-holes are gonna have these now? dang. it's a blow to the ego too, i'm not unique! i think like everyone else! ah well. it is only a vest, after all.

p.s. i still like you and i am anxiously awaiting my most recent order from your website. xoxo

top 5 weird things the cops would have found if i had let them search my car

2008-07-06T15:44:00.001-07:00

hey look! they totally don't limit how long your title can be! they should though, probably.

5. my new meditation cushion. it could not be more colorful if it tried. it rules.

4. a pastry bag with some crusty icing in it. mmmm.

3. 5 mismatched teacups.

2. est 10-20 empty camel lights boxes.

1. a super-teachery sweater vest that dylan gave me months ago.

yes, i would have felt awkward upon the discovery of all these things together.

weekend recap: freedom edition

2008-07-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

friday
-woken up by cousin's 2 year old to play with play-doh, rocked it, made some pies and worms

-played all morning, tried on high heels, and got tatted up with temporary tattoos

-picked up alex and headed out to secure some explosives

-firework stands rule and fireworks with ironic, silly, or over the top names are my fave

-there was a fountain called "the KGB" that had a picture of stalin on the front, and a huge box set hilariously called "national security"

-we were joined at alex's by dennis, nik, and julian and things got all psychadelic and technicolor

-then we went skateboarding and they rode down a hill a bunch of times while julian and i laid down in the grass and watched a storm blow over

-this was a long day, see?

-headed to tony's to drink, eat dinner, hang till it got dark

-argued forever about whether or not to drive to the lake, even whether the lake still existed, what it was called if it did indeed exist

-ended up shooting off our 'works in an enclave of trees by tony's, totally perfect

-everyone was so tired and we packed it in pretty early

saturday

-slept all effing day and couldn't shake the tiredness

-really, didn't do shit all day

-sat home with a broken phone and dyed my hair

-it's too dark

sunday

-so i almost got arrested, at least it felt that way

-i'm driving through my neighborhood on the way to target (est. 5 miles away)

-a cop pulls behind me in the neighborhood and follows me pretty much the whole way there

-so i'm aware and i'm being careful and observing the speed limit and such

-i get pulled over because (get this) apparently i didn't use my turn signal when i made a turn in the neighborhood....way back there...

-um....ok....

-then 3 more cop cars pull up, shit

-i'm pretty sure i didn't do anything, but that doesn't mean i won't get arrested, ya know?

-the officer gives me a ticket and asks if they can have permission to search my car

-i start adding things up: he pulls me over for something very minor, way after i did it, calls in backup, then asks to search my car, this is weird

-then i see a cop that i recognize, the one that held us captive in our home for a few hours during this incident

-i get it now, they must have run my address or something and have associated me with my heroin addict brother. again. fuck.

-so i ask the cop if this is because of my brother, he plays dumb, and i say no they cannot search my car

-i immediately wonder if this was a good idea, but they let me go, even though i was sassy and disagreeable, hmmm

-i don't want to drive anymore

weekend recap: out on a limb edition

2008-06-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

friday
-worked late but managed to show up to the party's 2 year anniversary at zubar
-waited in line outside (booooo!) but made some nice friends out there
-randoms that i ran into: dez, tony, and nice-girl-that-works-at-urban
-walked in the doors and was punched in the face by the energy (!)
-i dance alone as usual, that's the way i like it
-um, stephen is a fucking badass dancer, jealous
-i'd have to say bombs over baghdad was the highlight for me, i threw down my purse and went for it
-on the way to the car i get flagged down by some gay guys to talk about my dress, of course i obliged
-check this for pics! hance is really doing something here!

saturday
-baked all day in preparation for the tea party (see below)
-effectively scared off 'new guy' from last weekend by giving him the runaround and being weird
-i was pretty sure that would happen, and its fine, good really, though i feel kinda bad
-went to 'girl show' for art love magic (art fueled charity) at southside on lamar
-pure greatness, amazing art, cute kids, talented and passionate women doing their thing
-hung out with dee and sherry all night at their booth and it was just what i needed
-jordan showed his face as promised, and i fell more in (friendly) love with him, he shines
-stopped by dylan's for late night porch talking and smoking and he has some great ideas that i hope i'm lucky enough to be a part of, more on that soon

sunday
-so, sunday ruled
-started off badly though, accidentally slept in till 20 min before tea party was to begin
-we were celebrating the birth of lacy, and just having fun being girly
-had to haul my decorating supplies to hannah's and throw the cake together in 5 min
-kinda sucks cause so much work goes into it, then it doesn't come together how you want it to
-but it doesn't matter because we had good company and good fun, rousing success
-then went shopping with the amazing fred
-fred is the shit, plain and simple
-we talked about clothes, boys, sugar daddies, bad shoes, and trash babies and laughed the day away
-i got a BEAUTIFUL dress at dolly python that is sure to be a hit at berry's wedding, yesssss
-got SUPER lost looking for ahab bowen (which, as it turns out, is NOT on bowen st.) and when we finally got there it was closed, succckkkkkk
-i finally got to make fun of someone that it was totally innappropriate to make fun of, but see, you can say anything to fred and he was right there with me and ready with some zingers of his own
-i'm sorry, i said some mean things about you, and you were pretty nice to me, i got it out of my system, though

some of the spread

birthday girl lookin adorable

polaroid portrait by fred

i need a (non)date

2008-06-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

so, ever since the infamous hudnall-ruzicka disaster of 2k7, i have a strict policy of not attending weddings alone. i need a sidekick for chris berry's wedding on july 12th, but this one is gonna be tricky i think. one REALLLLY good sport needed.

pros:

