May 31, 2005
and close the loop, you can make a difference
Today has been busy and chaotic. At one point, I recycled my sweater.
hmmmm.... still sleepy
I am so very tired today. I got enough sleep last night, slept in yesterday, took naps on Sunday and Saturday, and yet I am still ready to lay my head down on my keyboard and go back to sleep. I guess this weekend wore me out even more than I thought.
It was good to run into old friends yesterday, to catch up with people I have not talked to in months or years. It was also good to leave early enough that I have no idea if people drank too much or not. Fun, friends, and safety!
My friend Cherise is coming! Hooray!
It was good to run into old friends yesterday, to catch up with people I have not talked to in months or years. It was also good to leave early enough that I have no idea if people drank too much or not. Fun, friends, and safety!
My friend Cherise is coming! Hooray!
May 29, 2005
Weekend
I am not sure if taking a shower has ever felt that good before. The nasty heat that I could not get out of, the dusty campsite, port-a-potties in the nasty heat, and a long car ride left me feeling extremely disgusting. I feel so much better now.
Sasquatch was... good and bad, though mostly bad. To avoid this getting too long, I will take an idea of Bob's and do this list style.
Good:
- Eating take out from the chinese place Friday night in the hotel
- My sweet and wonderful fiancee making sure I had a place to sleep when no one else was any near ready to go to sleep
- Saturday morning when it was still calm and cool
- Bob and every one else helping me stay hydrated and find spots of shade
- Icees!!!
- finally getting home, spending some time with my sweety, and taking a shower
Bad:
- The heat
- The horribly uncomfortable Ellinsberg Inn Lounge
- Drinking almost constantly and still being thirsty
- Spending a very long day in 90+ degree weather with absolutely no where to go
- Wanting to be at home or at least in a building all day
- The heat
- An ampitheatre with way too many people
- Girls wearing only bikini's, or a skirt and a bra, or other forms of almost nothing
- People drinking excessively, smoking, and generally being selfish and rude
- Almost fainting three times
- Almost vomiting many times
- Completely ignoring all the bands because all of my energy went to staying concious, so that in the heat I could not pay attention, and by the time it cooled down I was tired all I could do was sleep
- The heat
- Feeling trapped
- Being with my fiancee all weekend but being so hot, tired, weak, and irritable that I could not enjoy it
Oh, and one last good - sleeping and going to hang out with my friends tomorrow
Sasquatch was... good and bad, though mostly bad. To avoid this getting too long, I will take an idea of Bob's and do this list style.
Good:
- Eating take out from the chinese place Friday night in the hotel
- My sweet and wonderful fiancee making sure I had a place to sleep when no one else was any near ready to go to sleep
- Saturday morning when it was still calm and cool
- Bob and every one else helping me stay hydrated and find spots of shade
- Icees!!!
- finally getting home, spending some time with my sweety, and taking a shower
Bad:
- The heat
- The horribly uncomfortable Ellinsberg Inn Lounge
- Drinking almost constantly and still being thirsty
- Spending a very long day in 90+ degree weather with absolutely no where to go
- Wanting to be at home or at least in a building all day
- The heat
- An ampitheatre with way too many people
- Girls wearing only bikini's, or a skirt and a bra, or other forms of almost nothing
- People drinking excessively, smoking, and generally being selfish and rude
- Almost fainting three times
- Almost vomiting many times
- Completely ignoring all the bands because all of my energy went to staying concious, so that in the heat I could not pay attention, and by the time it cooled down I was tired all I could do was sleep
- The heat
- Feeling trapped
- Being with my fiancee all weekend but being so hot, tired, weak, and irritable that I could not enjoy it
Oh, and one last good - sleeping and going to hang out with my friends tomorrow
May 27, 2005
it's not me
I really need to start spelling my name out every time I answer the phone at work. This morning someone thought my name was pronounced Mo-nee-ka. What?
They can fly!
Oh my goodness!!! Our baby birdies can fly! They grew up SO fast. It was five days ago that I noticed they were hatched, though they had to have hatched before that. It was three-ish weeks ago that the first eggs were laid.
