Tuesday, December 29, 2009

the great tundra: #1

We arrived to the cabin at dusk, nearly hitting several deer along our driving route (take those deer signs seriously). We pulled up to our cabin on the shore. In the dark we fumbled for light switches and door frames. One by one we uncovered the most deliciously cozy living spaces. The cabin is far better than we predicted. HDTV (YES!). A huge fireplace. Two bedrooms. One bathroom. A lovely kitchen. All of the things we could possibly need... Except internet.

The internet, we found, was not working. We called our care taker. She had no idea how to fix it, except to say that the switch for it was in the "dungeon-like basement." Great.

Begin adventure #1.

Justin and I, armed with flashlights and weapons, opened the trapdoor to the basement (that was indeed dungeon-like), and crept down the stairs. It was hilarious. Justin was freaked. I was laughing. We did our best, to no avail.

That night we watched Star Trek the movie. Yum. We cooked a pizza (eh).

The next day I sat around and watched television. Justin was productive and wrote and recorded. That night we watched several episodes of Twin Peaks (a creepy decision if you are staying in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere).

Adventure #2? Finding out we had a roommate. The little field mouse, we dutifully named Walter, was found scurrying around our little cabin in the middle of the night. At one point we turned on the kitchen light, and Walter was found on the counter top--having shred the small pouch of hot chocolate that I had accidentally left out. He was eating the hot chocolate like nobody's business whilst staring at us bravely/nervously. HE IS SO CUTE. We couldn't help but love him, and we instantly knew we could not kill the poor bugger. We figured it was torture enough for him to be buzzed out of his mind on chocolate for the night.

Today we are sitting at a local coffee shop checking our internet stuff. Hopefully our real internet will be up soon, as we have no connection to the outside world (phone reception is not happening).

I am loving it here. I feel like an adult human. Like a real boy! Er... you know what I mean.

I will try to post more later. just know that we are alive, and we are well.

<3

Saturday, December 26, 2009

i still futz with that tourniquet.

vacation was delayed due to the snow storm.

instead we leave tomorrow!

perhaps i will blog.
or maybe i will wait until i return.

not sure yet!

until then, <3.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

encore, encore.

three weekends ago:

finally a quality local show (in my humble opinion). at least one that brings up good old memories of old show-going times. white light riot played at the fineline, and all of us girls went. i had several people shocked to see me, wondering where i have been this whole time. it made me a little sad to have gotten so distanced from the minneapolis "scene," but also happy that most of me has moved on to something else. good times, regardless. i over judged my capabilities and became highly obnoxious to everyone around me. i apologize. in any event, we stood in the front and danced and sang our hearts out. that band plays the only shows i feel totally comfortable being crazy at. i don't care who judges me there. was good. ugly mug after? not so good. what was i thinking?

two weekends ago:

another good show! the alarmists and this world fair played at the varsity theater. heather and i were the first ones in the front for the show, and of course we sang, sang, sang. many people we knew were there, including gabe (we agreed we were going to start recording weekly photobooth lip-syncs. watch for those one day), mike minehart, donovan, zack, ali, all of us girls, etc... was a great time. caught up with kalgren for a bit. watched laura get funny. eventually wandered over to a diner where we ate like queens. yum.

this weekend:

lindsey was in town from florida, so all of our friend group got together for the first time in 2 1/2 years. we all became friends in middle school and continued it through high school. we also had a nice little singing group called "angels in disguise." ha. we are completely different personalities, but we all get along so well (most of the time). me, heather, tiffany, megan, and lindsey met at olive garden, and we stayed there laughing for two hours. then we went to visit with little whit whit, who is getting to be SO OLD! he can pull himself up and everything. what a gorgeous little kidlet. later that night we decided to make it over to majors (a bar we would never go to in normal circumstances, but since we were reliving the high school dream, we undertook the mission). it was interesting, but pretty fun. lydia came out as well. and of course my little sister and all of her friends were there.

this coming weekend:

christmas is quickly approaching! for the first time i have all of my presents purchased well before the holidays, so it is all less stressful. i generally do not enjoy christmas, at least everything leading up to it. christmas eve i will be going to justin's family's house. christmas morning i am with my family, and then in the afternoon i am bringing justin to my mother's side at my grandpa's house. i am so very excited!

then? the day after christmas i leave for 9 days on vacation with justin to the north shore. EEE!!! we are going to be creative and write. it is all i can think about. it cannot come sooner!!!

other highlights:

the christmas carol at the guthrie with the extended family on my mother's side. we have gone for something like 30 years in a row. this year they changed it a lot. i was not impressed. less singing, rushed performance, unbelievable characters, but it was still fun to partake in the experience with the family.

watching the darjeeling limited about 50 times. i think i have found my new favorite movie. i am so excited about it! i absolutely adore all of the characters and the quirky story line. i especially loved the short film at the beginning. p.s. i am newly in love with jason schwartzman.


not getting much sleep trying to hang out with justin while he was in town practicing for the chicago shows, and trying to get to work at 6:15AM every morning. yikes. worth it, however.

watching beth's video stream of all of the chicago mcs shows from my bed, since i cannot be there. i have made new friends and have been obnoxious with the old ones on the chat stream. yes! it makes it a lot better to pretend i am there, only a connection apart. here is the video from the second night (commit this to memory), if you have a lot of time to kill.

Monday, December 14, 2009

shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it!

