Gimme Indie Rock!

I can't believe it's just a day 'til vacation! We've been planning this for so long it feels kind of surreal that it's almost here.

So here's our itinerary:

Wednesday: In a plane, spending the night at a Heathrow hotel.
Thursday: Pick up the car, head to Avebury. See the standing stones, I'd like to see Silbury Hill, and keep an eye out for aliens and ghosts!
Friday: We'll be heading to Brize Norton, but on the way will probably stop at Bath and Salisbury (the Magna Carta!)
Saturday to Friday: Staying in Brize Norton, day trips out to Oxford and rambling around the Cotswolds. Also: Blenheim Palace, and possibly Warwick Castle, and whatever else strikes our fancy. There's a hillside chalk horse that's a must-see as well.
Friday to Monday: All Tomorrow's Parties in Minehead! This time I will not spend a night drinking questionable Dutch gin and a 2-liter bottle of Strongbow.
Monday to Wednesday: London! Must see: Victoria & Albert Museum, London Old City ghost walk.
Wednesday: In a plane. Attempt to sleep because I have to be at work the next day (summer associates start that week and we'll have to train the kiddos on... everything. Summer associates generally know very little about the law).

The hardest part is leaving the bunnies behind, but they'll be in good hands.

In gearing up for the Slathered-In-Awesomecakes that will be All Tomorrow's Parties, I'm starting to download some albums by artists who will be there that I've never heard before. So I got the latest Animal Collective (Strawberry Jam), because Pitchfork has been creaming their pants over this band for years, and I gotta say, I just don't feel it. It's interesting, and I can appreciate that they're doing something unique, but I don't feel like they're writing songs so much as crazy aural architecture. It just feels kind of pretentious and cold to me. But they do sound like they might be a really great live experience. And they sound like maybe they'd blow my freakin' mind if listened to while stoned

I am hoping that Stephen Malkmus actually tours with the Silver Jews, because, um, Stephen Malkmus and Lou Barlow at one festival? Indie Rock Gods!!

I've been slowly getting some vinyl converted into mp3 (technically, I guess it's mp4s or whatever the iTunes format is). I can't stop listening to "On Avery Island," it's been so long since I last heard it, and it's still one of my all-time favorite albums.

Also, we have been researching haunted pub/inns for the one night in England that we still have unscheduled. I'm getting scared just reading about some of these places, I won't get a wink of sleep! But it's too neat to pass up the chance.

When we go to England in the spring, I really really really want to eat at Dans le Noir. Of course, I'd like the dollar to shore up a bit so a night out won't cost $100.

We had a good trip to Maryland last week, and drove through parts of Baltimore used to film The Wire (does someone out there have our Season 3 dvds for The Wire? I'm finally getting around to watching the show and that season seems to have been lent out).

Happy New Year everyone!

Undoubtedly, the highlight of last night's Sleater-Kinney show was their cover of Danzig's "Mother." Priceless. Their new material just doesn't have the same energy as the old stuff. I like it, but it's not as much of an adrenaline rush as the old stuff was. I also really miss hearing songs from Call the Doctor.

Alright, I'm going to quickly recap our honeymoon, but for those of who don't read c_m_i, you should check in on his journal once in a while, as he has all the pictures and will be writing more entertaining entries with them than I will.

( The trip )

Yay! The flight back really took a lot out of me today, but we're here. Stories to come later.

Tomorrow: laundry to get the smell of cigarettes out of my travel clothes, and grocery shopping.

So Wednesday is Sleater-Kinney- spacedthekeys and incandes_flower, what are your estimated arrival times in B-town? (Mere, are you coming? I recall that you were, but I saw a comment in M.'s journal about you being here on Friday?) Maybe we can meet up for dinner before the show.

Honeymoooooonnn!!

bunny sitters- are our babies doing ok ---there should be a question mark there, but this keyboard is confusing me--- drop a quick reply here to ease my mind, we have spotty internet access but may be able to check again later this week

museums with free internet access are teh awesome, and castles are neat. narrowboats are... not so much with the neat, but at least we'll have stories

We're back! We have consumed much beer and indie rock goodness.