There were three little birds, sitting on their nest, and when Bob went to take a picture of them, the flash scared them and two flew away. They are still around, hanging out at the nest or in the trees nearby. I think Mama is still nearby chirping at us, but I haven't seen her. The one that didn't fly yet just kind of sits on the nest, looking around. We named him Edward, after a children's book about a litte guy named Edward the Unready. It's so cute! I think I will name the other two Peel and Camille after the characters in my favorite chidlren's book, Peel the Extraordinary Elephant. Those two are pretty adventurous, like the flying birds. Edward, Peel, and Camille.
I will put pictures of them up as soon as I get them onto a computer. Hooray for baby birds!
There were three little birds, sitting on their nest, and when Bob went to take a picture of them, the flash scared them and two flew away. They are still around, hanging out at the nest or in the trees nearby. I think Mama is still nearby chirping at us, but I haven't seen her. The one that didn't fly yet just kind of sits on the nest, looking around. We named him Edward, after a children's book about a litte guy named Edward the Unready. It's so cute! I think I will name the other two Peel and Camille after the characters in my favorite chidlren's book, Peel the Extraordinary Elephant. Those two are pretty adventurous, like the flying birds. Edward, Peel, and Camille.
I will put pictures of them up as soon as I get them onto a computer. Hooray for baby birds!
May 26, 2005
I'd rather be sleeping
Let me just start by saying that I am tired. Bob, Janaki, and l got up at 4 this morning to make the Parks & Recreation shirts. They look great, but I am so tired. I am not cut out for the rock and roll lifestyle. I like my early bed times, predictable days, staying at home... Yes, it is fun and kind of exciting to be out late, to be "with the band," to go new places, but I can take it only in small doses.
May 25, 2005
bed time
Tonight I will be at class until 9 and will still need to eat dinner afterwards. Tomorrow morning I will be picked up 4:30 am, will help make shirts for the band until 7 ish, work from 8 - 5, go home, clean, do homework, and hopefully pack. Then off for a weekend of great people and fun band, which will be great, but will not allow for much sleeping. Then, when I get home on Sunday, I think I will got to sleep and not wake up until Tuesday morning.
May 24, 2005
just about the best thing ever
So.... I'm madly in love with Bob Ham. That is really all I'm thinking about this morning. There's no way I deserve someone this amazing, but here I am, getting married to him in three months. I am so excited. So happy. So in love.
May 22, 2005
babies
Our babies hatched! They are so ugly! Well, they are kind of cute in the sense that they are small and have tiny fuzzy feathers all over. And there are 5 or 6 six of them all huddled up on top of each other. I am so excited they hatched! I see Mama and the dad around a lot less now, but they always show up to yell at me if I climb on the banister to look at them. Hooray for baby finches!
May 20, 2005
I can read my poetry if you'd like
Last night I was able to hang out in the rehearsal space while the boys were practicing. Great. I can be with Bob, I can do my homework, and listen to the band all at the same time. And this is how my evening was going. Then he came in. A nasty smelling, poorly clothed downstairs neighbor with limited understanding of personal space came to hang out. At first he sat on the couch with me, but far on the opposite end which is probably the only thing that kept Bob from shoving those drumsticks through his skull. Then he moved to the floor in front of me, then into the middle of all the instruments, then standing against the wall in between Bob and Joe. He got a pen from someone, some paper from me, and he returned to his spot in front of me.
Him: "You're a writer"
Me, silently "not really, I'm just doing homework"
Him: "I'm a writer too."
Me, silently "oh dear. someone shut him up" I nodded and sort of smiled in response.
After a period of ignoring him:
Him: "how are you doing?"
Me: "fine"
Him: "you look like you are really flowing. You've really got something."
This is when I noticed what he was doing with his paper. He had scribbled a border around the page and added spikes and various smiley and frowny faces.
Him: "You just gotta get something out, even if it's not words."
From me, another nod and almost smile.
After he actually got some words on the page, he left the room. Bob hurried over and picked up his (art?) work: "If this is for you, I'm going to kill him"
It wasn't for me. It was just awful poetry. Something about terrible bars, cries cries cries, and loving some girls, one of whom is named Molly.
