i'm taking a break from the packing process (well, i'm just about finished with packing, it's more of the loading up the car process, but i digress) to quickly fill you in on the latest example of bostonian debauchery--as well as my preparations for leaving (which occurs in a few hours--yeah, i doubt i'm sleeping tonight too).

but before d.c., boston: once again, averi kicked some concert arse with their performance at the house of blues. i actually love the venue--kind of rustic/laidback/intimate/casual--michelle called it "almost divey, but not really," which i think fits it really well. the basement and main floors of the building serve as dining space while the second and third floors are performance space (second floor has the stage, third is dressing room area). the band packed in a good crowd and delivered a fantastic performance. they played every track off of "direction of motion" (if not all ten, then nine of the ten), as well as two new songs (i love "she waits"), the "with or without you" cover, "garden of eden" and "despondent" and chad performed a solo acoustic song. the band was obviously having a blast--just watching the look of joy wash over their faces as the crowd sang along and cheered was wonderful.

it was a great night--definitely worth the trip. it was great to see the band perform once more before i leave (while i hope i can see them again soon, who knows, right?), it was good to be able to talk to chad a little bit and it was wonderful to be able to have one last boston adventure with my concert-going partner in crime michelle. from wandering harvard square (i want to go back sometime, i was intrigued by the area) to hoping against hope that we didn't miss the last t and all the laughs along the way, i had a great, great time.

after waking up far too early and making the trip back to vermont, today has been rough--putting it mildly. it's a lot easier to think about moving when there's more than 24 hours before said move. besides feeling like i don't have everything done and the apprehension of "what if they all hate me?", there's the horrible process of saying goodbyes. not that seeing people is horrible, obviously, but i suck at goodbyes. comes with the overdramatic sap character trait. needless to say, i've been crying all day. but it's not entirely my fault! everyone's been incredibly sweet. said goodbye to michelle this morning, was listening to the radio and i heard "ghost" for the first time (on the radio, that is). the whole "wow, everything's changing so quickly" thought popped into my head and boom--i cried. mike had asked me to stop into work, so when i did, becky gave me a scrapbook she had made for me. it was covered with winnie-the-pooh (a.a. milne style, not disney--score) fabric and has a gorgeous maya angelou quote on it and has colored pencils, a glue stick--the works--inside. everyone signed it and wished me well--i cried. met up with becca and baz to hang out for a bit and say so long for now--cried in the car. got to bethy's, talked and watched a bit of the vma's before saying goodbye--cried at her house and in the car. got a couple of emails that meant a lot to me--cried.

i am such a sap.

but hey, it's an adventure, and i think i'm ready for this. despite my apparent failure to stop the waterworks, i'm excited about what tomorrow brings. this is going to be a fun year--nothing i've ever experienced, that's for sure! so here goes...

i don't know what exactly the status is for internet at my apartment--we either have AOL now or will be getting it shortly, but the short and long is that i don't know when i'll update here next--as soon as i can, i will say that. until then, cell phone calls will have to suffice...a day without blogging? this feels so wrong...anyway, until next time...wish me luck.

and the colors are much brighter now
it's like they really want to tell the truth
we give our testimony to the end of the summer
it's the end of the summer,
you can spin the light to gold.
- dar williams (thanks beth)

alright. i've got clothing. i've got shoes. i've got glasses (!!!!!!!!!!!) and contacts. i've got everything i need (i think) to look the part of a capitol hill staffer. and look pretty good, i think! i've also got a new license and a haircut. the fam is going out to dinner tonight (last time we'll all be together for a meal for awhile), then mom and i are packing and watching "broadcast news" tonight. tomorrow--boston baby boston! phone calls will be made to see who's coming, who's not (and will be missed, but it's understandable) and what the timeframe will be. i'm looking to be home early thursday afternoon--bethy and becca, i want to visit!

by the way, i can't help it...howie appears to have bounced back from the ym photo shoot debacle (sorry, but he looked horrible) to looking pretty damn good for the ghost video shoot (for example, here and here, off the official site), if i do say so myself...i know i get teased for it, but there's something about him...

averi tickets: check.
final purchases for moving: tomorrow.
license: tomorrow.
haircut: hopefully tomorrow (the whole aunt taking care of it bit didn't exactly pan out...but it was good to see the fam nonetheless).
packing: tomorrow.

i hope to be just about finished with all packing by the time i go to sleep tomorrow. no pressure or anything.

