that's it--i'm just going to have to gain my fame by winning the gap casting call contest.
preparing for my fifteen minutes of fame. ;)
11.15.2002
so mraz is playing at dar sunday, opening for jewel. and while i was not willing to pay for a ticket just so i could see him open, i'm considering wandering into georgetown again on sunday afternoon (weather permitting, this time) to do a little mraz hunting. ;) it would be fun to see if i could spot him, in addition to the fact that i really enjoyed the area and want to explore it some more...and i'm on a mission to find a coffeeshop around there. i have no idea sometimes of who stumbles across this lil' blog--if anyone from d.c. happens to, know of any places in georgetown i should check out? leave commenting love (hell, even if you don't and even if you're not from d.c., leave commenting love so i feel special!)
hehehehe.
after a rather depressing two days, i'm determined to be in a good mood today. it's friday, it's sunny and i have the weekend ahead of me, when i can relax, go out if i feel like it, read and write. i'm looking forward to a quiet couple of days...
hehehehe.
after a rather depressing two days, i'm determined to be in a good mood today. it's friday, it's sunny and i have the weekend ahead of me, when i can relax, go out if i feel like it, read and write. i'm looking forward to a quiet couple of days...
11.14.2002
frus·tra·tion Pronunciation Key (fr-strshn) n.
- the act of frustrating or an instance of being frustrated.
- the state of being frustrated.
- something that serves to frustrate.
- having the mp3s of "gold dust" and "concertina" from the fairfax show on my computer at work--but being unable to listen to them at the moment and possessing no way to transport said mp3s back to home computer.
- the act of frustrating or an instance of being frustrated.
- the state of being frustrated.
- something that serves to frustrate.
- having the mp3s of "gold dust" and "concertina" from the fairfax show on my computer at work--but being unable to listen to them at the moment and possessing no way to transport said mp3s back to home computer.
ok, the rest of veteran's day weekend, albeit extremely condensed for these purposes...
after meeting the girls at bwi and bringing them back to the apartment, we relaxed and enjoyed being together until the evening, at which point we headed into adams morgan for d.c.-style debauchery. i had intended for us to stop by millie & al's and then make a quick stop at dan's cafe so they could experience the flask special before we headed off to somewhere else. but when we found ourselves seated at a booth at dan's cafe and the drinks started flowing, we weren't feeling all too eager to give it up. a few rounds (and a few hours later), we headed home, but not before making a stop at pizza mart so the girls could experience the jumbo slice for themselves.
typically, adams morgan pizza functions in a manner similar to salsa con queso--that is, hangover preventative and inhebriation reducer. what it was about this particular night out, i have no idea. but it did the exact opposite. um...yeah.
anyway, on sunday we headed out to do some sight-seeing. the girls had expressed interest in seeing the kennedy center, since i had spent so much time there with actf, which was very sweet of them. so we headed over there and i showed them around a bit (the fountains have been taken out for a bit, which surprised me--they'd been there last month) and made sure to show them the view from the terrace balcony. then we headed to the national gallery, where we wound up exploring the gift shop instead of actually seeing the museum--but hey, it was like the entire museum was in one room. and besides, we were all exhausted anyway...
so after that, walked up the hill so i could show them my office building and we headed to union station before heading home to dinner and a movie night--saw "dangerous lives of alter boys" (highly recommend it) and "the smokers" (fell asleep during it). monday was spent dropping michelle off at the airport (note to self: wearing sandals when it's raining? not so much) and then beth and i returned to adams morgan to torture ourselves by browsing in music stores. so much good music available right now--the new dmb, david gray, wilco, mtv2 handpicked (look at the tracklisting and try to debate that one with me), u2, beck, badly drawn boy, jeff buckley...aurgh. enough to drive a girl mad...
but i enjoyed having a dose of home here in the city with me. being able to be comfortable and not worry about what people think of me...i needed that. i had so been looking forward to the girls visiting, and it became clear just why--because i love my girls. it was a great weekend and, while it's hard now because they're gone, i'm thrilled to have had the chance to spend time with them.
after meeting the girls at bwi and bringing them back to the apartment, we relaxed and enjoyed being together until the evening, at which point we headed into adams morgan for d.c.-style debauchery. i had intended for us to stop by millie & al's and then make a quick stop at dan's cafe so they could experience the flask special before we headed off to somewhere else. but when we found ourselves seated at a booth at dan's cafe and the drinks started flowing, we weren't feeling all too eager to give it up. a few rounds (and a few hours later), we headed home, but not before making a stop at pizza mart so the girls could experience the jumbo slice for themselves.
typically, adams morgan pizza functions in a manner similar to salsa con queso--that is, hangover preventative and inhebriation reducer. what it was about this particular night out, i have no idea. but it did the exact opposite. um...yeah.
anyway, on sunday we headed out to do some sight-seeing. the girls had expressed interest in seeing the kennedy center, since i had spent so much time there with actf, which was very sweet of them. so we headed over there and i showed them around a bit (the fountains have been taken out for a bit, which surprised me--they'd been there last month) and made sure to show them the view from the terrace balcony. then we headed to the national gallery, where we wound up exploring the gift shop instead of actually seeing the museum--but hey, it was like the entire museum was in one room. and besides, we were all exhausted anyway...
so after that, walked up the hill so i could show them my office building and we headed to union station before heading home to dinner and a movie night--saw "dangerous lives of alter boys" (highly recommend it) and "the smokers" (fell asleep during it). monday was spent dropping michelle off at the airport (note to self: wearing sandals when it's raining? not so much) and then beth and i returned to adams morgan to torture ourselves by browsing in music stores. so much good music available right now--the new dmb, david gray, wilco, mtv2 handpicked (look at the tracklisting and try to debate that one with me), u2, beck, badly drawn boy, jeff buckley...aurgh. enough to drive a girl mad...
but i enjoyed having a dose of home here in the city with me. being able to be comfortable and not worry about what people think of me...i needed that. i had so been looking forward to the girls visiting, and it became clear just why--because i love my girls. it was a great weekend and, while it's hard now because they're gone, i'm thrilled to have had the chance to spend time with them.
