quarble

This tells me nothing I don't already know. Luckily, the quiz agrees that I'm "aware" of my own nerdliness :)


Since I last posted (months and months ago), I've had a series of shitty jobs with increasingly shitty bosses, but I can't be picky. Mr. Boyfriend is applying to grad schools, so we should soon be out of this obnoxious city. He also claims to be gearing up to propose to me, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Aaaand I'm done.

Obama. OBAMA! omgomgomgomgobama!

We did it. Holy shit. My country is not full of suck for the first time in eight years.

I am so in love with the world right now.

Ruthlessly stolen from various flisters

- What was your first concert?
My parents brought me to many a show when I was a tiny child, and I'm not sure of the chronology here. It might have been The Beach Boys, or maybe the Moody Blues. Possibly Bruce Springsteen, whom I adoringly called "Brucesteen". It may also have been Sesame Street Live.

- What was the last concert you attended?
Dr. Dog at Iota, Sept. 5. It was so, so awesome.

- Who was the best band to see live?
Dr. Dog, of course. Iggy Pop was beyond fantastic, but I don't count him as a "band," even though the revamped Stooges were playing with him. That show was all about Iggy himself.

- What was your LIFE CHANGING concert you attended?
Back in high school, I saw Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. I was that kid having a religious experience. (I might have actually cried, much to my father's embarrassment.)

- Have you ever gotten anything from a band?
Corine Tucker from Sleater-Kinney's autograph, Kevin Barnes' autograph (from Of Montreal...but I gave that one to my friend who was moving to Japan), cigarettes from Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog, high fives and handshakes from various members of Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit. Juston Stens from Dr. Dog carried a handwritten note of mine in his wallet for a month or so, but that's not something I've gotten so much as something I can brag about. Oh, and Scott said that if I ever come to a sold out show, I should just go 'round back and they'll let me in. SO MUCH AWESOME.

- Who was the worst band to see live?
I don't know if it was the venue or the band itself, but that My Morning Jacket show I saw at the DAR recently was kinda lousy.

- How long was the longest concert you've attended?
I went to the Virgin Mobile Festival for a while day of awesome drunken sunburn. For Dr. Dog a few weeks back, I arrived at 4:30 for cookie distribution and soundcheck, and stayed 'till almost 2 AM, but I did sit for four hours before any bands actually started playing.

- How short was the shortest concert you've attended?
Spiritualized at the 9:30 club. I was sick and had to leave after only 20 minutes.

- What is the worse thing to buy at a concert?
Anything at an all-day festival. $10 beers are not cool.

- What is the best thing to buy at a concert?
Limited edition 7 inch singles, demo CDs of tiny opening bands, bumper stickers, etc.

- Have you ever worn a band shirt to the same band your seeing live?
It's tacky. But wearing the t shirt of another, more obscure band gives you Hipster Points.

- How long was the longest drive to a concert you attended?
Jake and I drove from DC to NY to see Deerhoof, and then discovered he had lost the damn tickets. Yeah.

- How short was the shortest drive to a concert you attended?
In college I could walk to shows. They were rarely worth actually seeing.

- Do you like seats or the pit better?
Right up against the stage is the place for me. Or on a nice blanket on the lawn.

- What is the most annoying thing at the concert?
The tie-dyed high schoolers who only talk about pot, the angry assholes who like to shove/start moshing for no good reason, and tall people who won't let the 5'1" lady stand in front of them. They can see over my head! Why won't they mooooveeee??

- Indoor or Outdoor concerts?
Both have their merits, but indoors if the venue is small and cozy and you can smoke inside.

- Day or Night concerts?
Night

- Small shows or Big shows?
You can't talk to the band at a stadium.

- What is the best season for a concert?
All the time. Every day.

- Do you frame your ticket stubs?
...really?

- How many concerts have you been to?
Man...I can't answer that

- How old were you when you went to your first concert?
Under one year old. First that I really remember was in 2nd grade to see New Kids on the Block. The first that I'm proud of was The Who (with my parents) at the E Center in Camden, freshman year of high school.

- What is the farthest you've been to a band?
DC to NY. That worked well.

- Have you ever stage-dived?
No

- Have you ever moshed?
Not of my own volition.