(photo thanks to christina, who was able to witness this event first hand. lucky duck!)

ah.

rejuvenation. <3

Thursday, December 10, 2009

yes!



amazing. comes out december 22nd in mini form. click through for high-res.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

films i am looking forward to.





by the way, i was able to watch GODKILLER (justin does voice work in it). it. was. AWESOME! i can't wait to buy my own. the first part is available now. check it out. radical.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

gobble, fatty-fat, gobble.

on monday justin's dino trail came to minnesota. i was oh so excited to see him again after a weeks of non-seeing. i met him at the sculpture gardens with flashlights and umbrellas. before the show, i found mike minehart (i will post some of his photos later) and jim (farewell continental bassist) what an AMAZING crowd. justin used twitter to entice people out to see him perform a few songs--and i would say at least 60 people came. the crowd was so into it. for the most part, i just sat back and observed the smiling faces and the singing along that everybody did. i loved it. after he talked to everyone who was there and took pictures with them, i brought him back to his place, where we chilled for a few hours before his next gig (at the beat coffee house).

when we arrived to the beat, tons of people were outside waiting in the rain. brittany had been warning me, previous to arriving, that apparently the coffee house had overbooked and a comedy show was taking place. the show would have to be delayed. so justin, myself, my cousin casey, josh, tommy, claudio, tam, heather s., etc... waited outside in the crowd. it wasn't bad! we had many a laughs, and i think that everyone appreciated waiting outside more due to the fact that the band was out there waiting too, instead of hiding in a van.

eventually the doors to the beat opened, and we all piled in (packed house) to the back. casey and i stood by the door--as to breathe easier. nicely, tommy let us in through the back door for the last few songs--so that we could sit on "side-stage" to watch. justin, josh, and claudio did a fantastic job. they played at least a dozen songs--and everyone seemed quite enraptured. i become so proud of the guys when i see such dedicated crowds like the one that was there.

i met up with justin, kari, tommy, and josh at station 4 for the less than jake show on wednesday night. i love that group of people. kari and i did our (now) traditional shot at the bar (with the bartender who still remembers my name after a year of not attending), and we then looked on in awe at the upstairs dancing extravaganza happening. die hard ltj fans=passionate and perhaps a "bit" toxed. josh disappeared, and tommy left soon after arriving. justin, kari, and i ended up leaving a bit after tommy, truth be told.

justin and i then headed to downtown to meet up with beth (mcs's merch person and one of justin's best friends) at luce. luce is never a bad idea. we ended up playing trivia the whole time while we were there. we were god awful. but google helps. except for when the moderator comes over to you to ask if you were cheating, and you admit that you did (because you are good people), and then you do not even place. ha. at luce i ran into bobby, who did a crazy firework-like shot with me. i also saw meghan r.--who was taking the all time low guys out on the town. beth and justin introduced me to some of the all time low guys and some of the hey, monday guys, as they ended up sitting right behind us. very nice dudes. it was also good to sit down with beth and get to know her a bit, as i hear tons about her from stories, etc... she was super sweet--and it will be good seeing her in the future.

thanksgiving was radical. i did a split thanksgiving. one at my parent's house, and one at justin's dad's sister's house. both were lovely. everyone was kind, no one was scary, nothing was broken, all food was delicious, and all conversations were normal. whitney and heather came over to my thanksgiving, and whitney definitely stole the show. aww. my cousin casey included us in her photo project (that justin nearly had a hernia writing for). we played a strange, fun finger-shuffle-board-game at justin's (i lost severely to his mother). we ate too much food. there were good things all around! it was good practice for the christmas rounds.

the rest of the week was spent lounging with justin before he leaves for tour tomorrow. movies, movies, movies. yeehaw! i must post some recommendations of the good ones i have seen as of late.

as for these coming weeks, if you have anything fun happening that you know of--give me a shout. if i am not sleeping, working, checking farmville, catching up on netflix or lurking everything anyone posts about my boyfriend's stuff/mcs's stuff, then i will be bored and want to hang.

i'm a creep. goodnight. <3

Saturday, November 28, 2009

her words destroyed my planet.


new motion city soundtrack single. CHECK IT!

i love this one. great sounds.

her words destroyed my planet - motion city soundtrack

and if you haven't already, check out the music video to the single "disappear." it stars one of my favorite kidlets--raven!

disappear - motion city soundtrack

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

52 books in a year.

okay, so i just now realized why jessica does 52 books in a year. there are 52 weeks in a year. yeah, i am awful at math... and equations? bad excuse! so i have upped the ante. i will attempt to read 52 books this coming year--one for each week. i may fudge, however, and start my year early.

along with reading all of these books, i plan to journal (if not publically, then for myself) about how each book affected me, and my thoughts of it. i hope, at the end of several years, to have a wonderful collection of thoughts and references.

my list so far:

(already owned...)
a thousand splendid suns (halfway done) - hosseini
good omens (3/4 of the way finished) - gaiman
the tipping point (halfway done) - gladwell
pride and prejudice and zombies (halfway done) - grahame
the brothers karamazov (halfway done) - dostoevsky
life of pi - martel
emma - austen
persuasion - austen
everything is illuminated - foer
the poisionwood bible - kingsolver
the red badge of courage - crane
republic - plato
jane eyre -bronte
the count of monte cristo -dumas
confessions of an economic hitman - perkins
eat, pray, love - gilbert
the long goodbye - chandler
kite runner - hosseini
rule of the bone - banks
the sweet hereafter - banks
i am the cheese - cormier

(need to buy...)
the zookeeper's wife - ackerman
the satanic verses - rushdie
the time traveler's wife - niffenegger

now, i know i have asked 1,000 times... but what else should i add? please comment! if you are feeling shy, feel free to leave out your name. i am in NEED of good reads.

i like to read most all types of books. i am big on the classics. i love stories that move me, make me angry, or give me a completely new perspective on something i would never have had a chance to come into contact with in my own life. i prefer fiction over non-fiction--but am willing to pick up a good non-fiction. i enjoy historical fiction. i like sci-fi--but mostly in a star trek way. i am open for nearly everything. give it to me!!!

