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Thursday, September 4, 2014

falling for boots (oh, how corny)

Fall Boots

too lazy to label. click on the image which will take you to polyvore.
(some are sold out or from random sites that link to defunct sites.)

oh, just some boots for fall that i think are delicious.  i love that pop of turquoise on the cuff of that one at the top (1), and i've been salivating over boots with that low cut out on the side for awhile.. this one with studs and a slight metallic grunge (2) are perfect. that nice little clog bootie (3) is super cute, but terribly high... it looks fabulous, but for me i'd have to go with something a little lower. the ones to the lower right of it (4) are perfect for a halloween pirate costume, no?  i've also been eyeing strappy booties like the ones at the bottom (5), and gold dr. martens(6)?  how awesome are those?  a little bit of gold gives those neutral beauties (7) a beautiful glam desert feel, perfect for summer into fall. and finally, the burgundy swedish hasbeen bootie with Victorian detailing (8) would look great with jeans or a flowing fall skirt. (klara has these in gold and they are amazing!)

but for now i will be content to adore from afar, having several pairs of boots already, some of which are rarely, or not yet even, worn.  i still have my gold swedish hasbeens sandals yet to wear (remember that aborted birthday dinner attempt), and i have these silver oxfords that i love/hate that i haven't decided yet whether to keep (although i bought them on clearance for $9).  what do we think?

Sam & Libby at Target

i'm also compiling (or in blog speak, curating) a bunch of stuff for disney world fun times!  i clipped a mickey mouse backpack to polyvore last week that is seriously blowing up - over 1,000 likes and growing by the hour.  (3 likes since i wrote this paragraph and am proofing the entry.) i only clip items that catch my eye, but it is kind of fun to see that so many people are using something you picked out.  all hail the backpack queen!

and regarding my last post bemoaning the loss of summer, i'm suddenly totally ok with fall coming/being here. i had my last day of summer on sunday (another story), and it was sad and fun and great. a really perfect end i didn't wholly expect.  the whole time i waxed nostalgic for the season and really reveled in the last few hours, but come september first i was done and done, in such an almost instantaneous way that i surprised myself a little bit.  i'm glad though; pining is no fun.

it's funny, i don't place a lot of meaning on specific days - i've gone to bed early on new year's and i would be fine eating a hamburger for thanksgiving, but my own absurd idiosyncratic made up holidays are the ones that will rule my inner harmony.  remember how my mermaid day gave me such pleasure?  i'm not sure why i'm like that, if i enjoy bucking the system or swimming against the salmon, or having something that's just mine, or if it's more special to me if it hasn't been commercialized like christmas and halloween.. who knows. just one more thing to analyze i guess.

what i do know is foo fighters has set a date and place for their RVA show!  two weeks, baby!   

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

on the last day of summertime


i was going to attempt to tailor a shirt to a smaller size, but instead i decided to get on the internet, as one does.  i've been meaning to do a mini recap of my birthday for over a week now, but sloths don't do punctual.

my birthday was equal parts ok, nice, and suck.  nothing special, but at least i got to spend it with my favorite person.  we got up kind of late and *someone (*not me) took forEVER to get out the damn house. then my tire light came on and we had to take care of that and get food for said someone and then i had to go back to the house for my gold shoes (which i didn't even get to wear anyway) and so i stopped for a biscuit because i was going to have something good, damn it.

it even looked like bday cake!
it took forever to drive to the pool.  but i did finally get a photo of one of the most exciting road signs ever...


...as well as the attraction it advertises!  whee!




we took the ferry back, intending to go to dinner in williamsburg, but my tire light came on again and long story short, i had a leak in my tire and had to fill it with goop and drive home. and spend $$ to get two new tires the next day (because i guess it's good to get them in pairs or whatever). 

i was hungry and cranky and fun was not had. i ended up like i always do, eating take out olive garden in front of the tv for my birthday dinner, which isn't so bad in the scheme of things, but i had been looking forward to the broadening of horizons.

so, birthday fest 2014 wasn't all that great.. i did enjoy the pool, for probably the last time this summer.  i guess i'm also kind of bummed that summer is ending.  i have done far more this summer than that the last several put together, and i'm proud and pleased looking back, but on the other hand i feel like i didn't get in as much as i wanted to.  i feel like i wasted some of it and now everyone is forward looking to fall and i'm over here in slo-mo going "noooooooo."  but i have to acknowledge that man, i did do a crap ton of fun things this summer compared with my normal self, so high-five to that and to the promise of another good one next year.