11.13.2002
it feels as if i've been gone for a two-week vacation, but here i am...four days later, trying to at least jot down something about the extra-long weekend i experienced.
first, the vivid experience that was yesterday's day of musical revelry.
after braving the rain, wind and cold that stood between us and howie's performance at mhz studios, beth and i found ourselves among a small group of howie fans (probably around twenty people total) in the studio for the taping of his performance. besides feeling incredibly old and reaffirmed in my belief that i am a tame fan in comparison to some of the fans out there, being there for such a unique experience was very cool. the studio is small and audience members can sit on bleachers in the back behind the cameras. in addition, three small round tables with high stools line one wall on the stage, which is cast in blue and purple lights and has fabric draped about the top, giving the set a sort of cool coffeeshop vibe.
we wound up sitting on stage, beth at the end by one of the cameras, myself next to someone from the howie trading board at the center table. howie was a couple of feet away, and i tried to focus on watching him, rather than the blinking red lights on the three cameras that were moving about during the performance.
howie looked great, although the hair has gotten a little unruly (bit too big, even by his standards) but looks much better now that it's darker. he was wearing a long-sleeved black t-shirt and an incredible pair of jeans (he looked good--even beth acknowledged this). while waiting for the official ok from the cameraman to begin, everyone was sitting there wondering whether or not to say anything or whatnot, so there was a slight squirm factor, which was broken when howie, clearly feeling the same way, laughed nervously.
setlist:
sorry, so sorry
morning after
ghost (beams--no lyrics)
madrigals
watching him perform, i realized how far he's come in just the fifteen months since i'd last seen him perform live (wow--still can't believe it's been that long). songs that i knew like the back of my hand have evolved and grown even more impressive. he's improving as a musician by leaps and bounds. i figured that seeing him perform would accomplish one of two purposes: indicate that i no longer felt the draw of his music or indicate that there was no way for me to be able to stop liking his music. it was the latter.
after the set, he was in the hallway meeting with people and signing autographs, taking pictures, etc. so i finally got my picture taken with him--an event almost three years in the making. so now i'm waiting for something to go wrong with my camera or the film. :)
following the performance, a rain-soaked elizabeth and i headed into georgetown for "tori hunting" and wandered up and down the streets for a bit in what felt like hurricane-force winds. fortunately, we were able to find humor in the situation and laugh at how we had come to resembled drowned rats, particularly when we passed the four seasons hotel and saw two tour buses that we decided were tori's.
after a bit, we headed home, picked up chipotle and shmirnoff ices (and cranberry juice to try spicing them up, which was delightful) and then headed to the show with chloe.
it was bizarre, seeing howie again within a matter of hours, not to mention that it was odd to see him up on a big stage with a red curtain behind him. even from six rows back, he looked so small...very different than the mere feet away he had been earlier in the afternoon.
setlist:
sorry, so sorry
morning after
ghost (beams)
brace yourself
she says (one)
madrigals
i was rather disappointed that the setlist was so similar, but it was to be expected, all things considered. but the addition of the beams outro in "ghost" was so exciting to me (i've only heard it live once--at the iron horse in northampton), although i don't think very many people in the audience picked up on the reference. but hey, the howie fans knew. hearing "brace yourself" live for the first time was exciting--there's something about that song that just hooks me. i love it. and the addition of "one" in she says was a treat i hoped for, but didn't expect, so i was very happy. beth laughed when he went into it because she knew that i wanted to hear it.
and then, there was tori.
setlist:
wampum prayer
a sorta fairytale
take to the sky
pancake
cornflake girl
concertina
sweet sangria
crucify
wednesday
black dove
-road side cafe-
cloud on my tongue
gold dust
icicle -- improv --icicle again
northern lad
sugar
amber waves
don't make me come to vegas
hotel
i can't see new york
spring haze
-encore-
tear in your hand
virginia
hey jupiter -- dakota
in a word: mesmerizing.
i cannot do this show justice, all i can do is describe it a little bit. when she began with "wampum," a light was cast upon the curtain and the scarlet emblem appeared on it. i never expected her to start the show that way, but it fit so incredibly well. as the crowd cheered, the curtain was ripped away to display the stage setup. at the center, an organ to our left and the piano to our right. and, after a few moments of cheering, she walked out, looking absolutely gorgeous and impish.
from the instant she started playing the piano, my emotions were right up at the surface. with the manner in which her voice soared above everything else, the way she could command the keys, spinning from one instrument to the other before playing both at the same time or striking a pose while the rest of the band played, i couldn't take my eyes off of her. and they played it up--backlighting her in blue so she glowed with an other-worldly aura about her, setting up the lights so huge shadows of her band members towering behind while she cast no shadow--the whole thing made her seem larger than life while still showing her fragility--it was amazing.
i've never been at a show where everyone in the venue is silently hanging onto every single word before.
she commented on how d.c. feels like home and then talked about back in the day when she performed all around georgetown and never thought she'd get out of there, but whenever she's back, she's always in georgetown. beth and i looked at each other and screamed as we realized how right on we were about tori hunting in that particular area of the city. during "icicle," she was interrupted by the movement of the fans who had crowded the front area and went into a little ditty about "who's running the show...and who's running the country...and where were all of you last tuesday..." obviously we loved that.
particular favorites? hearing "pancake" because it's the vermont song on "scarlet's walk", hearing "wednesday" because i associate every wednesday at work with that song. "crucify" was amazing, as was "icicle" and "cornflake girl." honestly, every song was magical--and how often can you truly say that about a 23-song set?
but the song that truly got me was "gold dust." i have my own very personal connection to that song, and to hear her perform it solo on the piano was almost too much. i'll never forget how i felt listening to that song.
she was incredible and captivating and while i was a big fan before, words cannot describe how much i love tori amos right now. and i was so happy to be able to be there last night to experience it. thank you chloe and beth for being there with me.
