Some beautiful place... [entries|friends|calendar] Becca [ website | myspace ] [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

[17 Jun 2008|11:27pm] In case this wasn't obvious before, my journal is now - mostly - friends only. Read these instead: Time Is Poetry On Politics

New LJ colors 'n' shit... [03 Feb 2008|03:13am] [ mood | sleepy ] Decided to change up the ol' LiveJournal. I don't think I've redone the color scheme or anything since...like...my high school graduation. Haha. I needed something to prevent me from doing my actual work. I started the project earlier in the evening and finished it off now because the Mountain Dew just hit me. Now, however, I am getting tired and I have to pee. I want this cold to go away. I can't breathe. 2 beautiful places to get lost | let's get lost

Schedule Update... [22 Jan 2008|03:41pm] [ music | colour revolt - "naked and red" ] Because, I have my priorities straight, I rearranged my spring schedule so that the latest I am on campus is 2:30pm. LOL. I figure this allows a little more driving time for days which require long drives. Mondays: 9:50am - 12:50pm // Screenwriting // MU-002 1:10pm - 2:30pm // Nature of Politics // SC-135 ** Tuesdays: 9:50am - 11:10am // Later Romantic Lit. // MU-301 11:30am - 12:50pm // Creative Writing Nonfiction // MU-002 1:10pm - 2:30pm // Shakespeare: Jacobean Plays // SC-135 Wednesdays: 10:55am - 12:15pm // Nature of Politics (recitation) // HCK-112 ** 1:10pm - 2:30pm // Nature of Politics // SC-135 ** Thursdays: 1:10pm - 2:30pm // Shakespeare: Jacobean Plays // SC-135 Fridays: 9:50am - 11:10am // Later Romantic Lit. // MU-301 11:30am - 12:50pm // Creative Writing Nonfiction // MU-002 Note: ** = I don't have to attend; I'm opting for an independent study instead because PoliSci 101 would have killed me with boredom. So, even though RU thinks I have class on Wednesday, I don't. I also opted for part two of the Shakespeare class I was taking last semester instead of some random history class because (a) I liked the professor, (b) I had room in my schedule, (c) I know what to expect, and (d) it gets out at 2:30pm rather than 4:10pm, hahaha. This is the first entry that won't be friends only since November, I think. Hahaha. Weird. 1 beautiful place to get lost | let's get lost

This (mostly) makes up for my empty inbox... [25 Nov 2007|09:00pm] [ mood | excited ] [ music | the miracle of '86 - "sweet helmet, olerud" ] ( FINALLY MINE! ) Yay. :D 4 beautiful places to get lost | let's get lost

Oh, we were singing hallelujah... [22 Nov 2007|09:14pm] [ mood | full ] [ music | aeroplane, 1929 - "flag and crucifix" ] Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I'm very full. I'm killing time before I watch a movie with my mom. I can hardly move. Haha. It's a good thing, though. I may need to start running in between my classes to work this off, but...oh well. Got a couple things done today. I cleaned my fish tank, which was in desperate need of a good washing. The water was really low...and orange. Two of the little plastic plants were floating around. The filter was filthy. Now, it's nice a clean and the fish are lively. I wasn't worried about them dying this time, though. I can tell when they get lethargic that the tank is in really bad shape, but this was not THAT bad. I cleaned Pablo's cage last weeks, so all the wildlife in my room live in clean habitats now. I sent out my short story to a couple interested parties. Surprisingly, my cousin requested a read, so I sent it to her. I haven't even heard from her in...months. But, that's cool. Maybe I'll start doing it this way more often. It's nice knowing who's reading it...that people are reading it at all. I must thank Rob, again, for his kind words yesterday. *muah* If anyone wants to read my latest short story, you'll have to send me a message/comment with your email address. Wrote Elizabeth back. Wrote Mike back. Read some NY Times articles. Ugh, this world is fucked. Helped Mom with the cooking. I made corn pudding! It's not very hard, but if anyone can mess up food, I'm the one. I helped with some other stuff, too, but mainly non-food-related stuff. My mom's not that stupid. Just 'cause I didn't fuck up one item of food doesn't mean I wouldn't find a way to mess up another. Mike wrote me back. It'll have to wait. Too full. Too sleepy. Dinner. Sooooo good. I'm so full. We didn't even have desert. Just loads of turkey. My cats were going nuts. Apparently, turkey is Miss Kitten's favorite food. She was crying for turkey before it was even out of the over. The cats may have eaten about as much as I did...and they still wanted more once I was full. I helped clean up a little and then I laid on the couch...flat on my back...unable to move. Kitten jumped up on me and made herself comfortable. She's been very clingy since I've been home. I don't think she likes it when I tour or when I'm out all weekend. When my door opens in the morning, she jumps in and attaches herself to me. It's kind of nice; I have to admit. She's a bitch to everyone else. She's a bitch to me too, most of the time, but sometimes she can be very pleasant. (And - who am I kidding? - she's a cute kitten and I love her dearly.) This evening was an example of that. She rested herself on my chest, facing me, and just started purring. My parents were both upstairs and the lights were off downstairs expect for the garland Mom and I put up. It was quiet and I can feel Kitten purring. It was cute. It's little moments like that that make me thankful that I managed to get through the last couple of years alive. So, I'm going to go watch a movie with Mom and Katie (another cat, but she lives in my parents' room; thus, I don't see her too often). Then, perhaps I'll mingle on the Internet. Maybe I'll write Mike back, but I'm not sure I'll have enough brain cells active for that. Jess is home, but not online. :( I am chatting with the lovely Katharine. This Aeroplane, 1929 EP is really fucking good. I've been listening to that, the AA Bondy record, and the Bonzie demos for the last three days. Oh! I listened to I Am The Avalanche yesterday because Katharine played it on the ride to Philly. It's so good. I Am The Avalanche and Colour Revolt: stop being chumps and put out records! I listened to some Movielife 'cause I felt like torturing myself and some Saves The Day because I got "At Your Funeral" stuck in my head. (Not that that's a bad thing...especially since I had Panic! At The Disco stuck in my head before that.) I'm losing it. It's been a long day. Jess Perry: you should be online. 1 beautiful place to get lost | let's get lost

We all got names here... [15 Nov 2007|11:34pm] [ mood | pessimistic ] [ music | colour revolt - "our homes are graves" ] Low profile. Low life. Low-tech. Haven't felt comfortable talking or even writing. Haven't had much desire to do anything. Haven't been seen. Haven't been heard. Haven't been bright enough. Haven't been loud enough. ^ See, I don't have to use perfect grammar all the time. Last week was long and stressful. This week was more of the same. At least last week, I had two KD shows. It should have been three, but I fucked up. I hate myself. Grrr. At least the inability to go to Cambridge made me feel better about going to D.C. A lot of things had me feel better about going to D.C. :/ Not the NSA, but...yeah. I'm really fucked. The Bowery show was beyond words, though. I got to see Socratic for the first time in over two years. Haha. They were jammy...as jammy as you can get without playing anything from "It's Getting Late." Kevin was like...a band. I wish I hadn't left in such a foul mood. I should have taken more medication; I would have done less damage. Saturday was fucked and depressing. 700 days / 100 weeks my ass. Bullshit numbers. Hung out at Melissa's though and had ice cream cake...there was a silver lining. The fun began last Thursday with a Shakespeare exam that kicked my ass. Then, I spent the weekend studying (and teaching Mitchell the entire first half of our Western Political Tradition course) and - unfortunately - not seeing Kevin. We had our Western Tradition exam on Monday. Ehh. It was two essays and, therefore, a lot less difficult than Schochet's other exams. It could have been worse. I told Mitchell consequentialism and deontology wouldn't be on the exam. Did he listen? Nooo. He's lucky I love him. I could have strangled him any number of times, but he supplied me with hot chocolate and grilled cheese. My two-page critique for Creative Writing was due on Monday also. I wrote it Saturday. No problem. [Got it back yesterday: "another super critique" said my professor. A. At least I'm doing well in one of my English classes.] Tuesday, I had three classes and my Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. professor gave us all until Thursday to hand in our papers (which had originally been due on Tuesday). Mine was done, but I held on to it anyway. My Principles of Lit. paper was due Wednesday. I hate that class and I still don't understand the paper assignment. Today, I had another three classes and turned in my Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. paper. I entitled it "China Men In America" because it's about the novel "China Men" and also how Chinese immigrants faired in America. I should have entitled it "Coming To America" and I should have left the "Chinese Food Song" quote in, but I pussied out. My week is - more or less - done. I have to go to PHS tomorrow, but that's my only chore. I want to edit a new short story because I may hand it in for my Creative Writing class. It's due Monday. It's a little long, but the professor told me it was okay. I'll have to get copies made this weekend. :/ I'm worried about it. My professor is the only person who has seen it so far. I wrote it in three days, very quickly for me. It's eleven pages (or will be once it's double-spaced and all). It's personal...probably why it was so easy to write. I'm not sure I'll even post it. I don't know what to do with it. It fits the assignment, though, and the professor said with a little fixing up it'd be good to present. We'll see. I only write two kinds of stories: corny love stories or depressing stories about hating yourself. The former aren't worth reading and the latter are better, but tend to be personal. This weekend should help my mood. I hope. It's full of Katharine, Bonzie, and Colour Revolt. I'm skipping Colour Revolt at Maxwell's (kinda heartbreaking) to see Bonz at Piano's (which totally makes up for it), but then Katharine and I are catching Colour Revolt in Philly on Sunday. I'm finally going to get my Colour Revolt tee shirt! I'm totally burned out. On the bright side, I only have four class 'til Thanksgiving break. During break, I hope to read and write a lot. I want to write a lot. I want to work whatever this is out before it gets worse, worse, worse. This doesn't help. I'm glad we're winning hearts and minds. Oh...and way to go fuck up the only sport I care about, Barry Bonds. I hope your testicles are inverted. If Alex Rodrigez signs with the Mets, I'm boycotting next season. let's get lost