thank you.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

these girls fall like dominos, dominos.

last friday i had a bonfire. weather was unbelievably perfect for it. i usually have several fires a summer--but this summer i had none. boo. so dan, amy, and jojo came over early to start the fire (as dan is the master firebuilder). soon after, heather, whit, lydia, larissa, and laura arrived. a bit later, mike, brittany, tommy, and brittany's friend (who's name escapes me) came as well. it was such a good mix of people! sometimes i get nervous about introducing friends from different circles together, but everyone was laughing and sharing stories. we had "scary story" time (which helped me to not sleep all night), and we had "let's write out a horror movie of our lives" time. mike brought smores with peanut butter, while dan whittled marshmallow sticks. yes. whittled. all was lovely.

the next day i went to take care of mr. sick--a.k.a. the boyfriend, who had to return home from his dino trail tour due to contracting the sickness. while justin was sick, we watched a ridiculous amount of movies. i would recap, but he did that mostly for me on his tumblr: the dino trail

one of the things we watched was the DVD of the comedian eddie izzard: the most hilarious comic i have seen in years. he is so intelligent, and it is like listening to a historian with a sense of humor. i think i am in love. please watch these clips--i was laughing so hard. oh my.





this weekend i have lazied in bed and watched the following movies:
(3.75 out of five stars)
(4.50 out of 5 stars)

heather and i went to see an education last night. i give it 3.75 stars out of 5. good stuff. sometimes heartbreaking. it was difficult to understand in the first few minutes due to the british slang and the drinks we had before watching.

and today heather, lyds, whit, and i went to coffee a few hours ago. i love my girls, and whitney is getting so big! i am in love with his squeals and smiles!

Friday, November 13, 2009

i'm ready for whatever's comin'.

below is the latest video from justin's dino trail. there are many videos over at the dino trail website that you should check out, but i am posting this one because i like how the girl freaks out, the nicest man ever (dan from ok go) makes an appearance, and a small bit of my favorite song from the new album is in it.



here is dan's (ok go's) new video. stick with it. SUPER TRIPPY!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

subjuctive!

there is such a surplus of MCS stuff happening right now!

keep checking www.mydinosaurlife.com for videos, pictures, etc from the dino trail! also check @jcpmcs on the twitter machine for other interviews and videos he is doing.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

sweet, sweet heartkiller.

say hi:

on the 28th of october i happily, happily was able to see my favorite band, say hi, at the turf club. eric, the lyricist and frontman, graciously put me on the guestlist +1. i had already bought a ticket, so i was then able to bring two friends with me (as lydia, heather, and laura already had bought a ticket as well). i proceeded to call tommy, because tommy is as much of a fan of the music as i am, but i know he was trying to save money and wasn't planning on going. he agreed. and then i got ahold of brittany, since i think she is a rad chic, but i never get a good excuse to hang out with her, and she is friends with tommy.

anyhow, i arrive and eric is standing outside and i run into him. he is such a lovely, lovely human being. ugh! he is definitely my musical man crush. true story. justin was supposed to come with me to the show but decided he was too busy. in any event, i warned justin how much i crush on eric and his tunes. he dutifully accepted this knowledge! anyway, eric talked to us for a long time before his set. yum! i bought a tote of my favorite lyric, "let's talk about spaceships." hoorah!

the show began, and of course us girls were front and center (we would have murdered people to get there). the set was wonderful. some new, some old, all very singable. heather and i swayed and swooned. toward the end of the set, eric announced that the next song was dedicated to me and heather for singing all of the words (or something to that affect). ::die:: and it turned out to be the first song i ever heard from them via heather's mix cds. we were lucky girls that night. i felt like i was walking on clouds all night. it has been a while since i have felt like my show-going self (that i was a few years ago). it was good. obviously not someone i want to be 24/7 anymore, but it is fun to get back into the groove of things for a night.

below is a music video for say hi. delicious!



motion city soundtrack halloween show:

the two weeks previous to this show, i was basically harrassing justin to push the set time back to 7:00 because i get out of work at 6:00 or later. if i had missed the show, i would have died (or at least would have had an AWFUL night). luckily, (along with brittany's updates), the show was at 7pm and i was able to attend! when i got there it was less packed than i thought it was going to be, perhaps it was because so many people were in the front. i found my friend matt, said hi, and then found my mom and my cousin. said hi to jaci, who was my awesome college roommate. soon after, tommy, kari, and ann came over to stand by where i was. when the guys went onstage, they came on to political music. the four besides justin came on like security guards, and justin came out in a nice outfit with a dinosaur hat on. after he took it off, he gave a "political" speech (pretending to be obama, i'm sure). pretty cool. the crowd was spectacular! everyone was excited to be there, singing, jumping, etc... i spent the majority of the show just watching the crowd react to the songs and the guys. made me really proud of them. justin was totally "on" that night. extremely talkative, super funny, and totally quirky. it was hilarious. what a fun, fun show.

what was really fun about the show was that my little cousin, morgan, was at the show with my mom. morgan is a big fan of them, and she even bought a sweatshirt with her own allowance money from online. aw! so at the end of the show i elbowed my way to the front of the small crowd waiting for the guys to come out and sign things (meanwhile i said hi to jill and shane). i felt bad, since i see him all the time, but it was for my cousin! ha. she had to make it to a halloween party with her friends, and the show was running long (which made me happy). i introduced her to jp, he signed her shirt, and took a picture with her.after the show i headed over to the bar where kari, ann, and myself drank, laughed, and shared many great stories. god i love those girls! a little later, justin needed a ride to luce where the dinosaur costume contest winners were having a pizza party with the band. luce! love it, as always! the costume winners were straight up adorable. i was so excited for them, as they clearly put tons of work into their costumes. i also met the videographer, alex, for the guys' first few webisodes. i re-met tiffany. i talked to jesse about pee-wee, his and jessica's new kitten (what a good story!). i waved at justin from across the table. what a good night!