considering that i've been very busy today and it's taken almost all day for me to be able to write just that, i'll have to write about the rest of the weekend tomorrow. but, in short, a lot of fun. more details will be provided later. :)
first, the vivid experience that was yesterday's day of musical revelry.
after braving the rain, wind and cold that stood between us and howie's performance at mhz studios, beth and i found ourselves among a small group of howie fans (probably around twenty people total) in the studio for the taping of his performance. besides feeling incredibly old and reaffirmed in my belief that i am a tame fan in comparison to some of the fans out there, being there for such a unique experience was very cool. the studio is small and audience members can sit on bleachers in the back behind the cameras. in addition, three small round tables with high stools line one wall on the stage, which is cast in blue and purple lights and has fabric draped about the top, giving the set a sort of cool coffeeshop vibe.
we wound up sitting on stage, beth at the end by one of the cameras, myself next to someone from the howie trading board at the center table. howie was a couple of feet away, and i tried to focus on watching him, rather than the blinking red lights on the three cameras that were moving about during the performance.
howie looked great, although the hair has gotten a little unruly (bit too big, even by his standards) but looks much better now that it's darker. he was wearing a long-sleeved black t-shirt and an incredible pair of jeans (he looked good--even beth acknowledged this). while waiting for the official ok from the cameraman to begin, everyone was sitting there wondering whether or not to say anything or whatnot, so there was a slight squirm factor, which was broken when howie, clearly feeling the same way, laughed nervously.
setlist:
sorry, so sorry
morning after
ghost (beams--no lyrics)
madrigals
watching him perform, i realized how far he's come in just the fifteen months since i'd last seen him perform live (wow--still can't believe it's been that long). songs that i knew like the back of my hand have evolved and grown even more impressive. he's improving as a musician by leaps and bounds. i figured that seeing him perform would accomplish one of two purposes: indicate that i no longer felt the draw of his music or indicate that there was no way for me to be able to stop liking his music. it was the latter.
after the set, he was in the hallway meeting with people and signing autographs, taking pictures, etc. so i finally got my picture taken with him--an event almost three years in the making. so now i'm waiting for something to go wrong with my camera or the film. :)
following the performance, a rain-soaked elizabeth and i headed into georgetown for "tori hunting" and wandered up and down the streets for a bit in what felt like hurricane-force winds. fortunately, we were able to find humor in the situation and laugh at how we had come to resembled drowned rats, particularly when we passed the four seasons hotel and saw two tour buses that we decided were tori's.
after a bit, we headed home, picked up chipotle and shmirnoff ices (and cranberry juice to try spicing them up, which was delightful) and then headed to the show with chloe.
it was bizarre, seeing howie again within a matter of hours, not to mention that it was odd to see him up on a big stage with a red curtain behind him. even from six rows back, he looked so small...very different than the mere feet away he had been earlier in the afternoon.
setlist:
sorry, so sorry
morning after
ghost (beams)
brace yourself
she says (one)
madrigals
i was rather disappointed that the setlist was so similar, but it was to be expected, all things considered. but the addition of the beams outro in "ghost" was so exciting to me (i've only heard it live once--at the iron horse in northampton), although i don't think very many people in the audience picked up on the reference. but hey, the howie fans knew. hearing "brace yourself" live for the first time was exciting--there's something about that song that just hooks me. i love it. and the addition of "one" in she says was a treat i hoped for, but didn't expect, so i was very happy. beth laughed when he went into it because she knew that i wanted to hear it.
and then, there was tori.
setlist:
wampum prayer
a sorta fairytale
take to the sky
pancake
cornflake girl
concertina
sweet sangria
crucify
wednesday
black dove
-road side cafe-
cloud on my tongue
gold dust
icicle -- improv --icicle again
northern lad
sugar
amber waves
don't make me come to vegas
hotel
i can't see new york
spring haze
-encore-
tear in your hand
virginia
hey jupiter -- dakota
in a word: mesmerizing.
i cannot do this show justice, all i can do is describe it a little bit. when she began with "wampum," a light was cast upon the curtain and the scarlet emblem appeared on it. i never expected her to start the show that way, but it fit so incredibly well. as the crowd cheered, the curtain was ripped away to display the stage setup. at the center, an organ to our left and the piano to our right. and, after a few moments of cheering, she walked out, looking absolutely gorgeous and impish.
from the instant she started playing the piano, my emotions were right up at the surface. with the manner in which her voice soared above everything else, the way she could command the keys, spinning from one instrument to the other before playing both at the same time or striking a pose while the rest of the band played, i couldn't take my eyes off of her. and they played it up--backlighting her in blue so she glowed with an other-worldly aura about her, setting up the lights so huge shadows of her band members towering behind while she cast no shadow--the whole thing made her seem larger than life while still showing her fragility--it was amazing.
i've never been at a show where everyone in the venue is silently hanging onto every single word before.
she commented on how d.c. feels like home and then talked about back in the day when she performed all around georgetown and never thought she'd get out of there, but whenever she's back, she's always in georgetown. beth and i looked at each other and screamed as we realized how right on we were about tori hunting in that particular area of the city. during "icicle," she was interrupted by the movement of the fans who had crowded the front area and went into a little ditty about "who's running the show...and who's running the country...and where were all of you last tuesday..." obviously we loved that.
particular favorites? hearing "pancake" because it's the vermont song on "scarlet's walk", hearing "wednesday" because i associate every wednesday at work with that song. "crucify" was amazing, as was "icicle" and "cornflake girl." honestly, every song was magical--and how often can you truly say that about a 23-song set?
but the song that truly got me was "gold dust." i have my own very personal connection to that song, and to hear her perform it solo on the piano was almost too much. i'll never forget how i felt listening to that song.
she was incredible and captivating and while i was a big fan before, words cannot describe how much i love tori amos right now. and i was so happy to be able to be there last night to experience it. thank you chloe and beth for being there with me.
