shows of note.
3.7 - the national at metronome. don't know anything about them other than what i read, but they sound intriguing. who's in?
4.26 - josh ritter and erin mckeown at metronome.
i learned today that my parents almost hooked me up with a great roommate. but alas, it was not in the cards. boo.
i learned several other important thngs today. 1. - my legs are very (verrrrrrry) happy to be running again, but they're going to make me suffer for treating them with such neglect over the past months. 2. - propel "fitness water" is tasty. glaceau "smartwater" is not. 3. - "vermont is for smilers." damn straight.
3.03.2004
conclusion
dean actually won vermont?!?!?!?!
9 a.m. - town meeting
11 a.m. - end of town meeting
5 p.m. - report to work
12 a.m. - finish work
but i'm done. i survived (mostly, at least) and will soon commence a non-town-meeting-styled existance. yay ... good times.
i can't wait to go running again. i have a feeling my opinion on this might change when i wake up tomorrow and can't move, but for now, can't wait.
yay to johnoghue for jonatha concert voicemail (wow, try saying that five times fast)!
now i curl up in bed, likely listening to teitur as i fall asleep. seems like a perfect journey to dreamland album.
"i was just thinking ..."
dean actually won vermont?!?!?!?!
9 a.m. - town meeting
11 a.m. - end of town meeting
5 p.m. - report to work
12 a.m. - finish work
but i'm done. i survived (mostly, at least) and will soon commence a non-town-meeting-styled existance. yay ... good times.
i can't wait to go running again. i have a feeling my opinion on this might change when i wake up tomorrow and can't move, but for now, can't wait.
yay to johnoghue for jonatha concert voicemail (wow, try saying that five times fast)!
now i curl up in bed, likely listening to teitur as i fall asleep. seems like a perfect journey to dreamland album.
"i was just thinking ..."
3.02.2004
a haiku.
my feet hit the ground
my lungs breathe in the crisp air
feel like i could fly
after setting down my book, turning off my music and dragging myself off the couch, i went for my first burlington run this afternoon. didn't do too badly for the first time running in ... *pondering* ... well, since everything before went down.
it felt grand. probably ran a little over a mile, from my house down to burlington college, then walking back up side roads i never knew existed, past shops and interesting buildings i'd never seen. played a warped version of leapfrog with the puddles (much easier when walking than when running) and ran about a third of the way back once the raindrops began to fall again. fortunately the rainfall was brief and light, cooling my face and making me feel like a little kid (the bright yellow laces on my sneakers probably helped this too). i'm going to start running again and move these lathargic muscles on a more regular basis, growing stronger as the days grow longer.
it's funny to read about someone new, as teitur is to me, and read something along the lines of "among the new breed of male singer-songwriters -- in the company of john mayer, howie day, jack johnson and jason mraz ..." i didn't know whether to laugh at the thought that they've earned such name recognition or tsk as the critic because all four have been around for ages ...
and, considering that it's been one of my favorite expressions for awhile now, it brings me infinite joy to say that a friend will soon rock the casbah - literally. LOVE IT!
my feet hit the ground
my lungs breathe in the crisp air
feel like i could fly
after setting down my book, turning off my music and dragging myself off the couch, i went for my first burlington run this afternoon. didn't do too badly for the first time running in ... *pondering* ... well, since everything before went down.
it felt grand. probably ran a little over a mile, from my house down to burlington college, then walking back up side roads i never knew existed, past shops and interesting buildings i'd never seen. played a warped version of leapfrog with the puddles (much easier when walking than when running) and ran about a third of the way back once the raindrops began to fall again. fortunately the rainfall was brief and light, cooling my face and making me feel like a little kid (the bright yellow laces on my sneakers probably helped this too). i'm going to start running again and move these lathargic muscles on a more regular basis, growing stronger as the days grow longer.
it's funny to read about someone new, as teitur is to me, and read something along the lines of "among the new breed of male singer-songwriters -- in the company of john mayer, howie day, jack johnson and jason mraz ..." i didn't know whether to laugh at the thought that they've earned such name recognition or tsk as the critic because all four have been around for ages ...
and, considering that it's been one of my favorite expressions for awhile now, it brings me infinite joy to say that a friend will soon rock the casbah - literally. LOVE IT!
temptations.
so today, after getting through my second town meeting in as many days, i decided to treat myself. well, ok. i should clarify. i decided to continue my habit of treating myself, as i've given into temptation on several occasions over the past couple of days. all entirely justifiable, i say.
i digress - yet again. i decided to take the suggestions i've been hearing lately for new music and check it all out.
it began when i received pete's demo in the mail. "look what i can do. a demo." it was grand to hear pete in non-musical movie review form ... great stuff. i'm particularly keen on "whiskey song," although the song i sing along with most is "30down." i blame much of that on his description of it on brand x as his attempt to get on the real world soundtrack ("did they like it? i don't know, they never told me."). it amused me too much at the time to not sing along. but the entire ep is great - i've been listening to it pretty regularly since receiving it. hurrah, pete! get out to vermont, already! (wait, i feel a need to clarify, as i recall driving to bradford only days ago. get out to burlington, already! ah, now i feel better.)
today i was perusing the aisles, looking for something fun, when i decided to check out switchfoot (per suggestion by johnoghue). in my browsing, i also came along teitur's "poetry & aeroplanes," so decided to pick that up as well, as i've heard several people praising him as of late. what the hell - each less than ten dollars, so why not, right?
switchfoot's not bad, haven't had a chance to listen to the whole album. but i fell in love with teitur. very airy and dreamistic - it grabbed every bit of the unabashedly romantic side i hide and just ripped it to the surface. his voice conjures comparisons to elliott smith and rufus wainwright (an odd coupling, i know) and the simple, sentimental songs tug at you, no matter how cynical you may want to remain. by the third song, your inner romantic is letting loose. not something i'll listen to every day, i reckon, but certainly something i'll enjoy when i want to feel creative and don't want to care about letting the emotion flow. i highly recommend.
i also was incredibly excited to find the source of matty n.'s t-shirt from the higher ground show. so i decided to order it. it's been awhile since i had a random fun t-shirt - and this will support what looks like a cool place in texas - i'm assuming matt performed an instore there - i know mraz did and wouldn't be surprised if howie made an appearance at some point. and besides, i just like saying the name. "waterLOOOOO" - i know, wrong em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LAB-le.