Mother cried and the cops were called... [02 Nov 2007|01:19am] [ mood | sleepy ] [ music | manchester orchestra - "play it again, sam! you don't have any feathers" ] Quickish recap of the week... Last Saturday was Jess' birthday. Fun times. On Sunday, I wrote. All day. I finished a short story and it'd be awesome if it got read: http://timeispoetry.blogspot.com/2007/10/coast-to-coast.html. Monday was bleh. We started doing play writing in Creative Writing. I've had a thing against play writing since Berzok. I hope I get over that. Tuesday was Manchester Orchestra in Philly with Jess, Katharine, and Catherine. We got into Philly early in hopes of catching a screening of the "What's Left Behind" Documentary, but there was a problem with the DVD. We waited a while because they thought they'd be able to fix it, but it never worked. So, they gave us free shit. Katharine did the best swoop-in ever to get the 7" for us. So, I got the Annuals/Manchester 7" and the "Wolves At Night" single. Then, they raffled off the DVD because it worked, it just wouldn't go over the projector and I actually managed to win it. [I watched it later when I got home. So good. I cried.] Chatted. Hangs. Awesomeness combined with an increased awareness of creeps. Tuesday's set list: - New song (the "merch" one) - Wolves At Night - Now That You're Home - Alice And Interiors - Golden Ticket - I Can Feel Your Pain - I Can Barely Breathe - Colly Strings (with new intro) - Where Have You Been? - Sleeper 1972 - 'Turn Out The Light' (not sure what it was, haven't had time to research it) I felt the Philly show. That seems to be a trend. It always hits me harder in Philly. (Fucking "Wolves At Night" made me cry!) Post-show, included more hangs, chats with Andy, and PUB! Andy talked to us about Conan (which was scheduled for the following day) and Halloween: he promised a onesie and he did not disappoint! Mike confirmed. Fucking sweet. Got home late, though, and then watched the DVD, so waking up for class Wednesday morning sucked. Wednesday, I went to my classes, left the second class early to catch a train into the city. I got in around 3:30 and met up with Katharine. We met up with the rest of the crew at Rockefeller Center for the Conan taping. Catherine got us tickets for Manchester on Conan. I'd never done any of the late night TV show tapings before. The only TV things I've ever done are IMX when I was in high school and the Stephen Lynch taping over the summer that still hasn't aired. It was pretty awesome, though. Andy saw us before the taping. Big smile on his face...and why not? He's an awesome dude in a great band performing on Conan O'Brien. I'd be pretty fucking happy too! They played "Wolves At Night." So good. <3 And I realized I'd hit it with Brian Williams. Is that weird? Then, we headed in the direction of Bowery, looking for food along the way. The Nevers opened and I liked what I heard, but I was way too tired to stand during their set. Manchester went on and were fucking AMAZING! Three of the five boys came out in dresses. One in a mask. Andy in Brian Bonz's red onesie. How he managed to play the whole set in that thing is beyond me, but it was great. I'm glad the onesie made a comeback. Wednesday's set list: - New song (the "merch" one) - Wolves At Night - Now That You're Home - Alice And Interiors - Golden Ticket - I Can Barely Breathe - Colly Strings (with new intro) - I Can Barely Breathe - Where Have You Been? - 'Turn Out The Light' My pictures can be found: http://www.flickr.com/photos/time_is_poetry/. They all fit on the first page, but if you venture to the second page you'll see I finally posted my Brand New pictures from Boston (09.22.07). We didn't really stick around much for The Annuals. We'd missed them the night before because we were hoping to see the Manchester documentary and we were too tired to hang Wednesday night. So, we headed to our trains. Catherine left for Texas Thursday morning. Jess' and my first class was canceled, so we got to sleep a little...but I forgot to alert Mitchell; I got in touch with him before he went to class, though. Haha. I had two classes and...bleh. Tomorrow, I hope to accomplish the following (in no particular order): - Finished my short story for Creative Writing. - Write Warren back. - Write Mike back. - Visit PHS. ...another day of virtually non-stop writing. Haha. It's mostly recreational writing, though. Even the Creative Writing story is - probably - the sequel to a story I'm writing that's already too long for this assignment. I'm trying to write a short follow-up to one I'm still in the process of writing in hopes that I can hand it, but it has to be under 10 pages. Since I know - more or less - where Part 1 on the story is going, I feel okay writing a Part 2 even if Part 1 isn't done yet. I'm not sure how I'll post them. Since I'll probably finish Part 2 before Part 1, should I post in first or wait until Part 1 is done? Any suggestions? Does anyone read them or care? (Haha...no.) As far as writing Warren and Mike, that'll be time consuming, but worth it. I haven't had a chat with Warren in a long time and he brought up the subject of Neutral Milk Hotel in his last email, so I obviously have to comment. He lives in South Africa and wants to see Brand New really badly. He's a huge Brand New fan: knows more about them than half their US fans. Haha. He'll hopefully be visiting the US next year in January or February and is hoping he may get to see them, but...I don't know if his wish will come true. I hope it does. We've talked about seeing Brand New together and he's excited about it. Mike is another story because we're dealing with multiple topics. I may have to leave him for last. He reports that the turn out to these shows have been low. Not surprised at all. He says he gets the feeling Kevin's fans either don't realize he's on this tour or don't see the point in attending for a half an hour long set. Amateurs. Then, I just have to do is visit PHS for some radio business. Jess will be joining me around 2pm for that. We're getting a tour of the new PHS studio. I'm jealous already! Saturday, Katharine is going to come down and we're doing radio and seeing Jennifer O'Connor at Maxwell's. (Rob: are you working Saturday night? If you are, we'll see you then!!) I should sleep. I've been bragging too much tonight. 1 beautiful place to get lost | let's get lost

I'd give myself a hand... [01 Nov 2007|12:17pm] [ mood | distressed ] [ music | kevin devine - "confessional at 6pm" ] I don't have time to write, but I am totally creeped out by people. Ugh. I miss the simpler days. I honestly feel a little sick. As much as I wish I didn't know what was going on, I'm glad not to be ignorant of it. More to come. Maybe. Manchester in Philly and NYC were amazing. Set lists, pictures, and thought to come. I <3 Garden Salsa Sun Chips. Jenny, you've created an addict out of me. 6 beautiful places to get lost | let's get lost