considering that i've been very busy today and it's taken almost all day for me to be able to write just that, i'll have to write about the rest of the weekend tomorrow. but, in short, a lot of fun. more details will be provided later. :)
11.08.2002
so it's friday, the 203 girls will be living it up d.c.-style this weekend and i am exceptionally excited. debauchery in adams morgan, the drag queen brunch sunday morning (i'm sure i'll have fun stories about THAT one) and spending some quality time will be lovely. note to self: buy film for camera.
i'm psyched about the upcoming three-day weekend, even more psyched that i'm taking a personal day on tuesday, which means a four-day weekend--and tori and howie (or towie and hori, depending on who you ask--heheeh) tuesday night...this is going to be a wonderful mini-vacation and couldn't come at a better time!
so enjoy yourself this weekend! take care...
i'm psyched about the upcoming three-day weekend, even more psyched that i'm taking a personal day on tuesday, which means a four-day weekend--and tori and howie (or towie and hori, depending on who you ask--heheeh) tuesday night...this is going to be a wonderful mini-vacation and couldn't come at a better time!
so enjoy yourself this weekend! take care...
11.07.2002
i swear i should buy stock in big red gum.
in other news...bubonic plague in nyc. imagine sitting in the doctor's office (or in a hospital bed or something) and the doctor walking in.
"well, doctor?"
"i'm sorry, you have the bubonic plague."
"hahaha. funny. dark ages reference, i get it. now what do i really have?"
"the bubonic plague."
"oh shit."
in other news...bubonic plague in nyc. imagine sitting in the doctor's office (or in a hospital bed or something) and the doctor walking in.
"well, doctor?"
"i'm sorry, you have the bubonic plague."
"hahaha. funny. dark ages reference, i get it. now what do i really have?"
"the bubonic plague."
"oh shit."
yearbooks are on their way--nothing like that to make you realize you have officially ended college...
beth's getting the gold star for the day by bringing down her copy on saturday so i can see it and freak out...as my copy will probably just be waiting for me at home when i go back for thanksgiving.
this whole trying to plan for the holidays thing is really frustrating--i'm figuring out how much holiday time i have and when i can take it...but it looks like things will work out very well, in the long run. we're going to mix things up a bit this year...i'm so special that the fam is coming to ME this year. actually, it's just because i have to be back at work the day after christmas...but i get the following week off, so i'll be heading back to vermont the saturday following christmas and living it up for a week (well, probably relaxing more than living it up, but i'm a fan of it either way) back in new england...revelrevel. anyone have fun ideas for new year's eve??
beth's getting the gold star for the day by bringing down her copy on saturday so i can see it and freak out...as my copy will probably just be waiting for me at home when i go back for thanksgiving.
this whole trying to plan for the holidays thing is really frustrating--i'm figuring out how much holiday time i have and when i can take it...but it looks like things will work out very well, in the long run. we're going to mix things up a bit this year...i'm so special that the fam is coming to ME this year. actually, it's just because i have to be back at work the day after christmas...but i get the following week off, so i'll be heading back to vermont the saturday following christmas and living it up for a week (well, probably relaxing more than living it up, but i'm a fan of it either way) back in new england...revelrevel. anyone have fun ideas for new year's eve??
vermont's senators in the hot seat
this is pretty much where we're at--i found the ben & jerry's reference amusing, particularly the "commie-flavored ice cream". props to chloe for starting off my morning on a bitterly funny foot. ;)
this is pretty much where we're at--i found the ben & jerry's reference amusing, particularly the "commie-flavored ice cream". props to chloe for starting off my morning on a bitterly funny foot. ;)
11.06.2002
where do i begin?
first, last night. yesterday was alison's birthday (who would have thought? three roommates, two of whom have birthdays two days apart), so her boyfriend set up a surprise dinner for her at red sage, a swanky restaurant on 14th street. so chloe and i joined a group of people to celebrate her birthday and all that.
the restaurant is lovely--modern, sophisticated with decor that reflects the borderline gourmet tex-mex fare--and it was nice to dress up a bit and go out for a meal. i was a little apprehensive because the menu is pricey (and i'm mad budget girl--when did this happen to me?), but felt much better when numerous people in the group commented on how appetizers were going to be the extent of our wild and crazy spending (these are my kind of people!). the service left MUCH to be desired. from forgetting about drinks to waiting FOREVER (we're talking like an hour) to have waiters appear to take our orders, we were all surprised, to say the least. i ordered this apple squash seasonal soup (most of the menu consisted of seafood and other things i never eat, i thought soup would be safe), which, unfortunately, wound up not appealing to me at all. so for my dinner, i had about two spoonfulls of soup and two pieces of bread. um...yeah. but hey, whatever, it was good to be there and show alison that we were thinking of her and all that. and the conversation was fun--it was strange, because i realized that it was the first time i went out to a dinner party without knowing a majority of the people, so it was yet another new experience for our heroine.
one of the reasons why chloe and i get along so well...we're walking to the car, talking about our respective selections (she had the jumbo lump crab) and all that. then she says, "you know, it was fun, i've wanted to check that place out, but i don't get it...give me chipotle any day." my thoughts exactly...i have never understood why you go to swanky restaurants and pay a lot more for a lot less food that usually leaves much to be desired. i have simple tastes and don't want cream everywhere and a bunch of food that i can't pronounce the name of. ;) i've been eating a lot of salads lately and love them because you can't really mess one up, know what i mean?
but it was fun, nonetheless--not to mention i'm always a fan of seeing new parts of the city. plus it gave me an excuse to not go running--i'm trying to limit my urges to go running to four or five times a week, as i've been really tired lately and have acknowledged that i'm doing it a bit too much. need to give my body a chance to relax a little bit--what's the point of going running too much and always being tired (before, during and after) when i can relax for a day and then have the energy to push myself while running (and not feel completely dead to the world after!)? i took sunday off and felt fantastic on monday when i ran (and the running had followed how ever much walking i wound up doing during the great tower search). so hopefully i'll be feeling great tonight so i can kick some running arse and do all that fun workout stuff.