but it's fun. and the shirt will tide me over til i finally buy my madam's organ shirt in adams morgan. ;-)
but for now, i am preparing to hit the street before the raindrops that are threatening to fall from the overcast sky. still warm (checked the weather report, supposed to cool down tonight and tomorrow - boo) and it's a perfect day for my first burlington run - not to mention my first run in i don't even know how long. it'll be short and sweet, i fear - but it's a start ...
ps. ACK!!!! teitur's playing burlington in april!!!! hurrah!!! it works out rather well - he'll be here on the thirtieth and i might travel to boston for a weekend of exploration/visitation/concert fun. while i won't deny that i'd rather be out in california rocking at coachella during radiohead, it appears that those plans will have to be scrapped anyway - as the only interest in my attending the festival has been (besides my own, obviously) from the left coast itself. so i can justify not attending (well, try to, anyway) by hitting up those shows instead and picking a date to hit up california a little later in the late spring/early summer.
april is shaping up to be a great stretch of music, as long as the damien rice show still goes up somewhere in the area ... i love having such things to look forward to.
so today, after getting through my second town meeting in as many days, i decided to treat myself. well, ok. i should clarify. i decided to continue my habit of treating myself, as i've given into temptation on several occasions over the past couple of days. all entirely justifiable, i say.
i digress - yet again. i decided to take the suggestions i've been hearing lately for new music and check it all out.
it began when i received pete's demo in the mail. "look what i can do. a demo." it was grand to hear pete in non-musical movie review form ... great stuff. i'm particularly keen on "whiskey song," although the song i sing along with most is "30down." i blame much of that on his description of it on brand x as his attempt to get on the real world soundtrack ("did they like it? i don't know, they never told me."). it amused me too much at the time to not sing along. but the entire ep is great - i've been listening to it pretty regularly since receiving it. hurrah, pete! get out to vermont, already! (wait, i feel a need to clarify, as i recall driving to bradford only days ago. get out to burlington, already! ah, now i feel better.)
today i was perusing the aisles, looking for something fun, when i decided to check out switchfoot (per suggestion by johnoghue). in my browsing, i also came along teitur's "poetry & aeroplanes," so decided to pick that up as well, as i've heard several people praising him as of late. what the hell - each less than ten dollars, so why not, right?
switchfoot's not bad, haven't had a chance to listen to the whole album. but i fell in love with teitur. very airy and dreamistic - it grabbed every bit of the unabashedly romantic side i hide and just ripped it to the surface. his voice conjures comparisons to elliott smith and rufus wainwright (an odd coupling, i know) and the simple, sentimental songs tug at you, no matter how cynical you may want to remain. by the third song, your inner romantic is letting loose. not something i'll listen to every day, i reckon, but certainly something i'll enjoy when i want to feel creative and don't want to care about letting the emotion flow. i highly recommend.
i also was incredibly excited to find the source of matty n.'s t-shirt from the higher ground show. so i decided to order it. it's been awhile since i had a random fun t-shirt - and this will support what looks like a cool place in texas - i'm assuming matt performed an instore there - i know mraz did and wouldn't be surprised if howie made an appearance at some point. and besides, i just like saying the name. "waterLOOOOO" - i know, wrong em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LAB-le.
but it's fun. and the shirt will tide me over til i finally buy my madam's organ shirt in adams morgan. ;-)
but for now, i am preparing to hit the street before the raindrops that are threatening to fall from the overcast sky. still warm (checked the weather report, supposed to cool down tonight and tomorrow - boo) and it's a perfect day for my first burlington run - not to mention my first run in i don't even know how long. it'll be short and sweet, i fear - but it's a start ...
ps. ACK!!!! teitur's playing burlington in april!!!! hurrah!!! it works out rather well - he'll be here on the thirtieth and i might travel to boston for a weekend of exploration/visitation/concert fun. while i won't deny that i'd rather be out in california rocking at coachella during radiohead, it appears that those plans will have to be scrapped anyway - as the only interest in my attending the festival has been (besides my own, obviously) from the left coast itself. so i can justify not attending (well, try to, anyway) by hitting up those shows instead and picking a date to hit up california a little later in the late spring/early summer.
april is shaping up to be a great stretch of music, as long as the damien rice show still goes up somewhere in the area ... i love having such things to look forward to.
3.01.2004
the pros and cons of going through e-mail memories
pro: coming across a simplesimon mailing and, as a result, going back and rereading most of the mailings from days gone by. found this one, one i'd forgotten but, upon re-reading it, remembered precisely where i was and what i was doing the first time i read it. and how much i loved it then, much as i do now.
an excerpt:
i saw a movie once where a writer
was trapped in a room
with all the characters he'd ever invented,
made up, created, destroyed.
loved, hated, and felt nothing for.
i believe that the majority of life is
making up what's going on, is looking
at the faces around you, and giving them
each meaning - every love and every hate
and everyone you feel nothing for. give
them each some part in your mind, in your
history, and in your place, and leave them
there.
everything that happens is a story of a
story and none of it has ever really happened.
it is all colored by the color of your cheeks,
by the doves that flew by yesterday,
by the birds that come
tomorrow.
sitting in a room with an illusion of illusion
the shadow of a shadow
and the faint memory of smell
con: you find other emails, from a time that seemed complicated then, but seems ridiculously simple in retrospect. and you wonder why an encounter can't be as simple and happy as it was. why you laugh with delight when you think you're not in eyesight or you tell yourself you don't give a damn. yet you mask your exhuberant smile with feigned maturity during the moments you inexplicably build up when really there's just no need and you wind up feeling ridiculously self-conscious and phony. you feel as if you're playing some game you don't know the rules to without realizing it until after the fact. therefore further distancing yourself from that former simplicity.
and you spend time analyizing when there's no need and you promised yourself you wouldn't. and you wind up overdramatizing something that's so ridiculous and juvenile to begin with and realize that you shouldn't analyze, you shouldn't dramatize, you shouldn't anything. you should just fucking grow up and get over it. "leave them there," indeed.