it's funny, i used to really dislike the summer as a kid.. it was usually really boring and just hot and smoggy.  we went to the beach year-round, so that wasn't anything special, and we didn't typically take a summer vacation or so all that much that we wouldn't have any other time of year.  mostly it was visiting my dad and then waiting for my birthday.  i used to long for fall to come put an end to the heat. (our lack of a.c. in the desert was probably a big factor.)  but i've really come to enjoy summer. everyone told me that the humidity would be terrible "back east" and it's not like i enjoy it or anything, but it's really not that bad.  and not once have i ever burned myself on my steering wheel getting into the car on a hot day, hashtag desert heat. i've come to really embrace my summer fire sign-ness and soak it all up and get all good and pruney in it.  so i guess this is pretty much my summer goodbye.  i'll feel it's technically over after labor day, so i have a little less than a week to get my last kicks in before i box it up and put it away until next year.  i'll try to welcome autumn with goodwill and open arms (which i used to love, and then i started to hate because i really started to hate winter, but i'm slowly coming back around), but it's not quite time yet, and people need to be patient and not rush the seasons onto everyone else because how can we enjoy what we have if we're always in a rush to get to what we don't..

but until then...

Last Day Of Summertime by Louis Eliot on Grooveshark



Thursday, August 21, 2014

Blog Lovin

i'm signing up for blog lovin, so you can follow me there.  it's telling me to tell you, so... whoomp, there it is.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

it's excitement 24/7 up in here!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Birthday Fest 2014

happy birthday to me! almost. mark likes it when i give him easy access to my wishes via an amazon wish list, so i thought it would be fun to throw some of my requests on polyvore and pair them with fancy, high-priced versions.  the items i asked for are on the left, and the highfalutin versions are on the right.  (and will be in my possession should the money unicorn ever ring my doorbell.)

Birthday 2014
Click image for links (some of them are just photos of out of production items).

oh, i'm sorry, did you want actual details about my choosings instead of me just posting an image and going about my day?  you're in luck!


1. Tan Handbag with Lace Detail (Cato) vs. Tan Handbag with Lace Detail (Modcloth)
i went to cato for the first time on friday and saw this cute bag on clearance.. it's funny how i like purses, but i don't actually use most of mine. (or it's sad.  that works too.)

2. Turquoise Earrings (World Market) vs. Morganite Earrings (Ice.com)
world market has some pretty cute $5 earrings, and i haven't even taken advantage of that yet.. travesty!  the fancy one's are morganite, which i have a heart-on for. i've only ever seen it clear and sparkly, but these opaque versions are really pretty, and remind me of seashells and summer.

3. First Aid Kit Tote (thisisfirstaidkit.com) vs. Harajuku Lovers Mermaid Backpack (the internet, maybe)
i don't really need yet another tote, but i do like this one and i know i'd use it. (plus, picking stuff out for a wish list is hard, you guys!) the backpack is awesome and horrible all at once. (like me!) i'm in love with the G of the Sea design from a few years ago and i'm always keeping an eye out for pieces. (i have three so far, but i want it allll!)  this backpack is totally juvenile, but i'd wear the hell out of it on my forthcoming trip to disney world this fall.  fashionable and useful! (mark would be embarrassed to be seen with me though, so i guess it's a good thing this one is out of production.)

4. Little Northies - OPI Nordic Collection Mini Set (Ulta or Amazon) vs. Pacifica Nail Polishes (Pacifica)
again with the first aid kit.. so pretty much the only reason i want this is because it's nordic and i want to be a beautiful swedish girl folk singer sister.  (because buying this totally makes me one, right?)  i would also love to have every single nail polish from pacifica's newish collection.  i have three so far (totally coral, afterglow, and heart of gold), so that's already $27 off of the whole bill right there.

5. Harajuku Lovers Coin Purse (Ebay) vs. Fossil Key-per Weekender Bag (the internet, maybe)
this match-up doesn't makes as much sense as the others, but i really like both of them, and they are both things you can use when traveling. i'd put jewelry in the coin purse compartments, and the weekender bag could carry incidentals like books and i can't think of anything else to put in it for the life of me. ha. i'm sure i could fill it up with stuff though. unfortunately this one's not in production anymore either.