Poor Molly.
I noticed that the man was not gone, he was on the fire escape, smoking and peering through window at us. Well, me, no one else was really in his line of sight.
He came back in much later, saying he forgot his glasses. He sat on the couch, ignoring or not noticing the angry stares he was getting from behind the drum kit. He handed me his peice of paper and said, "wanna read my poetry? I used to write poetry, people thought I was gay. I like to arrange flowers, too. I'm not gay. No one ever asked me if I like to fix cars. I love to fix cars."
Me, "I used to write poetry, too, and then I realized I was just really bad at it."
I'm not sure if he picked up on the insult.
The night went on in this way, him roaming about the room, making weird comments, and just generally being creepy.
There was one offer to read poetry to the whole group, followed by a quick disclaimer of "I'm not gay" and someone's response, "we only like gay poetry." After that there was one last nasty comment, "If any of you were blowing into that instrument, (referring to a harmonica) I'd sit in front of your amp all night." Right, and you're not gay.
Him: "You're a writer"
Me, silently "not really, I'm just doing homework"
Him: "I'm a writer too."
Me, silently "oh dear. someone shut him up" I nodded and sort of smiled in response.
After a period of ignoring him:
Him: "how are you doing?"
Me: "fine"
Him: "you look like you are really flowing. You've really got something."
This is when I noticed what he was doing with his paper. He had scribbled a border around the page and added spikes and various smiley and frowny faces.
Him: "You just gotta get something out, even if it's not words."
From me, another nod and almost smile.
After he actually got some words on the page, he left the room. Bob hurried over and picked up his (art?) work: "If this is for you, I'm going to kill him"
It wasn't for me. It was just awful poetry. Something about terrible bars, cries cries cries, and loving some girls, one of whom is named Molly.
Poor Molly.
I noticed that the man was not gone, he was on the fire escape, smoking and peering through window at us. Well, me, no one else was really in his line of sight.
He came back in much later, saying he forgot his glasses. He sat on the couch, ignoring or not noticing the angry stares he was getting from behind the drum kit. He handed me his peice of paper and said, "wanna read my poetry? I used to write poetry, people thought I was gay. I like to arrange flowers, too. I'm not gay. No one ever asked me if I like to fix cars. I love to fix cars."
Me, "I used to write poetry, too, and then I realized I was just really bad at it."
I'm not sure if he picked up on the insult.
The night went on in this way, him roaming about the room, making weird comments, and just generally being creepy.
There was one offer to read poetry to the whole group, followed by a quick disclaimer of "I'm not gay" and someone's response, "we only like gay poetry." After that there was one last nasty comment, "If any of you were blowing into that instrument, (referring to a harmonica) I'd sit in front of your amp all night." Right, and you're not gay.
May 19, 2005
breakfast
I have discovered recently that I hate the word yogurt. It is such a disgusting word. Yogurt. Yo-gert. Gert. Ugh. The sound of it turns my stomach. This is very unfortunate because I love the food yogurt. It is creamy, it is cold, it is tasty, it is even relatively good for you. But they named it something so gross.
Gurt gurt gurt. Yogurt.
It sounds like a large boot squishing in thick, slimy mud. Gurt. Or worse, but I won't get into the bathroom aspect of it.
It makes me afraid to put the stuff in my mouth if I think about it too much.
Yogurt. Yooooh-gurt. Yo-gurt. Gurt-gurt.
Gurt gurt gurt. Yogurt.
It sounds like a large boot squishing in thick, slimy mud. Gurt. Or worse, but I won't get into the bathroom aspect of it.
It makes me afraid to put the stuff in my mouth if I think about it too much.
Yogurt. Yooooh-gurt. Yo-gurt. Gurt-gurt.
homework
Really, I just wanted to be asleep three hours ago. But I just finished my homework. Well... I am grateful at least that I am truly interested in what I am studying.