anyway. tonight's town meeting? 28 MINUTES! words cannot describe how happy i was. somehow i have a feeling tomorrow will not treat me as kindly. c'est la vie - i'll take what i can get. because it's all good in life!
pro: coming across a simplesimon mailing and, as a result, going back and rereading most of the mailings from days gone by. found this one, one i'd forgotten but, upon re-reading it, remembered precisely where i was and what i was doing the first time i read it. and how much i loved it then, much as i do now.
an excerpt:
i saw a movie once where a writer
was trapped in a room
with all the characters he'd ever invented,
made up, created, destroyed.
loved, hated, and felt nothing for.
i believe that the majority of life is
making up what's going on, is looking
at the faces around you, and giving them
each meaning - every love and every hate
and everyone you feel nothing for. give
them each some part in your mind, in your
history, and in your place, and leave them
there.
everything that happens is a story of a
story and none of it has ever really happened.
it is all colored by the color of your cheeks,
by the doves that flew by yesterday,
by the birds that come
tomorrow.
sitting in a room with an illusion of illusion
the shadow of a shadow
and the faint memory of smell
con: you find other emails, from a time that seemed complicated then, but seems ridiculously simple in retrospect. and you wonder why an encounter can't be as simple and happy as it was. why you laugh with delight when you think you're not in eyesight or you tell yourself you don't give a damn. yet you mask your exhuberant smile with feigned maturity during the moments you inexplicably build up when really there's just no need and you wind up feeling ridiculously self-conscious and phony. you feel as if you're playing some game you don't know the rules to without realizing it until after the fact. therefore further distancing yourself from that former simplicity.
and you spend time analyizing when there's no need and you promised yourself you wouldn't. and you wind up overdramatizing something that's so ridiculous and juvenile to begin with and realize that you shouldn't analyze, you shouldn't dramatize, you shouldn't anything. you should just fucking grow up and get over it. "leave them there," indeed.
anyway. tonight's town meeting? 28 MINUTES! words cannot describe how happy i was. somehow i have a feeling tomorrow will not treat me as kindly. c'est la vie - i'll take what i can get. because it's all good in life!
spring sunshine smiles
when did this happen? the last few days have been lovely, but nothing compared to today - weather-wise, i should say. i spent the hour before work walking up and down the hill, to and from the waterfront, smiling as the sun warmed me to the point where i pondered taking off the light jacket i was wearing. fellow pedestrians passed in light jackets of their own, some even simply wearing t-shirts. why not? it's 51 degrees!
i'm giddy. there's nothing better today than the sound of melting snow and the warm sunshine. i've got a perma-grin on my face, one that was bolstered by the happy smiles of my coworkers and a short email waiting for me, just wanting to say hi in the midst of the madness.
happiness is mine today! hurrah!
p.s. after checking my email, i think becca has assumed the title of vermont's biggest averi fan. april birthday bonanza to commence at nectar's on the 2nd. two times the birthdays, two times the fun.
when did this happen? the last few days have been lovely, but nothing compared to today - weather-wise, i should say. i spent the hour before work walking up and down the hill, to and from the waterfront, smiling as the sun warmed me to the point where i pondered taking off the light jacket i was wearing. fellow pedestrians passed in light jackets of their own, some even simply wearing t-shirts. why not? it's 51 degrees!
i'm giddy. there's nothing better today than the sound of melting snow and the warm sunshine. i've got a perma-grin on my face, one that was bolstered by the happy smiles of my coworkers and a short email waiting for me, just wanting to say hi in the midst of the madness.
happiness is mine today! hurrah!
p.s. after checking my email, i think becca has assumed the title of vermont's biggest averi fan. april birthday bonanza to commence at nectar's on the 2nd. two times the birthdays, two times the fun.
2.29.2004
i <3 oscar.
whenever i watch pre-award show coverage, i am angered by how ridiculously lame the "reporters" are. this year is already no exception. billy bush's interview with a. jolie reeked of leering sketchball - the fact that he asked her to wave from the fourth step up the staircase and missed her turning a sharp corner made it all that much better.
i could do such a better job than this lame idiot ...
whenever i watch pre-award show coverage, i am angered by how ridiculously lame the "reporters" are. this year is already no exception. billy bush's interview with a. jolie reeked of leering sketchball - the fact that he asked her to wave from the fourth step up the staircase and missed her turning a sharp corner made it all that much better.
i could do such a better job than this lame idiot ...
happy leaping
ah, the 29th of february. that day that comes once every four years to mess up your train of thought and drag what is generally the dreariest month of the year one day longer ...
but it's all good - it's warming up. i know it's probably just a temporary thing, but i have this optimistic hope deep inside that squeals at the thought of spring finally approaching. march will begin tomorrow, a trip to d.c. will (hopefully) begin in a few weeks and the winter will be far behind us soon - i hope.
anyhoo. oscar day - which means i will be getting in touch with my pop culture-craving self this evening. i recall watching the oscars last year, sitting in the living room with chloe and nicole, eating delivered chinese and lamenting the fact that they had cancelled most of the red carpet arrival coverage. damned higher terrorism alert levels interfering in our star-gazing.
i'm obviously not at arthur miller this aftenroon - by the time i called for a ticket, all the $75 seats were sold out. i would have been willing to pay $125 for a chance to sit down for a drink with a.m. or perhaps have his brain transplanted into my head. but for a play that isn't earning very good reviews in a preview setting nearly three hours away, i wasn't feeling it. i know, i'm a horrible theater person.
yet i'm somehow over it. hmm.
ah, the 29th of february. that day that comes once every four years to mess up your train of thought and drag what is generally the dreariest month of the year one day longer ...
but it's all good - it's warming up. i know it's probably just a temporary thing, but i have this optimistic hope deep inside that squeals at the thought of spring finally approaching. march will begin tomorrow, a trip to d.c. will (hopefully) begin in a few weeks and the winter will be far behind us soon - i hope.
anyhoo. oscar day - which means i will be getting in touch with my pop culture-craving self this evening. i recall watching the oscars last year, sitting in the living room with chloe and nicole, eating delivered chinese and lamenting the fact that they had cancelled most of the red carpet arrival coverage. damned higher terrorism alert levels interfering in our star-gazing.
i'm obviously not at arthur miller this aftenroon - by the time i called for a ticket, all the $75 seats were sold out. i would have been willing to pay $125 for a chance to sit down for a drink with a.m. or perhaps have his brain transplanted into my head. but for a play that isn't earning very good reviews in a preview setting nearly three hours away, i wasn't feeling it. i know, i'm a horrible theater person.
yet i'm somehow over it. hmm.
