So, this is pretty damn cool, but Husband got himself some photo credits! Check out his sweet pics of Thomas here. Fuckin' awesome! Yay, Husband!
I also was just given a pretty sweet opportunity. Victory Records contacted Revolt and wants coverage for their bands. I got to pick a bunch of upcoming shows by Victory artists and I've been guestlisted for them as well as getting a photo pass AND a chance to interview the bands before the shows! So, I will be seeing:
The Audition along with Jack's Mannequin & Head Automatica @ The State Theater on Feb 17 Bayside @ St. Andrews on March 1 Aiden (along with The Used and 30 Seconds to Mars!) @ Cobo on March 31.
I'm psyched about them all, but to be guestlisted for the Taste of Chaos tour is really sweet. Victory also really wants us to do an interview with Aiden so I will even get to go behind the scenes at Taste of Chaos! Woot!
I was going to get to interview Kevin Lyman (founder of Warped Tour) but that fell through...would have been kinda cool though!
Gatsby party in just two and a half days...the countdown is on. I think it is gonna be awesome! It looks like we'll have about 16 or 17 people there! Crazy...I've got serious grocery shopping to do on Friday though. I'm pretty excited about the menu though, so I'll probably have fun with it.
Well, the cold that might have been was merely an annoyance and other than me being a bit sniffly and very tired, I survived without it getting too full-blown. Phew:)
Exams at school went really without a hitch. I had some students that did great, some that did horribly and most in the sort of middle range. However, if I never see another essay on The Count of Monte Cristo, I won't be in the slightest bit upset. Reading 100 of those suckers definitely made me want to tear out my eyes after about the 50th. No school Monday as a sort of end of the semester break, so that's fun!
As for music, I think I mentioned that Husband, Wife, Jon and I went to The Hard Lessons show at The Blind Pig last weekend. Great show and it was fun to go to a show just to enjoy, no story to write and no photos to shoot. Not that I don't love doing all that, but sometimes it's just fun to really relax and enjoy the show in a different way (er, can we say drinking cheap beer??) Husband was learning the trials and tribulations of shooting live shows like that and got some good pictures which maybe he'll eventually post a few of. However, various candid type shots were also taken and after I do a little editing for size, I'll post some.
I also got an invite to the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on this past Friday and though it isn't my usual type of music, it was still a very good show. Rufus Wainwright was the headliner and he was awesome. It never ceases to amaze me when people can just go from one instrument to the next and play them all really well. I mean, the number of times people at the Folk Festival just went from playing the piano (amazingly) to picking up a guitar and playing it equally as well just blew me away. If only I had a tenth of that talent! I did get some pretty good photos though Hill Auditorium is NOT an easy place to shoot. I also got to use Husband's nifty new Nikon D-200 which was fun. I'm test-driving cameras for when I have enough money stockpiled to be able to justify buying my own:)
So, the big thing to look forward to at the moment is the Gatsby Party next weekend. I'm getting quite excited about it and I'm really psyched that people are taking the whole 15 minutes to DJ thing extremely seriously. While I won't compete (doesn't seem quite right), I'm still going to put together a 15 minute set for fun. Haven't a clue what will go on it, but I've gotten some theme ideas, so that is a good start. I'd started my mega-mix for earlier in the night after a bit of a brainstorm on the way to visit Husband and Wife the other day, came home, stayed up till 1am working on it (dumb on a school night, but what can I say) only to listen to it the next day and decide most of it was crap. I've scrapped a bunch of it, added some new stuff, but I'm still not sure if I'm satisfied with it. Guess I've got a week or so to come up with something better.
I've also gotten some more concrete ideas for what to serve in the ways of food. I wanted to go kinda authentic and glam without breaking the bank and I think I've finally come up with a bit of a plan. Hopefully I won't poison anyone:) I'm also torn on the whole question of what to wear...unfortunately some of the really cool things I've found are authentic vintage dresses and cost in the $500-$1000 range. Hardly something justifiable! I've got a backup plan but I'm not thrilled with it. We'll see... I'm excited about the whole thing though, I hope it turns out as well as how I envision it in my head. I'm honestly also a bit excited about it being my b-day party too, I haven't had a true birthday party in years, so I think it should be fun. Anyways, what is a better way to head into the last year of my 20s than with a Roaring 20s themed party??