( An account of London & All Tomorrow's Parties )

Tonight we set out for All Tomorrow's Parties. There will be much indie rocking. *squee*

*happy sigh* I've been experimenting with curries lately. Tonight's was too soupy, but Thursday's was right-on. I've also been experimenting with setting the damn house on fire. Friday night I learned that wax paper, when next to a hot burner, will catch fire. I also learned that my reflexes in such a situation aren't so great, as I just yelled for Drew, then said "fire," and "water." Drew put out the flames. Good lord. It was a good thing I stayed away from the stove all day yesterday. Also met up with cosmicserpent and starflow before hitting the Butterknife show.

Yesterday we ventued up to Vermont/Western MA for some farmy good times. cayetana's sister-in-law put together a great day for the bunch of us, that was the best way to ease into fall. We visited a cheese cave (which is more like a Hobbit house than a cave... yes, I was expecting a drippy dark cave more than a well-controlled basement), a cider farm, and The People's Pint. The Pint was awesome; such good food, all local and organic, and fantastic beer. It was such a great day. By the time we got home we just crashed, and I'm still a wee bit tired from the trip. Spent all day today lazing around. Ran some errands, checked out the new bookstore in Porter Square (it so happens that one of Jeremy's friends, Josh, works there, so it was nice to see a familiar face). The bookstore hasn't received all of its inventory yet, so the shelves are a bit bare, but I'm so happy to have a real, not Buck-a-Book, bookstore in the neighborhood. Drew & I then headed to John Harvard's to read our books and have a few beers. I'm hoping tomorrow brings some quality girl time and more relaxing.

Well, my second Christmas in a row without snow went off well. Drew's fam was very nice; I managed to keep my elbows off the table, didn't break anything, and tried to not pick my nose, so I think I made a decent impression.

I absolutely fell in love with Georgetown and DC; should we end up moving down there I'll be quite pleased. Though some of DC is totally the sketch. We saw dinosaurs at the Smithsonian, a production of The Taming of the Shrew, and went out drinkin'. I am slowly getting better about flying, but not so much.

Huge enormous thanks to komos who kept our bunnies fed and happy while were gone!!!

I can't believe I have to work tomorrow. There's a really bad zombie movie on right now.

Whew. So yes, we are back from Vermont. Everything about it that involved me being in or near my car was The Suck. Everything that involved socializing, drinking beer and sitting in hot tubs was Awesome. Word to the wise: don't drive a hybrid car without 4-wheel drive to a ski resort in the middle of a blizzard. Not a good idea. Skiing is not a thing for me at all. Too many spoiled rich kids, of which I got my fill in college, and too much snow (well, duh). But as always, standing around drinking beer and talking about it with strangers is fun.
I called in sick today, as car portions of the weekend skyrocketed my blood pressure to the nth degree. The car got stuck in snow multiple times, the drive was long and at times treacherous, and as I walked back from dropping it off in its Zipcar lot I broke the heel off of one of my favorite boots. That, and I have to study for my crappy exam tonight. I'm hoping to just rattle off some managementy bullshit and then make a quick escape. It's all psych 101 stuff, and since I was a psych major, I've heard it all before. Alright, on to studying.

Ok, kids, it's time. For pictures and better accounts, you should check out cosmicserpent, c_m_i, and ms_ntropy.
So we went to London. I'll break it down:
Friday: Arrived, met Surly Joe, had a three hour mini-bus ride to the hotel that involved a tour of the same neighborhood a few times (the driver was lost, very lost). Got in to the hotel, went to get Indian food, drank at the hotel bar with Marching Bands, and slept in chastity beds (curse you twin beds! curse yooooou!).
Saturday: There was a parade. That's what all the Marching Bands were doing in town. Wandered, went to Westminster Abby, proposed to my boyfriend, shopped at the Portobello Road market- you know, the usual touristy stuff. We then consumed YO! Sushi (on a conveyer belt!), went to a pub, went to a club when the pub shut down, and met drunk English guys. We did not, however, visit The Candybar OR Filthy McNasty's.
Sunday: Went to King's Cross, Tower of London, enjoyed swanky Pizza Express, saw The Monument and St. Paul's, drank at an Australian bar, and took a bunch of pictures in the foggy darkness. And went back to drink Grolsh from a vending machine. Mmmmmm, vending machine beer.
Monday: British Museum, huge-ass bookstore, lunch at a frou-frou wine bar, and then flew back.
My loot: one Paddington Bear, one flask, one pair Comfy Shoes, one pirate shirt, some cookies, tea, and wine.