2.28.2004
the world is my playground
in an unusual move, i chose to delete the post from this morning (well, ok, late late morning - practically early afternoon). i felt that today's adventures are such a continuation of yesterday's exploits that they warranted a single mass post of weekend goodness.
so, feeling rather redundant, i begin at the beginning - again.
yesterday was a blur of chaos and mayhem during the daylight hours. our intrepid reporter spent her now-atypical day shift getting into disagreements with law officials and tracking down all the news you could use - or at least, all the news she was determined to get to the bottom of. death, destruction, mayhem and scandal. whoo hoo, this is my life. or, rather, this is your life, northwestern vermont.
after the long day of feeling frazzled yet hooked on the rushing adrenaline, i raced home, reveled in calling out "hi honey i'm home" and hearing several voices respond in greeting and delighted in the arrival of more musical goodness from san diego - yay pete - before taking a bite of the sandwich beth and chuck brought home for my dinner (xoxoxoxo to you two), cleaning out the car, greeting becca, piling into the car and heading to bradford for musicial goodness of a different variety - the live kind.
we travel, we descend upon the musical hall nestled in the middle of bradford's surprisingly booming metropolis (at least by small town vermont standards) and we proceed to enjoy a couple of hours of performance by my favorite five guys from boston since nkotb.
the set-and-a-half worth of music was solid, per usual. i sang along and danced about, as always. witnessed more drinking - albeit less than last time (no need to keep the body temperature up this time around). good times had by all.
yet, for the first time in awhile at such a show, the band was an added bonus. the best thing was enjoying a mini-roadtrip with friends, chatting in the car and laughing, singing and dancing at the venue. i wasn't spending all of my time focusing on those standing beneath the lights - i was just as interested in interacting with the three people at my table in the shadows. i loved it.
special note: several new songs were performed - quite good. "with or without you" made its first appearance at a vickie-attended show since metronome. love the cover, loved the memories conjured.
said a hello, got a hug, made our way back onto the roads, on which we returned to the north and civilization. end of that story.
woke up to find the sun shining, sky gorgeously blue and the weather ready to cooperate with our tentative plans (finally). delightful lunch followed by walking around with hot chocolates/expressos/mint/tiramisu/don't-know-what-the-hell-it-was-anymore-but-it-was-good drinks. headed home and said some goodbyes-for-now before heading back downtown to meet up with johnoghue for tea and conversation. a walk while chatting led to the waterfront, where i was amazed to see people walking on the lake and playing hockey. after john's surprise that i'd never walked on the lake, we approached the shore and i took the first steps in my quest to walk on (frozen) water. my jitters about falling through quickly faded and we made our way to the breakwaters, then turned away from the fading sunset to look at burlington, lit up with neon and flourescence.
a few years ago, i wrote a story about kayaking and began it with something along the lines of "beyond the breakwaters of lake champlain lies a chance to see burlington in a new light." this evening, i finally saw that view and was amazed. so incredibly gorgeous - i felt a need to exclaim "I LOVE THIS CITY!!!"
during the walk back and several shortcuts and side routes to find new places i never knew existed, we walked up main street and passed the flynnspace. noticing james across the street, we wondered who the man was standing by him. deciding to say hello, we crossed and, when james turned, i exclaimed "OH MY GOD!!!"
he was with louns, my all-time favorite instructor EVER. i hadn't seen him since one of the last days of my junior year of college and had missed him tremendously. and had actually been talking about him a week and a half prior to this unexpected encounter.
with the day's events, what could have been simply a fun friday turned into a great weekend. i returned home feeling invincible and ready to take on vermont, the country, the world, the universe. ah. i feel almost as if i should mark this post so that i can return to it easily - whenever things are going badly, whenever i feel alone. because i have great friends, i live in a great place, spring is coming and life is grand.
but as i am on top of the world, i send thoughts of positivity to someone in need of hugs and sunshine. the one good thing about the lower left quadrant of the circle of fortune is that things must go up. and they will. and i'm arranging to be able to say that in person in mid-march, rebecca in tow.
ah ... i now turn to a movie, humming rilo kiley as i do so ...
... sometimes when you're on, you're really fucking on ... and your friends, they sing along and they love you ...
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo - victoria
in an unusual move, i chose to delete the post from this morning (well, ok, late late morning - practically early afternoon). i felt that today's adventures are such a continuation of yesterday's exploits that they warranted a single mass post of weekend goodness.
so, feeling rather redundant, i begin at the beginning - again.
yesterday was a blur of chaos and mayhem during the daylight hours. our intrepid reporter spent her now-atypical day shift getting into disagreements with law officials and tracking down all the news you could use - or at least, all the news she was determined to get to the bottom of. death, destruction, mayhem and scandal. whoo hoo, this is my life. or, rather, this is your life, northwestern vermont.
after the long day of feeling frazzled yet hooked on the rushing adrenaline, i raced home, reveled in calling out "hi honey i'm home" and hearing several voices respond in greeting and delighted in the arrival of more musical goodness from san diego - yay pete - before taking a bite of the sandwich beth and chuck brought home for my dinner (xoxoxoxo to you two), cleaning out the car, greeting becca, piling into the car and heading to bradford for musicial goodness of a different variety - the live kind.
we travel, we descend upon the musical hall nestled in the middle of bradford's surprisingly booming metropolis (at least by small town vermont standards) and we proceed to enjoy a couple of hours of performance by my favorite five guys from boston since nkotb.
the set-and-a-half worth of music was solid, per usual. i sang along and danced about, as always. witnessed more drinking - albeit less than last time (no need to keep the body temperature up this time around). good times had by all.
yet, for the first time in awhile at such a show, the band was an added bonus. the best thing was enjoying a mini-roadtrip with friends, chatting in the car and laughing, singing and dancing at the venue. i wasn't spending all of my time focusing on those standing beneath the lights - i was just as interested in interacting with the three people at my table in the shadows. i loved it.