Peace out Starving Nachos:) Listening to: Depeche Mode The Best Of, Volume 1
Grrr. Shortish (or at least easy week) with the kids taking finals. I get to go in a bit later, leave earlier and no kids on Friday. So what happens? I wake up this morning and I realize I'm getting sick. I hate being sick. I'm such a baby about it... However, I'll take my usual approach of massive doeses of Vit. C, asprin/tylenol and lots o' sleep to try and head this off at the pass.
I can't get sick. Too much fun stuff coming up...I'm hitting the A2 Folk Festival on Friday night. Harry scored/scammed us amazing tickets, I don't ask how he does these things (they're fifth row!) and it is probably better that way.
Gatsby party coming up! I'm pretty excited, though, as always, I need to do some serious planning for it since it isn't far away now. I'll probably spend more time obsessing over my playlist than anything else :) I love the fact that Husband has ALREADY started working on his list. That rocks.
I talked Jon, Husband and Wife to seeing The Hard Lessons with me last Saturday. Other than running into way too many people we know from school, it was a really fun night. The Hard Lessons rocked and the company was excellent. It was also kinda fun just going to a show & getting to let loose because I wasn't reviewing it. Not that I don't have fun when I go to shows to cover them, but there is also something about going and just getting overwelmed with the music and atmosphere-total abandon.
I went to my first Conor O'Neils trivia night last night. It was a hoot. I managed to help my team out on occasion, so I feel I made some ok contributions and wasn't a total leech:) I did surprisingly crappy on the music round (Come on, I don't remember shit like LA Guns...) but I think the very best moment was when a song clip was played, Jon got up, yelled "The Who!" across the bar and it was actually from a Franz Ferdinand song. I guess you had to be there but I was greatly amused (and though I don't know the Who v. well , the whole, overconfident about a song, yell it out and then realize I was COMPLETELY wrong, is something I'd do).
Ugh, don't want to grade this pile of essays on The Count of Monte Cristo. I want to go back to sleep (I slept for a few hours after school and I'm still tired...I hate being sick).
I think things are going to be ok. I'm VERY relieved. I was practically sick with anxiety today because I was such a brat last night and things were awkward and horrible and I didn't make things any better with how I was behaving. I can't change getting worried over things, but I'm going to try to change how I react to those situations (or the way my worry manifests itself). New resolution. And yes, even though it's loads past New Year's, it still counts because I say so. I refuse to let myself fuck this up. I am NOT going to let myself ruin things. I refuse.
And because I'm digging lyrics again big time:
Skylines & Turnstiles
You're not in this alone, Let me break this awkward silence, Let me go, go on record Be the first to say I'm sorry Hear me out, Well if you take me down, Or would you lay me out, And if the world needs something better, Let's give them one more reason now, now, now
We walk in single file We light our rails and punch our time Ride escalators colder than a cell
This broken city sky, like butane on my skin and stolen from my eyes Hello Angel, tell me where are you Tell me where we go from here Tell me where we go... -MCR (of course)
Listening to: My Chemical Romance, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
Warning: this is going to be intentionally vague. I need to write but I don't want to get into things a whole lot. I am not expecting comments back, this is honestly more for me than anyone else.
Last night did not end how I'd expected. A long, honest talk that I ended up taking very personally. I understand these things take time but it also scares the shit out of me. I've been there. I know it takes a long time (it took me bloody forever) but I'm the kind of person that even though my brain knows it isn't personal, I will still take personally. Like there's something I should be doing, or doing better, or something I did to fuck things up...I overthink things. I know it.
I'm scared I'm just a rebound. I'm scared that someone better-less neurotic, less messed up, less nuts, smarter, prettier etc. etc-will come along and that will be the end. I know you have to take chances, but the last bunch of times I've put myself out there I've gotten stomped on. It's scary. But I'm willing to take the chance. Doesn't mean I'm not terrified though. But what if I'm the only one willing to take that chance? That pretty much leaves me with the short end of the stick...again. I dunno. It just was not at all the direction I thought last night was going to take. Things were great, lots of fun and then-WHAM-suddenly in this conversational minefield out of nowhere. I'm really scared. I can be patient, but I'm scared. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I really want things to work, but we don't always get what we want, do we? I don't want this to be one of those times where things don't work...