-free dinner, delicious cake, estimated 90% chance of open bar
-you get to hang with me, in a ridiculous dress (duh)
-watch me deflect insults from the ex-husband with the greatest of ease
-dancing, laughing, mocking/scoffing
-you get to wear a suit? (see below)

cons:

-it's likely to be stuffy and fancy, decorum must be observed
-you'll have to sit through stories like this: "hey, remember that time when i stole your car and abandoned it somewhere in chad's neighborhood and then you pushed me in the pool fully-clothed in february to get me back?" um, how could i forget, ross?
-enduring scorn from the ex-husband
-you'll be dragged out for smoke breaks every half hour
-you have to wear a suit

any takers?

weekend recap: golden girls edition

2008-06-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

fri

-yeah, i work late every friday
-nothing to see here

sat

-spent most of the day with my bro watching tv and giggling

-went to hance's to drink a few before going out to the loft

-hands up party with gracie chavez and i'm on the list as hance's plus one

-he makes quite a scene with his huge flash and gold chain camera strap

-he lets me shoot a little and i decide i'm surely not cool enough to hold that camera

-see girl-dylan and her friend rachael, wonder if they are old enough to even be there

-met a boy, uh huh, i told hance i would, just had a feeling

-i was smoking alone, saw him, wished he would come talk to me, he did, yayyyyyy

-danced a lot, saw cool things, got groped by drunk clothing designers

sun

-spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool with calvin, hance, julian, and some dude

-heard the grossest, most disturbing story i have ever heard

-it was about someone's first sexual experience, poor guy, siiiiiiiiiccckkk

-it was pretty funny though

-some dude decided to take off his swim trunks for no reason

-this didn't go over well with the group and we all left pretty quick

-who does that, eh?

-new boy texted me, he seems pretty into it, i'll probably disappoint him, i'm a jerk

"oooh. it. feels good to be free."

2008-06-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

yes it does, jenny lewis.

i've been thinking a lot lately. whenever i end a relationship there's this sense of relief. i feel like myself again. but i don't remember losing myself. i can't really see where or why it happened. but it does. and its obviously me if it keeps happening. there are certain people in my life that remind me who i am and what i'm about just by spending time with them, and i've been hanging with them a lot lately and it feels good.

maybe i'm not mature enough to be in a relationship

maybe i need to learn a little something about equanimity

maybe i needed to experience this several times to get it right

maybe i should try being single for more than a few weeks, see what that's all about

weekend recap: art-tastic edition

2008-06-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

fri
-work..eh
-that's about it
-except that work is draining my patience
-almost immediately upon entering the store its gone
-not sure why, working on it, kind of

sat
-two trips to frisco on a makeup hunt, eventual success
-errands/arrested development watching with alex
-on to the art show
-hal was naked in a box, cool!
-everything was great, really
-fred freaked out about my dress and made me do a spin, yay
-terribly awkward conversations dominated the evening
-stopped by meridian for a drink with eric's former drummer and his wife
-she remembered everything about me from the one time i met her about a year ago, weird and cool
-ended off the night watching the karate kid, hell yes
-"danny laruso's gonna fight!"

sun
-rad day spent with me
-went all around town shooting polaroids
-got about 5 that i love, sweet
-plotted and planned some ideas for polaroid projects, get excited!
-had late night slushes and conversation with sarah z

mon
-oh my my my
-milad is the best cheerer upper of all time
-we drink whiskey and talk and encourage and laugh and laugh and laugh
-i get wasted, throw up in the morning, but don't regret it cause i had the best fucking time

tues
-i finish work early and can't be bothered to hang around dallas for hours to go to meditation
-head to alex's to hang with the gang and i see dennis who always makes me happy and warm
-"how are you ever gonna meet dudes if you're always hanging out with like 8 dudes?"
-good question, but who said i even want to meet dudes, eh?

thurs
-drinks with julian at old monk
-calvin joins us and acts like a human being the entire time, nice!
-convo topics include relationships, breakups, cheating, sex, and attractiveness.
-turns out calvin has a height requirement too, who knew
-i have no use for suppression and no patience for anything but the truth. ask me anything. do it.

what a great, tiring week. i can't begin to sit still, i've got to be going, going, going. big thanks to my boys for putting up with me. even when your girlfriend gets mad cause we are being too rowdy and giggly.

drugs are bad, mkay?

2008-06-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

since i don't feel like writing it again, the story as i related it to a friend via myspace message:

"sooooo...some crazy things happened today. i got home from work to find several police cars, an ambulance, and fire truck outside. ok, somewhat alarming, but there are plenty of non-devastating explanations. things are still ok. walk in, see a gurney. no. commotion upstairs but i can't tell what's going on. i try to get upstairs but a cop stops me. by now i'm freaked and starting to cry. she asks me if my mother has a history of depression or drug abuse. my mother? of course not. she goes on to imply that my mother has attempted suicide. (i'll ruin the story by telling you now that she didn't) it hits me and i'm on my knees. they bring someone on a board down the stairs. its not my mother, its ashley, my brother's girlfriend (?), and immediately it makes sense. i see her and she's not breathing on her own i hear someone say that she still doesn't have a pulse. she's off in an ambulance and now we're being corralled upstairs and they're searching our house. they find (not that they have to look hard...) an "obscene amount of narcotics" and nearly twenty used syringes. they bring in their "csi guy" to take pictures of the crime scene. my house is a crime scene. they arrest my brother, the cop tells us he's fucked but we already know that. my brother is calm and detatched the whole time. he tells my mother to pick him up immediately. my mother says again how she thought he was doing so well...she wonders aloud why this happened. i tell her because that's what happens. its not pixie stix, its fucking herion. ashley is ok, and i guess by ok i mean alive."