Not a word was said, but her mom knows I'm upstairs... [26 Oct 2007|01:38pm] [ mood | weird ] [ music | bonzie - "edison..." ] This week was pretty quiet. Last weekend was fucking awesome, but it has already been written about so...I won't go into it again. Great fucking show, though. Monday through Wednesday were normal days: no shows, no doctor's appointments, no rushing around. I did get an email on Wednesday from my friend Warren in South Africa. He downloaded "Fork And Knife" and thought of me. Haha. I was really excited to heard from him. It's been a while. Schochet went on a rant about language on Monday and I was freaking out. I've decided that I'm a bitch and I don't care, but use correct fucking punctuation when writing to me, please. I will correct your grammar. I've become very intolerant. Just because email and MySpace messages are quick doesn't mean you can't spell shit out and use and period now and then. I can't spell for my life. That's what spell check is for and it doesn't take that long to reread what you wrote. I mean, everyone makes mistakes and it's not a big deal, but sometimes it's just annoying and unforgivable. I also understand that purposeful misuse can be part of technique and I can deal with that as well, but it's the thoughtlessness with which some go about writing that ticks me the fuck off. We have this wonderful thing called language that no other species really has and we're destroying it. (I am particularly guilty of using consecutive fragment sentences to chop up certain sections of my writing when I feel like the pause of a comma just isn't long enough, had I - for example - put them all together in one sentence with a sequence.) This language thing has been on my mind, possibly because of Schochet and possibly because of the book I read over the summer. Schochet's speech on Monday about abbreviations was almost inspiring. Haha. He's partially dyslexic so he abbreviates his notes and sometimes when he goes back over them, they don't translate correctly into the full words. In the past, I remember, he's sent out emails to correct something in previous emails in which he used an incorrect spelling or something. He's a political philosopher with a very soft spot of language. I wish I had the balls to talk to him, but he intimidates me. He's far too fucking smart for me, but - at least - his rants allow me to feel slightly better about my own pet peeves. I may go on with this note in the future, but I probably won't do it publicly, at least not until I've really put it all together. Another couple of topics I want to spend time writing on deal with religion (thanks to Mike) and justice (thanks - again - to Schochet), but not unnecessarily together. I wish I had time to write. (This whole paragraph is more just a note to myself so I suppose you can disregard it.) Anyway, Thursday was awesome. I had three classes (the not awesome part) and then I met up with Jess and Katharine for Kevin Devine at Chubby's in Red Bank. Before I get to the show, though, I want to mention one thing about class briefly. I GOT A 90% ON MY SHAKESPEARE EXAM! I'm so fucking relieved. I took that exam the day of Kevin / Jeremy Enigk and I was really stressed out over it. Yay, me! Katharine made it to my house just as I returned home from class and the bank. I had some shit to take care of at home. Jess met us at my place and then we headed to Red Bank. During the drive, I noticed Mike had written me back. I wasn't really expecting him to since my last message didn't really require much of a response and I'm sure he's busy getting his shit together before he leaves for tour, but it gave me something to ponder. The trip was short. No traffic. Easy parking. Nice (though chilly) evening. We didn't really pay attention to the opening bands. Usually, I like to check out openers, but - eh. We met up with 'Toms River' Mike there and a couple of his friends. I love that kid. He's really a sweetheart. Kevin's look has never really effected how I thought about him, obviously. I've hated that beard since he started growing it, but it hasn't stopped me from going to see him every chance I get. I don't like the new haircut too much, but I am looking at it optimistically: in a couple of months when it grows out a little, it'll be really cute. The short hair wouldn't even be that bad if he'd tame that goddamn fucking beard! But, my draw to Kevin has never really been what he looked like so I don't much care as long as he doesn't stop playing music. It was a - mostly - requests set. He took two for himself ("Just Stay" and "Brooklyn Boy"), but the rest were requests. I didn't request anything. I've gotten to hear a lot of my jams over the years and, really, the only songs I'd want to request are songs I've never heard him play live before (and I've probably never heard them live because he doesn't like playing them and I don't want to be a dick requesting something I know he doesn't want to play). It was a sweet set, though: - You Are My Sunshine (which I don't want to talk about) - Protest Singer (with extended ending that makes me cry) - Probably (with "Nevermind" instead of "Crooked Rain") - Haircut - Write Your Story Now (Ughhh...I love that song. <3) - Tomorrow's Just Too Late - Just Stay (...at least he gave me my verse) - Brooklyn Boy - You Are The Daybreak - Splitting Up Christmas - Ballgame He only had, like, half an hour to play and that really sucked, but it was a really good half an hour. I think the rest of Team Kevz can relate: I want another Smithtown. I want a KD headlining show where he can just play as long as he wants, with or without the band. I tend to even lean more towards no band only because he's more likely to play weird shit when he's alone. Post-show, we played an erotic picture match-up game thing. LOL@us. The bartended was rooting for us until he had to kick everyone out. We said our goodbyes to Kevin and headed to Wawa. Katharine and Jess were both very unhappy with the lack of the advertised hot turkey hoogie and I somehow managed to pick up the wrong sandwich, one with bacon (and for some reason bacon grosses me out these days). However, the bacon was easily picked off and donated to Katharine. I got coffee, which was a good idea at the time, but left me feeling weird as shit as it wore off. We got back to my place and said our goodbyes to each other. Jess had a paper and Katharine had a long drive back to Long Island. I was ansty amd hyper, at first. I lurked the Internet a bit for this kid's band. I've made a friend in my Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. class and I told him I'd check his band out on MySpace...he gave me his "slash." It took me a week to remember to do it, though. So, that was my first priority. He's a really nice kid and it's nice to have someone it that class to talk to. Then, I wrote Mike back a ridiculous note. In retrospect, it was a much longer note than was probably needed, but I had caffeine in me so I can't be responsible for my actions. Plus, he was talking to me about religion and Brand New fans (not together)...I can't cover that in a short note! The caffeine started wearing off around 1am or something and I began to remember that I'd been up since 8am and was feeling really fucked up. I started thinking things that weren't me...anymore. It was weird and unsettling and I'm still not sure what to make of it. I'm trying to figure out why I woke up feeling so glum today. Everything's good, really good. Maybe it's just the gloomy weather. I don't know. I feel it festering and I can't even pinpoint exactly what "it" is. I'm assuming this is another lull of mine that will disappear about as quickly as it came, but I can't figure it out and I feel really fucking sad, for absolutely no reason. It's frustrating because this time yesterday I was really happy. I hate my moods. I hate my temper. I'm too tired for all this. let's get lost

What did you do those three days you were dead? [23 Oct 2007|10:56pm] [ mood | good ] [ music | kd/ms - "jesus christ" (live 02.24.07 @ the space) ] A rare mid-week post... First, "Fork And Knife" completes me. As "Untitled 7" is was my favorite Brand New demo and I was quite heart broken when it didn't make the record, but the re-record of it is amazing. So happy this song is in my life again. So glad I managed to be there the one time they played it live...they should play it live some more. I know everyone loves "Untitled 5" (best memory of that songs is singing the "Yeaaaah"s in Allison's car as we drove around Baltimore, April 2006), but this was my jam and this makes me ridiculously happy. Second, the Aeroplane, 1929 EP Katharine sent me is wonderful. Tomorrow, I will be listening to it and the new Saves The Day (courtesy of Jess) during my break. Third, I can't wait for Kevin's hair to grow out. I want his face circa 2004 back. Forth: "Also, it's not as if you're abusing or taking advantage of us - we know and are aware of those kinds of people, haha, and you're definitely not lopped in with them..." - MS. I actually believe him. Tour and subsequent conversation with various good dudes have really started changing my mind about some things. I'm less anxious and worried about certain things than I used to be. I guess it's still important to me that I show appreciation, but it's also nice to know they've got our backs and I don't have to feel bad. I'm finally getting over some shit. lol @ "weirdos and creepies." Fifth, this is an older one, but I recently discovered it and it's awesome: http://www.paxenfilms.com http://www.youtube.com/user/Paxenfilms Sixth, time for "The Daily Show!" 1 beautiful place to get lost | let's get lost