but waking up today to the news that the republicans had taken over the senate and gained in the house--what a lousy start to a morning. what's going on here? does anyone else see how much trouble this is inviting? needless to say, i'm a little nervous about how the next session is going to be--and i'm really disappointed in voters.
grrrrr!
first, last night. yesterday was alison's birthday (who would have thought? three roommates, two of whom have birthdays two days apart), so her boyfriend set up a surprise dinner for her at red sage, a swanky restaurant on 14th street. so chloe and i joined a group of people to celebrate her birthday and all that.
the restaurant is lovely--modern, sophisticated with decor that reflects the borderline gourmet tex-mex fare--and it was nice to dress up a bit and go out for a meal. i was a little apprehensive because the menu is pricey (and i'm mad budget girl--when did this happen to me?), but felt much better when numerous people in the group commented on how appetizers were going to be the extent of our wild and crazy spending (these are my kind of people!). the service left MUCH to be desired. from forgetting about drinks to waiting FOREVER (we're talking like an hour) to have waiters appear to take our orders, we were all surprised, to say the least. i ordered this apple squash seasonal soup (most of the menu consisted of seafood and other things i never eat, i thought soup would be safe), which, unfortunately, wound up not appealing to me at all. so for my dinner, i had about two spoonfulls of soup and two pieces of bread. um...yeah. but hey, whatever, it was good to be there and show alison that we were thinking of her and all that. and the conversation was fun--it was strange, because i realized that it was the first time i went out to a dinner party without knowing a majority of the people, so it was yet another new experience for our heroine.
one of the reasons why chloe and i get along so well...we're walking to the car, talking about our respective selections (she had the jumbo lump crab) and all that. then she says, "you know, it was fun, i've wanted to check that place out, but i don't get it...give me chipotle any day." my thoughts exactly...i have never understood why you go to swanky restaurants and pay a lot more for a lot less food that usually leaves much to be desired. i have simple tastes and don't want cream everywhere and a bunch of food that i can't pronounce the name of. ;) i've been eating a lot of salads lately and love them because you can't really mess one up, know what i mean?
but it was fun, nonetheless--not to mention i'm always a fan of seeing new parts of the city. plus it gave me an excuse to not go running--i'm trying to limit my urges to go running to four or five times a week, as i've been really tired lately and have acknowledged that i'm doing it a bit too much. need to give my body a chance to relax a little bit--what's the point of going running too much and always being tired (before, during and after) when i can relax for a day and then have the energy to push myself while running (and not feel completely dead to the world after!)? i took sunday off and felt fantastic on monday when i ran (and the running had followed how ever much walking i wound up doing during the great tower search). so hopefully i'll be feeling great tonight so i can kick some running arse and do all that fun workout stuff.
but waking up today to the news that the republicans had taken over the senate and gained in the house--what a lousy start to a morning. what's going on here? does anyone else see how much trouble this is inviting? needless to say, i'm a little nervous about how the next session is going to be--and i'm really disappointed in voters.
grrrrr!
11.05.2002
so, to give myself something to check up on throughout the weeks, i signed up for the whole mtv fantasty music tycoon game. well, it was also so i could assemble a record label with musicians that i would love to work with (if i were a) fabulously rich and b) had any knowledge about music labels). my six bands/artists? ryan adams, dave matthews band, david gray, coldplay, john mayer and tori amos.
:) there's no way in hell i'll win this contest, but just to pretend that i could be responsible for these artists? fun times. and i tell you the first thing i'd do is change up some of the ways mayer's being handled!
:) there's no way in hell i'll win this contest, but just to pretend that i could be responsible for these artists? fun times. and i tell you the first thing i'd do is change up some of the ways mayer's being handled!
i heart tower records. gosh, i never thought i'd say that.
so my search for the mraz cd was, until yesterday afternoon, utterly unsuccessful. on a whim, i called the tower records on pennsylvania while here in the office--figured i'd see if they happened to have it in stock. to my shock, they did. so i gleefully asked them to put the cd on hold for me, as i would stop by on my way home from work and pick it up. i figured out what metro stop was nearest and where i needed to go to get from the metro to the store and everything. all set, right?
ha! first of all, i walked out of the metro and walked four or five blocks in the wrong direction. after that, i backtracked and tried to navigate from there. found a street i was looking for, so turned onto that...after walking for about a mile (when the walk was supposed to be just under half a mile), i put aside feeling stupid and walked into a random store (an office max or office depot--something office-y) to ask for directions. there's something about when someone gives you directions and ends with "you can't miss it" that screams, "hi, you're a dumbass." obviously i CAN miss it, as i hadn't found it yet.
nonetheless, these directions did in fact lead me to tower, where my cd was waiting for me (and on sale! ah, nothing like an added bonus to my pilgrimage for music). as i prepared to leave, i was wise and asked for directions to the nearest metro. i was told that the foggybottom stop was about three or four blocks down i street. foggybottom? damn...i'd gotten off at farragut north...obviously the helpful directions by wmata were not so helpful.
three or four blocks down i street, the metro was nowhere to be found. so i kept walking, taking a turn at some point because there had to be metro somewhere. next thing i know, i see a sign for new hampshire and realized that i was, if i was guessing right, en route to the kennedy center (side note: yes, if i saw new hampshire, that meant i was probably a street away from the foggybottom stop, but those streets weren't overly well-lit and i wasn't going to wander off with the hopes of walking down the right street.). so i stopped at a hotel and asked for directions, which the wonderful gentleman working there gave me. turns out, i was walking up the street as he said and saw a building that looked remarkably like front page. yep, i wound up in dupont. so i made this huge circle while trying to get to what should have been a very simple metro stop. if you asked me now where tower records is, i couldn't tell you, other than that it's at 2000 pennsylvania.