special note: several new songs were performed - quite good. "with or without you" made its first appearance at a vickie-attended show since metronome. love the cover, loved the memories conjured.
said a hello, got a hug, made our way back onto the roads, on which we returned to the north and civilization. end of that story.
woke up to find the sun shining, sky gorgeously blue and the weather ready to cooperate with our tentative plans (finally). delightful lunch followed by walking around with hot chocolates/expressos/mint/tiramisu/don't-know-what-the-hell-it-was-anymore-but-it-was-good drinks. headed home and said some goodbyes-for-now before heading back downtown to meet up with johnoghue for tea and conversation. a walk while chatting led to the waterfront, where i was amazed to see people walking on the lake and playing hockey. after john's surprise that i'd never walked on the lake, we approached the shore and i took the first steps in my quest to walk on (frozen) water. my jitters about falling through quickly faded and we made our way to the breakwaters, then turned away from the fading sunset to look at burlington, lit up with neon and flourescence.
a few years ago, i wrote a story about kayaking and began it with something along the lines of "beyond the breakwaters of lake champlain lies a chance to see burlington in a new light." this evening, i finally saw that view and was amazed. so incredibly gorgeous - i felt a need to exclaim "I LOVE THIS CITY!!!"
during the walk back and several shortcuts and side routes to find new places i never knew existed, we walked up main street and passed the flynnspace. noticing james across the street, we wondered who the man was standing by him. deciding to say hello, we crossed and, when james turned, i exclaimed "OH MY GOD!!!"
he was with louns, my all-time favorite instructor EVER. i hadn't seen him since one of the last days of my junior year of college and had missed him tremendously. and had actually been talking about him a week and a half prior to this unexpected encounter.
with the day's events, what could have been simply a fun friday turned into a great weekend. i returned home feeling invincible and ready to take on vermont, the country, the world, the universe. ah. i feel almost as if i should mark this post so that i can return to it easily - whenever things are going badly, whenever i feel alone. because i have great friends, i live in a great place, spring is coming and life is grand.
but as i am on top of the world, i send thoughts of positivity to someone in need of hugs and sunshine. the one good thing about the lower left quadrant of the circle of fortune is that things must go up. and they will. and i'm arranging to be able to say that in person in mid-march, rebecca in tow.
ah ... i now turn to a movie, humming rilo kiley as i do so ...
... sometimes when you're on, you're really fucking on ... and your friends, they sing along and they love you ...
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo - victoria
2.27.2004
annual butchering of the oscars
thought i should quickly offer my annual oscar picks, which really means my annual oscar mishandling, as i rarely get the big ones right. but i'm hooked on the golden statues, so i'll give it a shot anyway.
best actor: i'm thinking bill murray for lost in translation, for a brilliantly understated performance. although i'd love to see johnny depp pull the upset.
best actress: i've heard she does an amazing job and shows her acting chops. but i really think charlize theron will get the oscar because she's a beautiful woman who made herself ugly for the sake of a performance. she'll follow nicole kidman, who has, in my opion, given much better performances than the hours, but was willing to get "ugly" for the role.
best supporting actor: i haven't seen mystic river yet (and really want to), but i worship tim robbins and i hear he does an amazing job.
best supporting actress: big surprise, renee will finally get the oscar. i think it's in the bag because people are also going to make up for the chicago overlook - the oscar she deserved (again, see nicole tangent).
best director: if peter jackson doesn't get this, i'm storming the oscars. billy crystal watch out.
best original screenplay: lost in translation. brilliant.
best adapted screenplay: i'm cheering for return of the king, but i predict it'll go to mystic river.
best picture: lord of the rings: return of the king. i've been waiting three years to see peter jackson accept the oscar for lotr. it's his turn.
whoo hoo - had my first argument as a journalist with police officers today!
thought i should quickly offer my annual oscar picks, which really means my annual oscar mishandling, as i rarely get the big ones right. but i'm hooked on the golden statues, so i'll give it a shot anyway.
best actor: i'm thinking bill murray for lost in translation, for a brilliantly understated performance. although i'd love to see johnny depp pull the upset.
best actress: i've heard she does an amazing job and shows her acting chops. but i really think charlize theron will get the oscar because she's a beautiful woman who made herself ugly for the sake of a performance. she'll follow nicole kidman, who has, in my opion, given much better performances than the hours, but was willing to get "ugly" for the role.
best supporting actor: i haven't seen mystic river yet (and really want to), but i worship tim robbins and i hear he does an amazing job.
best supporting actress: big surprise, renee will finally get the oscar. i think it's in the bag because people are also going to make up for the chicago overlook - the oscar she deserved (again, see nicole tangent).
best director: if peter jackson doesn't get this, i'm storming the oscars. billy crystal watch out.
best original screenplay: lost in translation. brilliant.
best adapted screenplay: i'm cheering for return of the king, but i predict it'll go to mystic river.
best picture: lord of the rings: return of the king. i've been waiting three years to see peter jackson accept the oscar for lotr. it's his turn.
whoo hoo - had my first argument as a journalist with police officers today!
2.26.2004
take that, mel gibson!
while everyone else is talking about "the passion of the christ" and that whole christ dying and rising again, i'm focused on a completely different kind of resurrection.
i never thought i'd say this, but i have been reuinited with the chair.
well, not the real chair - the lime green armchair i covered with a tapestry and fell in love with in my dc apartment. that is miles upon miles away from my burlington apartment. i wanted to bring it with me when i moved out, but it wouldn't fit in the car. i came close to tears. well, not really. but i took a couple of pictures of myself in it so i could always remember its comfortable goodness.
anyway. flash forward to today, when my parents came up to burlington to bring some more of the items i'd acquired from the family friend who provided the pineapple furniture. among the lamp and the wicker basket/table, my father lugged in a plush sky-blue armchair.
when he set it down in the corner and i was able to look at it for the first time, i squealed with joy. it was my dc chair, reincarnated in blue form! i sank into its plushy goodness and threw my legs over one arm and instantly felt like i was back in the mid-atlantic region, in my bedroom of old. i only needed paul playing guitar near me and chloe watching "the simpsons" in the next room for the feeling to be complete.
since i had neither, i focused on my happy memories and spun the chair around while i reminisced.