it was sad seeing justin leave for his dino trail tour the next day. but i know he is so, so excited about it all--and he has been having SO much fun meeting people, doing random acts of craziness, etc... i will see him on thanksgiving. i can hold out until then, especially with all of the twitter updates, twitpic updates, videos, and this website (www.mydinosaurlife.com).


other stuff:

speaking of mcs stuff, their new album is coming out january 19th, 2010!here is the track listing:

1. Worker Bee
2. A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)
3. Her Words Destroyed My Planet
4. Disappear
5. Delirium
6. History Lesson
7. Stand Too Close
8. Pulp Fiction
9. @!#?@!
10. Hysteria
11. Skin And Bones
12. The Weakends

#7 is my favorite.
#9 gets stuck in my head (and you definietly will know the title when you hear the song, as jessica said in her tumblr! haha. it is greater than you would think).

for halloween i didn't do a thing with friends. i had good offers, but i was starting to feel sick and i just wanted to stay home with my dad, the birthday-boy! so he made a fire, and we all lounged and ate french silk pie. yum. my mom also made my dad an awesome dvd slideshow showing my dad's entire life. pretty rad.

otherwise i have been catching up on my sleep!

i think i am planning on reading 50 books this coming year. jessica did her list last year, and i think i have been inspired! i will keep you posted on that!

that's all i have, loves!

Monday, November 2, 2009

visual lists.

must finish immediately:

next up to read and watch:

open letter to the universe:

Sunday, November 1, 2009

incoming post about the say hi show, the mcs show, and other things. any day now.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

welcome to the dino trail.



i'm going to miss this good looking man, but i hope you enjoy him in all his quirky glory in the meantime! check out motioncitysoundtrack.com for details about justin's solo gigs and events around the U.S. this month. commence the insanity!

Monday, October 26, 2009

my hands are overfull of things i'd like to give.

most of my worries have ceased.

after this weekend i feel like a fully charged battery. or if i were a video game character, my life/health meter would be in the extreme green.

friday i went to justin's parent's house to visit with his mother's side of the family. they are hilarious people. i can tell where justin gets his cutting and clever wit from. constant banter. all very kind people, though.

saturday i had to work during the day (meh), but justin dropped me off and took my car for a bit, and then picked me up (almost killing people in the parking lot with his race car speeds). then we got ready for the jenny owen youngs concert. yummy! we met heather and lydia there, and so therefore the triple threat reunited for a night after a long separation. hoorah! i was nervous to see jenny again, as she is extremely quick-witted and naturally funny (i always get stuck on replies), but she was a doll. big hugs all around all night long. her show was incredible, of course. that woman opens her mouth and out comes perfectly pitched, beautiful songs. disgustingly good. her set was fun, but was short--so i was left wanting more. mae followed her--and they were surprisingly great. i had remembered them as more mellow, but they were actually pretty catchy. oh yeah, the show was also in 3D (i know, right?). in between all of this, us girls went to the bar-side and had some drinks and chats with pete and each other. i missed my ladies.

sunday was a sleep-in day. i watched a lot of jp playing video games. at noon we travelled to hell's kitchen with jenny and her band for lunch. i had never been there before, but i definitely recommend it. the wait was long, but they have the "red hall" for a quiet waiting room with leather couches and free coffee (score!). the food was delicious (i, of course, had a BLT). the company was fantastic. jenny is far less intimidating than i initially thought her to be. i have a girl crush now! and her two bandmates were absolute gems. we were laughing constantly. what lovely people, truly. after lunch we parted ways and jp and i were lazy for the rest of the day. he showed me the glory of rushmore, which i had never seen before. i watched him play more video games (i actually really get into it). and we wore our pajamas (he was sporting a nice footsie-fleece-one-piece number).

what a perfect weekend. i feel like i can breathe again.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

swirling clouds of discontent.

things i am worried about:
  • not being able to go to the MCS halloween show
  • not going to the MCS chicago shows (more sad than worried)
  • being all left out and stuff for the above things b/c of work
  • tony's arm (christina--is he okay???)
  • CREDIT CARD! what is APR? will i EVER pay this thing off???
  • studio apartments--why are they $500??? ugh!!!
  • finding a roommate by summer
  • not having enough time this weekend to hang with jp before tours hit
  • getting my hair the same color tonight
  • getting my bangs trimmed nicely (instead of my hack job)
  • CREDIT CARD! (yes again)
  • being amazing at my job
  • not being able to write as much as i want to
  • not having any brilliant story ideas
things i am excited about:
  • vacation with jp in dec/jan for nine days. heaven!!!
  • seeing jp this weekend & meeting his mother's side of the family
  • getting my hair done tonight
  • MCS touring with weezer and jack's mannequin
  • having cleaned all of my living spaces
  • having throw out TONS of old things (pictures, makeup, notebooks, etc...)
  • finally watched trainspotting--how haunting!
  • say hi this coming wednesday @ triple rock (eee!)
  • jenny owen youngs this saturday and tour guiding her on sunday

Monday, October 19, 2009

edit: halloween show/costume.

i may go to the show. justin just tried to quell my fears about it finishing before i could get there. the costume theme for the show is dinosaurs (for their album). i think i will be an asteriod. get it??? they destroyed the dinosaurs.

i am thinking: black sweatshirt with arms cut off & spray painting it with metallic/silver spraypaint. silver/glitter tights. crazy hair with specs of tin foil in it. glittered face. perhaps some padding.

ugh.

would this work?

shovel through my skin.

first, go below and download/listen to the new motion city soundtrack song.