that aside, i now have in my possession mraz's "waiting for my rocket to come." and have been listening to it ever since. metro ride home, running last night, metro this morning. i think it's like many major label debuts--it's good, but you know the live performances and albums to come will be much better. i really dig mraz's style, lyrics and musicianship (more on this shortly), but i think it is slightly overproduced and is made more radio-friendly than it necessarily needs to be. but, at the same time, i look at it differently than many, as i like the rawer, less polished style of live recordings. i'm not really into perfection in music--if anything, my favorite moments are the random imperfections that make musicians human. i'm an underground girl and i love that.
this album makes me want to see mraz live. he's got a funky, slightly-twanged (but not too much to foray into any country-like styles, which i personally cannot stand) and saucy attitude and obviously enjoys that. i mean, take a song like "too much food." he starts it out casting himself as a curly fry in a box of straight fries, "messing with the flavor oh the flavor that you savor/ saving me for last but you better not eat me at all." but the song sets up food as a metaphor for the recording industry and is basically a fuck you to the people who try to tell him who to be and how to sound. love it! and i'm sorry, but i have to give credit to any guy who will write in a song, "so step on up to the plate to get a date with mraz/ see you better act fast because supplies they never last/ now you know this is a limited time offer," and offer himself up to ridicule with a big ol' grin on his face. he's not one to take himself too seriously (*cough cough* howie) or wax poetical too much from time to time (*ahem* mayer).
so yeah, i'm now certainly a mraz fan.
so my search for the mraz cd was, until yesterday afternoon, utterly unsuccessful. on a whim, i called the tower records on pennsylvania while here in the office--figured i'd see if they happened to have it in stock. to my shock, they did. so i gleefully asked them to put the cd on hold for me, as i would stop by on my way home from work and pick it up. i figured out what metro stop was nearest and where i needed to go to get from the metro to the store and everything. all set, right?
ha! first of all, i walked out of the metro and walked four or five blocks in the wrong direction. after that, i backtracked and tried to navigate from there. found a street i was looking for, so turned onto that...after walking for about a mile (when the walk was supposed to be just under half a mile), i put aside feeling stupid and walked into a random store (an office max or office depot--something office-y) to ask for directions. there's something about when someone gives you directions and ends with "you can't miss it" that screams, "hi, you're a dumbass." obviously i CAN miss it, as i hadn't found it yet.
nonetheless, these directions did in fact lead me to tower, where my cd was waiting for me (and on sale! ah, nothing like an added bonus to my pilgrimage for music). as i prepared to leave, i was wise and asked for directions to the nearest metro. i was told that the foggybottom stop was about three or four blocks down i street. foggybottom? damn...i'd gotten off at farragut north...obviously the helpful directions by wmata were not so helpful.
three or four blocks down i street, the metro was nowhere to be found. so i kept walking, taking a turn at some point because there had to be metro somewhere. next thing i know, i see a sign for new hampshire and realized that i was, if i was guessing right, en route to the kennedy center (side note: yes, if i saw new hampshire, that meant i was probably a street away from the foggybottom stop, but those streets weren't overly well-lit and i wasn't going to wander off with the hopes of walking down the right street.). so i stopped at a hotel and asked for directions, which the wonderful gentleman working there gave me. turns out, i was walking up the street as he said and saw a building that looked remarkably like front page. yep, i wound up in dupont. so i made this huge circle while trying to get to what should have been a very simple metro stop. if you asked me now where tower records is, i couldn't tell you, other than that it's at 2000 pennsylvania.
that aside, i now have in my possession mraz's "waiting for my rocket to come." and have been listening to it ever since. metro ride home, running last night, metro this morning. i think it's like many major label debuts--it's good, but you know the live performances and albums to come will be much better. i really dig mraz's style, lyrics and musicianship (more on this shortly), but i think it is slightly overproduced and is made more radio-friendly than it necessarily needs to be. but, at the same time, i look at it differently than many, as i like the rawer, less polished style of live recordings. i'm not really into perfection in music--if anything, my favorite moments are the random imperfections that make musicians human. i'm an underground girl and i love that.
this album makes me want to see mraz live. he's got a funky, slightly-twanged (but not too much to foray into any country-like styles, which i personally cannot stand) and saucy attitude and obviously enjoys that. i mean, take a song like "too much food." he starts it out casting himself as a curly fry in a box of straight fries, "messing with the flavor oh the flavor that you savor/ saving me for last but you better not eat me at all." but the song sets up food as a metaphor for the recording industry and is basically a fuck you to the people who try to tell him who to be and how to sound. love it! and i'm sorry, but i have to give credit to any guy who will write in a song, "so step on up to the plate to get a date with mraz/ see you better act fast because supplies they never last/ now you know this is a limited time offer," and offer himself up to ridicule with a big ol' grin on his face. he's not one to take himself too seriously (*cough cough* howie) or wax poetical too much from time to time (*ahem* mayer).
so yeah, i'm now certainly a mraz fan.
11.04.2002
Gwyneth Paltrow takes a ride while filming a new movie Ted and Sylvia in Cambridge, England.
ted and sylvia??? a sylvia plath movie?!?!?!? YES!!!! i hadn't heard anything about this...now i must find out! this is bloody fantastic!
ted and sylvia??? a sylvia plath movie?!?!?!? YES!!!! i hadn't heard anything about this...now i must find out! this is bloody fantastic!
have you voted for averi today at opprocks.com? if not, please do...you can vote today and tomorrow (voting ends tomorrow), but only do so once a day so they don't eliminate your votes!
all day today, i have had not only the cursed bowl of halloween candy in front of me, but also a tray of authentic new jersey sticky buns that rob brought in (he got the jp award today, suffice to say). my gum-chewing has increased by leaps and bounds today...i'm proud to say i have not partaken in any of this sugary decadence (but fear not, soon-to-be-temporary-washingtonians, i have already assured beth that there will be indulgence this weekend--that's why i have to be good now! did someone say jumbo slice saturday night???). but it's been a test of willpower...willpower i wasn't aware that i really had.