May 18, 2005
May 17, 2005
Sushi. and baseball
Another great Seattle moment: Those Japanese folks in front of us at Saturday's game. I know I already wrote out the story of my soda lid flying into the old man's french fries, but these people were just great. There was an older couple, a younger woman who I assumed to be their daughter, and a young girl, who I believe was her daughter. At the beginning of the game, the older couple pulled a bunch of sushis wrapped in tinfoil out of their bag and shared them with the family. How cute is that? They brought sushi to the game. The middle woman had a hat with Ichiro written on it in Japanese (thank you for the translation, Janaki.)
I just loved this little extended family, eating sushi, cheering on Ichiro, playing with their little girl's doll (it wore a batting helmet during the game), and not starting a fight over a cup lid.
I just loved this little extended family, eating sushi, cheering on Ichiro, playing with their little girl's doll (it wore a batting helmet during the game), and not starting a fight over a cup lid.
May 16, 2005
Seattle
Okay. Feeling better, on to the fun stuff. For a play by play of the weekend, check out Bob's blog. I'll throw in a few highlights of my own.
One of the very best parts of the trip was being with my fiancee non-stop for 3 days. I love spending time with him.
The game on Friday night was exciting and fun, even though the Sox lost. They took the lead twice and Seattle took it back both times in this home run contest of a game. Between those and the line drives, it was probably the most action filled game I've been to. Very fun, despite the loss.
Ikea was better than I expected, huge and beautiful. I loved wandering through, holding Bobby's hand, talking about what we want in our house once we get one of our own. We picked up some items for now, giving us a way to finally get our homework and school books off of our bedroom floor. I love organization.
Lunch was amazing the best orange chicken I've ever had. (Possibly the only, but regardless, it was good.) We also got to overhear our server speaking on his cell phone in some other language, except the frequent interruption of "hell no," in english.
The Seattle public library is incredible. I couldn't believe how bizzare it looked inside and out. It was great to look at, if a little eery.
Before the game Bob and I stopped in this busy brew pub to relax for a minute between events. It was not the best place I've been to, a little too much like that restaurant in Office Space, but it was nice to take a minute to sit and relax, get my energy back. I really appreciate how great Bob is about making sure I get what I need, and sitting out for a minute when I need to. I am so blessed that I get to marry this amazing man.
Having Janaki and Bryce with us at the game on Saturday was great, even though we had crappy seats for that game. And the Sox won with a Trot Nixon grand slam. Another very exciting game.
I was the lucky one that didn't have to drive after the game, falling into a very relaxing sleep with the sound of the rain and the motion of the car.
Sunday was a morning to sleep in, Bobby got me up sometime after noon to go shopping with him and his mom. It was great to have a slow, relaxing day after our fun and busy weekend. I like spending time with Bob's family, which is great, considering.
Today I get to go home, put together my homework cubby, do laundry, and get to work on the homework I didn't do this weekend. Back to reality, I suppose.
One of the very best parts of the trip was being with my fiancee non-stop for 3 days. I love spending time with him.
The game on Friday night was exciting and fun, even though the Sox lost. They took the lead twice and Seattle took it back both times in this home run contest of a game. Between those and the line drives, it was probably the most action filled game I've been to. Very fun, despite the loss.
Ikea was better than I expected, huge and beautiful. I loved wandering through, holding Bobby's hand, talking about what we want in our house once we get one of our own. We picked up some items for now, giving us a way to finally get our homework and school books off of our bedroom floor. I love organization.
Lunch was amazing the best orange chicken I've ever had. (Possibly the only, but regardless, it was good.) We also got to overhear our server speaking on his cell phone in some other language, except the frequent interruption of "hell no," in english.
The Seattle public library is incredible. I couldn't believe how bizzare it looked inside and out. It was great to look at, if a little eery.
Before the game Bob and I stopped in this busy brew pub to relax for a minute between events. It was not the best place I've been to, a little too much like that restaurant in Office Space, but it was nice to take a minute to sit and relax, get my energy back. I really appreciate how great Bob is about making sure I get what I need, and sitting out for a minute when I need to. I am so blessed that I get to marry this amazing man.
Having Janaki and Bryce with us at the game on Saturday was great, even though we had crappy seats for that game. And the Sox won with a Trot Nixon grand slam. Another very exciting game.