6. L'Aromarine Oceane Spray (Amazon?) vs. Pacifica Solid Perfume
i sampled the first perfume in an anthropologie and loved it, but didn't have funds for it at the time. i've been meaning to ask mark for it as a present at some point, but in looking for it to put on the list i found that apparently it's out of production or it's changed hands or something, i'm not exactly sure what that i found online is the same one, so don't take my word for it.  i have samplers of most of these solid pacifica perfumes, but the ones i really like smell so damn good i wouldn't kick having all of the big versions out of bed.

7. Bat Bangle Bracelet (Frosted Willow at Etsy) vs. Pearl and Morganite Bracelet (Gilt.com)
i saw and coveted this cute bracelet on Kelsi at Brighter Sides. i feel kind of single white female putting it on my list, but i guess that is the price you pay for posting your fabulously adorned wrist parts on your blog.  (anyway, we're on opposite ends of america, so i don't have to worry about awkwardly running into her at the fish market  - that's where everyone in seattle hangs out, right?) the fancy verison bracelet is again an opaque morganite, this time with some pearl, and by far the most expensive item on the list.  i could easily pair it with the earrings, and the pearl really brings out the summery shell feel.

so that's it!  i hope you enjoyed my game of reality vs. fantasy.. this makes me want to do a next time and go all fantasy, and put on stuff like $90,000 backyard teepees out of the neiman marcus christmas book.  (although i might get too disgusted at all the ridiculousness, which would defeat the fun of living in my rich imagination.)  

as for my birthday... (in Carl Kasell's voice) well, if any of these gifts happen, reader, i'll tell you about it next time on Oh, Dinosaur!

Thursday, August 7, 2014

concert magic

you know when you find yourself thinking about angry cat robots and suddenly you realize you're thinking about angry cat robots and you're like, "brain, how did we get here?" and then you backtrack your brain thought steps until you reach thought patient zero, which was like, that woodpecker that just landed on the branch outside, and you're like, "oh yeah, that's how that thought process went." (this happens to me often with my co-workers, but after i explain whatever the steps were they're like, "ok, that wasn't as weird as i thought you were being. carry on..")  well, this post is going to be that. (don't say i didn't warn you.)

in a happy turn of events my work just installed wifi and now i can treat my disease by listening to spotify whilst i work.  having the becks could have been really hard if i couldn't self-soothe during my peak listening hours.  (9/10ths of my workday has me listening on at least one earpod as i go about my daily duties. i gotta have my tunes!)  i've been discovering and exploring his discography, and surprising past christine (but not current christine, because i like things more when i'm already in like mode, if that makes sense) by enjoying more of his work than i expected.  and i'm not really sure why it was surprising, because i like/d most of the singles, but i guess i didn't really realize i did until they were all laid out before me straight for the picking.

i think between yesterday and today i becked myself out, so today i also tried out the indie "channel" (ew, for me) and the americana one (better), but quickly used up my 6 skips per hour in one go.  uh oh.  so i signed up for the free premium trial for a month (which is just about how long i expect them to keep from locking the wifi). and then i could listen to ALL THE SONGS!  including full albums, in their actual correct song order! 

sidebar:  i don't know about kids these days, but when i'm introducing myself to a new album by an artist i'm into, i like to take things slow and progress in the appropriate steps, i.e., listen to the whole damn thing at once.  none of this shuffle, or worse, shuffle the new stuff in with the rest of your library nonsense. i don't even download the free singles or previews they like to put on social media because i want to hear it first as its part in the whole.  maybe i'm taking it too old skool, but i grew up in the days of cassettes where you were forced to listen in the intended order, or just try fast fowarding or rewinding and see how far that got you.  i like that they put thought into song order and gave you an experience instead of pieces. and i actually like when the song ends and then you "hear" the next one start in your head before it actually starts because you've played the damn thing so many times.  and i like when you first got an album and played it constantly and then now when you hear a song off it it's imbued with the feelings and places of where you were at that time in your life.  (old 97s "fight songs"?  totally fall, sophomore year, rollin home from down the highway in my mom's beat up chevy truck, and cool dark nights.)  so yeah, whole albums, it's a good thing, and nowadays i still listen to a new one as a whole until it's stuck in my brain parts like that for good and solid, til death do us part. first comes marriage, then comes shuffle.

which, this got off track.  what was i saying?