i'm going to have to do some hardcore novel-writing tonight...for some reason i think my novel won't be finished until december--november is a really bad month for me to be writing. visitors last weekend, visitors this weekend...have to finish reading the second book of lord of the rings so i can indulge in some orlando bloom movie action around christmas...oy of the vay variety!
all day today, i have had not only the cursed bowl of halloween candy in front of me, but also a tray of authentic new jersey sticky buns that rob brought in (he got the jp award today, suffice to say). my gum-chewing has increased by leaps and bounds today...i'm proud to say i have not partaken in any of this sugary decadence (but fear not, soon-to-be-temporary-washingtonians, i have already assured beth that there will be indulgence this weekend--that's why i have to be good now! did someone say jumbo slice saturday night???). but it's been a test of willpower...willpower i wasn't aware that i really had.
i'm going to have to do some hardcore novel-writing tonight...for some reason i think my novel won't be finished until december--november is a really bad month for me to be writing. visitors last weekend, visitors this weekend...have to finish reading the second book of lord of the rings so i can indulge in some orlando bloom movie action around christmas...oy of the vay variety!
since i wasn't technically born until 6:30 on the 3rd, it still falls within the first 24 hours of my life as i write this. therefore, i'm treating myself. i found a copy of "waiting for my rocket to come" (the jason mraz album) at tower records on connecticut on sale for $9.99. i'm going to get it, because my parents said if i actually found a copy of it, they would buy it for me. so i will inform my parents this evening that they bought me the present afterall. :)
now i cannot WAIT to get out of work. new stuff to listen to as i go running tonight...
revel...revelrevel.
now i cannot WAIT to get out of work. new stuff to listen to as i go running tonight...
revel...revelrevel.
averi's going to be in the south?!?!??!?
i cannot believe they're going to be in philly tomorrow--how incredibly frustrating is it for me to know that they'll be playing a show that close to me and i can't go? this is worthy of a grr of the big fucking variety--but it makes me very happy to see that they're expanding their touring locations--COME TO DC!!!!!! or at least stop by and visit. ;)
so yeah, i'm now an ancient 22-year-old, as of approximately 6:30 last night. all can rejoice...it was a very nice birthday. i have something about birthdays (well, mine, anyway), where i always look forward to them, but also wind up dreading them. what can i say? i'm overly dramatic and always wind up thinking birthdays are this huge thing and spend time thinking about the point of my life i'm at...yadda yadda. so no matter how nice a birthday is, at some point, i will be mildly depressed and introverted. it's by no means a reflection on the people i'm with or what i'm doing and it passes quickly.
this year, i'm doing things a little differently on the birthday front. since so many people from down here are currently braving the cold while they campaign in vermont, plus the fact that i have a visitor or two (is it one visitor or two?) coming down this coming weekend, the actual birthday weekend was spent with my parents, who came down to spend some time with me and shower me with affection (all that good stuff). so it was a nice, relaxing weekend, good to have some fun, spend some quality time with the family, and charge my batteries for the weekend of debauchery that is to come.
spent saturday reading, relaxing, waiting for the parentals to arrive. once they did, we did some shopping and walking about. and for my actual birthday, we took advantage of the absolutely gorgeous autumn day by going to the national zoo. now, i haven't been to a zoo in years--i think since going to the zoo in the boston area when i was a very small child. granted, i'd been to the safari at six flags in jersey a couple of times since then, but that's different. so this was neat--a chance to return, in some respects, to my childhood while realizing that i'm growing up. the actual zoo was rather depressing, in some respects--since it was the end of the season, for all intensive purposes, it wasn't as green and lush as a zoo typically is. and then there were the signs--saying that one of the camels is lame because it has arthritis (poor thing), that the white tiger they used to have there died a few months ago, and then the typical "this species is endangered, there are only so many of them left" type of sign. mom and i were joking about it--how there was all of this death (or potential extinction) around, and here we were, celebrating my life...but it was still a lot of fun. my mother's big thing was the pandas--she loves them--so she was all excited, which was adorable. they wound up buying me a stuffed panda so i would always remember the unique way of spending my bday, and i have named it tutu (short for two-two--it was my mom's idea and i thought it was cute). i was all about seeing the kangaroos (my australian obsession shining through, eh?) and spent much of the rest of the afternoon speaking in my almost-forgotten crocodile hunter voice, thus cracking up my parents. we were silly, it was fun.
went to dinner at maggiano's, an italian restaurant near my apartment. first of all, this place is as italian a restaurant as ever i have seen--with the waiters bustling about, frantically waving their arms at each other and charming the diners. i was telling a story, completely oblivious to the fact that two of the waiters were clearing the table behind me with a marx-brothers-like bustle and humor that was hysterical to my parents, who were trying so hard to ignroe them and focus on what i was saying (to no avail). when i finally realized that despite my charming story, i wasn't causing the tears of laughter to coem to their eyes, i whirled around to see the table looking spotless and the waiters simply pushing chairs back into place. one of them smiled at me, i turned back to my table with a confused look on my face, and my parents lost it. the food was delicious--the portions are massive (i ordered a half-portion of spaghetti and meat sauce and was only able to eat half of that before i was stuffed)--and you sit there wondering when the mob boss is going to bust through the place. i loved it. and dessert at the cheesecake factory (which is two or three doors down) completed the great evening.
so it was a great day--got some calls from people who love me and felt great about that. the last present i opened was the one sent via my parents from becca--talk about a wonderful, wonderful gift!!! the time that went into that tape was incredible, and i now understand the disclaimer that came with it (don't worry, bec--i viewed most of it today before work--thank you for the warning!!!!!!!!). huge thank yous to becca, baz and beth for making me laugh and making me cry--that's one of the most wonderful birthday presents i've ever received and i love you all for it. look for the coming email that will defend my good name!
and now i'm back at work for another day. the candy is still here in front of me, torturing me...i will be strong. :)
i'm going to take advantage of the fact that the office is pretty much deserted and will spend the majority of my day working on my novel. revel...revelrevel...