Weekly recap... [21 Oct 2007|03:45pm] [ mood | sick, but happy. ] [ music | dad's radio show ] Last weekend. Katharine came down from Long Island to hang out and do radio with me. It was a good time and I thank her, again, for her company. I still don't like doing radio by myself and she made a perfect co-host. Plus, she got me her pictures and videos from KD at The Space and those were...very important to me. Haha. Later Saturday night / Sunday morning, Jess and I drove down to Forked River to meet up with Melissa, George, and Lunchbox for song hangs and poker in celebration of Melissa's 21st birthday party. There were stars out, lots of 'em, and Jess spotted her first shooting star. I made a wish. It has yet to come true. The shore house hangs were nice. It'd been over a year since I was down there last. I wish I could have stayed longer. Lunchbox made me stay up until 7am watching some horrible "Zombies of a Plane" movie. Haha. I fell asleep on the couch until his snoring woke me and I went into a room. The sun was coming up. I woke up around 10:30am when my mom called. I noticed I had a sore throat and, thus, my cold was caught. Jess and I headed back up home around noon on Sunday. I came home, did some reading, took a hot shower, drank some hot tea, and slept. I'm still sick, though. -- Monday, October 15, 2007 -- Brian Bonz and the Dot Hongs made their radio debut on 90.3 FM KEXP Seattle, broadcasting live from New York for CMJ. Go to the archive section at http://www.kexp.org and look up their stream from Monday, October 15, 2007 at 11am for audio from that interview. They played four songs and it was really cute. It broadcast at 2pm on the east coast. I was at class at the time - lame - but I recorded the stream at home so I can send it out if anyone cares. You should, but you probably don't. -- Tuesday, October 16, 2007 -- Tuesday was Tuesday. Haha. I had three classes: Principles Of Lit. Study, Shakespeare, and Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. I left my last class early to catch a 3:56pm train into the city where Jess and I met up with Katharine at Penn and headed to Mercury Lounge for Jesse Lacey and Vin Accardi acoustic. Since they didn't sell tickets in advance and I couldn't get there early, I worried I wouldn't get in, but when we arrived there were only about ten people there. So, weeks or worry amounted to absolutely nothing. Not that I'm complaining. We met up with Catherine, Randi, et al there. Later, Allison and Jackie would hang too. The openers (Jay Brannan and House And Parish) were both really good. Jesse/Vinnie played: - The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot - Sowing Season - Luca - Hancuffs - Degausser - Moshi Moshi - Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis - Oh Comely Did I miss anything? Post show, we all met up outside to chat and freak out a little. I was freezing. My cold LedOL at me. Jess was sweet enough to lend me her sweater which I wore on top of mine. Mike met up with us there. He'd texted me earlier to make sure I wasn't wandering the city by myself aimlessly and to find out where I was. He hung with us a little, but when Jesse came out, he got into a conversation with him. We walked around a little and wound up eating at some Mexican place. Catherine yelled "Mah dick" and got an interested look from a dude walking down the sidewalk. Jess, Katharine, and I went to The Living Room once we'd had some dinner for Jennifer O'Connor's set. She didn't go on until 11:30pm, which kind of sucked. Mike played in her band and he had to get up at 6:30 the next morning so I really can't complain about my late night. We ended up leaving early so that we could make a 12:42am train back to New Brunswick. It was jammy, though. I really enjoy her songs and I'm greatly looking forward to her November 3rd show at Maxwell's! She played some new stuff and she also played a couple old songs from the record I don't have (but I recognized them because she played them early in the year when she toured with Kevin, Koufax, and Pablo). From the album I do have (called Over The Mountain, Across The Valley And Back To The Stars), she played: "Century Estates," "Dirty City Blues," and "Exeter, Rhode Island." We made our train and got back to New Brunswick a little before 2am. Had class at 9:50am. Booo. -- Wednesday, October 17 and Thursday, October 18, 2007 -- Easy days. I just had class and shit, but nothing interesting. Tried to get over this cold. Almost succeeded. One of my classes got canceled on Thursday when the professor didn't show up. Awesome. Had a doctor's appointment that day too and all is well. I may get to go off some medications soon. -- Friday, October 19, 2007 -- I finally made it over to Douglass to declare myself an English minor. I also had to check my campus mailbox because we're already half way through October and I still hadn't checked. There was nothing in it of any importance. I went over to the PoliSci department to find out what ever happened to the shit I was supposed to get for the PoliSci honors society thing (Pi Sigma Alpha) I joined last semester. Apparently, if you have a 3.5 GPA in all the PoliSci classes you take (whether you're choosing to count them for your major or not) you qualify for this National Political Science Honors Society. I mainly only joined because I haven't done anything and an honors society would probably look good on a resume. However, I was also invited to join the Academic Honors Society (Delta Epsilon Iota), which is basically the same thing but is not limited to just one concentration. These bitches wanted nearly $70 to join and that - to me - is simply outrageous. I'm a PoliSci major who has probably taken too many classes with Gordon Schochet. There is something seriously wrong with charging a $70 fee to join some club just to say you got good grades. I got good grades. My transcript will show that. I didn't get them in order to join some fucking honors society I didn't even know existed. There are smart kids who deserve it, but could never afford to join such a community and I don't want to be part of it. The PoliSci one was much less expensive. I think it was like $25 or something and then extra fees if you wanted a tassel and shit. My parents wanted the extra shit, so I paid a little more than I had to, but that was their decision, not mine. Anyway, I'll end that rant there. Apologies. I also went over to the Douglass coop and bought a couple new Douglass tee shirts. (My old one is really old...I think I had it even before I was accepted there and it has holes in the shoulders and even in the armpits!) Since Douglass College doesn't really exist anymore thanks to bureaucracy and university politics, there wasn't much Cook or Douglass College stuff left. I bought one of each of the remaining two tee shirts and bought my mom a shot glass. She went to Douglass too and is also not happy to see it dissolved. I thought I'd get her something while I could. Then, it began to pour. I had to bus back to my car on College Ave. Somehow I didn't get too wet. (Haha...that's what she said.) In the evening, Jess and I drove to Rutgers Camden for Kevin and Owen...well, Kevin anyway. We met up with Shannon and Kinja there. Toms River Mike was there, too! That was a nice surprise. It was a chill atmosphere. There were a few chumps, but there always are. Kevin was great, though, and he was in a really good mood. He's been having fun and that makes me feel a lot better about this long tour. He still needs to stop. He says he will in December, but he also said it would in November and then added another tour. He's in much better shape than he was over the summer, though, so...that's good. Very good. Kevin played: - Keep Ringing Your Bell - Dylan cover (The Man In Me? Anyone know for sure?) - Brooklyn Boy - Just Stay - Mr. Murphy - You're Trailing Yourself - The Longer That I'm Out Here (made me cry) - Manchester Orchestra medley (featuring "Now That You're Home," "Sleeper 1972," and "Wolves At Night") - Cotton Crush - Me And My Friends - Thanks (not my fault!) - It's Only Your Life (T-Shirt and Overcoat, forever and always) Ugh. It was so good. I can't believe I started to cry, though. I mean, it's Kevin so I believe it, but it came on a lot more quickly than it usually does. "The Longer That I'm Out Here" is definitely one of my favorite Kevin songs...not that I don't love most of them to death...but that one hits me differently. We asked if it would be possible to hear "Buried By The Buzz" the next day in Brookyn and he said that was very possible. He also said his next record *might* come out of Favorite Gentlemen which was be really perfect. Went to the Pub for hangs. Hit CRAZY rain on the way. I was driving, so, obviously we were going to hit rain. Thank you, Kinja, for driving really slowly. <3 -- Saturday, October 20, 2007 -- Then, Saturday happened. Jess, Katharine, and I had tickets for Andy Hull / Owen / and KD&GDCollective at Southpaw in Brooklyn. The plan was that Katharine would pick me up at my place and then we'd head over to Jess'. Head up to Hoboken/PATH from Jess'. Thankfully, we were able to stick to this schedule...no thanks to Katharine. ;) She left her ticket on Long Island. My heart sunk into my stomach and I felt like I did back in April when I was the idiot who left two Manchester/KD/Brand New tickets pinned to the bulletin board in her room and didn't realize it until she was nearly in Delaware heading for Virginia! The Southpaw show was sold out. We immediately checked Ticketweb to see if we could buy her another and it hurt even more when it read "Sold out." Despite my reluctance, I called in another favor to Mike who managed to get her on the guest list. She got fucking guest listed to a Brooklyn KD show. That's impressive! He texted while we were on the subway with the confirmation and I could breathe again. When we got to Southpaw, Kevin came up to us and asked if we were all taken care of. Katharine got in without a problem. Everything was fine. There were some chumps and some creeps, but the show was fucking fantastic. Jay Miller, Rizz, and Jinda were in attendance, among others. Jay Miller always brings a good time. He's the funniest, sweetest guy ever. I can't believe I was ever nervous around him. I still think he hated us the first time he met us, but then he found out we weren't just trying to get into shows for free or suck Kevin's dick and then he didn't mind us. It's always good to see him. Always. I need him to send me some David Bazan stuff. Andy played some new Manchester stuff and one or two Right Away Great Captain! songs (including "Badges And Badges"). He also brought Mike up to play three Manchester Orchestra songs with him: "Wolves At Night," "Where Have You Been," and "Sleeper 1972." Soooo good. Everything. New Manchester, let me hear you! I've never been too into Owen, not because I haven't liked what I've heard but mostly out of laziness. He was really good, though. I enjoyed his banter. Jay came out and introduced Kevin. Jay really should MC everything. He talked about Ellen and Iggy and then did some dance and rapped. It was awesome. Kevin came out and did "Brooklyn Boy" acoustic by himself. Then, the collective entered which included: Bonzie, Russell, Skinner, Strandberg, and Chris Bracco. Later, Amy Bracco and Jay Miller would join. They played the JAMS: - The Shift Change Split The Streets - A Flatline Blur - Go Haunt Someone Else - You're Trailing Yourself - No Time Flat - Buried By The (motherfuckin') Buzz! - No One Else's Problem! - Me And My Friends - Just Stay - The Burning City Smoking - Holland 1945 (Neutral Milk cover) - Cotton Crush The stage cleared and Kevin ended with "Ballgame" solo. Such a good show. I love Kevin solo and the way I feel during those shows, but it's also nice to just dance around and hear something loud and fast sometimes. With the exception of a missing Margaret White, this was the Goddamn Allstars. Katharine merched a little and then we all headed outside (where any hope of overcoming my cold by Monday vanished). I was wearing a sweater, but I was still cold. Not as cold as I was Tuesday night, though. We met up with peeps outside and talked a while around dumb kids. Chatted with everyone. Jay entered our circle and chatted/danced. Got to say hi to the Braccos who now reside in Connecticut. Found out the Chris didn't play The Space show a couple weeks ago because he forgot he had tickets to see Black Mountain that night. Talked a bit with Bonz about their demos. He's going to either send them to me or give them to me at Bowery. Hopefully he does. He told me to remind him, so when November 8th starts feeling closer, I will. I'm excited. Kevin came over just to say hi and make sure we all had fun and were feeling good. Thanked Strandberg again for his help with Katharine. He admitted to - mostly - guessing during Andy's set since the arrangements for those songs are different solo than they are full band and they never practiced together. Chatted with him about the Steel Train tour, Socratic, and other shit. The last three shows on that tour (from NYC to Boston) will be full band KD! Tried not to get him sick, but I couldn't stop coughing. Chatted with Rizz about the "Chinese Food Song" video. Kids are shmucks. It was a night full of good peeps. Mostly, anyway. -- Sunday, October 21, 2007 Didn't get to bed until 5am or so. Maybe later. I don't remember. Got up around 10:30am when Mom let the kitties in. I decided to make the most of it and wrote the "first draft" of my Principles Of Lit. paper. Wrote some other shit. Wrote this entry. Had some tea and some XXX Vitamin Water. Still coughing and sniffling. Thankfully, this is just a nuisance cold. No achy-ness and it hasn't even really prevented me from sleeping. I hate it when my nose is so stuffed I can't breathe and, therefore, can't sleep. I don't think I have a fever or anything. Unless Jess and Katharine want to hang, I plan of keeping a low profile today and trying to prepare for this week. Jess and I may do Andy / Kevin / Owen in DC tomorrow, but we need to talk about it. If we don't, we still have the Red Bank show on Thursday before Kevin (and Mike) head off to join the Ace Enders / Steel Train tour. Katharine, Kinja, and Toms River Mike are in for that. It'll be like...the team! **EDIT** This arrived in my email Thursday morning and I love my life: http://www.paxenfilms.com And I just found this...not sure what it is, but...yeah: 4 beautiful places to get lost | let's get lost