"feel much better" is pretty decent, but not as stellar as "brace yourself". it's nice to have new howie music to listen to, as the last original song that he has performed with any sense of consistency is (i believe) "after you" (one of my favorite howie songs, i'll admit).

last night i was treated to a delightful surprise--the opportunity to hear a tape of a blast from the past...my friend mike (graduated the year before i did) had written the most adorable song ever called "dead rock & roll stars." this song just rules and i haven't heard it in well over a year--probably closer to a year and a half. but michelle had a tape with it, so she, beth and i sat in the car and rocked out to the song. the tape also included the famous becky song (i'd heard so much about it but never heard the actual song), which was priceless. it was wonderful to hear mike music--but, by taking me back to the days of being an honorary linnehan resident and whatnot sophomore year, it also succeeded in making me miss college. i still can't believe that, for the first time in sixteen years, everyone else is going back to school and i'm not.

oh, and since my last night at work had to end with a bang...it's between 8 and 9 last night, we're all working, and a man runs into the lobby. "call 911, i just hit someone." yep, a woman was crossing 22A in this dark little area, apparently going towards the store next to us, when she was hit by a car. ouch ouch ouch. apparently she's got some pretty major injuries. so while those who knew cpr and whatnot ran out to offer assistance, four of us were left to keep the place running. the most frustrating thing is knowing that something serious is happening just beyond your view, but having to tell people to focus on getting the tasks at hand done...

today i get random last-minute shopping done, make my trip to the dmv for a new license and then visit family (and get haircut). it's going to be a crazy day. plus i'm trying to ignore the fact that the new coldplay album (rush of blood to the head) comes out tomorrow and i know that i can get it for $12, but i need to hold off on it for a bit. it's being added to my "need to buy" list (now joining the ranks of rufus wainwright's "poses", the "vanilla sky" soundtrack and counting crows "hard candy").

i'm impressed.

after working my final shift and visiting beth and michelle, i came home to check email, when i finally succumbed to all of the hype i've been hearing about the new songs howie played at copley. so i downloaded "brace yourself" and am downloading "feel much better" as we speak.

thoughts about "brace yourself"? i absolutely love this song. very different than what i'd expect--while there is the trademark howie sound, it's more mature while being pretty simple...i don't know, i just adore it. looking forward to hearing the second song...

"Brace Yourself"

So you think
You can hold the world up by a string
With all that you have
And I will hold every part of you if I could

And I’m oh...
And I’m on again
Brace yourself
And all that you have
And oh, I’m in love again
Brace yourself
Yeah...

So you feel everything and everything should be
All that you wanted
Stay with me
I’m in no condition to be
Alone

And I’m oh...
And I’m on again
Brace yourself
And all that you have
And oh, I’m in love again
Brace yourself
Yeah...

On and on
So it’s just your false alarm
Maybe I’ll hold my breath
And you’ll be gone
All that you have... yeah...
All that you wanted...

Love
I’m in love again
Brace yourself with all that you have
Oh I’m in love again
Brace yourself... yeah...
Brace yourself... yeah...
Brace yourself with all that you have
Yeah...

All that you wanted... oh...

the one luxury i will have to fight in d.c. is the live music scene, i am quickly discovering. a sampling of upcoming performances:

9/3 - guster & mayer at dar (somehow i think my first day of work is a little soon to be hitting the concert scene)
9/22 - bright eyes at 9:30
9/27 - OAR at the mcdonough center
10/3 - ryan adams at 9:30
10/10 - dashboard confessional at 9:30
10/17 - BADLY DRAWN BOY at 9:30
10/25 - melissa ferrick at 9:30
10/26 - soulive at 9:30
10/27 - counting crows at the charles e. smith center
11/7 - something corporate at the nation
11/9 - jack johnson at 9:30
11/26 and 11/27 - matt nathanson (!!!!) and OAR at 9:30

this is going to get very, very ugly. i have a feeling that i will love the 9:30 club.