i think the thing about having access to full albums is why i took a break from Beck for a little Jason Falkner. i don't usually have him on my iphone due to burnout prevention factors (i'm at the point where too much of a good thing is a bad thing with several artists), but sometimes my ears go all new and want to hear him again. so i played "Author Unknown" in it's entirety and had a grand old time and that made me nostalgic for the first time i saw JF play, nie on 15 years almost. and listening to the album again just further cemented (and at this point with JF the cement is like, 20 feet deep, so it's a case of more cement than you can imagine) how good of an artist he really is. it's not like i forget, but it's not at the forefront of my mind, so i guess it's kind of like how you know the electric stove coils are hot and you shouldn't touch them and then you graze one of them while trying to pick up a spoon or something and that contact brings the pain to the forefront as your brain goes MOTHERFKER THAT IS HOT AND NOT FLESH-FRIENDLY! so that's kind of a negative metaphor, but that's what popped into my head trying to explain that one doesn't forget JF is a musical genius, it's just not always burned into the brain unless you are listening, and if you don't listen that often then it's a tiny revelation every time you do.

so i had my tiny revelation this afternoon and it got me to thinking how i really want to see him play again.  and not just as Beck's guitarist. like with actual songs that he wrote that he is playing and singing. and that's when i felt stirrings of my concert magic.  and what is concert magic, you ask?  i will tell you. (that's what a blog is for, after all.)  concert magic is what i call my one and only super power that may or may not exist.  (i don't *think* i have any other semi-imaginary super powers.)  concert magic gives me universe gifts of concert shows that i really want to see, in a not untimely manner.  that sounds confusing i think, but simply put  it works thus: christine decides she wants to see a band, and then christine gets to see this band pretty soon after.

this happened so many times in l.a. that i actually noticed it was happening.  i'll admit, you expect to see bands in l.a., everyone goes there, so that's not too unusual.  but the timing was always right, too.  i'd discover or get into a band, and then within a month or two a show would pop up.  i mean some of the instances were straight forward, like if someone put an album out, then you'd expect they would tour it, so that's not too unusual (owsley).  but the magic also worked when it was a no-hoper.   for instance, the divine comedy, which mark had wanted to see live for many years, released an album ("regeneration") in march of 2001, but he didn't "introduce" me to the album/band until the fall of 2001, at which time i promptly fell in love and began jonesing for a show. at which time mark informed me that they were from england and had never been to the u.s. so i was jonesing for a lottery ticket dream. at which time los angeles show dates were announced.  dates, plural. to which we went, 3 shows. that was when i realized i had the power to make my show dreams come true.  and i'd only had to wait maybe, 2 or 3 months?  and poor mark had been waiting years. (ha ha.)

and maybe the universe also influenced my powers with the timing.. mark had put a divine comedy song on a mix tape for me two years earlier, and i liked it, but nothing came of it. maybe it was only when the universe was ready to deliver a live concert show that i became receptive to the band's works.  because i feel like i have to really want it for it to work.  i can't just half-ass it... the magic knows.  i guess it's like meditating and setting an intention; if you're heart and soul aren't in it, then it's not going to happen.

anyway, i've been true to my powers and they have rewarded me with some of my favorites, sometimes at really slim odds, and i've appreciated it.  like, who would have thought the zombies would have reunited after 30-something years?  i guess i just had to get way into them first?  but i kinda thought that train ride was over when i moved away from los angeles. there's like 40,000 venues for opportunity in southern california and like, 3 here?  so yeah, i didn't think the magic was strong enough to withstand the void, but i'd had little touches here and there of Old 97s coming to town unexpectedly, or Spacehog getting back together and getting to see a them when i thought i'd missed the boat for good.  (ok, the Spacehog one is really awesome, but they were broken up and i didn't really think any magic would work on them.. that one's more just good luck.)  but sometimes a girl's gotta spread her cape and really stir the cauldron, amirite?  the time came this spring when i was ready to push back my sleeves and throw out some of that old concert magic.  this time it was for the foo fighters. i've grown to really like them over the years and that little seed of want started to grow inside my gut.  i thought, it's about time they hit the road again, right?  ima make them come to me.  i heard that some people in my town were trying to get them to play here, and i thought that was impossible, but i could make them play close enough for me to attend, like virginia beach or d.c.  so one day at work i announced my intention:  the foo fighters would be playing a show nearby and i would attend.

and you guys, it worked!

the concert magic had a bit of a laugh at first.  literally three days after i announced my intention to my co-workers, i read that they'd had a secret show in d.c. very funny, magic, you got me. i told it that it knew very well what i had meant and if it wanted to consider the wish granted and the contract fulfilled, then it had to produce a show that i actually had knowledge of beforehand.

so it did.
 