BEST. MEDITATION. EVER.

2008-06-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

so i do this thing every week where i sit still and stuff. and its amazing, kids. its not a class, its not a religion, its not creepy, its just a bunch of people getting together to try to do better. to be happy. its simple but huge. massive. today was a really good one for me. there was a new girl there that i connected with immediately and i really hope she comes back. i read and i shared and gratitude and hope and humility were palpable in the room tonight. people always ask, and ive asked myself, why do i meditate? i can only answer for myself and here goes. it has helped me be more accepting of my current reality. here and now, THIS is all we have. if its painful or joyful, i'm grateful to have it and feel it. gratitude is another one. i'm grateful for this breath, for my benefactors, for my challenges. compassion has probably been the biggest gift i've received from meditating. we're all the same, we're all just trying to do our thing, we all experience suffering, and we all want to be happy. reminding myself of this has helped me to react less and receive more. several of my relationships (work, family) have made total 180s. simple but HUGE. i'm still relatively new to it, but i'm hooked. more later.

weekend recap: family edition

2008-06-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

fri
-had a 6:30 am flight, so naturally i missed it
-first experience with standby, no big, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and hopped a flight an hour later
-sister picked me up and we started in on the fun
-we had a tea party to plan and did we ever
-the colors! the costumes! the wackiness!
-have you ever been to a tea party with water guns and recorders?
-my dad tried to tell me HOW TO MAKE CUPCAKES
-seriously, this is like trying to tell the fonz how to be cool, not necessary
-went to blues fest in kc and laughed at all the drunk people
-we saw frat boys doing air guitar, an old nerdy couple gettin busy, and even some hipsters (who we can assume were only there ironically)

sat
"well...her next wedding can be perfect" -my cousin brian, mocking the cranky bride
-more tea party prep, heart shaped sandwiches and lemon squares, suckas!
-cousin's wedding was a trip
-attire ranged from cutoff (i said cutoff) tuxedo t-shirts, to camo dress shirts tucked into tight jeans, to nascar hats, to crocs
-then there was me in my anthro dress and heels, yup
-hung with my grandma and great aunt all night and we were quite the trio, they like to party
-picture it, me with two old ladies with coiffed old lady fros, a foot shorter than me working the room, partying it up
-they taught me the jitterbug and told me stories about when they used to go out dancing when they were young
-talked shop with the bakers of the cake and actually helped out with the finishing touches
-their cake topper was a couple sitting on a bale of hay
-did i ever tell you guys that i'm from the country? i'm from the fucking country

sun
-rode all the way home with parents, listening to yes and supertramp, my dad likes to rock
-we had to stop in eufala on a ridiculous errand
-you see, my family is all kinds of native american (creek, apache, choctaw)
-seriously i'm an 1/8th if you do the math, and this is the first time we've done the math
-aaaaanyway, the reason for this sudden interest is that jon jon is applying to med school
-yes, affirmative action is being put into motion for an upper middle class surburban white male, fuck this is so insane
-pending some paperwork, we will soon be on the books with a roll number and everything
-hey government, build me a fucking house!
-they do that right?

all in all, this was a really great trip. lots of fun and i learned and shared a lot with my family which is rare and appreciated. if only i could get my sister to move down here....

weekend recap

2008-06-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

"laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."
i'm watching steel magnolias (arguably the best movie EVER) right now.

thurs
-dinner with julian and alex, conversation included: chad's belligerently drunk and hilarious behavior, engagements and proposals, cars, and of course music
-black angels at granada with caitlin, sarah e, and alex
-show was GREAT for awhile but got a little boring toward the end with all the jamming...eh....
-weird things happened and i was in no condition to handle them properly and spent most of the night fighting a freakout
-there was a two-sided accidental snubbing incident with my bubbelah fred, it's ok, it was resolved, thanks dylan!

fri
-seriously considered calling in mentally ill to work (haaaaaa)
-after work headed out with z to dada to see johnny lloyd rollins and the fieros (valentines)
-there was some unwelcome ass grabbing (see 'new rule')
-the bands were great and really seemed to be having fun which is rad
-i got my very own jlr t-shirt, courtesy of johnny himself. uh-huh!
-sarah and i did almost the exact same thing in the same place at the same time last year
-almost exactly the same, ya hear?

sat
-woke up late and didn't have a damn thing to do, greatness
-my brother had a bunch of friends over and i was listening to their conversation and laughing: "dude, how could you be in motley crue and not have an std?"
-had a long overdue chat with kari haecker about life and love and we laughed and laughed and laughed and i miss her a lot
-met up with milad and lots of old friends at jonesy's gf's house and things got interesting
-they were playing a drinking game and there was a lot of that "i've never" game
-see, this is probably not a good game to play around couples, there was some tension
-ones with bad results: "i've never slept with two people in one night" and "i've never slept with someone over 40"
-ones i'm still laughing about: "i've never bought a limp bizkit jacket" (oh, jonesy) and "i've never been called out by the toadies in front of ten thousand people"
-i learned a lot of disturbing things about greg, i had no idea.....
-i was in a unique (sober) position and was enjoying observing behavior
-palmer and i won the 'who's known each other the longest' contest that broke out with a solid 22 years
-what if god was one of us? just a stranger on the bus? pj and his girlfriend are GOLDEN

sun
-woke up to a phone call from little lyric
-lazy day, bike riding, leisurely baking, outside daydreaming
-lots of questions, fewer answers

new rule

2008-05-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

if you don't know someone, don't touch their ass. is this too much to ask? i am totally baffled by this phenomenon. last night it happened again. i'm minding my own business watching jlr with z (as usual) and this guy behind me introduces himself and i'm polite but not enthusiastic in the least. sooooo he's really close behind me but it's crowded so fine. then i feel something on my ass, think hey, maybe it's his leg. no, it's his hand. what the hell, dude? in what reality is that ok? i find out later he's a doctor (he works with some of eric's friends) so maybe that has something to do with it, cause in my experience doctors are often (often, i say, certainly not always) arrogant and socially awkward. i just wonder what goes through someone's head in this situation. do they think i won't notice? do they think i'll be into it and turn around and make out with them? are they just completely out of ideas? maybe i should rethink the short skirts.