i am all moody today. i cannot go to the MCS halloween show on the 30th at the triple rock. this makes me really upset... i feel like i am missing out--and right before he leaves for touring and traveling too. it is hard enough wanting to be everywhere he is playing in the world, let alone in the same state. ugh.

so i guess i am not going to dress up for halloween. i always do it for heather, but i haven't heard about any halloween plans thus far--and have decided to not do it, so that i do not have to worry about what i will be. i like the holiday, just not all of the "to-do" about it.

this weekend is going to be a bit nuts. justin comes home friday (after his video shoot in new york--stay tuned for that video. holy crap! it sounds like it is going to be crazy!), and i am going to try to make it to his family thing after work. then saturday i work all day (bleh). saturday night jenny owen youngs comes to town--so we will be seeing that show. sunday justin wants me to help tour guide her around with him. busy, busy.

i feel ugly. i think once my hair is re-colored i will feel better about life. i am just in the "transition to winter" phase.
(purposefully scary)

i need new gloves, mittens, and hat.

i need new cute pajamas for vacation.

this apparently has turned into my venting post.

hanging out with amy, dan, and baby jojo was wonderful the other night. i really am grateful to have such down-to-earth and intelligent, caring friends. we talked about 2012 (eek!) and all of these nutsy end-of-the-world scenarios. we made tentative plans for what to do if the world IS starting to end. that made me feel better. we discussed our favorite books (mostly extremely loud and incredibly close). and just laughed a whole lot. god, i love that family so much. jojo is SO big. talking. almost walking. whew. kids. insane. i cannot wait to see them again. really, really soon, i hope. they make me remember what it used to be like to hang out.

who is going to hang out with me, huh? let's get these balls rolling. otherwise--i am coming for you in november.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

i surrender to the storm.

people i plan to ambush and hang out with one day soon:
  • lydia
  • heather & whit
  • dan & amy (again)
  • brittany n.
  • sarah s.
  • tommy
  • kari g.
good things in life:
  • full week=no smoking
  • december/january nine day vacation with justin <3
  • say hi on the 28th
  • hair done again on thursday
  • really spectacular hangs with dan, amy, and jojo
  • just life in general
more details soon.

Friday, October 16, 2009

let the wild rumpus start!

this guy was my favorite.

more about it later (when i am not on break from work).

Monday, October 12, 2009

i may have super TB.

okay, so i lied. i probably don't have super TB... but it feels like i have it. and i feel like i am dying by cough. ugh.

this weekend was spectacular (i apologize in advance for poor sentence structure, as i am hopped up on cough meds).

friday i got to see my little critter whitney clarke and miss heather dagger for coffee. i had not seen them for weeks (it feels like). whit is looking around (with no neck support), talking, laughing, grabbing things and putting them right in his mouth, making noise with toys on purpose. it is the little things that baffle me. he is growing up bit by bit. astonishing to watch.

saturday afternoon i traveled to justin's. we ordered foods and planned to go see a movie, but we got too comfortable and ended up lounging all night long.

sunday was pretty much the same way. we hung out in pjs for a while, and eventually made our way over to my parent's house for dinner (with my parents, my sister, and her boyfriend). my mom is one host! she bought a case of diet coke (she knows my justin), chocolate cake, and she made mashed potatoes and gravy and roast beef--accompanied by caesar salad and fresh bread. YUM. it could not have been more perfect. it was a really, really good time hanging out and talking around the table. my family is the best.

after dinner we drove back to justin's and crashed, even though it was only 8 o'clockish. unfortunately i was up all night coughing. despite that night, i had the absolute best weekend. so much smiling, and laughing, and giggling.

also i am excited for the new possibility of a vacation to celebrate the one year mark before he goes back out on the road this coming year. he thought of the idea. i like that man.

currently i have been lying in bed since 7:30am this morning. i took off work to die slowly. i feel like when i was a little kid and my mom made me stay in bed all day. it was kind of awesome, but not awesome because i feel like poo stomped on.

Friday, October 9, 2009

new things, oh my!

new site! new picture! new video!

yumyumyum.

so excited for them!





new site (click)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

wishbones.

i'm a big fan of them. lately i have been winning the larger halves, a.k.a. winning the wish.

one has come true.this one has not officially come true, but i count it as technically completed. i am still holding on to it for good measure. however, if it never fulfills its duties, i will still be alright.

a new favorite site.

fuck yeah motion city soundtrack (click)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

"yep. i guess that's how i look."


it's your birthday (na na na na na na na na).

this weekend was miss shel pierre's 30th birthday extravaganza. abby (justin's sister-in-law) and ben (shel's boyfriend) put together a surprise party for her a few weeks ago--and i had been looking forward to it until it arrived on saturday night. we all arrived at the reserved location at the local (bar) and waited. there must have been around thirty+ people. shel and ben showed up and BAM. she was stunned. completely awkwardly stunned. it was very "shel-esque" and perfect. she deserved such a great celebration. she is such a generous and lovely human. i was so excited for her all night. meanwhile, justin was the only one sporting his party hat all night (typical), and we talked to the pierre parents for awhile. i have said it, and i will say it again--i LOVE his family. they make me smile and laugh so much.

afterward, i stole justin away for the rest of the night and hugged on him awhile (since it had felt like i had not seen him in ages).

in the morning i craved the chocolate chip pancakes. justin googled to no avail. we settled for non-chocolate chip pancakes at a local uptown diner. yummers. we had some good mid-morning conversations.

then we went to urban to shop for shel's presents. we are the worst shoppers together, and the best shoppers. we picked the most random, funny collection of gifts possible for her.

justin had a phone interview so we stopped at the beat for some caffeine and parted ways for a half hour. he paced side streets. i tried to find a coat to buy (because i was cold). fail.