- Have you ever crowd surfed?
No, but somehow everyone who does seems to plant their butt squarely on top of me so they fold up like a hinge and I have to be rescued.

- Do you still have your ticket stubs?
I have a lot at my parent's house in a box somewhere. I don't know where Jake has stashed the newer ones.

- Have you ever snuck into a concert?
Nope. I'm usually very good about getting my tickets in advance or getting there really early.

- Have you ever stolen anything at a concert?
Some girl dropped a pack of smokes after Iggy Pop, and while that's not really stealing, they weren't exactly mine.

- What concert do you really want to go to?
Of Montreal, Halloween, the Electric Factory. Also I'm bummed that I'm missing the Fleet Foxes when they come to the Black Cat.

- What concert are you planning to go to?
Oct. 19, Awesome Color and RongoRongo in Chapel Hill. (RongoRongo are Jake's high school buddies, and they're weirdly wonderful and experimental. Awesome Color sounds very Stoogy). That Halloween Of Montreal show if I can get my shit together. Dr. Dog, day after Thanksgiving, Starlight Ballroom with my sister + Kevin + Kevin's sister. I'm already planning the cookies.

- What band have you seen most in concert?
Dr. Dog x 3. I know I've seen Bruce three times, but I only remember the one. Tegan and Sara x 2 back in high school when only the little teenage riot grrrls liked them (and look at 'em now!) My ex boyfriend Dylan the Metalhead's college band more than I ever wanted (or will admit) to.

Just in case anyone is actually interested in this band that I'm digging down on, here, for your viewing pleasure, is a video from the show I went to on Friday.
Dr. Dog playing "The Beach", from Fate


The venue is tiny, and it was packed to the gills. They booked the show before their new album, and all the accompanying attention from the press, came out. So I showed up at 4:30, gave Scott more cookies, and got to chill with the band during set up and sound check. Aside from it being veryveryawesome that I hung out with these fine folks, it's a damn good thing I got there early, because the show sold out before three of my friends could arrive. I tried not to rub it in their faces, but IT WAS SO COOL OMG.


In other news, job hunting is full of suck.

So there's this band. They're called Dr. Dog. Their music, while not necessarily about porch parties and lazy hiking trips and sitting cozy in your favorite dive bar, evokes the same comfortable, vaguely nostalgic feelings of happy times long gone. Seeing them live (which I've done twice, and I'm debating driving up to Philly today for a FREE SHOW) is like seeing every band you've ever loved but could never see in concert because they've all died. But more energetic! More stompy and glorious! They have three part harmony scattered liberally throughout their songs! They've brought back the organ! And, best yet, they're very nice. I made 'em cookies, and Scott (pictured in my icon, taken in Lancaster PA last week) was genuinely grateful. They have a sort of Quakerly vibe to them, which may or may not have something to do with being from West Philly, where you either love everybody or wanna gun them down.

So they have this new album out, "Fate." It's been eating my brain since I got it, and lemmie tell ya, I never knew having my brain eaten would be so nice. Allow me to do some pimping:



The record (or CD) looks like that. You should buy it. Or at least head over to their myspace http://www.myspace.com/drdog and give em a listen. And then the world will love them like I do. Which is to say, an awful lot.

And maybe, when you meet Scott on the street, you won't gush and ramble and make an ass of yourself like I did.

Aside from the usual arguments of spirituality, intensely beautiful love songs, and the ability to put up with being in the shadow of the Lennon/McCartney monster for years, most people overlook the real reasons for George Harrison's position as Bestest Beatle. This, of course, may be due to the fact that the full extent of his awesomeness was not apparent until after the Beatles broke up. I have for you a small list:

1. The Awesomest Facial Hair that was Ever Awesome. (See
this post at beardrevue.com. Scroll down a wee bit. )

2. "All Things Must Pass" is flat out fantastic. Any album that inspires instant harmonizing in me is good, but instant dancing and the overwhelming desire to play the tambourine? That's something special. (I'd call it the best summertime album ever recorded, but that spot is rightly held by The Grateful Dead's "American Beauty," and no amount of love can change that.)
2-a. Although the spiritual/moral messages in songs like "Isn't It A Pity" and "All Things Must Pass" are obviously influenced by George's love of Eastern religions, I've always felt them to be rather Quakerly (or maybe my brand of Quakerism has become increasingly Buddhist and Unitarian). Any song that addresses issues like overcoming our unconsciously selfish actions and caring for the world, without coming off as heavy-handed, makes me feel warm and squishy.