"so if i wanted to grab your ass, that's completely out of the question?" -eric

"i guess you and your friends don't play grabass much?" -kari

weekend recap: revival edition

2008-05-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

went to missouri this weekend for my sister's high school graduation. the weekend started on wednesday.

wed
-drove 8 hours by myself, revisited and exhausted entire musical history.
-hung with my little bro while he schooled me about video game systems and computers.
-endured dad's self-righteousness, stepmom's off-the-rails alcoholism, and their constant fighting.

thurs
-shopped with my sister and target was reaaaaaalllly good to us.
-the graduation was at this crazy church! weird!
-p.s. that is a staircase for jesus to walk down when he returns.
-only 300 grads, no shenanigans, pretty lame by my standards.
-a celebratory joint was smoked on the car ride home with me, sis, and dad.
-dad took us to a hole in the wall greasy hamburger place and told us the kind of woman he's looking for is the kind that he could take here on a first date.
-they didn't get her a cake or anything. ok so i know graduating high school isn't like curing cancer but it still marks the end of a stage and beginning of a new one. it deserves some commemoration. jerks.

fri
-sister took me to her downtown haunts, which happen to be badass.
-hippie store where she graciously bought some insence for julian, and most righteous vintage store where i got the PERFECT earrings for my new gold dress.
-then a tea/coffee shop where people know her and we had some bubble tea.
-i asked her to come live with me for the summer because i don't know how she can live in that house. it's dark there.

sat
-early morning starbucks/breakfast making with the whole fam and things are light and easy.
-i hang with sister and some friends and i love their conversations and i'm taking notes.
-here are some of the notes: "he's gay, the party never ends." , "you guys are gonna be totally pissed when you start going to bars." they were outraged over a $5 keg party. apparently its usually only 2. sheesh.
-they think they'll never have to see the people from their school again. oh, but they will. lanchi still shows up about once a year to make me feel like i've done nothing in 8 years.

sun
-stopped in on my grandma on the way out of town and was totally depressed by it. is this what we have to look forward to? i'm not sure what to make of it.
-made the decision to get a camera. a proper one. LOOK OUT. should be about a month till this happens.
-totally switched gears, went to dennis's for a barbecue with alex and bogan.
-saw chad. laughed at chad.
-had a ridiculous conversation with zach that ended with him being pre-emptively uninvited to my funeral. for real. keep him out. and don't listen to anything he says about avril lavigne. it's bullshit.

yeah.

road trip!

2008-02-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

dylan and i headed out to kaufman by way of cedar creek lake for a road trip of sorts. first we headed out to his aunt's lake house for a few quick chores, enjoyed the sun and sparkly water, and daydreamed a little about a future visit.

then we stopped in kaufman on the way back and i met the dad and the grandmother. you have to call her grandmother, no grandmas around here. dylan's dad is oh so friendly and funny. i see where dylan gets his quirky style as his dad almost immediately showed off his gold armadillo tacks for his boots. i admit, they were cool. we talked about our bikes and the bike-cessories that we wanted. i like him. his grandmother's house is unreal. straight out of gone with the wind. beautiful colors and flowers and columns and antique furniture and huge painted portraits. gorgeous. she reminds me of my own favorite grandma and that made me happy.

and, of course, there were lots of pic stops along the way. check it! (heads up: dead animal alert)

for milad

2008-02-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

hi, milad!

some things happening or on the horizon:

i have a wonderful boyfriend and he makes me smile and laugh and (get ready for lameness) he likes me for me. which is great. for valentine's he made me a bouquet of dinosaurs, which is pretty telling. he outdoes me on weirdness and colorful outfits.

there is this great show at kettle art (graffiti artist sergio garcia) that i would recommend to most. very different, very cool. go see it next weekend (thurs-sat) before it's gone!

march is gonna rule. several birthdays of important people in my life (which also means CAKES!), visit from kari haecker, my favorite foul-mouthed lesbian, from the 14-17th, then TRIP TO ENGLAND.

i haven't been drunk in months, and i think i'd like to change that. fallout lounge is calling my name. my blog really fell apart without stories of drunken shenanigans. not sure what that says about me.

this week i'm going to kaufman on an errand with dylan and will meet his father and grandmother. should be interesting.... can't wait till he meets my family. oh the awkwardness. i can feel it already! that's what life is all about.

also this week will be my first meeting to attend of dallas dharma punx, a meditation group. meditate and destroy, they say. we will see. i'm pretty excited to see what its all about. i've met many of the core members over the past month or so and all are super cool. they may be onto something here.

i am obsessed with this website learning to love you more. uhhh so great. i'm gonna do #63, 55, and 49 for sure.

and now, some pictures. pretty ones.

dylan's playhouse

2008-01-19T12:03:00.001-08:00

so dylan has a new house and i'm allowed (nay, encouraged) to paint ANYTHING I WANT on the walls. i think i'm gonna keep it simple, though. i don't want this to get dragged out for a long time, that's no fun. so here's what i'm thinking:

um...imagine a border around that, if you will. and imagine it on one wall in the bedroom with the bed up against the middle of it. i would like to wake up to that. and he likes to write stuff on his walls, so also imagine stuff written in the big sections, going toward and away from the circle. so really it'll be a collaboration. WE will paint the walls. oh and that is a candle on a tiny shelf in the circle. not sure about colors, i have about 20 to choose from. YAY!

i'm not completely sold on this, does anyone else have some ideas? something cool that you've always wanted to do to your walls? does anyone have access to an overhead projector (cause that changes everything!) eh? i'm talking to YOU!

first bike accident

2008-01-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

it finally happened. i guess i got a little too confident. there was some talk in my family about whether i would even be able to ride a bike at all. well check me out, suckas! anyway, i was messing with my ipod and riding with one hand on the handlebars and lost my balance and totally ate pavement. it's cool, no one saw and i barely have a scratch.

nothing else here.

oh it's back.