If I have gone astray, promise me you'll be here... [12 Oct 2007|03:51pm] [ mood | content ] [ music | jeremy enigk - "damien dreams" ] Time for another week in review. I shouldn't write this now. Lots of shit still to do, but...fuck it. Since I keep a daily journal and am behind in it, writing has become a priority over homework. Take that, Rutgers English Department! Last weekend was spent doing radio, hangin' out at George's. and studying. We had another batch of 2am pancakes, but they weren't as deadly as the week before had been. -- Monday, October 8, 2007 -- Monday was spent in class and then more studying. I was really stressed over that Shakespeare exam. I went over everything twice...all my notes, all the passages we'd discussed in class, the history sections. So, I had my two classes: Schochet's and Creative Writing and then came home to finish it all up. I was drained, though. Stressed. It sucked. I had trouble sleeping. I was stressed over various things. -- Tuesday, October 9, 2007 -- On Tuesday, I had Principles of Lit. and it was like having a break. I could just sit there and chill out. During my break, I did a last minute studying session and then it was do or die time. I didn't die. I only had a heart attack. The exam was in three parts: history, identification, and a short essay. For the history, there were seven questions and you had to answer six. For the IDs, there were six passages to identify and five you had to answer. I did fine on the history section, I think. I'd read over the history and couple times (and being a history geek found it rather interesting). The IDs worried me. Of the six given, I knew four right away. Since I had to answer five of them, I had to choose one from the other two I didn't know and just...guess. So, I lost points on at least one of the IDs. I knew what play it was from and I knew the speaker (but then or over-thought it and put another answer for speaker...I left my original answer also in hopes he'd give me partial credit if one happened to be right). The essay was okay. We just had to write a short essay about one of the ID passages and we could pick any one we wanted. We'll see. I hope I did all right. I'm not used to this shit. I miss my department. Then, I had to deal with my Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. class and there was just no way I could sit through that. The whole time I was sitting in class I just wasn't there. I took notes, though, so hopefully I'll be able to understand them later if necessary. Tuesday night was a relief, though. My dad and I, along with Jess and Katharine, went to Highline Ballroom to see Kevin open for Jeremy Enigk. I wish I hadn't been as drained/stressed as I was, but it was still a good night. As excited as I was to see Kevin after his stint in the UK, I think I was more excited to finally see Jeremy Enigk again. [I don't think Kevin would blame me.] We went to Billy's first for cupcakes. I couldn't stomach anything at the time. but it all looked damn good. Then, we headed to Highline. It was weird because there were very few people there, but it was still about half an hour before Kevin went on and probably not really a KD crowd anyway. More people showed up by the time Jeremy Enigk went on. Kevin said hi to us, hugs all around...even my dad! (My dad's been seeing Kevin play since 2005 and it was his first Kevin hug. It was cute.) Anyway, Kevin's 10/9 set went something like this: A Billion Bees 'Big Bad Man' (one of the new ones...I don't know if it has a name) Mr. Murphy Brooklyn Boy It's Only Your Life The Burning City Smoking Just Stay Yr. Damned Ol' Dad Ballgame Kevin almost fell during "The Burning City Smoking" and then couldn't get through the song without laughing. He'd only gotten back from the UK the night before and was still a little out of it. He admitted he'd forgotten some of the words to the new stuff, but he was in a good mood. Kevin brought a posse which included: the Braccos, Russell, the 'bergs, Jesse Lacey, and Derrick Sherman. We chatted a bit with Mike and Brian about the show in Connecticut the next day and got interesting responses. Mike was sure they'd be there. Brian wasn't. It didn't matter, though, because we were going to the Connecticut show regardless. I do enjoy watching Brian during "Cotton Crush," though. Jeremy Enigk went on and, as he did three years ago, blew me away. I wasn't sure what to expect from him. I wasn't sure if he'd be one of those "This is what I'm doing now" kind of guys and not doing any old stuff or if he'd just do whatever. He did the latter, much to my delight. I've never claimed to be a huge Sunny Day / Fire Theft / Jeremy Enigk fan. I feel like you have to make more of an effort than I do for them / him. I have four Sunny Day records (I think only excluding the live one), but I only really know two of them ("Diary" and "How It Feels To Be Something On"). I know The Fire Theft's record pretty well. I know Jeremy's second solo record pretty well. The first I never listened to that much until this week. Jeremy Enigk's stuff and Counting Crows are both bands that I generally have to be in the right mood to listen to...usually in my car on a rainy day or as I'm trying to sleep. Jeremy and Adam both have kind of raspy voices and, I don't know, I need them at very specific times and places. (As opposed to, say, Kevin who I listen to pretty much every day and encompasses all sorts of feelings.) I'm a fan of Jeremy's, of course, but I know my place. So, I stood in the back with my dad. I could see fine and all I really needed was to be able to hear. I recognized almost everything he played. If he played anything from LP2, I wouldn't have recognized it and there were a couple songs from The Return Of The Frog Queen that I knew I'd heard a few times, but didn't know the names. Of what I recognized, this is what Jeremy played: River to Sea from World Waits Cannons from World Waits World Waits from World Waits Wayward Love (?? I think) from World Waits Abegail Anne from Return Of The Frog Queen Return Of The Frog Queen from Return Of The Frog Queen Lewis Hollow (I think) from Return Of The Frog Queen Carnival (I think) from Return Of The Frog Queen Explain from Return Of The Frog Queen Guitars And Video Games from Sunny Day Real Estate's How It Feels To Be Something On How It Feels To Be Something On from Sunny Day Real Estate's How It Feels To Be Something On Ocean from Sunny Day Real Estate's The Rising Tide IN CIRCLES!! from Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary Heaven from The Fire Theft's The Fire Theft There were kids shouting out "Play 'Seven'" and had he played that I would have ducking died. [My screen name, MySpace URL, etc. are all from that song.] I would have been excited for "Pillars" or "Roses In Water," too. Anything from Diary was going to make me cry. Case in point: "In Circles." Haha. It was awesome. I think I'd have to say that "In Circles" and "Heaven" were the highlights for me. The piano in "Heaven" is really beautiful. That's my favorite Fire Theft song. It was also really awesome to stand next to Derrick Sherman during "Abegail Anne" and "World Waits" and seeing him sing along to every word. Afterwards, we hung around a bit and said bye to Kevin...but he was going to see us again the next day anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. He told us he was surprised people did laugh as soon as he tripped. People only really started to laugh once he started to laugh and told them to laugh. Haha. I grinned, I think, but I prevented myself from actually LingOL. Katharine went home because she really doesn't like us that much and Jess, my dad, and I went to Cafeteria for some food. That was...interesting. :/ We missed the 12:41am train by about ten minutes so we had to get the 1:41am back to Jersey. Got home around 3am and in bed around 4am. -- Wednesday, October 10, 2007 -- I had to be up by 8am for class. Boooooo. I had to go to recitation for Principles of Lit. and then I just had Creative Writing. After class, I came home and did some shit before heading over to Jess'. She did have class on Wednesday, so she spelt in and drove to Connecticut. We hit traffic on the Merritt, which kind of sucked, but we got to The Space before anything happened. We were on the road by about 4:30pm. We got there around 7:30pm. I wasn't feeling well, but it was nothing anyone could do anything about. It hit me about half an hour before we got to The Space. I'd take precautions before we left and it wasn't enough...or maybe nothing would be enough. I was nauseous, like I was in Oneonta. I ate this time, though, so it shouldn't have been medication fucking with my empty stomach. Since drinking a lot of water helped in Oneonta, that's exactly what I did this time and it did help. Maybe the medication make me dehydrated? I dunno. Thankfully, The Space has a lovely Vitamin Water selection. I bought a couple Focus bottles to keep myself functioning and not falling over. It worked, more or less. The Jealous Girlfriends went on first and then Aeroplane, 1929. I liked Aeroplane back in February when they opened for Kevin and I liked them even more last night. I had to admit that I'm not too in love with The Jealous Girlfriends, but I like them more each time I hear them too. I thought they were really good last night. In my defense, I really don't get into many female singers. Really, Jennifer O'Connor is the only female singer I legitimately like enough to see without Kevin or someone else. I love her voice and I really respect her. Basically, I love that she's not a size -5 little scene girl. The first time I saw her play, she was wearing jeans and a tee shirt...nothing cutesy...and I really appreciated it. Haha. I like that she was a woman on stage who was actually wearing clothing and it didn't look like she stood in front of her closet for hours picking out the perfect ensemble. She let her voice define her. Not that Holly/Jealous Girlfriends does, but...I don't know...she's never really stood out for me. But I did enjoy them a lot Wednesday night. We sat during Jealous Girlfriends. I probably couldn't have stood even if I'd wanted to...too dizzy. I sat with my eyes closed, trying to distract myself and listen...I think maybe that's why I enjoyed them so much last night. I just took myself out of where I was and allowed myself to listen. Kevin greeted us after their set. He offered to get me something for the nausea, but I told him I had some Vitamin Water and that I'd be fine...I just couldn't quite trust myself to stand just yet. Anyway, eventually Kevin made it through the traffic and the Stranbergs made it via MetroNorth and a cab. As I already mentioned in the KD community [kevindevine], Kevin's set is really fuzzy in my head due to the nausea and everything else, so this may not be totally right. Again, I ask Jess and Katharine to correct my mistakes. <3 The Hamden set was something like this: A Billion Bees (solo) Sunday School (Miracle of '86 jam, solo) Wolf's Mouth (solo) Brooklyn Boy (solo) Mr. Murphy (solo) Flatline Blur Cotton Crush No Time Flat Yr. Damned Ol' Dad The Shift Change Split The Streets (the new, faster, awesome version) The Burning City Smoking Me And My Friends (which I thought was particularly good) Inside Of Love (Nada Surf cover, solo) Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Bob Dylan cover, with Holly/Jealous Girlfriends) It's Only Your Life (solo) Tapdance (solo) Ballgame (solo) He began and ended the set with a few solo songs, but I can't even remember for sure if the listed ones are the right ones. Mike and Brian played as the Goddamn Strandbergs on guitar/bass and drums respectively. No flashy patch. It was really good. I've seen Kevin play with various versions of the band and they're always good. I wasn't expecting it to sound as full as it did with only three instruments, but those boys know what they're doing. Bought some Aeroplane CDs, chatted with Strandbergs, found a whole new appreciation for the number 95, stopped at Dunkin' Donuts, and hit the road back to our homes. Katharine should move to Jersey. Jess and I got back around the same time we did the night before. Oh, sleep deprivation. [Oh, it being totally worth it every time.] -- Thursday, October 11, 2007 -- Three classes: Schochet, Shakespeare, and Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. Nothing to report. We didn't get our exams back for Shakespeare; we just started talking about "Henry IV." I was still feeling kind of iffy, so I came home and went right back to bed. I started feeling better after I showered. In the evening, I chatted with Katharine a while. I can't wait to see her pictures (and her face again)! <3 -- Friday, October 12, 2007 This time last year I was packing for a trip to California, I'd never left the east coast before, I'd never been out of my own time zone, I was still friends with Jon, I had never spoken to Mike Strandberg, and I'd never been on tour. I've covered a lot of ground this year. Today, I went to the DMV to renew my license. This picture is a lot better than my old one...thank God. (My shoulders are the same color in this one!) I have to run to the mall to do some birthday shopping for Melissa and Jess. Teehee. -- Outlook on the Weekend -- Radio tomorrow. Alone, I guess...unless Katharine comes down. After radio, though, I'm heading to Forked River for Melissa's birthday. I'll probably come home Sunday morning, though, and skip Atlantic City because I have lot of work to catch up on. I have a writing assignment due for Creative Writing and lots of reading...which is why I should never have taken time to write this whole thing, (But as I said from the beginning: fuck it.) This weekend, I have to read Charlotte's Web. It's about 200 pages, but it has pictures. It was a used book I bought from Amazon.com. On the inside cover, written in blue ink, it says: "To Candi. Love Jeni. 12-25-88." This book was a Christmas present 19 years ago. I feel a little sad, but also a little honored to have it. As I skimmed through it, I noticed an orange slip of paper. In different handwriting, written with pencil, it says: "Tomorrow is a blank page just waiting to be filled with your dreams - all you have to do is be yourself and live the story no one else can live - the story of your unique life. Be proud, be confident, but most of all, be happy. Keep smiling!" let's get lost