3. He was never in Wings.

4. He never allowed Yoko Ono to squeal into a microphone.

5. He was never Mr. Conductor of Shiny Time Station. (I have always been somewhat annoyed by Ringo, and I believe it stems from my sister watching Thomas the Tank Engine fifty times a day for three years.)

6. He had excellent grammar. In the song "Apple Scruffs," he sings: "Now I've watched you sitting there/ Seen the passers-by all stare..." Your average rock star would have sung "passer-bys," because your average rock star is a moron. Not George!
6-a. Please note that in "Live and Let Die," Paul sings "In this ever-changing world in which we live in." This has irritated me for years. YEARS!

In conclusion, George Harrison was the bestest Beatle. His Amazing Awesomitude is clearly apparent, and is also immortal.

That is all.

This weekend, since Mr. Boyfriend wasn't here, B and I went to a gay bar in Crystal City for some karaoke. I sang the Beatles' "Oh, Darlin" and some lady said I had a lovely voice and was "the cutest thing" she'd ever seen in the bar. I give myself five points. We got insanely drunk off of some drink called a "fist fuck," and B spent most of the night drunkenly trying to call her ex boyfriend. I took her phone away, and all the bartenders agreed that drunk dialing a guy you broke up with A YEAR AGO is a bad idea. Then we went to her apartment to watch Forensic Files. It was a good night.

When it was time to go home, I hopped in the first cab that came by. The driver was of some unknown Asian origin with an accent I didn't recognize. He also had a karaoke machine, complete with a little microphone, built into his dashboard like a gps system. He told me to request a song, and I said it was his choice. He sang me Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses," missing half the words and almost hitting other cars because he was watching the words on the screen. Bon Jovi sung with an unintelligible accent is beyond hilarious, but he was trying so hard that I felt guilty for laughing. Of course, I laughed anyway, because I was drunk and this is the sort of weird-ass, unexpected comedy that happens once in a lifetime. He also asked for my number so we could sing karaoke together (I said no.) I was too drunk to look at his license and I can't remember what cab company he was from, but I swear I was not hallucinating. Sweet Jesus.

He told me he's the only taxi in the DC metro area with karaoke, and he's hoping to make a name for himself. Shame that I don't remember it :(

I did give him a pretty big tip. He'd earned it.

Hullo, flist! I'm sure many of you have forgotten me, as I hardly ever post to this thing, but here I am, making my unanticipated occasional check-in. My posting habits look something like this: I'll post if something is very exciting (such as the move from LJ to IJ), if I'm renewing my commitment to blogging (which happens every so often and only lasts for a few weeks), or if I've got a lot of school work to do. Today, I am procrastinating.

( I am also neurotic. )

And so, of course, instead of telling all this to my professor, finishing the damn paper or doing today's readings, I'm airing my dirty psychological and academic laundry over the internet. Someday, I hope to grow a set.

In other, better news, the new apartment is fantastic. It's three times the size of the Shoebox Mr. Boyfriend and I were sharing, and it's only a ten minute walk to the Metro. There's ample parking, a wonderful neighborhood with a real sense of community, a nice kitchen, and a full-sized bathroom with a lovely tub. In addition to the tub and the super-powerful shower head, the bathroom also features some very interesting 1950's-style Pepto-Bismol pink and black tile. We now have such luxuries as multiple closets, drawers and cabinets in the kitchen, and, as we no long live in a basement, plenty of windows that we can leave open, day or night. We also now have more than one teeny tiny room at our disposal, and the bedroom (which is no longer also the kitchen, living room, and dining room) has a door! That we can close! Mr. Boyfriend can close the door when he has to be up early for work, so I can keep sleeping and not want to kill him for making noise and turning on lights! It's brilliant.

And the best part of all this? Because we moved to Virginia, we are paying the same price that we payed for the Shoebox in D.C., utilities included. So long as I'm not thinking about how much I suck as a student, I am happier than I've been in years.