2008-01-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

i kind of knew it would be. and really, its because of what picosita said. (thank you!) good call. blog-therapy, i'll call it. and if that one person wants to write me outraged texts or emails when he doesn't like what i'm saying, well, that's ok i guess.

right now things are AMAZING for me, but crappy for a lot of people around me. which is a strange feeling. birthday was very nice, girl time, good food, and shopping. got lots of great, thoughtful gifts. i must say the best was this:

oh, that dylan. full of surprises, he is. setting the bar pretty high as well! i made julian feel my heartbeat the other night so someone would understand the way this guy makes me feel. its completely ridiculous, but i can't help it.

screw this

2008-01-05T11:21:00.001-08:00

no one reads this, or at least that's what the lack of comments indicates. and whenever i post anything real (i.e. something rather than what i did for the weekend) i get in trouble. pointless.

you're a jerk.

yes, you.

this blog is officially dead.

goodbye, 2007!

2007-12-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-12-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

grrrr

2007-12-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-16T23:00:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-12-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

check it!

still waiting on that hoverboard.

i'm bored

2007-12-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-29T21:17:00.001-08:00

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)

2007-11-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

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.

so we saw jens lekman last night...

2007-11-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

at the granada. he's dreamy.

photo courtesy of gorilla vs. bear

but first we saw sarah jaffe, what a voice. and not a bad songwriter either. her cellist made me laugh, he is a big guy and makes his cello look tiny. it made me giggle because i look tiny behind my cello. i was imagining how much bigger i would have to be to dwarf my cello the way this guy did. speaking of big guys, her bassist (?) was super tall. like at least 6'5", probably a little taller, so of course i talked to him, and he was cute, uh huh. alex made me go talk to him because he was playing a mysterious instrument (see below) that none of us could identify. turns out it was a melodica, and one can secure their very own for a reasonable price.

then jens, he's so cute and nerdy. just love him. he cracked jokes the whole time. "i wish i had a barbershop quartet to back me up. but i'm not very rich. and those guys are expensive." his accent is quite funny too. anyway, it was a good show, despite the lack of a band. he writes the best love songs. that combined with having to watch the kissy-face couple in front of us made me a little lonely. i want someone to kiss! ah well. we ran into melmurf there who was attending solo, and who had also won tickets from gorilla vs. bear. i'm starting to suspect that very few people entered the contest....and i had felt pretty lucky. oh well, i'm still a winner. afterward, bogan declared the show was "money" and we all agreed. it's always a good night to get to hang out with your friends and listen to live music.

photo courtesy of alexander supertramp

for some reason, i always get more into music when the weather turns cold. i pick up my keyboard, and this year i've got the cello, and i'm far more likely to attend shows. i wonder why.

wish i had written it myself

2007-11-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-10T20:32:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-05T12:03:00.000-08:00

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

2007-10-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-10-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-08T20:20:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

until sunday.

admit it, you'll miss me.

i'll be back with stories and pictures.

smiles and high fives!

birthdays all around

2007-09-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-22T13:57:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-11T19:51:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-11T09:40:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

..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

2007-09-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

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.

top 5 things to do before my 26th birthday

2007-09-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

which is jan 10th.
i have about 4 months.

5. move out of my parents' house. this is really an asap kind of situation but if i'm not out by january, kick my ass. then help me find an apartment.

4. i really need to make it back to england. it's been way too long. and hopefully i can catch one of hasan's gigs.

3. the half-marathon, of course. training is coming along nicely, especially since julian just gave me a huge hip-hop anthology to be envied by many. i can totally run to that.

2. i want to make a huge, tiered (possibly with columns...) crazy cake. i just need a reason for such a large cake. give me a reason!

1. i want to do standup comedy. just once, at an open mic night or something. i like to compare it to skydiving: it'll be terrifying and horrible, but worth it for the experience and the lifetime bragging rights.

pic-tastic!

2007-09-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

mostly because of a lack of content....

here is something that i made to fill wall space and to do something with my stack of polaroids that has been gathering dust on my desk:

it's no masterpiece, but hey, i threw it together during the commercial breaks of ace of cakes. the one cool thing about it is that the pics are attached with scrapbooking brads, so that i can switch them out later when i take more pictures. clever, eh?

do you watch ace of cakes? holy crap, it's fucking great. it's a bunch of hipsters running a bakery making over-the-top awesome cakes. the best thing is that they do things that are so original and unorthodox that they always have to improvise and get really creative with their tools and materials. i'm pretty interested in the creative process in any form so i get really excited over this show. nerd alert! also, i think i may have to bump someone off my freebies list to make room for geof, the executive sous chef. uh huh! here are some examples of the insane cakes they make:

that last one is a quidditch field, in case you're not into harry potter. a quidditch field!?! i'm so pissed that this cake is not mine. anyway, this show is the reason that i'm never satisfied with my cakes. if only i had about 3 ovens and a team of workers.....