looking forward to tomorrow and the coming days. tomorrow is my last shift at work (REVEL REVELFUCKINGREVEL), and i'm hoping to be able to see michelle (stop by work, crackhead!). on monday, i'm buying the last of my necessities and then heading to my aunt's with my mother so we can see the family (aunt, cousins, grandmother, uncle) and, as an added bonus, my aunt's giving me a haircut (mom quote: "so you have a business sexy look going on."). tuesday i finish packing and doing all that fun stuff, then wednesday, if all goes the way i hope, trip to massachusetts to see michelle and attend averi concert that night. come home early thursday, figure out what i'm forgetting and pack some of the stuff that mom and dad will be bringing when they drive down, then leave for washington early early friday morning.

wow...everything's speeding by so quickly...but what's excellent is that i should be able to get everything done and still be able to see everyone and spend some time with them before i leave, which is crucial to me. it should all work out beautifully.

i have returned from the great apartment search and can inform my readership (all three or four of you) that i do have a place to call my own when i move to washington on august 30 (yes, a week from friday), which i will share with two roommates and am very excited about. revel...revelrevel.

i don't know about you, but i'm going to be living it up in the greater boston area one more time when averi rocks the hob cambridge. care to join me for one last night (at least for a little while) of new england drunken debauchery?

more tomorrow--all this trapsing around has exhausted me and i need to start sorting/packing in the a.m. now i reward myself with a viewing of "empire records" and the inevitable continuation of a rousing game of phone tag. ;)

i stumbled across some oscar wilde quotes tonight and have decided that i must read his work. he tickles me.

choice quotes that strike a chord with me:

I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
- The Importance of Being Earnest

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
- Lady Windermere's Fan

The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster.

The central problem in Hamlet is whether the critics are mad or only pretending to be mad.

One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead.

And...one of my favorites...

The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.

alright--i admit that i'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to musical trends right now. i've been listening to my mp3s, cds and whatnot, pretty much ignoring mtv and even eqx--something i need to work on, i'll acknowledge (the eqx part, that is). so i've never seen mayer's "no such thing" on trl, never seen him on anything other than vh1 or mtv2 and am quite happy not seeing him on big-time-mainstream-this-is-cool-music mtv. so i cannot quite understand how he wound up being popular enough so quickly to wind up with a vma nomination. i don't understand how it happened that, when my father and i went to d.c. for my interview, i found "no such thing" or "your body is a wonderland" on the radio four separate times (and that was just on the way back). and i don't understand how i can come across something like this. i just find it too funny...

updates of sorts: while it all depends on tuesday (doesn't everything lately?), i think i'm going to be able to see averi at hob. revelrevel...i start my job by 9/3 by the latest. revelrevel...

i'm gaining an appreciation for orlando bloom and all the asthetic delight he provides...and i discovered today that, nearly two months ago, my uncle sent me a tape of "empire records," the envelope containing which i came across while going through some newspapers and whatnot stored away. this brings me great joy.

my mother and i went professional shopping today--professional clothing shopping, that is. i'm very pleased to report that not only do i now have a professional wardrobe (who would have thought THAT would happen--i'm blue-jeans-and-t-shirt-at-all-times-girl), i have a professional wardrobe that i really LIKE. and am excited about wearing. and didn't spend a million and a half dollars on. and i have new glasses coming to me soon--love love love them...revelrevel.

things are going extremely well--i'm working hard at getting everything set and things seem to be coming together (as well as can be expected, anyway, there are some things that are, at this moment, somewhat out of my control). i'm a happy girl.

averi is playing at uvm on august 31.

any and all st. michael's or burlington area people--if this show is open to the public--ATTEND IT! and think of me, shedding a bittersweet tear because averi's in burlington and i can't be there for it.

lament, lament, lament.

for the past few days, i've been excited about moving, but that excitement has been overshadowed by the typical victoria "what ifs". what if i don't find a place? what if i don't meet people i'll get along with? what if i flounder in a new city? what if i fail? yadda yadda yadda. i've been in tears a great deal of the time because of that fear--spending all of my time walking around with my stomach in knots as i freak out that i'm not going to have anything work out.

so i'm at work this afternoon, pouring a soda, when this odd feeling of calm comes over me. because i suddenly realize that i am going to find a kickass roommate or roommates. i'm going to find a great place. perhaps it won't be ready for me to move into as soon as i get to the city, but that's ok, because i have a place to stay. but i'm going to find something wonderful and i am going to have an amazing time.