we met back up and went back to his house, grabbed sweatshirts, blah, blah, blah, and we went to see the movie a serious man. since it was the coen brothers, i expected bizarre--but this movie was ridiculous! i did enjoy it, and there were several undercover minnesota references. while we were leaving, there was this adorable old man waiting outside the doors who stopped us to ask if we liked the movie. we affirmed. he told us he was one of the rabbis in the movie. aw. he was so proud. so sweet.

we left to eat (at a place i will not name, because if jenna phillips found out she would murder) and justin and i immortalized our togetherness on a march of dimes pumpkin for all of the world to see. how romantic. right? we went back to his place, watched an episode of pushing daisies, and i left later that night.

monday was shel's official birthday--so the whole pierre family met at justin and shel's place and we went to see david cross's comedy show. hilarioouuss. i was sitting behind a broad shouldered man, though, and my neck hurt to look around him. ouch. after the show we all went back to their place to watch the end of the vikings/packers game. none of us really understand sports--but it was fun to make fun of the whole spectacle. it was a really good night.

so, happy birthday shels! you are a wonderful woman.

and i adore my boyfriend. he makes me smile so much... it is sick! my life would be so gray without him and his strange ways. good thing he leaves a lot for tours and such, or else i would gladly spend all of my waking time with him.

i also miss all of my girls. let us hang soon, please? girl time only?

Friday, October 2, 2009

i'm so much better than i used to be.

geez, it takes me years to update these days with my hectic work schedule and lazy, rainy days. here it goes.
  • went to coffee with lyds a week or more ago. was having a long week, and i needed some vent time. yay for vent time!
  • friday was delicious. went to the weakerthans show at the triple rock. i had been waiting for this band to come through for a while, and i knew there was no way it could have been bad. it was a sold out show, and i was going alone. i happened to run into gabe and ali g. when the doors opened. they invited me to walk down the block with them to the sold out owl city show. duh. it was packed with 14yos and their parents. the show was pretty decent, though. it was a good "opening band" for my night, and i saw a lot of friends like daniel (former drummer for spirit of '76 and now merch guy for owl city), pat brown (sing it loud) and his girlfriend, dude whose house i went to two weekends ago (with justin, tommy, and brittany), and tam (jackie and justin's friend). unfortunately i had sent a text message to my friend austin about being at his show, little did i know that he is not playing guitar for owl city anymore. oops. embarrassing. after the show we walked back to the weakerthans (who were just getting ready to play) and gabe walked us straight up to the front and center. WHAT!? unreal. i was right below the singer's mic. i was so very excited, and they delivered. the singer smiles the entire time--like he absolutely loves doing what he does. everyone was singing along and in love. it was perfection. ugh. best show i have maybe ever been to. legends. ali invited me to the mug after the show, but i didn't want to peak out my perfect night--so i left with love in my heart.
  • saturday i think i went to jennifer's body with justin. it could have been sunday... in fact, it was sunday. SUNDAY i forced him to go with me, but he made us go to the matinee, which was fine by me. i hate megan fox. i think she is an idiotic air-head, but she was actually good in this. it was a really good satire. i laughed out loud a lot. dare i tell you that justin did too? he did. what i loved, was that the movie was set in minnesota and there was motion city soundtrack merchandise EVERYWHERE--above megan fox's bed, a huge poster in the boyfriend's room, the boyfriend's shirt in one scene. it was distracting for me, because i could see justin in merch form during a lot of the intense scenes--and of course i paid more attention to that and how freakin awesome it was than i did to the movie. but i recommend the movie if you are down for a fun, sarcastic movie.
  • the rest of this week has been very low key. it has been cold and rainy, and it has given me good excuse to nap.
  • justin has been out of town the past week for family things and college shows. i get to see him tomorrow. eee! i cannot wait. le sigh.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

daily tarot card accuracy.


The Ten of Wands card suggests that my power today lies in conscience. "He ain't heavy, he's my brother." I own responsibility for the baggage I have chosen to carry but I am ready to lay the weight of a burden or secret I have been hiding behind where it belongs in order to reconcile my conscience. Do I want to be right or alone? I am empowered by blind faith in fulfilling my purpose or greater good to "just do it," and I transform through passion or direction in principle.

Friday, September 25, 2009

snails see the benefits, the beauty in every inch.

I have recently realized something. Amazing, I know. But it goes along with my previous post about life not having to go a certain way--the "expected" way.

Sometimes when we meet people in certain circumstances, we believe that those circumstances dictate how we are to file people into our lives. For instance, you shouldn't be friends with your boyfriend's ex-girlfriend who (because of the circumstances) you may have initially resented or even despised. Or you should never date a guy who was first interested in your friend.

These circumstances are never easy, and they are never without a certain amount of mess--but if handled in the right way, who is to say that you can not look past these happenstances and redefine these people in your life?

Life does not plan things out for you. It is not intentional. It does not say to itself "Okay, I am going to have Lindsay meet this person in (insert less-than-ideal circumstance), because I know that she should never get to know this person better--this person is not for her."

Sometimes life happens, for better or worse, and sometimes the people it happens to are actually quality human beings--who could potentially make your life better. That ex-girlfriend could end up to be a future great friend. That friend's dating interest could end up being the love of your life.

You never know unless you take the risk, handle it correctly, and find out for yourself.

Life is too short, and I make my own destiny.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

revolution!!!

i deleted so many friends on facebook tonight, and i pretty much closed my myspace. realized i didn't talk to half of my list, and didn't want to talk to a forth of the other half in the first place.

at this point in my life, i don't need the extra baggage of people. sound mean? perhaps it is, but it is also going to save me a lot of time (not stalking people), stress (seeing things that upset me), and negative energy (reacting to mean people).

i suggest it. so far me, daniel, and heather are on the revolution train. anyone else???