i am making a cake this week to welcome lauren's bro to dallas. it's a pretty ambitious endeavour for me so i hope i can bring it to fruition. come to meridian next wednesday if you want some cake! you should come anyway though, meridian wednesdays are the best days. if julian will send me the pics from last night, i'll show you.

one last thing: pub quiz on sept. 30th. assemble the dream team and take no prisoners.

hipster olympics

2007-09-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

i may be a little late on this, which would make me a pretty bad hipster if i was one (which i'm not). watch them search for the perfect ironic tee ("it's so un-ironic that it is ironic!"), have a music collection brag-a-thon, and heap scorn upon a square competitively. i cracked up watching this, because i totally see myself in it. i even have that gray american apparel shirt that one of the competitors is wearing. it's actually my favorite shirt. and i'm always saying something is the new something. and i scoff at squares. i'm not really a hipster though. hipster-ish at best. anyway, this is funny.

oh and special thanks to alexander for making me the best mix cd of all time. i just got it yesterday but i'm playing the heck out of it. maybe, if you're lucky, he'll make one for you.

i judge you when you watch entourage

2007-09-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

So…Entourage is a really shitty show. Really, it’s very bad. Usually when I say that my opinion is dismissed because “it’s a guy show and you just don’t understand.” This is pretty insulting because you’re assuming that I’m either too immature or too unintelligent to evaluate something with the slightest bit of objectivity. How dare you? Also, have we met? I like lots of “guy" things. I can certainly admit when something is good or cool even when it’s completely not my style or something I would never partake in. Video games come to mind….I don't get it but I don't put it down. Also, my dislike of the show is not a knee-jerk feminist reaction to the distasteful treatment of female characters. It’s bad, to be sure, but also pretty typical.

No, no, I hate Entourage because it sucks. I guess I'll start with the characters and the acting. It’s the opposite of seamless, whatever that is. Seam-full? Anyway you can see them struggling, and it’s bad. Vince may be the worst, his character has no personality and that’s exactly how Grenier plays him. He gives you nothing. I don’t get it, he’s the main character, right? Turtle and Drama might be ok characters if their lines were actually funny, but they’re not. They seem to be making the same long-running jokes from the first season. Ari used to be kinda cool and funny (I like asshole characters), but now he just runs around throwing temper tantrums. That’s not interesting or funny. He’s apparently run out of zingers. The only good character at all is Eric (fuck you, hollywood, I’m not calling him E). He does and says real things and appears to have a brain and a personality. See, now was that so hard? Maybe they’ll surprise me and turn Eric into the main character…..

The story isn’t very good either. I use the singular “story” because there’s really only been one story line the entire length of the series. Sure the details change, but basically it’s the same thing happening all the time. I hadn’t watched it since the first season and I was able to jump back in without skipping a beat. In fact, I had to double check to make sure they weren’t just replaying the first season. Indeed they weren’t. It’s so formulaic that it’s like watching a Scooby Doo episode. If it weren't for that meddling director.....

And all the celebrity cameos? They are always terribly cheesy. When Kanye West made that joke about flying the jet it kinda felt like I was watching Full House. It's ok guys, he's only joking! Super lame. Unbelievable. This is an Mtv-quality show on an HBO-sized budget. What a waste.

The real reason it irks me that Entourage is so popular is that I really don’t get why people are watching. Do people think it’s funny? Are they actually interested in what will happen to these lifeless characters? Do they want to live vicariously through Vince? Are they impressed by the hollywood glamour? Some say it’s like the male Sex and the City (don’t get me started on that show) and I get that comparison. Unfortunately, it similarly reduces men to these absurd gender stereotypes the way that SATC did to women. "Me like girl. Car go fast. Money good."

In conclusion, Entourage is a bad show because it is stocked with static characters played poorly by mediocre actors, with regurgitated, badly-written storylines. Their attempt at humor yields meager results. It is ostentatious, cheesy, and sleazy (the rhyming there is an unfortunate coincidence). It pretends to be a good show, while it is not.

I say this out of concern. Watching Entourage is a step down a slippery slope. Next thing you know you’re wearing striped, button-down shirts and drinking domestic beer at your reserved table in Addison. You’re a douchebag. Who will help you now? Not me, I warned you.

Relax, this is all in good fun. I don't really care about Entourage. I watch some terrible shows too, Degrassi probably being the worst. But at least I don’t go around talking about how cool it is. Or watch it in a group with all my buddies. Sigh.

weekend recap

2007-09-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

"i could have had six! i only have one!"
-lauren's reaction to her $7 beer

friday

-we skipped ryan's b.y.o.bling birthday party in favor of martinis and beer in uptown.
-it turns out martinis are delicious.
-far too many dudes approached us, so annoying. they all liked my cardigan.....i dunno.
-it's a pretty nice cardigan. sarah gave it to me.
-lauren got drunk and told everyone her name was "buddy"

saturday

-central market! amazing sandwich, real sugar dr. pepper, and creme brulee. ah yes.
-jon jon was on tv at the UT game, which led to a lot of texting.
-worked on some art projects that had long been abandoned. (pics soon)
-fallout again. kinda busy but not friday busy. no dancing because lauren hates hip hop.

sunday

-did you know that liquor stores are closed on sunday? me either.
-people came over. the most random group of all time. friends of mine that span decades.
-i think the star of the day was chris berry. hadn't seen him since vail.
-jonesy could not have been wearing more green. no way.
-i made snake bites! you know, cause its sunday.
-i did NOT make a cake. there can't be cake every weekend, dudes.

now i have some bad news. i'm grounding myself. i'm not going out anymore for awhile. just meridian wednesdays cause those are too hard to give up. please don't give me shit about it. i'll be back.

top 5 reasons i can't wait for fall

2007-09-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

5. windy, chilly, rainy weather. it's exhilirating. and there's no sweating. perfect weather for lounging around with a blanket and a book.