Now I'm a fat house cat... [05 Oct 2007|09:05pm] [ mood | rushed ] [ music | iron and wine - "flightless bird, american mouth" ] Each week is the same as the last...I guess that's the sign of a "new" semester becoming "this" semester. I've actually been doing a significant amount of the work assigned this semester which is something new for me. Haha. Too many classes give - or at least threaten to give - reading quizzes. Fuck that shit. If I chose not to read and I fuck up the midterm, that's my problem. I feel the same about taking attendance. If I decide not to show up and I fuck up, that's my problem too. But, whatever. I'll save that rant of later. I have my first exam on Tuesday. It's in my Shakespeare class and will be on "Romeo And Juliet," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and "As You Like It." "As You Like It" was the only one I hadn't read before. I'm a little nervous, but only because I always get nervous before exams. I haven't finished reading each play, but I did go to all the lectures, I took good notes, I've already started going over my notes and reading over passages the professor pointed out. Today was "As You Like It" day because that's the one play I was totally unfamiliar with until last week. I read a plot summary, just in case what I thought the play was about turns out to be wrong. I was not wrong, though. Of course, I'll go over the other two as well, but they shouldn't give me too much trouble. Finally finished "Omeros" in Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. Now, onto "Maps." Reading "Pride And Prejudice" for Principles Of Lit. now. Thanks, Mrs. Leg! I'm skimming over the text for it and I'm watching the movie to refresh my memory, but I've watched the movie more times than I'd feel comfortable revealing (as I am usually not really into the 'chick flicks') and I know the story a lot better than I thought I did. I'm actually getting to write in Creative Writing! And, as always, I'm just loving Schochet's class. We spent a good chunk of Thursday's class discussing the differences between "virtue" and "justice." So, that's school. I worked on and finished the radio program Monday night. It took a long time, but I think it came out okay. The dinner is tomorrow and it should be pretty exciting! My shoes came yesterday. Super cute. <3 Did some studying today and bought some books: two for school and two for me. I can't resist buying books for a third of their original prices. Thanks, Internet! Had a long chat and might have come to some interesting conclusions. Don't know yet. Not totally convinced. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Still waiting for the catch. But, there are lots of shows in October to keep me - more or less - chipper. Can't wait. My head is still spinning over Kevin opening for Jeremy Enigk. I really can't wait for Tuesday. Busy busy busy. I have an eclaire waiting for me in the fridge. Mmm. 2 beautiful places to get lost | let's get lost