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Only the oleanders thrived, their delicate poisonous blooms, their dagger green leaves.

Don't attach yourself to anyone who shows you the least bit of attention because you're lonely. Loneliness is the human condition. No one is ever going to fill that space. The best thing you can do it know yourself... Know what you want.

human.

drive me crazy.

friday i was lucky enough to be able to hang out with both of my best girlfriends, heather dagger and lydia slayer. all three of us were stressed in different ways--and it was good to get out, vent, and relax.

saturday i went down to flowers studio to watch the MCS dudes record some "extra material" songs with ed. i absolutely love seeing the band dynamics and how everyone interacts. it was also hilarious when the guys asked me, "does justin do 'x, y, and z' to you too?" and then continue on to hear them mention the little quirks and things he does. i was laughing so hard. they have him pinpointed, and it was awesomely hysterical. i was able to see justin record some vocals (seeing my man at work! yeehaw!) and otherwise mainly watched jesse play "plants vs. zombies" (or something to that effect).

after the studio, justin and i went to the hexagon to see ed's wife play a show that ed was playing bass for. josh and jill also joined us. we mainly stayed outside talking the whole night until it was time for the show. good people. love it.

sunday i did nothing.

this week and next week will be busy hell. i am already overwhelmed. i think it is mainly in my head, as i seem to be overly sensitive this week.

i need an escape... and soon.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

the chords we play, ways left to communicate.

i can not solve everyone's problems. i cannot shake everyone and say, "this is how! this is how!" it is past me. i cannot straighten their shirts, hand them a paper bag lunch, drive them to school, and lay out their clothes for the next day.

i can listen. i can offer words of support and encouragement. but i can only do these things with knowledge that they are needed.

we all have our own problems--our own struggles. if we need something, sometimes we have to ask. often, others are dealing with their own internal and external dilemmas and do not have the ability to notice the thought bubbles you produce.

this may seem obvious, and you may think me an idiot to explain it, but you cannot then get angry at me when i do not notice them as well.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

upcoming shows:

sept 24: the honorary title @ triple rock (debating)
sept 26: the weakerthans @ triple rock (ticket bought)
sept 27: the museum of knives and fire @ fineline (debating)
oct 24: jenny owen youngs @ triple rock (need to buy ticket)
oct 28: say hi @ turf club (need to buy ticket)

any others in the minneapolis area i should go to?

Sunday, September 13, 2009

what are you doing?

lasers and pterodactyls.

weekend recap:
  • coffee with my lydia.
  • all weekend hangs with the boyfriend.
  • birthday dinner for mr. dan (with becca and stacy). dan ended up relatively intoxed. hilarious. he is surprisingly articulate when in that state. had many laughs. justin and tommy showed up after a low concert they attended. dan--who was the first one to ever quote me MCS lyrics--got a kick out of meeting justin, i think. and they took some wacky pictures to show his highschool students.
  • after birthday dinner, tommy picked up brittany (thank god for female company sometimes) and we all went to tommy's friend's house. there were many funny stories about alter-egos named "vanessa" and playground catastrophes. oh yeah, and apparently tommy likes to shop for produce out of his friend's yards. all four of us left the shindig with free tees (see below). not a bad night. p.s. walgreens knows how much fun you had.
  • that night justin played video games for six hours, while i tried to read and eventually fell asleep in his bed. he went to bed at 7:30am. what a crazy man. i like that about him.
  • in the morning we watched the princess bride (for the first time for him), and i proceeded to watch him play another round of fallout 3 for four some hours. it was better than it sounds. lazy sundays are my favorite.
  • tonight he guest starred at nels' improv comedy show. i was super bummed i didn't go, but i have to work tomorrow. boo. i am proud of him for doing so many radical things in life.
  • note: heather is not dead. i was starting to become concerned that my best friend had actually moved to morocco. this is not the case. i hope to see her and her little man soon.
  • this week MCS is in minnesota, and i hope to be able to stop in a steal and peak at what they are doing. if only all their girls could be here too! i'm sure i will see them sometime soon during tours, etc... this coming year.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

we're dropping out into the so unknown.

lately i have been considering more and more how preposterous most of our ideas of "normalcy" do not match up to reality.

i have finally begun to settle into the belief that our lives definitely do not need to hit certain expected benchmarks.

for instance, i do not believe that anyone has to find "what they want to do for the rest of their lives" career-wise. personally, if i enjoy my job, find value in it, and pay my bills, then i am happy.

also comes to mind the subject of romance. who says that you need to be married. when did that become proof of how much you love someone? i am not at all against marriage. i think it is a beautiful and sacred thing. one day i would consider the possibility. but marriage is not an instant stability inducer. in fact, i think it is much harder once you become married (especially in this day and age). it is an institution for some, and not one for others. i think that if you are taking a relationship day by day, and you are happy, then that should be enough.

it is all about being happy in the moment. it is great to have long term goals, but who really knows how anything will turn out--or how long we will even be around to see those goals come to fruition.

who set the rules to how we should see ourselves and our future? who deemed certain lifestyles acceptable and other lifestyles unsavory?

i place blame partly on the cinema and partly on our fears.

i realize that some people's "cheese" in life could be finding their ideal career or getting married. If this is the case, and those things make you happy, then absolutely do them.

i, however, simply want to enjoy my days when they come and while i have them.

and i think we are all doing just fine.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Friday, September 4, 2009

can we have this always?

my boyfriend is nuts.

review in 5 seconds.

thursday: inglorious basterds with justin (my review: 4 out of 5 stars).

friday: slept 15 hours.

saturday: moped.

sunday: shopping spree at target (included: new purse, leather vest, ballerina skirt/jumper, two black shirts, long necklace, socks, plaid skirt, lace leggings, the new taking back sunday cd).

cleaned my life up.