Emotional hangover today. I'm glad school was cancelled for the weather otherwise I'd have been a complete wreck. I had horrible dreams last night which definitely didn't help matters.
I haven't blogged lyrics in a long time, but I just keep listening to MCR's "Famous Last Words" over and over again. You know the idea that we all have a theme song? I think this is mine for so, so, so many reasons-not just this particular situation. Silly. Obsessive. I know, but I can't help it. I attach myself to songs and need a soundtrack for my life at all times. I feel like I need to keep repeating "I am not afraid" and eventually it'll be true. About everything in my life that scares me.
Now I know, that I can't make you stay But where's your heart, but where's your heart But where's your...
And I know, there's nothing I can say To change that part, to change that part To change...
So many, bright lights they cast a shadow But can I speak, is it hard understanding, I'm incomplete. A life that's so demanding, I get so weak. A love that's so demanding, I can't speak.
I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone, Honey if you stay I'll be forgiven, Nothing you can say can stop me going home.
Can you see? My eyes are shining bright, 'Cause I'm out here on the other side, Of a jet black hotel mirror. And I'm so weak, is it hard understanding, I'm incomplete. A love that's so demanding, I get weak.
I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone, Honey if you stay I'll be forgiven, Nothing you can say can stop me going home.
These bright lights have always blinded me These bright lights have always blinded me I said...
I see you lying next to me, With words I thought I'd never speak Awake and unafraid, Asleep or dead. -MCR
Well, maybe not everyone. But stupid people. People like the *real* yearbook teacher whose job I'm sort of doing since she's on maternity leave. Problem is, she either needs to do the damn job herself or let me do it. Right now she keeps sticking her nose into things when it is convenient for her. I'm the "real" teacher when she needs me to do the dirty work but she's the teacher the rest of the time. Problem is, I'm the one in the classroom. Either let me teach the damn class or let me be a babysitter. I'm not getting paid enough extra to take this shit.
I hate parents too. They suck. I get a message from a parent who is bitching about the school newspaper. She is pissed at the fact that the cross country team didn't get enough of a mention on the sports page b/c they did well at States. She is pissed because the team's name wasn't bolded and the other teams' names were. She told me how to do my job and said "maybe your student reporters need to be better at what they do."
Back off, bitch. My kids are doing pretty damn well. And you know what? We're an 8 page newspaper. We come out once a month if we're lucky. It takes them a MONTH to put together a paper because they (oh my god) AREN'T PROFESSIONALS. OMG. OMG.
I was so pissed. I didn't call her back because I knew if I did I'd say something that would make the situation worse. This job would be great if it weren't for some of the parents.
Grr. In a pissy mood now...I know I should just blow it off, but I can't. I need to work on that.
I want it to be the weekend. NOW. I don't want to take this fucking MTTC test on Saturday. I don't want to get up at 5am tomorrow. I don't want it to be so bloody cold. I don't want to teach/babysit yearbook anymore.
I'm so goddamn whiny right now I irritate even myself. Sorry for my foul mouth and pissy attitude.... feel free to ignore me.
Listening to: Placebo, Meds (though I think I'll switch it to something more pissed off. Maybe some From First to Last...)
My review and photos of the Fall Out Boy show are up at Revolt. Check em out here. That was also the New Found Glory & Cobra Starship show. I hadn't really listened to much NFG before the show, but I've been listening to a lot the last few days and can heartily recommend their album Coming Home. :) I quite like the photo of Pete Wentz that my editor chose to run too...
Also, my blurbs about a few of the top singles of the year are up on Static. I wrote the ones on "Dani California" (RHCP #17) "Call Me When You're Sober" (Evanescence, #16) and "Welcome to the Black Parade (MCR of course, #12).
And...I can't remember if I ever posted the link to my review of Sugarcult's latest. It's here.
Might get to hang with Elana tonight. It'll be the first time I've seen her in ages. Things still feel weird between us, we'll see if she bails on me tonight or not... Not happy that vacation is almost over:( Boo hiss.