All the experts say you ought to start them young, that way they'll naturally love the taste of corporate cum... [30 Sep 2007|11:24pm] [ mood | sleepy ] [ music | pedro the lion - "indian summer" ] Finished my book today. Sadder than I wanted it to be. Now I know I'll die alone. It was good...pretty funny, too, at least until the last chapter. I reached my goal of finishing it before September ended. I cut it close, but was successful with an hour and a half to spare in September. Now, I want to buy books. A bunch of them. Not like I have time to read them, though. I have reading for Colonial/Postcolonial Lit, Principles of Lit, and Shakespeare to read. But I miss my department and I want to read non-fiction polisci geek shit because that's who I am and that's what I want. Maybe I'll stop by B&N this week...or do some online shopping. I still have a couple Shakespeare plays to buy for class. Hmm... God, I love this album. School's...whatever. Nothing too horrible. I have my first 'paper' due this week. I sent a draft into the T.A. and she said: [Content-wise: yes, this is perfect. Focusing on language, syntax, tone -- the form of the passage (that particular passage), and how the various elements at work in the passage function -- is exactly what Professor Jehlen is looking for. I like where you reference specific words and phrases, and especially where you mark the turn in the passage. Very good. ] I went on a several sentence long rant in this paper about why Franklin used the term "emment" instead of "ant" in this particular passage in his autobiography. I also analyzed his use of the word "proposal." I knew that would win her over. For this class, we have four short papers (only two pages) to do and no midterm of final. We'll have to hand in a first draft along with the final draft, but...eh. It's dumb, but whatever. I may just write the paper and then, to hand in as a draft, write a dumbed down version afterwards. I never write first drafts. I've never had to. It's a waste of time when all your first drafts come back with As on them. Don't mean to show off too much, but I can write. Don't give me this bullshit about drafts. Let me do what works for me. I still adore Gordon Schochet. On Friday, I got some shit done. I wrote the above mentioned paper, got to work on this program I'm designing for the RLC Dedication Dinner, and did some shopping. The program is coming along slowly, but not badly. I have to have it in to Calvo for printing by Tuesday, though, and the Bertrand/Lisa machine are still working on a lot of the content. Patty told me today that Calvo is aware I'm designing it and was - apparently - relieved to hear it. He knows I know what I'm doing and he also know I know what it takes to get this shit printed in time (i.e. it will be in his posession by Tuesday morning, as promised, so as to give him enough time to print without killing himself). After that, I bought new shoes because my Vans now have holes: http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/shoes/brands/newbalance/women/PRD~256034/new+balance+450+LowProfile+Shoes++CreamPurple.jsp. They're cream and purple. I bought a cute pair of black Vans too, but those won't be my everyday shoes; those are my shoes for when I'm wearing something a step up from jeans/tee shirt, but a step down from dressy. Watched Bill Maher. It was a particularly good one. Saturday, I went into the station early to do some more program work. Radio. Had a good time on the air. Jess and I were both in strangely good moods, I'd say. [http://eden.rutgers.edu/~rwollman] Kinda wished we could have made it to Coney Island for "Brooklyn Boy" and the Paxen boys, but you can't make it to everything. [http://www.paxenfilms.com] Mike later told me the video went over well and that they'd had a good time. He said it was very chill. Later in the night, I went over to hang at George's. It was just me, George, and Lunchbox. Insanity ensured. Might go down as one of the best nights of my life...well, best nights where I wasn't seeing Kevin or Brand New, at least. We played some five card and watched "South Park." George made another batch of 2am pancakes and we all felt drunk and sick afterwards. We each ate only one and a half of our pancakes. To finish the last half, we challenged each other in "Never have I ever" until all the pancakes were eaten. In the process, Lunchbox admitted to having a vagina and George laughed so hard he spilled Mountain Dew out of his mouth. Classic evening. My hoodie smells of syrup. I left as Lunchbox was trying to open a bottle of Corona with his teeth, around 3:30am. I woke up with a pancake induced stomach ache this morning. Went to RLC. Program work. Came home and wrote a poem about the Pharaoh Hatshepsut. [http://timeispoetry.blogspot.com/2007/09/hatshepsut.html] Watched the Mets lose in a historic fashion. Their season is over. Nice job blowing it, boys. But, part of being a Mets fan is living with disappointment. I'd still rather be a Mets fan than a fan of any other team...especially the Yankees. Being a Mets fan takes commitment and loyalty. It's easy to be a Yankee fan. It's easy to be the fan of something you know is going to win. They really never had it together this season. They held on to first place by just a handful of games all season and then they lost by one game. It's kind of bullshit, but that's the game. If you completely breakdown as a team you can be in first place for four months of the season and blow it in the last two weeks. So, that's over and done with. The way they've been playing, they don't deserve to play in October anyway. It's been pitiful. Then, I read. Then, RLC: worked on program, helped Mindy paint, sat in on meeting. Then home: Chinese food, finished book, chatted with Katharine. So, this week is more of the same. Tomorrow, I have to go to RLC after class to work on the program 'til it's done. I hope to email it to Calvo tomorrow night and - if there's a problem with the email - drive a copy of the program over to him at PHS during my break on Tuesday. Nothing planned until Saturday when RLC finally flips the switch on the new transmitter. It's a goal over two years in the making. It's finally here. Haha. The marathon happened almost two years ago and now we finally have something to show for it. It's pretty fucking awesome. [http://ballsstrikeback.livejournal.com/2005/10/18/] October 10th = Jess, Katharine, me, Connecticut, KD and the Collective! The rest of October will be crazy. Can't fucking wait. It's gonna be awesome - nay, austin. 7 beautiful places to get lost | let's get lost

It's later than it needs to be. [27 Sep 2007|02:19am] [ mood | awake ] [ music | hebrew hammer...obvi. ] Can't sleep. It's 2:30am. I'm gonna be PISSED in the morning. At least it's Schochet's class. ...and I have espresso on my side. Classes are pretty good so far. Nothing really to report. I'm enjoying Creative Writing. Had my 'surrealist' poem critiqued by the class today - well - yesterday. It went well. Everyone liked it...some of them even got it...but the professor liked that you don't need to be a polisci major to get something out of it. She only suggested fixing a couple little things, but nothing major. She didn't change the structure of the poem like some creative writing teachers I know. Working on another short story...so I have two going right now. This new one is running my life. Pretty much every class this week was spent jotting down dialog...and a couple class notes here or there when I could afford to come up for air. I'm not even sure where I'm going with it yet, but I had this perfect opening scene in my head and I just had to run with it. So, we'll see where it goes. I need a couple Jew-y last names, though. If you think of anything creative, let me know. I don't want it to scream Jew...I want it just to whisper Jew. After class, Comedy Central had a schedule dedicated to me: and hour long Bill Maher special followed by The Daily Show and Colbert Report reruns. I read, leaving my boys on in the background. Lewis Black was on The Daily Show tonight. Gordon Schochet should be on The Daily Show. Mets lost. Honestly, the way they've played the last few weeks, they don't deserve to be in the post season. Fucking pathetic. Oh. My. God. The Hebrew Hammer is on! 2 beautiful places to get lost | let's get lost

Our bodies have torn in places... [18 Sep 2007|11:08pm] [ mood | kinda gotta pee. :/ ] [ music | colour revolt - "our homes are graves" ] I should go shower this day off me and pass out in my bed, but I'm in a writing kind of mood. It's been a while. So, it's time for a quick life-recap. Last weekend, I went up to Oneonta with the Brand New kids to see Heavy Rescue and Brand New up there. I probably shouldn't have left my house at all feeling as badly as I did. Then, I decided not to eat for two days and take tons of over-the-counter medications to help my various problems disappear. Of course, that only gave me more problems. I ended up getting pulled out of the front row and sitting in the little EMT station in the back where they took my blood pressure and filled out some forms. Gave me water. Four water bottles later, I could stand without seeing stars. Thanks, Allison and Jackie, for sitting with me even though I thought I might puke. The next day, we trekked back to Catherine's house where he cousin kicked me ass. Check "My Photos" on my MySpace for photographic proof. Last school week was pretty pointless. I learned that the Shakespeare class was definitely a good choice over the Contemporary Fiction class. Lots easier. I also learned that I can walk to my doctor's office in about 15 minutes, but if you walk back in the rain, you will sit soaking wet for the next four hours until you get home and change. (Yes, I got caught in the download walking back from my doctor's office. It sucked.) This weekend was awesome. I was feeling a lot better, though still not 100 per cent, but enough to be able to go to Philly to see Brian Bonz and the Dot Hongs with Jess and Katharine. They sounded great and I had an amazing time. They had an old EP, so I got one of those. I'm excited for their full length and future shows! Got some interesting info about a lot of shit. "Chinese Food Song" video footage = flying, birds eating Mike Rizzo, Jesse/Kevin shirtless/gay Axl Rose. Bonzie record done sometime in November and out - hopefully - late 2007/early 2008. Updates when I get them...not that anyone here cares aside from the people I'd tell waaaay before post in it here. The show was, seriously, awesome. Check those boys out: www.myspace.com/brianbonz. Monday was a huge LOL @ me. Got about three hours of sleep and walked like a zombie through the day. Mets have been sucking. Boo. Yeah, I'm out of steam. It's just about bedtime. Oh...and Colour Revolt at Maxwell's on November 17th? Who else just died the best death ever!? let's get lost

One more time... [07 Sep 2007|07:07pm] [ mood | bleh ] [ music | right away, great captain! (in my head) ] Seriously, this is the last time I revise my Fall '07 schedule: Mondays: (1) Western Tradition: Moses to Movable Type // FH-A5 // 9:50am - 11:10am (2) Creative Writing // MU-004 // 1:10pm - 2:30pm Tuesdays: (1) Principles Of Lit. Studies // SC-135 // 9:50am - 11:10am (2) Shakespeare: The Elizabethan Plays // SC-135 // 1:10pm - 2:30pm (3) Colonial and Post-Colonial Lit // SC-205 // 2:50pm - 4:10pm Wednesdays: (1) Principles Of Lit. Studies // HH-B6 // 9:50am - 11:10am (2) Creative Writing // MU-004 // 1:10pm - 2:30pm Thursdays: (1) Western Tradition: Moses to Movable Type // FH-A5 // 9:50am - 11:10am (2) Shakespeare: The Elizabethan Plays // SC-135 // 1:10pm - 2:30pm (3) Colonial and Post-Colonial Lit // SC-205 // 2:50pm - 4:10pm The schedule is still awesome. Still have Fridays off and now I'm done even earlier on Mondays and Wednesdays! I dropped Contemporary Fiction because it was just too much reading to get done before each class...at least when added in with my other two lit. classes. I really liked that professor, though, so maybe next semester I'll try it again. I chose the Shakespeare class as a replacement because the professor got great reviews on ratemyprofessor (although so did my Contemporary Fiction professor) and because the workload seemed a lot lighter. And I'm already familiar with - at least - two of the plays we'll be discussing. I emailed the professor and he was very nice and encouraging: essentially told me not to worry that I've already missed two lectures. We're starting with "Romeo and Juliet" which I have read (...who hasn't?) and I can probably get a lot of the texts for free since my mom's a high school English teacher. Best part about the new schedule: I'll be done with class by 2:30pm on October 10th when Kevin plays in Connecticut. We'll have plenty of time to get up there! [Hopefully!] I may not be able to take Nature of Politics with Schochet next semester and I can't switch into it this semester. It conflicts with Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. and I like that class enough to want to keep it. I like the professor...he already knows my name. I'd rather take an upper level class with Schochet this semester and sacrifice the lower level class to some other professor next semester if I have to. Seriously, though, if Schochet is teaching any other class next semester that I haven't taken: I'm taking it. He'll probably just teach Western Tradition: Machiavelli-Marx again, though. Boo. Honestly, I'd probably even take another seminar if he was teaching. It's so dorky, but I really have learned a lot from this guy. I mean, I've learned what he's taught, but he's also changed my way of thinking about politics...and even language. Love him! Soooooo...yeah. That's all done now. I'm feeling better about this stuff. Leaving sometime tonight for Middletown. Brand New in Oneonta tomorrow! Still feeling kinda sick, but I think I now know why. It'll be fine. let's get lost