i've been telling myself that for days, but only today did i finally realize that i believe it. and it's going to be great because i feel great and i'm excited. finally.

my parents and i are traveling down to the area monday after work and spending tuesday going around to the different places i've contacted. perhaps i'll find something wonderful. perhaps i'll figure out what questions to ask for when i do the great search on my own. either way, i'm happy we're going. and i'm happy i'm moving. and i'm excited!!!

i have a feeling that, for the majority of the time between now and when i get to d.c., this will chronicle the moving/attempt-at-moving process.

all of my spare time as of late has been spent thinking about/looking for/contacting people about apartments. crikey! but i've been assured that i'll find a place, be able to pay for it and, worst case scenario, have a couch and/or floor available for me in d.c. so it's all good.

i'm going to pull this off, dammit! ;)

Here on this day, don't turn away, fed up with just saying I might
Now out on a limb, there's no giving in, and we're not gonna take it this time
Well here upon this day, I won't turn away
I'm fed up with just saying I might
Now out on a limb, there's no giving in, and I'm not gonna take it this time
Out there in the clear, wrapped around by a blistering degree
I'm on top of the world, and serene
Wide-awake, wide-awake, are we? Are we?

Now what in the hell, what am I supposed to do?
Just turn around and regret it or press on and make it through
See life is a lesson, one big fucking session
And it's right there in front of you!
--Authority Zero

i'm moving to washington, d.c. for a year.

just kidding...i'm actually deciding tomorrow morning (technically, later today). considering that i must be at work at 11:30, i'll know by 11.

today was one of those "????" days. where nothing makes sense and the only thing one can do is walk (somewhat blindly) through the day and its events, confident that resolution (and sleep) await oneself at the other end of that day. completely random--work was odd, the people at work were odd, waiting for the phone call was odd, my emotions and physical state of nerves were odd...one of those days that i don't really want to experience again at any point in the near future, let's put it that way.

everyone's favorite boston-based band (averi, naturally) plays at the elbow room tomorrow night (again, technically, later today) down in n.y.c. it's funny--every time i hear of the elbow room, i think of how that's the club in "coyote ugly" where violet was supposed to perform, but since she didn't, kevin had to give up his prized comic book...but, as frequently happens, i digress. the point is, think rockstar thoughts for them in the p.m. hours. depending on the whole job thing and the resulting schedule (particularly, if i do take the job, when i have to be in d.c.), i'm hoping to be able to catch the show at hob cambridge on the 28th. it'll serve well as either a "hey, screw d.c." function or a "last blast (for at least a wee bit) in boston"...who's game?

i heard about the job.

i got it.

by early afternoon tomorrow, i'll know if i'm taking it or not.

that is all until i know for sure. i've been a bundle of nerves for two days, especially since i heard. so right now i'll just say i'm very happy they offered it.

yesterday began right where the day before left off. wasn't a happy camper. and i didn't hear about the job, which made me exceptionally nervous/bitchy for a large portion of the day.

however, things brightened up (as they always seem to do). i had the opportunity to enjoy my laptop's dvd drive with a viewing of "the royal tennenbaums" and actually made dinner for myself and my mother (even more impressive: it was edible--exceptionally tasty even). while getting some ingredients at the store, i found copies of EW and YM (i felt like i was regressing to seventh grade by looking for the latter), where i laughed myself silly at the stories found inside about my two favorite singer/songwriter types. mayer's spread in EW gives a full-page black-and-white photo of him in all of his brooding rock star glory (guitar in one hand and all--while i laugh at how he looks all smoldering-like, i'll admit that it is a very flattering photograph). YM's photo devoted to howie is hysterical. if it wasn't YM, i'd buy the magazine just for that page (i still get flashbacks to junior high and how YM was the bible of the bethany world that i always aspired to--not overly pleasant). color photo of howie wearing the designer jeans, button down shirt and scarf, a come-hither look on his face. it is absolutely hysterical. i can practically hear the 14-year-olds swooning already. "ooooh, hoooooowie is sooooo hoooootttt!"

ha!!!

today is a good day already. i should (once again, should) hear about d.c. i get to finish resumes and send them out before work.

it has been a long, rather unpleasant day. typified by the event that just occurred: settled down with a small glass that contained a splash of much-deserved red grape juice. managed to spill what was a small amount of liquid all over my new, white dmb tour shirt (granted, i didn't plan on wearing it out anyway, but still).

just need to sleep. hopefully find out about job in d.c. tomorrow, as well as send out resumes.

grr.