went to dinner with justin at figlios. delicious. shane and molly nelson met us for dessert.

monday-friday: started transition week at work. one whole week of setup for this coming school year. was crazy busy, but got so much done.

wednesday: tommy's birthday celebration at sushi tango in uptown. i only wish to have half as many friends as tommy. he is clearly loved. got there when justin and kari got there (from practice). we ordered. more showed up. started pushing tons of tables together. by the end of the night, i could barely make out the shirt color of the person sitting on the other end of the table. whoa. highlights: talk with kari, meeting brittany and her friend, justin's diet coke rebelness, catching up with pat brown, catching up with the old spirit of '76 dudes, worrying tommy would fall off the patio, the ibag, demon stories, debating between blogspot or tumblr, jim's rants.

thursday: slept 12 hours.

friday (tonight): farewell continental at the uptown bar. free show. 10pm. 21+. cannot wait. people going so far: me, lydia, heather, laura, brittany. any other takers?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

life happens while you're not blogging.

when things slow down, i'll have motivation.
i swear it.
don't forget about me just yet.

Monday, August 24, 2009

if only i could be.





a modest reflection of my day.

she could be anywhere.

the weekend:
  • lovely patio hangs with heather dagger and lydia slayer last night. drank several kalimotxos. yum!
  • saturday night had my mother's belated birthday dinner at benihana. see ugly me in pictures below. it just wasn't my looks' night. but it was a very fun family get together (plus significant others).
  • saturday morning i was allowed to visit flowers studio, and eavesdrop on the diabolical scheming of the farewell continental group.
  • do you like how this was all out of order?
upcoming stresses:
  • taking my car into the shop. it is making funny noises. i hate those noises...
  • cleaning and organizing work next week for school-year set-up. i don't even know where to begin.
happy things:
  • justin's first week of going back to college is this week!
  • september and october concerts to get me through august.
  • wednesday hangs with my favorite male friend, brian.
possible future things:
  • tuesday at the sunshine factory.
  • thursday at the triple rock.
  • in between: sleep, sleep, sleep.

what about you???

(p.s. i am aware this journal has become pointless and lame. i am working on that. hopefully... i just need to find more motivation and time to invest. will do my best. until then, hang in there.)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Friday, August 21, 2009

friends in quotes--they're not calling.

i am making a list.

  • people i will contact / people i will not
  • those who are worthwhile to spend energy on / those who are not
  • people i want to get to know better / people i do not
[add subcategories and more sub categories]

it is more of a mental list... but it has been forming for quite some time. only recently have some people's statuses been cemented.

i am past civility catch-ups. there is no time for it.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

jessica and jesse's wedding.


so last weekend justin and i went to jessica and jesse's wedding in sturbridge, massachusetts.

bonus: justin upgraded me to first class for the flight to boston. i had never been in first class before. i felt special. space, food, attention. what else do i need?

the town was beautiful and quaint. i needed a place like that to vacation to so badly. the atmosphere was so quiet and serene. there were beautiful rolling green hills and expanses of beautiful land. i loved it, seeing as boston is dirty and strange.

we arrived friday afternoon and spent the entire day lounging in the hotel room, watching the secret lives of superheroes (possibly the most depressing human documentary ever) and chugging diet coke.

saturday we woke up and went out to lunch with pavan (MCS sound guy), josh terry (MCS's former tour manager, i believe), and claudio (MCS drum tech). we went to those guys' favorite restaurant--cracker barrel. i had never been there. delicious country meal time. eventually we took a satanic trip to get "delicious milkshakes." we all about barfed.

saturday night we then traveled to the church when jessica and jesse were getting married. we became horribly lost, and some kind neighborhood man led us in his truck to where we were actually supposed to be (damn iphone GPS). we made it about five minutes before the wedding was to begin. luckily, five cars pulled in as we did--everyone looking shocked that they had finally found where the church was.

the wedding was simple, elegant, and all together perfect. my favorite part of the whole wedding was the doors opening to jessica and all of her classic beauty as she walked down the aisle with her father. ugh. i teared up for sure. her dress was very jane austenesque. exactly how i pictured her on her big day.
after we blew bubbles at the newly married bride and groom and watched them leave in their stylish ride, we all drove to the hotel for the reception. the reception was huge (in my opinion) and blew my mind at how many details had to have been sorted out beforehand.

there were pre-appetizers and wine and beer bar. the dinner was fabulous. we all received a personal cd containing jessica and jesse's "songs," and meanings behind all of the songs. the toasts were tear-jerking. the dancing afterwards was hilarious and full of participation.

one of my favorite parts was when augie pulled justin into the center of the dance floor's "circle" and they reenacted a scene from something where their hands are tied together and they pretend to knife fight. everyone was cracking up! after that, i got justin on the dance floor and we coordinated goofy dances together. perfect.
i met so many awesome people. everyone was so welcoming.

the next morning we went to jessica's parent's house for brunch. the house was huge and the lawn was gigantic. everyone was chilling on the porch or playing yard games in the back lawn. it was so beautiful and calming. i looked around and realized how many friends and loved ones jessica and jesse have. i was so touched for them.

eventually we had to take off to catch our flight. it was sad to leave such a perfect weekend. lazy lovely hangs with my love, chats with new friends and acquaintances, and all in all a re-energizing vacation.

the plane ride was slightly more eventful than hoped for. it was delayed. then there was an "incident in first class" that had to be cleaned up. then there were radar issues. then we were told there were severe storms we would be going around. then there was a security threat on our plane, and all of the bags had to be double checked by the captain and the flight attendants. YIKES. no thanks.

i have to say, i am so honored to have been a part of such a monumental moment in jessica and jesse's lives. i can see how much they love each other and how much others love them. i can only hope for something resembling what they have one day. it was perfection.