i cannot believe they're going to be in philly tomorrow--how incredibly frustrating is it for me to know that they'll be playing a show that close to me and i can't go? this is worthy of a grr of the big fucking variety--but it makes me very happy to see that they're expanding their touring locations--COME TO DC!!!!!! or at least stop by and visit. ;)
so yeah, i'm now an ancient 22-year-old, as of approximately 6:30 last night. all can rejoice...it was a very nice birthday. i have something about birthdays (well, mine, anyway), where i always look forward to them, but also wind up dreading them. what can i say? i'm overly dramatic and always wind up thinking birthdays are this huge thing and spend time thinking about the point of my life i'm at...yadda yadda. so no matter how nice a birthday is, at some point, i will be mildly depressed and introverted. it's by no means a reflection on the people i'm with or what i'm doing and it passes quickly.
this year, i'm doing things a little differently on the birthday front. since so many people from down here are currently braving the cold while they campaign in vermont, plus the fact that i have a visitor or two (is it one visitor or two?) coming down this coming weekend, the actual birthday weekend was spent with my parents, who came down to spend some time with me and shower me with affection (all that good stuff). so it was a nice, relaxing weekend, good to have some fun, spend some quality time with the family, and charge my batteries for the weekend of debauchery that is to come.
spent saturday reading, relaxing, waiting for the parentals to arrive. once they did, we did some shopping and walking about. and for my actual birthday, we took advantage of the absolutely gorgeous autumn day by going to the national zoo. now, i haven't been to a zoo in years--i think since going to the zoo in the boston area when i was a very small child. granted, i'd been to the safari at six flags in jersey a couple of times since then, but that's different. so this was neat--a chance to return, in some respects, to my childhood while realizing that i'm growing up. the actual zoo was rather depressing, in some respects--since it was the end of the season, for all intensive purposes, it wasn't as green and lush as a zoo typically is. and then there were the signs--saying that one of the camels is lame because it has arthritis (poor thing), that the white tiger they used to have there died a few months ago, and then the typical "this species is endangered, there are only so many of them left" type of sign. mom and i were joking about it--how there was all of this death (or potential extinction) around, and here we were, celebrating my life...but it was still a lot of fun. my mother's big thing was the pandas--she loves them--so she was all excited, which was adorable. they wound up buying me a stuffed panda so i would always remember the unique way of spending my bday, and i have named it tutu (short for two-two--it was my mom's idea and i thought it was cute). i was all about seeing the kangaroos (my australian obsession shining through, eh?) and spent much of the rest of the afternoon speaking in my almost-forgotten crocodile hunter voice, thus cracking up my parents. we were silly, it was fun.
went to dinner at maggiano's, an italian restaurant near my apartment. first of all, this place is as italian a restaurant as ever i have seen--with the waiters bustling about, frantically waving their arms at each other and charming the diners. i was telling a story, completely oblivious to the fact that two of the waiters were clearing the table behind me with a marx-brothers-like bustle and humor that was hysterical to my parents, who were trying so hard to ignroe them and focus on what i was saying (to no avail). when i finally realized that despite my charming story, i wasn't causing the tears of laughter to coem to their eyes, i whirled around to see the table looking spotless and the waiters simply pushing chairs back into place. one of them smiled at me, i turned back to my table with a confused look on my face, and my parents lost it. the food was delicious--the portions are massive (i ordered a half-portion of spaghetti and meat sauce and was only able to eat half of that before i was stuffed)--and you sit there wondering when the mob boss is going to bust through the place. i loved it. and dessert at the cheesecake factory (which is two or three doors down) completed the great evening.
so it was a great day--got some calls from people who love me and felt great about that. the last present i opened was the one sent via my parents from becca--talk about a wonderful, wonderful gift!!! the time that went into that tape was incredible, and i now understand the disclaimer that came with it (don't worry, bec--i viewed most of it today before work--thank you for the warning!!!!!!!!). huge thank yous to becca, baz and beth for making me laugh and making me cry--that's one of the most wonderful birthday presents i've ever received and i love you all for it. look for the coming email that will defend my good name!
and now i'm back at work for another day. the candy is still here in front of me, torturing me...i will be strong. :)
i'm going to take advantage of the fact that the office is pretty much deserted and will spend the majority of my day working on my novel. revel...revelrevel...
11.01.2002
not a good start to the month...i don't know what the deal is, but people are making less sense than normal today (which, considering how people tend to be normally, is a pretty significant problem), and i'm really not in the mood to deal with it.
do i deserve to get yelled at by a reporter because someone's out of the office? hells no. and will i put up with it? see previous answer. i'll be as polite as i can be, while still making it clear to rude people that they can kiss my ass. ;)
do i deserve to get yelled at by a reporter because someone's out of the office? hells no. and will i put up with it? see previous answer. i'll be as polite as i can be, while still making it clear to rude people that they can kiss my ass. ;)
life lesson: when you've had a cold and don't feel particularly well anyway, DO NOT GO OUT.
i, of course, am an idiot and did go out. and had a lot of fun, admittedly. what was going to be a short, non-costumed trip to front page wound up being a costumed trip to polly esther's for a gw law party. um...yeah.
besides the normal looking forward to seeing my folks this weekend, i'm estatic that i won't be going out at any point this weekend, because the thought of alcohol makes my stomach turn at the moment.
but yeah, had a lot of fun. :)
happy november--i will be starting my novel today! after i clean up the disaster area that my room became last night, that is...
i, of course, am an idiot and did go out. and had a lot of fun, admittedly. what was going to be a short, non-costumed trip to front page wound up being a costumed trip to polly esther's for a gw law party. um...yeah.
besides the normal looking forward to seeing my folks this weekend, i'm estatic that i won't be going out at any point this weekend, because the thought of alcohol makes my stomach turn at the moment.
but yeah, had a lot of fun. :)
happy november--i will be starting my novel today! after i clean up the disaster area that my room became last night, that is...
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