Foo Fighters Agree to Play Unscheduled Crowdsourced Show

whaaat?  this is a real life thing that is happening.  after i announced my intention i thought, hell, i'm going to join this crowdfund thing and just believe it.  and i did, but i didn't.  when i signed up there were like, 2 days to go and it wasn't even half funded.  i honestly didn't think there was a chance it would succeed, but you know, i have to keep the faith with my magic and if it gives me opportunities i have to take them or else i'm not holding up my end of the bargain.  anyhow, they managed to extend the deadline and i kinda of started to believe.  and by some crazy power (concert magic), the campaign to bring the foo to richmond met it's goal. 

here's me after getting the notification e-mail:
why yes that is my cat's cradle stamp from the first aid kit show the night before.


that's what concert magic success looks like, people.  IT WAS ALL ME!  ok, not really, but i helped?  yeah?  this is when i knew the magic was still alive and maybe even stronger than ever. i mean, the foo fighters are coming to richmond?  that's like, not a thing that happens.  but i can't wait for it to happen all up in my face when i'm standing in front of dave grohl trying not to get smooshed to death by the crowd.  (real life: i'll probably be in the back.)

so.  ... the point of this novel i guess is that i'm feeling those stirrings again, for Jason Falkner.  (that sounded... erm.)  which i guess is kind of lame to write a thousand page essay all to simply say i haven't decided to invoke the power yet, but i'm kinda sort feeling it, so stay tuned?  most anti-climactic ending ever, womp womp.

but i can promise you that if i do aim my magic at him, i will blog about it (and probably nothing will come of it and you can laugh and point fingers and i will slink shamefully into the night).

and now it's seriously time for bed.








Wednesday, August 6, 2014

organize this: nail polish

i finally did the deed and transferred all of my nail polishes into a more helpful storage solution.  i had them in a rectangular wire basket in my linen closet - which it was helpful to corral them in one place, only took me 30 years - but it just wasn't working out anymore. any time i wanted to find a particular shade i'd have to take it out and set it on the floor because sucker was hea-vy.  and then i'd have to remove about half of the bottles just to get to the ones on the bottom and i knew there was a better way, i just had to woman up and do the damn thing already.

over the door shoe organizer!  duh.  i'm sure at this point even dogs know this tip. i've meant to do this thing for a long time. years, even. but i'm a lazy sloth, so... and i even had the thing, doing its actual job, in my bedroom closet.  i couldn't find a cheap plastic one in my recent shopping experiences, so i threw all my shoes out of the holder (and onto my bedroom floor, is where they belong, right?) and got to work.

i have so many more nail polishes than i realized!  took me about 20 minutes or so to decide what colors go best together and how to arrange them on the holder, but i'm so glad i finally did this thing.  some people - who have seen my bedroom - might be surprised to learn that i actually like being super organized, but my laziness and disdain for extraneous movement gets in the way.  my traits battle each other and the latters are all too strong.  (seriously, i can't count the number of times i've bruised an arm hitting myself on a wall corner whilst taking said corner a little too tight in an attempt to walk one less step. it's not a conscious thing, but at least i have identified the cause.)  the point is instead of cleaning up, i pile and shove. but, if i can get my hands on a cheap *and easy* storage option, i will use it. as long as it takes less than 3 seconds to put whatever it is back wherever it belongs.

and now... please to look at a digital recording of my new nail polish sanctuary.

this one's kind of a lie in that i had to move this to the back of the guest room door because
this door wouldn't accommodate the hangover part of the contraption.
it was super fun moving it all loaded up, i tell you.



yes, a crap ton of these do have discount stickers on them, say whaaaaat? *raise the roof*
i even had colors i had forgotten about. and duplicates!  and way more greens than i realized, and i honestly would have said i didn't have more than two yellows.  in case anyone is wondering, i went clear, gold metalic, silver metalic, blacks & whites, to creams and light pinks to peachy, yellows, oranges and hot pinks to purples, greens, and blues.  some of the colors didn't quite fit in their respective assigned slots, but i'm confident that they will all learn to live together in harmony as nature intended.

thesis statement on this one?  if you've thought about doing this, do it. do it now. this one's a no-brainer.. two thumbs up, i highly recommend it.

now i just have to find somewhere for those shoes i displaced...