First week of school, sore feet, tired eyes, weak limbs, KD@Ramapo... [07 Sep 2007|02:48am] [ mood | my lips are dry and really red. ] [ music | jennifer o'connor (in my head) ] First week of school - for me - is over. No classes on Fridays. Pretty sweet deal. College Ave. requires a lot of walking. My feet are killing me. I better be losing weight from all this shit. Couldn't keep my eyes open during Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. partially because we haven't gotten to the interesting parts yet and partially because I'm still not falling asleep until 2 or 3am and then my alarm goes off at 7am...and then 7:30am...and the second one I actually have to listen to. Today, I nearly fell to the ground under the weight of my backpack after forgetting it was heavier than usual (due to the addition of six books). And then I went to Ramapo with Jess and Katharine to see Kevin and hear him play some songs. I don't know how long he played, but it's never enough. It was a very chill show. Probably the best I've been to in a long time. Low stress. "Business casual." No creeps. No unnecessary peeps. The crowd was good and respectful: let Kevin do whatever he wanted. Just reminded me a shows from a couple of years ago...before bros started coming out to KD shows. Before tickets were difficult to get. Before "Cotton Crush." Haha. [I mean, I love "Cotton Crush," but I hate that it's the only Kevin song a lot of people at Kevin shows seem to know these days. He did even play it tonight...no "Ballgame" either. They were appropriately absent from the set tonight.] As I've said, either in writing or in conversation, many times: I'm glad Kevin's gaining ground and I'm glad he can do this as his 'day job,' but I also miss the small crowds and being the only person (along with Jess, of course) to know live versions of songs or new songs before they're recorded. Tonight kind of reminded me of those days, to a certain extent. There's really nothing else I can say except: Sunday. School. dfu434$#%sdf4 Sleepy. Too sleepy to sleep. Still feeling weird. A little worried I may - actually - be sick. For now, eating light and trying not to make myself panic. Tomorrow: Middletown, NY, Jess, CATHERINE! Saturday night: Oneonta/Brand New/Jameson Sunday 9/16: Bonzie et al @ Starlight Ballroom in Philly with Jess and Katharine! Next KD in...33 day. Boooo. let's get lost

The story so far... [05 Sep 2007|09:39pm] [ mood | sleepy ] [ music | bonz (in my head) ] School's been okay. Woke up this morning feeling like shit. Walked through the day feeling like shit. Summary: - Principles of Lit. Study = boring, but not too hard; somewhat annoying professor. - Principles of Lit. Study [recitation] = small, awkward class (literally, three kids); T.A. doesn't shave her pits. Boooooo. - Colonial/Postcolonial Lit. = actually more interesting than I thought; nice, young, kinda cute professor. - Creative Writing = pretty awesome, excited to write some weird shit so be ready to read my weird shit; nice professor - Contemporary Fiction = hmmm...not sure...talked about globalization all day today and there's kind of a lot of reading; nice professor, though; might drop it depending on other options Haven't had Schochet's class yet. He's first thing tomorrow morning. Jess, Mitchell, and I will be reunited at long last! I'm looking forward to being in a PoliSci class. It's weird, though, that both the Colonial/Postcolonial Lit and the Contemporary Fiction class talk rather heavily about political systems...well, mainly globalization...but it makes me feel more at home. It feels so weird to not be taking a ton of PoliSci classes. Plus, I'm on a campus I hate...and I do still hate it. TOO PEE PEE! That place gives me headaches, but...whatever. Despite getting totally lost a couple times, I've made it to all my classes on time and in one piece. I'm not sure what hit me this morning, but it hit me hard and I feel sick. Don't know why exactly. Just been nauseous all day. I hope I feel better tomorrow for KD and hangs. I'm really feeling weak right now...very tired and...fuzzy. So, it's time to shower, watch "The Daily Show" (though it's probably a rerun), and sleep. let's get lost

Don't want you to go to bed... [27 Aug 2007|01:01am] [ mood | awake ] [ music | brian bonz - "edison is constantly on fire" ] So, yeah, tour's over. Blah, blah, blah. I miss it A LOT...blah, blah, blah. I've said all I'll say about it...at least all I'll say for now about it. I loved every second of it. But I've been back for a while. I've been hiding from people, the world, the Internet. I just feel like being a home-body for now, I guess. Overexposure. Need some time to regroup, think, write, breathe...chill with my cats, etc. before classes start up. Which they will on September 4th. I'm indifferent. I'm not looking forward to waking up and dealing with College Ave., but I gotta say, I'm pretty excited for another semester of Schochet's antics. That man is crazy, amazing, and brilliant. I'm slightly nervous because, for the first semester since declaring my major, the majority of my classes are not PoliSci classes. I've gotten used to the PoliSci classes and what to expect from them. This is like a new world, haha. Four English classes and only one PoliSci. It's madness! I'm going to try not to think about school starting just yet, though. We still have a week or so. Last week, I saw Limbeck and The Format and it was fucking sweet. I went with my dad and met up with Rob for a bit there. I adore Limbeck. I wish they'd played longer, though. The Format were amazing. Some kid started a fight during "Oceans," and they literally stopped playing. "We're a band called 'The Format'! We play pop music! There's no fighting!" Amazing. I think they got the kid kicked out too...more because of his absurdity than because of his fighting. Then, on Thursday, Jess, Katharine, and I went into the city to see a Comedy Central taping for Stephen Lynch. We went to Simply Pasta beforehand. I only got hot tea and soup (been sick, needed throat soothing food), but it was damn good. The show was so fucking funny. My face hurt when we left. There was an act before Stephen Lynch...Big Jay Oakerson (sp?)...and he was really good, too. Tonight, I went into Morristown for a family dinner thing for my cousin's birthday. Her son is...rambunctious. We all hung out a while and chatted, caught up. Had a nice dinner and some birthday cake. Afterwards (while Mom and my cousin were chatting and while my aunt and uncle played with their grandson) my dad and I sat in the my aunt's living room watching the Mets and playing five card. Haha. It was an okay night, minus the Mets losing. Aside from a few random public appearances, like the ones above, I've been laying low. I've been reading and writing a lot. I've been talking to "Math" Kevin a little about this literary magazine thing he and I are going to work together on this semester. Yup, I'm giving LitMag another shot...of course this one is not with Berzok, so I may actually get to write, which would be really awesome. He and I are trying to get together before the semester starts to catch up and talk about our plans, but I have no idea when I'll be able to squeeze that in. Anyway, also been chatting with Strandberg about...whatever. Recently, topics have included upcoming tours and politics. He was trying to make me feel better about the Kevin/Jesse tour ending by reminding me that the Kevin/Andy tour is just around the corner...which is true, but that's still over a month away! Trying to get him to listen to some Limbeck. He should like them. I'll have to stop talking to him if he doesn't, though. Haha. This week, I'm taking an overnight trip to Willmington, Delaware with my dad to visit an old buddy of him. That'll be Wednesday and Thursday. I guess we haven't seen Bart since the last time we went to visit him down there and I think I was in 8th grade back then! So, that should be fun. In our defense, he kind of fell off the face of the Earth for a while. My dad actually worried that he'd died because no one could get in touch with him. But he resurfaced and is back in Willmington. I guess we'll consider an overnight in Willmington to be this year's road trip. :/ I'm so tired right now that I'm wired. And I want coffee. I've had this horrible coffee craving the last couple days, but what I want is really that mocha frappuccino from Common Groundz in Richmond. Mmmmm. <3 But since coffee at 1am probably isn't the smartest idea, I guess I'll go shower and try to find something boring on TV to make me sleepy. let's get lost

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