4. all the best holidays are right in a row: halloween, thanksgiving, x-mas, my bday. good times.

3. boys in jackets and scarves. yes.

2. pumpkin-flavored things appear everywhere. beer, lattes, gelato. i love it all.

1. oh the fall wardrobe! sweaters, jackets, boots, scarves, etc. i have lots of new stuff in my closet just screaming to be worn. it may be awhile....

i've already started knitting in anticipation. i should be pumping out scarves by mid-september, anyone want one? let me know what you want: color, skinny, long, fluffy, etc. i'll also be attempting a hat for alexander, but i'm gonna see how i manage it before i offer to make more....

yay fall.

my best friend is better than your best friend

2007-09-01T14:58:00.001-07:00

see? i told you. my package arrived from england today jam packed with goodies! the cds, tons of candy and a postcard. how psyched am i? notice how the jelly babies are already torn open. i couldn't wait. they are quite possibly my favorite candy and their deliciousness is exceeded only by their elusiveness. i probably won't share them. try me.

it's all a bit home grown

2007-08-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

i love kate nash. she is officially my new musical obsession. though, if you have ridden in my car in the last month or so, you already know that. don't get me wrong, she's not for everyone. her songs are awkward and strange, she has trouble keeping a steady beat (watch this), and her lyrics make you wonder if she's just a little crazy. but she has something. i don't claim to know anything about music, but if julian is downloading girly folk/pop, there is something interesting happening there. i appreciate the craziness and i love her voice and lyrics. they are funny and sassy and bitter and wonderfully feminine, and you get the feeling that these are things that actually happened to her. and, most importantly, i can continue to perfect my chav londoner accent that i've been practicing all summer along with my lily allen cd.

i do have a point, i swear.

i can't get my hands on her cd! you see, she got really popular really quickly due mostly to myspace, and they rushed her album out after her single went crazy. so the day it was released i went to amazon.com to order my copy only to find out that it would have to be imported and would cost me a small fortune (for a cd, that is). wha?!? i had considered that it would be hard to find but i had not counted on it costing almost $50. weak. so i wait a few weeks in hopes that america would catch up, but no such luck. i don't know what i would do if i didn't have someone on the inside (england, not the record industry) to send me cds. thanks, jackie! she's sending kate nash as well as cherry ghost, lucky me! till then i still have my crappy, incomplete, poor quality downloads....

this is her most popular (though not my favorite) song:

enjoy!

training week 2

2007-08-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

not so good. i did manage to do my required running, but injured myself in the process. i think the dancing and maneuvering in my tall yellow shoes contributed to the injury as well. all of the sudden on sunday my right calf was hurting like you wouldn't believe. real pain, not a good kind of sore. it felt like that one time i did pilates, only isolated to one calf muscle. i've been hobbling up and down the stairs like a gimp. also, i went out (and therefore drank copiously) five nights this week. that is ridiculous. almost lohan-esque. i'm thinking i either need a real job or a boyfriend to slow me down and keep me at home. eh.....i'll try the job first. anyway, here's the plan for week 2:

workout: i'll keep it the same, i'm still getting into the groove of running again. maybe 4 times/week if i'm really feeling it.

diet: holy crap, i blew it this week. taco diner, taco cabana, too much beer, cider, and wine. i'm gonna go to central market and stock up on healthy stuff. and wine, i can't lie.

feeling: blah. running outside sucks. maybe they have good gyms in rehab.

listening to: lily allen, clap your hands say yeah, sloan.

in other news, i painted this today:

this is sorta what i want my tattoo to look like, but i'm still working on the design. i definitely like the color, though. hopefully, the tattoo dude or lady will be a better artist than i am....

"august doesn't look good on me"

2007-08-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

i overheard a girl in the bathroom say that and i agree.
just look at my sweaty bangs!
here is another new haircut pic:

i'm kinda getting a cat power vibe here, except that chan marshall is infinitely cooler/hotter than i am. so we went to the pub quiz at trinity hall on sunday and we were second to last again. this is unnacceptable. you can't do anything with three people. we need at least 10 if we're gonna win this thing. and so, i am trying to organize one day where tons of people come so i (uh, i mean we) can finally win and stick it to those smug bastards who always sit by us outside. jerks.

we've got music, art, and lit covered pretty well but we need sports, history, science, and movie experts as well as someone on the older side. as in born before 1980. so i'm putting together a pub quiz dream team, if you will. i think with me, sarah z, sarah l, tony, laura, dennis, hance, julian, alex, nadiyah, and milad we will be unstoppable. i only wish kari lived here. for the record, if i was on who wants to be a millionaire, kari would be my only non-family lifeline. she knows everything about everything.

so i'll pick a date, try to convince hance to make a flyer for it, and i'll get back to you.

i've got some beers, let's drink 'em!

2007-08-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

so friday night didn't go how i expected. i couldn't get anyone to go to the granada to see jlr, even though they are pretty great and it would have been free. i love their songs, they make me want to put on a pretty vintage dress and dance with a cute boy. and there's nothing wrong with that. i'm sure i could have talked julian into going, but i feel i have cashed in too many favors with julian this year, especially of the "come see this band!" variety. ah well.

so i headed to lauren's house to drink some beers and talk about our new haircuts, which we did for hours. yes, hours. then we set out for fallout and things got a little more interesting. some dude asked us to sit with him and we had a pretty great conversation. and really, this is the only reason we frequent this area. there are always new nice people and excellent conversations. other than that, they are just really shitty bars.

so the cherry vodka sours made an appearance again and we danced the night away again. and i ran into a guy i vaguely remembered from high school and he's kinda hot now. all right! that is at least the third time that i've been glad i was nice to everyone in high school. has anyone talked to joey nelson in awhile?

still no hair pics yet, i blame hance and/or julian, our resident photographers. i refuse to take a picture of myself.

you know what i just remembered???