Thursday, July 31, 2014

Morning Phase

i caught a bad case of Beck last thursday.  my doctor said it's nothing to cause concern; it's not contagious and i should be back to normal in a week or two.  until then i'm just supposed to rest, take plenty of aural and video therapy, and write a blog.  and air jam to "Sexx Laws" in the car at high volumes at least once a day.

as i mentioned in my last post, i would never have considered myself a Beck fan.  mainly because i don't have any of his music, don't listen to it beyond what's on the radio, and also i have to admit i was kind of skeeved out by his scientology connection.  (which spell-check wants me to capitalize. um, no.) i think i pretty firmly believe that you can't call yourself a fan if you don't even own any of the music. that's like, poser status, right?  (edit: i lied. i just remembered i did have a cassette of "Odelay" but i hardly ever listened to it, so i'm not sure that counts.) so yeah, while i like most of what i've heard on the radio (going waaaay back to "Loser"), i can't say i was ever like, "whoo, beck rocks!"  but this week i've been checking him out, watching some videos, downloading some songs, reading some interviews (and not caring about the body thetans), and basically thinking he's really interesting and cute as a button. and kind of gorgeous at times?

..... flashback thursday.....

when we were in the outer banks last month, we went to Roanoke Island, which i'm gonna call Manteo, because that's the town there.  Roanoke Island is between the outer banks and the main coast, about a 5-minute drive from the outer banks.  the place isn't big is what i'm saying.  anyhow, the plan was to drive to manteo (lowercasing for convenience now), and maybe rent a couple of bikes, check out the lost colony stuff, and hang out for the morning. (btw, the story of the lost colony is pretty interesting: long story short, england lost tabs on a group of it's people out here in the late 1500s, and no one knows where they went or what happened to them.  this is one of those burning questions i want answered.)

instead, it was raining.  it went from misting at the hotel to full on pouring sheets of water as we watched from inside the lost colony visitor's center.  and there's really only so much you can do in there.  they have a couple of small exhibits (a "room" with wood paneling from the period in england, a few shards of pots and beads, some old tools, that sort of thing), but once you've looked at those and stopped in the gift shop, that's pretty much all she wrote.  (uh oh, speaking of gift shop and writing... i never sent those postcards i bought.  i am literally the worst at sending postcards i buy. i have a collection. it's a disease.)

so there really wasn't anything we could do in terms of sightseeing. i tried to go to the aquarium, but the parking lot was packed and the line was out the door. obviously the entire island had the same idea - go indoors to get out of the water to look into some water.  so that was a no go. instead i drove around the island a little bit. and that's where beck comes in.

as we left the hotel, mark popped in a new cd, as he is wont, and it was beck's new album. and you guys, it really fit the scene. a way back when, when i was first talking to mark online and not going to school and basically being an anxiety-ridden barfing-all-the-time slug, i'd pretty much stay up all night most nights. when i wasn't chatting to mark until 4 in the morning, night was scary. and i don't mean boo monsters, i mean filled with dark, oppressive anxiety that came close, face to face. we lived in a small house and i couldn't watch tv or do anything much without waking my mom, who, as a contributing member of society, needed sleep to do those contributions. so i stayed in my room, mainly reading or listening to music.  i dreaded turning out the light and having nothing to distract me. those were the times when the thoughts would come, about how i'd never get over the anxiety, how i'd be a bag lady on the street, eating my hair and throwing up every five minutes, wishing i were dead, basically.  and then, as anxiety feeds on itself, and the mind controls the body, bam - i'd be sick. so in order not to go there, i'd stay up until i knew i'd sleep when my head hit the pillow.  and even though it was a really rough time in my life, there was something about those sunrises out my window, watching the night get less dark, more details in the trees, the street, and other houses appearing, the porch lights getting less bright, the sky lightening in increments so slow but so fast that if you looked away for even a minute you could almost tell the difference.  birds would start chirping and life would move again, just for you because no one was awake just yet.  and in the night i felt alone, but the sun was like company and would keep me safe while i slept.

i have kind of a thing about that little house anyway (a whole other story), but those sunrises are one of those touchstone things that i remember the best of.  i don't feel about them in a way that reminds me of the anxiety, although i certainly have enough of that to last a lifetime - they're not tainted by that the way other memories are. i can remember them and feel just the good.