EW gets hip to 'Square' John Mayer. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter talks about his old-soul musical tastes, his word-of-mouth success, and, yes, Jennifer Love Hewitt

oh, and amusing tidbits from a recent mayer interview for msm:
(i apologize for the lack of serious, insightful posts as of late...been busy, been tired)

I would like to do a me and Dela tour a la Dave and Tim, but I don't know when it's going to happen. I think sometimes I miss the reality of the situation and that is I made a pop record. So, I have to tour on a pop record.

I don't care if its in front of five-hundred thousand people, I have the coolest fans in the world. I don't have fans who push other fans, I don't have fans who are elite. My fans have nothing to prove. Whether they're fourteen or eight it doesn't matter. If I were a nineteen year old fan who personally saw me two years ago, I would be happy. I think most people are, but again, its not a big deal. Selling out is meant to be inflammatory. It's meant to piss someone off or me off as much as possible. Again, doesn't affect me at all. It's a disappointment. Some people can make that re-adjustment and some can't. The people who can't will have wonderful memories of when they saw me in front of one-hundred twenty people and thats great.

Previously, I had stated New York City, but now I want to live in LA.

I listened to "Room For Squares" July 5th for the first time since January. When I heard it, I was like this record is corny! It's cool because it's corny and it makes no apologies for melody

I hope to sell out in everyone's mind completely, because that would mean that they didn't see it coming at all.

the complete interview can be found here and was conducted by the ever-dedicated and impressive richard young (who deserves infinite praise for everything he does for mayer fans!) it's definitely worth reading in its entirety--provides a lot of insight, which helps the fans who are trying to make that re-adjustment...

also, i don't think i ever mentioned that howie was on kilborn the other night...how odd is this becoming?

there is a slight possibility that i will taking a trip to burlington tomorrow to catch a show at the playhouse (if tickets aren't sold out, i hope to be able to take my parents to see 'godspell'). if i do make this journey, a trip to pure pop is required, as i hope to get my hands on a limited-edition sampler that should be there...i hope i hope.

i need to get myself some new music...the new counting crows, new coldplay (can't wait for it to come out--i finally heard 'in my place' while we came back from d.c.--i was beside myself with joy), possibly the vines' albulm (has anyone listened to this and, if so, is it worth picking up? enlighten me...) as well as the things i keep saying i need to get already, most notably rufus wainwright's 'poses'.

alas, i realize now just how special a high-speed internet connection was while i was in college--i miss audiogalaxy...

update on The Job: they called today and asked for references. they won't make a decision until at least wednesday. i'll keep you posted...

Which Ani DiFranco Album Are
You?
Brought to you by Tracie

You are revelling/reckoning! You've been through a lot, and all of that has made you a stronger person. You're kind, sensitive, loving... you've got a dark side though, and you've probably done a few things you aren't proud of, but hey, you've learned from your mistakes. Which is a lesson most people don't bother to learn.

on our drive from waterford to cambridge, liza mentioned a website that deals strictly with journalism jobs. today provided the first opportunity i've had to visit this site, and let me say this: why didn't the smc profs fill us in on this gem? thank you thank you thank you liza...

i'm in the middle of a series of very important, mature decisions (stop laughing). the first was my decision to go to washington for the capitol hill interview. as i wait for the phone call deciding my fate in that department (supposed to know by the end of the week), i am making other important decisions. for example: i fully plan on moving in the near future. either d.c. or boston. i have spent the past few days pouring over classified sections in d.c. papers for apartments and whatnot, and now i'm searching online for jobs and apartments in both areas.

i bought a chair today, which was another important decision. alright, so it sounds like no big deal, but it actually is. it is the first object i've bought for "my place," wherever that place winds up being. i'm focusing on my apartment, my job, my whatever. and it's scary as hell, but i'm incredibly excited.

so today, my day off, is spent looking for jobs, apartments, running to staples to make more copies of my clips and all that fun stuff. hopefully i will fit in some running and an evening viewing of "gosford park." and an attempt to adjust to the feeling of suddenly growing up.