it waits for me now, as i finish my hours at the paper and prepare to return home, where i will likely pick out a book to read (as i finished the jones sequel yesterday), curl up and read in my chair of yesterday/today until i begin to doze off to sleep.
happiness.
in other news. after using the wonders of technology to chat with johnoghue and introduce him to pete's musical movie reviews last night, i did, as predicted, have one of the songs in my head all day today. i had expected it to be "the big bounce," but it turned out to be "big fish" after all. he had predicted he would be singing "big fish" all day - i wonder if we just wound up unconciously switching sometime during our respective rem cycles. hmm ...
big fish, big fish, big fish frickin rocks ...
while everyone else is talking about "the passion of the christ" and that whole christ dying and rising again, i'm focused on a completely different kind of resurrection.
i never thought i'd say this, but i have been reuinited with the chair.
well, not the real chair - the lime green armchair i covered with a tapestry and fell in love with in my dc apartment. that is miles upon miles away from my burlington apartment. i wanted to bring it with me when i moved out, but it wouldn't fit in the car. i came close to tears. well, not really. but i took a couple of pictures of myself in it so i could always remember its comfortable goodness.
anyway. flash forward to today, when my parents came up to burlington to bring some more of the items i'd acquired from the family friend who provided the pineapple furniture. among the lamp and the wicker basket/table, my father lugged in a plush sky-blue armchair.
when he set it down in the corner and i was able to look at it for the first time, i squealed with joy. it was my dc chair, reincarnated in blue form! i sank into its plushy goodness and threw my legs over one arm and instantly felt like i was back in the mid-atlantic region, in my bedroom of old. i only needed paul playing guitar near me and chloe watching "the simpsons" in the next room for the feeling to be complete.
since i had neither, i focused on my happy memories and spun the chair around while i reminisced.
it waits for me now, as i finish my hours at the paper and prepare to return home, where i will likely pick out a book to read (as i finished the jones sequel yesterday), curl up and read in my chair of yesterday/today until i begin to doze off to sleep.
happiness.
in other news. after using the wonders of technology to chat with johnoghue and introduce him to pete's musical movie reviews last night, i did, as predicted, have one of the songs in my head all day today. i had expected it to be "the big bounce," but it turned out to be "big fish" after all. he had predicted he would be singing "big fish" all day - i wonder if we just wound up unconciously switching sometime during our respective rem cycles. hmm ...
big fish, big fish, big fish frickin rocks ...
burnt orange
before stopping at red onion for a dinnertime sandwich, i had to run to my car to get the atm card that would provide the money for said sandwhich. lucky me for being forgetful. as i walked to my car, i crossed main street and gazed upon an abosolutely gorgeous sunset over the lake. i was just in time for my favorite time of day ... when the sky was still light enough to see clearly, but the neon of the streetlights and the flynn marquee glowed nearly as brightly as the lake appeared to glow.
when i arrived home after work this evening, the moon was a burnt orange crescent, so bright it took a few minutes to realize it was the moon and not a florescent streetlight partially obscured.
as i head to bed, i urge you to download this song. i'm shocked no one thought of it before. bloody brilliant.
before stopping at red onion for a dinnertime sandwich, i had to run to my car to get the atm card that would provide the money for said sandwhich. lucky me for being forgetful. as i walked to my car, i crossed main street and gazed upon an abosolutely gorgeous sunset over the lake. i was just in time for my favorite time of day ... when the sky was still light enough to see clearly, but the neon of the streetlights and the flynn marquee glowed nearly as brightly as the lake appeared to glow.
when i arrived home after work this evening, the moon was a burnt orange crescent, so bright it took a few minutes to realize it was the moon and not a florescent streetlight partially obscured.
as i head to bed, i urge you to download this song. i'm shocked no one thought of it before. bloody brilliant.
2.25.2004
notes from the future.
it's an interesting sensation, sitting at my desk during the evening of february 25, reading a new journal entry from february 26. time zones are so bizarre. sure, i'm aware of the whole sun striking portions of the earth at different times aspect - as anyone is - but really, when you have to tack on a whole extra day, things get really strange. i have a difficult enough time remembering how many hours to count back when i try calling utah - let alone thinking about what day it may be in japan.
nevertheless. i digress. (and rhyme.) new journal to enjoy, including a rather unexpected political statement. granted, i agree with it, but i was surprised nonetheless. i had to laugh when i read, "If you’ve never contacted your congressman before, now is an excellent time to exercise one of your last constitutional rights and defend nothing more than love."
thank you, but i have certainly contacted my congressman in the not-so-distant past. and then some ... but i laughed when i imagined godzilla storming down pennsylvania ave. i wonder if it would be like me and get lost while searching for a particular penn. ave. landmark and wind up in dupont circle ...
hmm. doubt it. godzillas probably have better senses of direction that i.
if one is not a fan of the ever-brilliant writing, the entry is worth viewing simply for the crash course in japanese he provides in conversational form. as i read the entry, though, i was struck by the sensation of having my wondering about what japan is like (from a few days ago) answered so succinctly. still want to get there - and shall, one day hopefully not so far away from today.
in vermont-based news. i'm actually quite upset to announce that higher ground will officially close on april 15. for those not familiar with the space, after club toast closed after my freshman year of college, higher ground became the place to see musicians. i probably can't even recall all the of the artists i've seen there, but just a few include glen phillips, matt nathanson, and cherry poppin' daddies. i interviewed john mayer at higher ground. i cursed missing elliott smith when he played there. mraz opened for howie on that stage (and i missed it). my senior slide show was there - most of my graduating class was packed inside the relatively small space, drunk and sentimental. it's a major piece of my college - and musical - memories.
so i'm going to go to higher ground at some point in the coming weeks and take photographs of the place. provide myself at least a few snapshots to assist my future storytelling endeavors when i try to describe to people why it was the perfect place in the area to attend a show. from the posters on the walls to the couch in the sitting area to the murals and pool table.
since the venue is closing on the 15th and damien rice is supposed to play there on the 20th, hg's alex said he's going to try to find another venue to host that show and the other handful that have already been scheduled. and he's hoping to find a new location for the club soon.
please hurry.
other news. arthur miller will be in vermont on sunday and i'm hoping to make a trip to see for myself. he's attending a preview of a new play of his and tickets are costly - but fuck it. it's arthur miller. my theater-loving soul would hate me forever if i passed it up. and then i can drive to southern vermont and arrive in time to watch billy crystal rock the oscars. whoo hoo!