anyhow, all that was a long way of saying that driving around on manteo in the rain in the morning, with the perfect album that fit the scene, gave me the same feeling as those morning sunrises. and manteo even has little old houses that are like my old house. and once we went past a certain point there was like, nobody on the main road, out past the town, where there were just trees and rain and grass and water ahead, and a looong bridge that went to bfe who-knows-where, and mark was dozing in the passenger seat and i was alone but with company, and i took that bridge and drove across and back and even stopped in the middle to take some photos. and i felt alone but content and safe and it was a beautiful rainy morning.  and i played the album twice. (and in an obvious not-twist, which i didn't know at the time because i didn't learn until after it was all over, it's called "Morning Phase." how absolutely perfect.)

view from the hotel deck

returning to roanoke island from who knows where on the bridge to bfe.

rainy bay

back on the island



i didn't listen to the album again for another month, but we busted it out on a winding moonlit night drive on the colonial parkway from williamsburg to yorktown, through the woods and on the river, and it held up (almost) as good. (the fitting-the-scene feeling, i mean. the album is the shit, but i don't think anything's going to beat that rainy morning.)

.............................................................


all this to say that a few weeks ago when i saw that beck was playing near(ish) and that ghost of a saber tooth tiger was opening, AND that jason falkner was on guitar for beck, i kinda sorta wanted to go, but made no plans. and then i took three days off, had two nights of concerts, remembered about beck and jason falkner, and then i really kinda sorta wanted to go.  mark and i had that conversation that goes, "i don't know what to do!! let's go!! no, let's stay home and relax!! aaaargh!!" we tossed a penny in front of our lunching pizza place. tails - no go. "best two out of three?" mark said. heads - go, heads - go. "but should we go?" we said.  (proving to us, again, that flipping a penny is really worthless for making a decision.)

i was like

so i posted on facebook asking for a decision and giving a pro/con list.

Pros: loving his new album
Ghost of a saber tooth tiger's opening
Jason Falkner's on guitar
Third concert in as many nights (awesome!)

Cons: expensive, outdoor hot venue
It's in BFE past DC
Don't know Beck's stuff that well
Third concert in as many nights (tired!)
 

my mom said no, there'd be another chance. (um, when exactly?) and i felt, "eh." then a friend from hs posted definitely go and i was like "whee!"  so we decided to start driving and see what happened.  and then we did that decision, like actual adults who make plans and then do those plans. 

after driving for 14 bazillion hours (dc is a black hole, so it takes a little longer to get around it), and detouring for cash and food items for our mouth parts, we ended up at the show. 

it always gets more serious when state lines are involved.

i was pretty punchy at that point.

beck was awesome. he has moves for days, energy like the sun, and the charisma of a holy preacher.  and he's funny!

jason is right there! (second guitar from left)

i had to take a little break during one of the songs i didn't know. beck wears me out!

the background for "blue moon" was gorgeous, and it slowly got darker and the little village (i assume) lights (at the end of the shaft of light) got brighter and brighter.  it reminded me of my morning drive a tiny bit. i loved it.

and that is how you end up paying $75 a ticket for pretty good seats at a beck show.


*epilogue*

i really wanted to say hi to jason falkner afterward - people have been posting photos with him on facebook, so i thought i might be able to - but it didn't happen.  i waited at the gates a little bit, but there was no activity. the guard told me no one ever comes out, and there was an after party besides.  well then.
i'm a loser baby... you know the rest.  i took this just for you, even tho the guard is looking at me.
i could, however, have comforted myself with a partner and this wide selection of intercourse-enhancing products available at the local gas station. (i declined.)

right by the cash register because maryland keeps it classy.
the drive home sucked for about 1.5 hours, including a half-hour/1 mile construction zone that was awwwwwsomme! (sing it out like oprah), and then mellowed out enough to play, what else "Morning Phase" while i sat back and stargazed/took photos of blurry highway and nothing else that had enough light to come out. we tried a few off highway places to stargaze when we were close to home, but nothing good came of it.



and then it was 3am and we were home.

in case my novel made you curious:

setlist
nicer photos
Lost Cause live
Blue Moon live


Sunday, July 27, 2014

so that happened.

so. things have been quiet around here, huh?  i'm a bad blogger, but i've been doing a pretty good job with the living part.  this has been the most busy summer in years, and i'm loving it. i've actually been doing things and enjoying things, and it feels really good.  

i intended to blog about every single one of these things, but in the spirit of catching up, i'm going to just dump it all here. i may go into more detail later on, maybe not, but here's what i've been up to this summer.


my mom turned 60 and we went to the zoo. we did this adventure ropes/zip line course, and it kicked our butt. but we kicked it's butt too, so it's all good. everyone's butts were kicked.


i got married!