2007-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

how there were strippers at exposition park last week! let me explain. last week z, ren, and i were eating dinner at meridian, you know, because it's wednesday and that's what we do on wednesdays. anyway, we keep seeing these girls walk by in costumes (firewoman, lady covered in balloons, etc) and going into expo park down the street. curious, no? so later when we're headed around the corner to amsterdam, we see the balloon girl through the window. you see, this bar has huge windows all around it, and a crowd of chubby hipster dudes had gathered pretty quickly. so she's dancing on a table and popping her balloons and has basically underwear on beneath them. about that time we realized what was going on, but we were still confused about the strangeness and wondering about the legality of this situation. i mean, strip clubs have dark windows for a reason, right? there were also logistical problems with this plan, why would these guys go inside if there's a free show from the street? it was pretty crazy. also, the girl was not attractive. i'm just sayin.

i know what you're thinking: "how could you possibly forget about this?" well a drink or two turned into ten (i blame lauren and her cherry vodka sours) and we got shitfaced. there's no other word for it. we were sore the next day from dancing. check us out!

ladies and gents, i have a new haircut

2007-08-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

i finally got bangs! soon, i will shut up about my hair. lucky you. i think i look like a different person. i think i look tough, which is different, but i'm not sure if it's good or bad. i've gotten good reactions from it so far (my mom said i look like a rockstar and jonesy called me "pretty lady") so i'm pleased. julian reassured me that it was still nerdy enough to attract dorky guys. phew! it really is a whole new look though. i may have to rethink some outfits......

their softball game was pretty lame today, it ended early on the mercy rule. it's always fun, though. i love how dave always laughs at my jokes. he's a man of few words so it means more when he laughs. and i lent milad the first season of arrested development. i'm pretty confident that i've watched that show more than anyone else on the planet (except for keaton of course) and i absolutely cannot wait till there's someone else around to understand my references to it. even the title of my blog is a reference to a recurring joke on the show.

"...her? is she funny or something?"

pictures soon!

i'm tipsy, thanks taco diner!

2007-08-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

this is the cake i made for tony's surprise party. it tasted better than it looks. 3 layers of vanilla cake with buttercream icing. i am now a buttercream convert and will only use fondant for details.

anywho, i went to dinner tonight with some old friends. i forgot my polaroid, otherwise you could see some solid evidence. t, milad, julian and i went to taco diner. i have known these boys for at least 10 years and i love them dearly. some things never change. one of those things is t.

i also lent julian some books today. he left it up to me to suggest something he would like and it was difficult. going through my book collection i realized they mostly fall into 3 categories.

non-fiction: inaccessible to most people. these are not light reading. though the subjects range from rhetoric to gene cloning to 17th century art, these are all intense books. text-like. no good for julian.

overtly feminist: sylvia plath, virginia woolf, sandra cisneros, alice walker, etc. while these are inspiring to me, i don't see julian getting into them.

jewish: woody allen, born to kvetch, gimpel the fool, etc. i am obsessed with all things jewish. don't ask.

i ended up giving julian chronicles (bob dylan) because i don't see how anyone could not like it, a collection of essays by ralph ellison because there's lots about music and black america, the lone ranger and tonto fistfight in heaven (sherman alexie) because it's trippy and real and funny and exciting, and a short story collection by donald barthelme. that last one is a risk. it's a very strange book. we'll see. i do not feel confident in my book recommending.

smiles and high fives!

i'm running 'the rock'

2007-08-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

i was inspired by keely and melissa to run the half marathon at white rock this year. i'm psyched! i have exactly 110 days to get ready for it, which is definitely attainable, but not easy. my brother has generously donated one of his ipods to my cause. i also found out when i registered that the race benefits scottish rite children's hospital, which has always had close ties to my family. my dad served on the board, i have taught art there, and my brother spent a few weeks there. a good cause is a bonus. training starts now!

week 1:

workout: 4 miles, 3 times/week, weights and yoga as usual, timing is not in the equation yet

diet: no more cokes or fried stuff (this is just a guess at what i should do, if anyone has a better suggestion, i'm open)

feeling: excited, optimistic about being less squishy in a month or two

listening to: cream, rush, ben kweller (good running music is essential)

wish me luck!

i'm back

2007-08-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

back to blogging. get excited!

i worked on a habitat for humanity house today, and it was a really interesting experience. we did the framing today, and we saw huge payoffs from our work. it started out as a concrete slab, and now it's a house! it's crazy. most of the people working on the house were from my dad's company so there were blackberry checks every few minutes. psssh, executives. luckily, a dude (luke) that i get along with well was there and joined in with my silliness. (unluckily, my mom was trying to hook us up. sigh.) i figured since we were doing construction i should tell dirty jokes all day, and i did. there were plenty of opportunities for it. (nailing, caulk, etc.) here is a pro/con recap:

pros:
the work was fun/interesting
i learned some new construction terms
hanging with my family and cool people
the family getting the house was terribly kind and very deserving
we built a freaking house, how cool is that?

cons:
i was hungover for the first few hours
it's fucking august
i hammered my finger and almost lost a fingernail (luke did too)
a five year old called me a "scaredy cat" because i wouldn't touch her caterpillar
allergies were in full effect by 2 pm, hives and all