Tai-kara denwa suru.
it's an interesting sensation, sitting at my desk during the evening of february 25, reading a new journal entry from february 26. time zones are so bizarre. sure, i'm aware of the whole sun striking portions of the earth at different times aspect - as anyone is - but really, when you have to tack on a whole extra day, things get really strange. i have a difficult enough time remembering how many hours to count back when i try calling utah - let alone thinking about what day it may be in japan.
nevertheless. i digress. (and rhyme.) new journal to enjoy, including a rather unexpected political statement. granted, i agree with it, but i was surprised nonetheless. i had to laugh when i read, "If you’ve never contacted your congressman before, now is an excellent time to exercise one of your last constitutional rights and defend nothing more than love."
thank you, but i have certainly contacted my congressman in the not-so-distant past. and then some ... but i laughed when i imagined godzilla storming down pennsylvania ave. i wonder if it would be like me and get lost while searching for a particular penn. ave. landmark and wind up in dupont circle ...
hmm. doubt it. godzillas probably have better senses of direction that i.
if one is not a fan of the ever-brilliant writing, the entry is worth viewing simply for the crash course in japanese he provides in conversational form. as i read the entry, though, i was struck by the sensation of having my wondering about what japan is like (from a few days ago) answered so succinctly. still want to get there - and shall, one day hopefully not so far away from today.
in vermont-based news. i'm actually quite upset to announce that higher ground will officially close on april 15. for those not familiar with the space, after club toast closed after my freshman year of college, higher ground became the place to see musicians. i probably can't even recall all the of the artists i've seen there, but just a few include glen phillips, matt nathanson, and cherry poppin' daddies. i interviewed john mayer at higher ground. i cursed missing elliott smith when he played there. mraz opened for howie on that stage (and i missed it). my senior slide show was there - most of my graduating class was packed inside the relatively small space, drunk and sentimental. it's a major piece of my college - and musical - memories.
so i'm going to go to higher ground at some point in the coming weeks and take photographs of the place. provide myself at least a few snapshots to assist my future storytelling endeavors when i try to describe to people why it was the perfect place in the area to attend a show. from the posters on the walls to the couch in the sitting area to the murals and pool table.
since the venue is closing on the 15th and damien rice is supposed to play there on the 20th, hg's alex said he's going to try to find another venue to host that show and the other handful that have already been scheduled. and he's hoping to find a new location for the club soon.
please hurry.
other news. arthur miller will be in vermont on sunday and i'm hoping to make a trip to see for myself. he's attending a preview of a new play of his and tickets are costly - but fuck it. it's arthur miller. my theater-loving soul would hate me forever if i passed it up. and then i can drive to southern vermont and arrive in time to watch billy crystal rock the oscars. whoo hoo!
Tai-kara denwa suru.
ms. jones ...
have nearly finished bridget jones sequel. must thank elizabeth for loaning it. feeling v. good. am adjusting brilliantly to new schedule, relaxing in the morning, reading, otherwise languishing around with no worries about obligation for several more hours.
looking forward to the weekend and visitors. musicial revelry in order friday, even if venue is in middle of nowhere. will make best of situation and endeavor on road trip with friends.
now will search for concerts for this summer. am still hoping to get to coachella. would a festival in pacific time be fun if attended solo? must ponder.
have nearly finished bridget jones sequel. must thank elizabeth for loaning it. feeling v. good. am adjusting brilliantly to new schedule, relaxing in the morning, reading, otherwise languishing around with no worries about obligation for several more hours.
looking forward to the weekend and visitors. musicial revelry in order friday, even if venue is in middle of nowhere. will make best of situation and endeavor on road trip with friends.
now will search for concerts for this summer. am still hoping to get to coachella. would a festival in pacific time be fun if attended solo? must ponder.
2.24.2004
aw...
i have been the happy recipient of some great emails lately. while some are random (including the beatgreets best of the 80s or whatever that was beth sent me that had me laughing my arse off) to surprisingly delightful messages from far-off lands to the latest, a congratulatory message from a former professor (actually, i should clarify - the professor who inspired me to push myself as a journalist before defender was even a possibility for my young self - and the professor for whom i wrote what i still consider some of my best somewhat-creative writing pieces), congratulating me in the kindest manner on my new job and inviting me to speak to current students who are contemplating entering this rat race of a profession i'm in.
i don't know what it is, i'm just full of smiles today. the sun is shining, it feels like spring is around the corner (i know, it's likely a tease, but i'll go with it), i have a press packet for the play i'm going to review (HURRAH!!!!) and i'm going to get my stories done - and they're going to rock, dammit.
i have wonderful friends, new and old, i have a great job (no matter how much i may bitch on occasion) and things are grand.
i have been the happy recipient of some great emails lately. while some are random (including the beatgreets best of the 80s or whatever that was beth sent me that had me laughing my arse off) to surprisingly delightful messages from far-off lands to the latest, a congratulatory message from a former professor (actually, i should clarify - the professor who inspired me to push myself as a journalist before defender was even a possibility for my young self - and the professor for whom i wrote what i still consider some of my best somewhat-creative writing pieces), congratulating me in the kindest manner on my new job and inviting me to speak to current students who are contemplating entering this rat race of a profession i'm in.
i don't know what it is, i'm just full of smiles today. the sun is shining, it feels like spring is around the corner (i know, it's likely a tease, but i'll go with it), i have a press packet for the play i'm going to review (HURRAH!!!!) and i'm going to get my stories done - and they're going to rock, dammit.
i have wonderful friends, new and old, i have a great job (no matter how much i may bitch on occasion) and things are grand.
yet another reason ...
why my favorite musician is held so highly in my esteem.
i came across this story yesterday and, like the others who were pointed in its direction, thought it was an incredibly sweet tale. it's great to see how someone's music and personality can affect a musiclover so much.
apparently i'm not the only one who feels that way, as i learned today that there was a comment made on the lj by the person for whom the message of gratitude was intended. check this out - it's great.
so why is no one alerting him to the literary references i make? hmm??? ;-)
why my favorite musician is held so highly in my esteem.