Hard to believe 2006 is over already. I can't quite figure out how the year went by so fast, but maybe it's because I've been so busy:) Real quick first though, I've got photos, top album blurbs and reviews to foist on you all:
My review and photos from the MCR show are a featured review on Revolt! Woot! Read it here & check out the pics.
My review of Spitalfield's album is up at Revolt too...wow it was bad.
My blurb on The Raconteurs' Broken Boy Soldiers (which made Static's top 10 albums of the year-woot!) is up at Static.
Weirdly enough, I don't really have many shows on the radar at the moment. At least not in the immediate future. However, The Hard Lessons are going to be doing a show at The Blind Pig at the end of January that I'd like to check out. Husband, Wife and I saw them open up at the 89x Show and they were pretty cool (and I saw them just hanging out at the AAR show which was sort of neat). Harry and I have our plane tix for New York, so Bamboozle is a certainty (woo hoo!) and we'll be covering Taste of Chaos at the beginning of March (we're already on the guetslist to see The Used, 30 Seconds to Mars, Aiden...), so that will be pretty sweet.
Ah, now for New Year's Eve and it's aftermath....Jon invited me to a party at Kelly & Peter's house so we headed out to Ferndale with Fina in tow. It was a ridiculous amount of fun, his friends are great and really welcoming. I was very nervous before getting there, I generally don't feel too comfortable going into situations where I know one person, but they were awesome. However, maybe I should resolve to give up red wine for the new year... :) I have no idea what time everyone finally went to bed but I do know that I was sending text messages at 4:49 am and that was still at least half an hour to an hour before things wound down. No wonder I felt a bit like death the next day... Also, Kelly & Peter have the most awesome Pomeranian, Telly. I wanted to just put her in my purse and take her home. She amused me to no end:)
We headed back home to pretty much turn around again and go to Husband and Wife's for a Rose Bowl party. Now, I'm not much of a football fan, and the loss SUCKED, but I think everyone had a great time, even those of us who aren't terribly into sports:) The food was great (especially husband's buffalo wings...mmmmm) and by that point I really didn't feel like death anymore, so it was good.
Thinking about 2006...well, it had its good points and its bad points, that's for sure. Having no *real* job for the first half of it pretty much sucked. However, starting all my writing for Revolt & Static really made up for the fact that I had a shit job where I was treated like an idiot most of the time. I feel like I've got some really good friends to hang out with and, somewhat surprisingly, made more when I started teaching again (at the last high school I worked at, the staff was very closed to new people & I had one friend on the staff, that was it). I've really begun to see who of the people I thought were friends really are, and who probably isn't so much of a friend anymore (as sad as that is). I've seen a ridiculous amount of live music-sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. I love that I've gotten back into photography, and concert photography at that. And I'm not much of a resolution person, but looking at the ones I made last year, I think I actually did pretty well:
1. Be more brave (which relates to #2) I think I've gotten a lot more brave. I mean, I'm still quite shy, but I've done a lot of new things this year, so I feel good about this. However, I think I'll carry it over into 2007. Never hurts to be more brave (esp. for me). 2. Try new things (um, I'm not talking new things like skydiving, more like, new restaurants, new places, new music, books, bars, etc.) Yup, lotsa new things this year...more in 2007:) 3. Get in shape (yeah, I know, me and everyone else, but I've got a gym membership now, so more impetus to get off my ass) Ok, now this I was doing really well with until I got a real job and had to drive to MSU 2 nights a week. Now that MSU is finished, I've got to get my ass back to the gym. 4. Go to NYC/do some more travelling (sort of goes back to #1 & 2) Um, hello...I think the trip to NYC in May and the trip to Italy in July should count since the plans were made in 2006. 5. See more live music Sheesh, just read the blog entries from the last year:) 6. Get a real job--hopefully a journalism or good teaching job Done and done. 7. Get a tattoo?? (goes back to #1 and #3...) have to think more on this one. Two! Thinking about a third...
You know, I feel quite good about 2006, at least the second half of it. I'm feeling pretty good about 2007 for lots of reasons too. Maybe this year will be a good one, maybe not, but right now things are going well and I'm really happy, so I'll just go with it :) ~S Listening to: A Heartwell Ending, Trust Us We Lie