Ok, that's enough for now. There's no telling when I'll update again, but it will undoubtedly be when I should really, really be doing something else.

Boyfriend and I got back from Emerald Isle, NC, last night, and I promise that, eventually, I will tell you all there is to know about the trip. Right now, however, I'd like to share some thoughts/observations with you:

1. Bruce Springsteen should totally run for president. First, he should become governor of New Jersey. This will take no effort whatsoever, as the entire state adores him. Corzine would step down in a second, because that's the kind of power Bruce has over us all. From there, all he has to do is write a few more patriotic songs, and he'd be a shoe in for president. And then Bruce would save the world, because he totally can.

2. Tom Waits sounds like Cookie Monster.

The interview today went as well as I could possibly hope, considering I only kindasorta knew what I was doing in the computer testy thinggy. Who knew Word did things other than allow me to write papers? The temp agency hired me, and will recommend me for a job doing medical research. This, my friends, is AWESOME, because I'm like Hermione in a library, and Discovery Health is the greatest thing evar. I've watched enough medical shows that all I need is a prescription pad and I could totally be a doctor. Seriously. I always guess right on "Mystery Diagnosis" AND "Diagnosis Unknown." Beat them qualifications!

Mr. Boyfriend and I are about to leave for...some beach somewhere in North Carolina. I'm assuming it's on the eastern side of the state. Mr. Boyfriend's mama arranged this lovely "family trip", and I'm half excited, half terrified that I'll screw up and piss her off again. I've finally gotten her to like me, and it would be nice if I could keep it that way. I'm just so glad that I've got this job lined up for me when I get back, as I'll be much less likely to freak out about lack of munnies in front of Mama Boyfriend.

Must pack, eat, and get the hell out of the door. I'll be back on Wednesday, but I might be able to sneak off to a library for a quick update between sunning myself and worrying that Mama Boyfriend finds me unworthy of her son. Take care of fandom while I'm gone, and don't burn down the internets.

Much love.

I have an interview with a temp agency tomorrow. This is good, because YAY JOB. This is also bad, because they seem to be under the impression that I know Excel. I have no idea how to make a spreadsheet, but I wasn't about to tell them that. Therefore, tonight, I am going over to B's to force her to teach me computer programs I should already know. We will, however, most likely wind up drunk and watching Discovery Health like we do every other night, and I'll spend tomorrow FREAKING OUT.

Gotta run, but I hope you all are having more fun than I am, doing anything but learning how to make stupid spreadsheets.

Every time I see Teddy Lupin mentioned, such as in several very entertaining WsIP (which I am too lazy/busy to link to at the moment, but might get around to doing later), my brain always leaps to Teddy Ruxpin. And then I'm reminded of how Teddy Ruxpin, due to bulky 80's technology, was too hard to cuddle. He also ate tapes and never worked properly.

That is all.

Many of you will probably recognize this entry from the GJ I set up earlier this week, and for that I am terribly sorry. However, you're kinda required to have an introductory entry when you get a new journal, and when you've suddenly created a whole slew of them in a very short period of time, you get lazy. Hence, the recycling.

Anyway.

Hullo, all. This is your friendly neighborhood lurker coming out of the woodwork. Some of you may kindasorta remember me from LJ land, when I'd (very) occasionally pop up to comment on something I felt truly deserved it, but mostly I tend to passively participate in fandom. If I've friended you here, it's because I've been reading your fic and your meta and admiring your art for years on LJ, but never bothered to friend you. Rather stupid, eh?

Had 6A managed to get its corporate head out of its ass, I probably would never have felt the need to speak up or friend you all. LJ had a beautiful structure to fandom, in that I never had to try too hard to find the latest fics from my favorite authors, even if I was not personally friends with them. Belong to a few key communities, and you're totally set. But we're all refugees here, scared of losing what we've come to love and take for granted. So. I'm talking, and I'm friending. I'm also going to comment, I promise. No longer will I be a fly on the wall of fandom! I will actively participate! Yes!

I probably still won't update this journal frequently, however. What can I say? My life is boring.

...But you guys keep it interesting :)

I love you all, and wish you the best in this new secret clubhouse of ours.
-Lindsay