it was a small ceremony with a few family members, lunch at olive garden, and cake back at our house.
and it was great - a very very nice day.



 we went to nags head in the outer banks for two days our "mini-moon." 
(we're going to disneyworld in the fall for our honeymoon.) we got upgraded to an oceanfront balcony,
ate lots of good seafood, and even a rainy morning didn't dampen our spirits.)
we spent a lovely evening eating and cuddling under the aptly named Honey Moon.

we left nags head and headed to carrboro, nc to see First Aid Kit at cat's cradle.
they. were. amazing.  i was astounded by how good they were. 
and then i kind of got obsessed for about a month. (they're coming back in the fall..
and we pretty much planned our honeymoon around their tour. haha.)
Johanna and Klara



i also got obsessed with the whole gold thing they had going on. (their new album is called Stay Gold.)
especially the shoes... i had a front row seat to these shows, and i couldn't stop thinking about them. 
i had gold shoes on the brain, found johanna's shoes on amazon for a song (and i had a gift card) and now they are mine to be on my feet whenever i like.

FAK's instagram
i took them to work to show mah ladies.
  spacehog came to town, and rock was had. i was so stoked they were in my actual town, 15 minutes from my house, that i wasn't even mad they only got to play 5 songs. (it was a 4-band show and they were the low band on the totem pole.)  and there was even an upside to the short early evening set... we were home in time to eat chipotle in front of the tv! haha... (we watched some eve 6 too.. i felt simultaneously ancient and a teen again.)

Jonny Cragg and Royston Langdon
mark had to work, but i got us some sparklers and those bomb snap things you throw on the street.

the next day i also bleached my tips, relaxed at a local park, went to the library, made smores (ok, one smore) in the backyard, and picked mark up after work for a stargazing country drive.

the next weekend we drove down to the jamestown area (across the river from there) to this state park pool we like.  it's huge and never crowded.  the drive down through the country is so relaxing and sweet.

it's never a bad time for L.M.M.
we also get to ride the ferry on the way back.

Jamestown ships reproductions

i took off a few days this week.. wednesday through friday.
first up, old 97s. in town!  so yeah, my two favorite bands came to town this summer, no big deal.
(squeeeeeee!!!!)


wednesday, we drove up to charlottesville to see this english band mark likes, The Clientele.
they have a very laid-back 60s pop sound, but very shoegaze-y.

i amused myself before and after the opener (Borrowed Beams of Light - not bad) taking selfies in the stage lights.  i really like the Southern (venue). it's pretty much a basement, but with paper lanterns, lots of places to sit, and a low stage. we saw Rhett Miller there in april and it was fabulous.
i kept trying to sneak photos of mark. he wasn't terribly amused.. haha.
thursday, my heart was conflicted between staying home, saving money, and not driving to BFE, or driving to BFE, spending lots of money, and seeing Beck. with Jason Falkner on guitar, whom we happen to love big time. but man, it was up near Baltimore, and i didn't know if i was up for it.

so we went.
these are the faces of people who are just happy to effing be there already. mark's is the face of one who is finally getting sustenance (in the form of panera), and mine is the face of just paying $75 a seat because she just drove 3 hours and spent another almost hour trying to get cash and food, and honey badger does not give ANY effs.

Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger opened, whom i was looking forward to, but they didn't play anything off their first album (that i heard - we were a little late).  our seats were flipping fabulous though, and worth every penny.
the photos we have don't do them justice - they actually looked closer than this IRL.


i'm not the biggest Beck fan, or really a fan at all, i guess.  i liked his singles, but don't have any of his stuff myself, so i feel i can't really call myself a fan. i had a slightly holy experience on Manteo island that rainy morning on our honeymoon, driving around listening to his new album, Morning Phase, while mark napped in the passenger seat, and it really stuck with me. it's just a really, really good album. 

but let me tell you. Beck puts on a Show. it was really fun and entertaining, and he's so energetic, and funny!  who knew.  i would definitely, definitely see him again.  and it was especially fun to see Jason play again, even if it was only as support. and we didn't get to see him after, like a bunch of other people on facebook are posting about (disappoint!) but i'm glad we went up for the show. (even if we did get home at like, 3.  effing DC traffic, snarling up the roads at 1 in the morning.  *siiiigh*)

***

so i guess that's it.  i'm sure i'm forgetting something, but that's pretty good for two months, right?  especially two of my months, as i'm usually a lazy couch potato/sloth creature. it's a new me, people! 

here's to more summer adventures, and time to write about them all!