I was the lucky one that didn't have to drive after the game, falling into a very relaxing sleep with the sound of the rain and the motion of the car.
Sunday was a morning to sleep in, Bobby got me up sometime after noon to go shopping with him and his mom. It was great to have a slow, relaxing day after our fun and busy weekend. I like spending time with Bob's family, which is great, considering.
Today I get to go home, put together my homework cubby, do laundry, and get to work on the homework I didn't do this weekend. Back to reality, I suppose.
oh dear...
I want to write about good things today, about our trip to Seattle, but right now it is hard to remember those good things. Work is crazy. But it will be okay. Right? right. It will be okay.
May 12, 2005
I wanted a lobster. I got a rose.
I am feeling better today. Sometimes I just have bad days, I think. I have a nasty headache today, though.
Also, I really don't like vodka. People say I should not be able to dislike it because it has no taste, but I think that is why I don't like. It just tastes like alcohol, without adding flavor. Ew.
Also, I really don't like vodka. People say I should not be able to dislike it because it has no taste, but I think that is why I don't like. It just tastes like alcohol, without adding flavor. Ew.
May 11, 2005
feeling
Today I feel sad, tense, nervous, distracted, lonely, and paranoid. I think I am stressed from consitent lack of sleep, inconsistent diet, and thinking about money, work, excercise, school, cleaning our apartment, homework, wedding invitations, dress, shoes, food, people, family, and.... the list could continue.
Too much to do, not enough time, no one to help.
Too much to do, not enough time, no one to help.
Patty Griffin wrote a song about me
The mom bird was sitting on the eggs again this morning, and she didn't even fly away when I came outside. I took a closer look at the dad, and he is red on the head and underside, just like house finch's are supposed to be. Way to go Janaki.
Bobby bought me a present yesterday, and I finally got it when he got home late last night. It is the new David Bazan cd, called headphones! It looks great, all full of dots and everything. It sounds great too, it is all electronic stuff with him singing instead of his beautiful guitar. It is different, but very good. I like it a lot. Thanks darling.
I am getting married in 100 days.
Bobby bought me a present yesterday, and I finally got it when he got home late last night. It is the new David Bazan cd, called headphones! It looks great, all full of dots and everything. It sounds great too, it is all electronic stuff with him singing instead of his beautiful guitar. It is different, but very good. I like it a lot. Thanks darling.
I am getting married in 100 days.
May 10, 2005
Our birds!
Thanks to Janaki's history of bird watching, my excessive internet use at work, and Bob's visual memory (which is much better than mine) we have figured out what kind of birds are living on our front porch.
They are house finches. This is what the female looks like, and what the eggs look like. We only have three eggs though.
birdy
They are house finches. This is what the female looks like, and what the eggs look like. We only have three eggs though.
birdy
May 9, 2005
wildlife
first, an update on the laundry story below - after I cleaned up the bubbles on the outside of the washer, I was stuck wondering what to do to get rid of the bubbles completely filling up the washing machine. I thought about running the rinse cycle until they went away, but that would cause more bubbles to come out before they went away. I thought about scooping the bubbles out with my hands and maybe towels, but that would take forever and make a mess. I figured others must have dealt with this before and found a better solution. So I called a mother and asked for help. One small capful of cooking oil and one rinse cycle later, the whole mess was cleared up.
In new news, Bob and I have birds! They aren't ours, but they have moved into our front porch. There is a nest tucked in a corner on top of a post, and it has three eggs in it. They are blue with brown spots on them. I am still trying to figure out what kind of birds they are, but the parents take off everytime we come outside and yell at us from a nearby tree, so I haven't gotten a good look. And even if I did, I wouldn't know what they were. But it's really cute. I can't wait until they hatch.
In new news, Bob and I have birds! They aren't ours, but they have moved into our front porch. There is a nest tucked in a corner on top of a post, and it has three eggs in it. They are blue with brown spots on them. I am still trying to figure out what kind of birds they are, but the parents take off everytime we come outside and yell at us from a nearby tree, so I haven't gotten a good look. And even if I did, I wouldn't know what they were. But it's really cute. I can't wait until they hatch.