i came across this story yesterday and, like the others who were pointed in its direction, thought it was an incredibly sweet tale. it's great to see how someone's music and personality can affect a musiclover so much.
apparently i'm not the only one who feels that way, as i learned today that there was a comment made on the lj by the person for whom the message of gratitude was intended. check this out - it's great.
so why is no one alerting him to the literary references i make? hmm??? ;-)
2.23.2004
night owls
tonight marks my first night on the official "night beat." i'm here in my corner, the copy editors doing their thing over on the other side of the newsroom, my editor still diligently working away. otherwise, it feels as if the building is ours ... while i know there are still people working hard (or hardly working) within the four floors of office space, it feels as if i'm one of a skeleton crew waiting for the next bit of news to break.
head still hurts. i've resigned myself to the fact that it will ache until fall asleep tonight. still pissed off about it, though. not that it does any good.
also pissed off that i left the dvd i'd purchased in southern vermont at the parentals' place. in my continuing trend of watching movies with some form of "on location" theme, i bought "brokedown palace." it was on sale and i remember liking it when i saw it first. but that was also during the phase in which i wanted to be claire danes.
wait a minute. i still want to be claire danes. which means i'll still like the flick. good deal.
tonight marks my first night on the official "night beat." i'm here in my corner, the copy editors doing their thing over on the other side of the newsroom, my editor still diligently working away. otherwise, it feels as if the building is ours ... while i know there are still people working hard (or hardly working) within the four floors of office space, it feels as if i'm one of a skeleton crew waiting for the next bit of news to break.
head still hurts. i've resigned myself to the fact that it will ache until fall asleep tonight. still pissed off about it, though. not that it does any good.
also pissed off that i left the dvd i'd purchased in southern vermont at the parentals' place. in my continuing trend of watching movies with some form of "on location" theme, i bought "brokedown palace." it was on sale and i remember liking it when i saw it first. but that was also during the phase in which i wanted to be claire danes.
wait a minute. i still want to be claire danes. which means i'll still like the flick. good deal.
congratulations - it's a tension headache!
i'm surprised i haven't had one of these before. after all, i've gone through some pretty stressful times in my day. sure, i've had headaches - but as i sat here this afternoon, i experienced a different kind of head pain.
i contemplated my options. i'd taken medication not too long ago, so that was out. tried eating some fruit to up the natural sugar in my system, drank plenty of water to keep hydrated. yet the pain continued.
i haven't been feeling overly well anyway. so i suspect i do, in fact, have a touch of the burlington plague that's going around. but this headache has no reason to exist - and, as the ever-comforting voice of my mother suggested (ok. yes, i didn't feel well so i called my mom. i swear that works 99 percent of the time and makes me feel at least a bit better), i think i have a tension headache.
or, to describe in more colorful terms, i feel like i have a 168-piece marching band trying to squeeze through a narrow doorway. a lot of noise and pressure. the clicking of my keyboard hurts.
which means i'll stop my typing now.
i'm surprised i haven't had one of these before. after all, i've gone through some pretty stressful times in my day. sure, i've had headaches - but as i sat here this afternoon, i experienced a different kind of head pain.
i contemplated my options. i'd taken medication not too long ago, so that was out. tried eating some fruit to up the natural sugar in my system, drank plenty of water to keep hydrated. yet the pain continued.
i haven't been feeling overly well anyway. so i suspect i do, in fact, have a touch of the burlington plague that's going around. but this headache has no reason to exist - and, as the ever-comforting voice of my mother suggested (ok. yes, i didn't feel well so i called my mom. i swear that works 99 percent of the time and makes me feel at least a bit better), i think i have a tension headache.
or, to describe in more colorful terms, i feel like i have a 168-piece marching band trying to squeeze through a narrow doorway. a lot of noise and pressure. the clicking of my keyboard hurts.
which means i'll stop my typing now.
grr.
i worry all weekend, i come in early and i sit here convinced that i won't finish my story in time, since it's due in about four minutes. granted, i was going to be late, as i haven't heard back from a source yet, but it's just about done.
then i see in the paper that it's not due until tomorrow. a change that no one clued me into.
must have missed the memo.
but i've my silver lining ... actually a few of them. for instant literary gratification, i enjoyed a new journal entry.
I’ll let this entry end without a cute quote and care-not. It’s probably gone on too long anyway for us, the generation of readers who seek simplicity in radio edits and single page posts.
... while i exist among my fellow ramblers, digressors, and othersp in favor of the stream-of-conscious rants that make both the best reading and the best stories.
and my other silver lining? less than a week until musical revelry that i'm looking forward to with a bright smile.
as my head ached this morning before i headed to work, i popped a couple alleve (which i now have, thanks to saturday's experience feeling as if i was knocking on heaven's door) and decided to listen to something fun to brighten my outlook. this was good, but my listening selection is now stuck in my head. which is fine for me, but if i start singing lines from the ditty in my head, i think my coworkers will think i'm on crack.
xoxoxoxo - vickie
ps. read matt's latest. crazy bastard. i <3.
i worry all weekend, i come in early and i sit here convinced that i won't finish my story in time, since it's due in about four minutes. granted, i was going to be late, as i haven't heard back from a source yet, but it's just about done.
then i see in the paper that it's not due until tomorrow. a change that no one clued me into.
must have missed the memo.
but i've my silver lining ... actually a few of them. for instant literary gratification, i enjoyed a new journal entry.
I’ll let this entry end without a cute quote and care-not. It’s probably gone on too long anyway for us, the generation of readers who seek simplicity in radio edits and single page posts.
... while i exist among my fellow ramblers, digressors, and othersp in favor of the stream-of-conscious rants that make both the best reading and the best stories.
and my other silver lining? less than a week until musical revelry that i'm looking forward to with a bright smile.
as my head ached this morning before i headed to work, i popped a couple alleve (which i now have, thanks to saturday's experience feeling as if i was knocking on heaven's door) and decided to listen to something fun to brighten my outlook. this was good, but my listening selection is now stuck in my head. which is fine for me, but if i start singing lines from the ditty in my head, i think my coworkers will think i'm on crack.
xoxoxoxo - vickie
ps. read matt's latest. crazy bastard. i <3.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