May 7, 2005
Genius
Yes, I am a genius. Bob and I have a mop with a replaceable mop head that can also be washed. Seeing as it smelled a litte dirty and was still damp after a few days, I decided to wash it. I threw it in our washing machine and turned the thing on. As it turns out, I had not rinsed it out very well, and there was still quite a bit of cleaning product in it.
Cleaning product, plus a small amoung of laundry soap, plus a lot of water and a lot of spinning has created a big stream of white foam to flow from our washing machine. I think I might be a little too amused by this.
Cleaning product, plus a small amoung of laundry soap, plus a lot of water and a lot of spinning has created a big stream of white foam to flow from our washing machine. I think I might be a little too amused by this.
May 6, 2005
Last night was... wow. Wow.
I am so glad I did not go to class last night. I got my laundry done, floors swept, dishes put away, and a postcard written. Then I went and got some tasty food and beer with the Whipple, had both serious and goofy conversation, and headed to the show. We were not on the list like we should have been, but it was only five dollars, and I am happy to support Hush and the Holocene anyway.
I like the Holocene. They make the best whiskey sour I have yet to experience, squeezing a whole lemon into it along with the sour mix. Yummy. There is a separate smoking room, leaving us non-smokers smelling normal and with lungs intact, and plenty of comfortable couches.
A few highlights of the evening, music excluded:
1) Being introduced to Ben Barnett, who I was left unimpressed by, and getting this response from him when Bob told him I am his fiancee: "She's cute as hell, too! Good job!"
2) Babs showing up! It was really good to catch up, rehash, hear new stories, and dance.
3) How great Bob looked last night. Wow.
4) Both Babs and Michael running into people they know.
The other bands were good from what I heard of them. I talked through everyone expect the band Graves and, of course, Reclinerland. The Graves were beautiful. I really wanted to buy a cd of theirs and listen to it while falling asleep in my fiancee's arms.
Reclinerland played the best show I have been to of theirs to date. The sound was awful (more on that later) but the band was together, they all played well, and most notably, they all were having a lot of fun, and it showed. I don't think I have ever seen Mike obviously enjoy himself at a show. They played with much more energy than I've seen them put forth before, and it created a great atmosphere for the crowd.
Biased though I am, I have to say Bob did really well last night. He played two songs that I have not heard him play with them before, and he did really well. Anthony seemed to miss a few connections in those songs, but I could be wrong, as I am unfamiliar with those, and if I am right, it could very well be that he is having some difficulty with his gadgets lately. Sadly, I think Montreal was the weakest song of the night. I really like that one, but last night it seemed a little lacking in some way. Everyone seemed a little off on that one, it wasn't quite as tight as the boys are capable of making it. Break into Song, that other one about the sun, and the Spy song (apparently known as Tomorrow Never Lives Forever), however, were amazing. Not only did they stay together well, those already fun songs had an exceptional dynamic to them in the energetic and excited mood of the band. I don't know if I have ever wanted to sing along and dance to their songs as much as I did last night.
The big negative for the evening was the sound. Now, I realize I could pull many sound-related negatives out of a set that I thought was done well, but this was, overall, bad. The band played through a wall of mid-range static, and Mike's vocals at the keys were all muddled mid-range. His vocals at the guitar were just too quite. Even the songs that I know well were very difficult to pick the words out in. And I don't think I heard his acoustic guitar once, even when I was listening specifically for that. In the first part of the show, I had to really work to hear Joe's bass, and in the end, he overpowered the keys and guitars, and his sound was muddy. Jason's guitar was the only instrument that sounded clear and was at a decent volume for most of the show. Anthony's additions were decently blended, a few songs could have used some more volume from him, but it was okay. The drums were okay, the new drumheads really made a difference in the tone. But the cymbals tended to drown out the other instruments on occasion. Again, bias, but I don't think that was Bob's fault, I haven't heard him play anything too loud before.
Maybe it was stage volume from the amps and monitors, the small room, oddly placed speakers, and my proximity to the stage, but still, it could have been better.
Despite these significant sound problems, the focus, precision, and most of all, the energy of the band made this show the most enjoyable performance I've seen out of them yet.
I like the Holocene. They make the best whiskey sour I have yet to experience, squeezing a whole lemon into it along with the sour mix. Yummy. There is a separate smoking room, leaving us non-smokers smelling normal and with lungs intact, and plenty of comfortable couches.
A few highlights of the evening, music excluded:
1) Being introduced to Ben Barnett, who I was left unimpressed by, and getting this response from him when Bob told him I am his fiancee: "She's cute as hell, too! Good job!"
2) Babs showing up! It was really good to catch up, rehash, hear new stories, and dance.
3) How great Bob looked last night. Wow.
4) Both Babs and Michael running into people they know.
The other bands were good from what I heard of them. I talked through everyone expect the band Graves and, of course, Reclinerland. The Graves were beautiful. I really wanted to buy a cd of theirs and listen to it while falling asleep in my fiancee's arms.
Reclinerland played the best show I have been to of theirs to date. The sound was awful (more on that later) but the band was together, they all played well, and most notably, they all were having a lot of fun, and it showed. I don't think I have ever seen Mike obviously enjoy himself at a show. They played with much more energy than I've seen them put forth before, and it created a great atmosphere for the crowd.
Biased though I am, I have to say Bob did really well last night. He played two songs that I have not heard him play with them before, and he did really well. Anthony seemed to miss a few connections in those songs, but I could be wrong, as I am unfamiliar with those, and if I am right, it could very well be that he is having some difficulty with his gadgets lately. Sadly, I think Montreal was the weakest song of the night. I really like that one, but last night it seemed a little lacking in some way. Everyone seemed a little off on that one, it wasn't quite as tight as the boys are capable of making it. Break into Song, that other one about the sun, and the Spy song (apparently known as Tomorrow Never Lives Forever), however, were amazing. Not only did they stay together well, those already fun songs had an exceptional dynamic to them in the energetic and excited mood of the band. I don't know if I have ever wanted to sing along and dance to their songs as much as I did last night.
The big negative for the evening was the sound. Now, I realize I could pull many sound-related negatives out of a set that I thought was done well, but this was, overall, bad. The band played through a wall of mid-range static, and Mike's vocals at the keys were all muddled mid-range. His vocals at the guitar were just too quite. Even the songs that I know well were very difficult to pick the words out in. And I don't think I heard his acoustic guitar once, even when I was listening specifically for that. In the first part of the show, I had to really work to hear Joe's bass, and in the end, he overpowered the keys and guitars, and his sound was muddy. Jason's guitar was the only instrument that sounded clear and was at a decent volume for most of the show. Anthony's additions were decently blended, a few songs could have used some more volume from him, but it was okay. The drums were okay, the new drumheads really made a difference in the tone. But the cymbals tended to drown out the other instruments on occasion. Again, bias, but I don't think that was Bob's fault, I haven't heard him play anything too loud before.
Maybe it was stage volume from the amps and monitors, the small room, oddly placed speakers, and my proximity to the stage, but still, it could have been better.
Despite these significant sound problems, the focus, precision, and most of all, the energy of the band made this show the most enjoyable performance I've seen out of them yet.
May 5, 2005
but the gnats
Things are better here at work. Not great, but better. I still don't know if I am going to stay or not.
In other news, I keep getting gnats stuck on me when I walk outside. Sometimes they are alive, more often dead. Is there some sort of quality about me that kills gnats on contact? Why do the keep sticking to me?
In other news, I keep getting gnats stuck on me when I walk outside. Sometimes they are alive, more often dead. Is there some sort of quality about me that kills gnats on contact? Why do the keep sticking to me?
May 4, 2005
day three
Here I am, entering the third day in which I have been outright ignored by my boss when I say something to her, or, if it is something I need to know to do my job, being answered with a nod or cold, brief statement. This is terribly uncomfortable. I don't know what to do...
May 3, 2005
it continues
Bad day yesterday, bad night last night, bad morning so far.
Anyone care to bring back the tradition of "happy presents?"
Anyone care to bring back the tradition of "happy presents?"
May 2, 2005
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