Hoooooray!!!!!

I'm back. With Big News. So for those of you who don't read Drew's journal, just go
here, as he wrote it up better than I could.

I'll give you a hint, though: I've got a new ring on my finger with which to fiddle.

Apologies to everyone who has c_m_i, ms_ntropy and cosmicserpent on your friends lists, but it must be said:
LONDON!

I just picked up some fine reading materials, covering two topics I enjoy quite a lot: feminist rants and political rants. Weighing in on the feminist side I've got Bitch and Bust, on the political side The Nation and The International Socialist Review. Now I'm debating whether I should bring the 2 books I'm currently in the middle of ("The Dante Club" and Al Franken's book) or if I should totally geek out and bring my heavy tome of the history of London. Jenny loves history. But it is heavy. Hmmm. I have a severe fear of boredom when traveling, 'cause what'cha gonna about it if you run out of interesting things to do when you're thousands of feet above the ground? Huh? Seriously, what are you going to do about it? I've also got my Gameboy, homework, music, and I'll probably buy a couple of newspapers for the crossword puzzles. That should be good.

So excited! Going on a trip!
I've never been anywhere international other than Canada. Now I can start practicing for my life of being an "International Woman of Mystery." Oh yeah.


Did I mention that last weekend I got carded to get into an R-rated movie AND someone asked if I was from Canada? I don't even say "aboot" (but a woman at my work does!).

Home Sweet Home
Sooo, a final log of what I did on my summer vacation.
Tuesday: went to Powell's, that place is Awesome. It's the biggest bookstore Ever, it pleased me greatly. Spent a bunch of time there perusing the Napoleanic War section looking for a book to bring back for c_m_i. Mere and Jeremy showed me around downtown Portland. I have to say, after all the hype about how much I'd love the city, I found Portland to be a tad on the disappointing side. I was expecting something...different. I'm not sure what it was, and I bet if I had had more time to explore it I'd have liked it better. I really liked the theater-pubs, though. Saw Office Space in a really nice renovated theater and had a tasty beer while viewing said movie. What a great idea! Boston needs to get working on that.
Wednesday: The Long-Ass Drive. Wow. It was long. Left Portland at 11 am, got to Berkeley around 10-ish pm. It was very pretty through the mountains and whatnot. I would definitely like to drive the Pacific Coast Highway sometime and hit up some vineyards. So we got to Berkeley where Christine and Lucas were house-sitting for a professor. What a house. It was on a hill, the back porch looked out over the city and had a clear view to San Fran and the Golden Gate bridge. Sigh. I want that house.
Thursday: Putzed around Berkeley, then went to Davis and hung out drinkin' Pabst for most of the afternoon. I've made an important decision, folks: I don't like Pabst quite that much anymore. In fact, given a choice, I would probably opt for something other than PBR to drink. Gah! What have I become?!
Friday: Christine had to work for a bit, so we went back to Berkeley. Met up with Julia, another friend from Bates, and then headed off for San Francisco. I really, really wish I had thought to spend more time there because it was very, very cool. There was a big pride celebration going on to celebrate the Supreme Court's recent decision re: anti-sodomy laws in Texas, it was very nice to see all the rainbow flags and whatnot. Warmed my little heart. After much, much labor, we finally found TIKI PARADISE. It was all I hoped for and more. There was a lagoon with a rainstorm every 20 minutes, tiki huts galore, and tasty tropical drinks. Rode in a trolley. Explored the waterfront area. I saw sea lions!! We were going to find more bars, but by the time we got back to the area where we were staying we were tuckered out and just sat in our hotel room and drank.
So that was that. Spent all day Saturday on the plane. People don't usually talk to me when I'm travelling, but I was sitting next to a very chatty guy who told me stories about drugs, cops, being a dj in San Diego and astrophysics. It did actually make the ride go faster, which was nice. Our plane actually landed a half hour early, too! So I went home, changed and headed out with Tenille to da_zhuang's goodbye party. Would've stayed longer if it weren't for, you know, the whole being on a plane all day thing.
All in all, a good time. It wasn't a very relaxing vacation, but I got to see some good friends and some interesting places, and that's what matters.

Trip Diary Part 1

Soooo...it's a bit past 9am. I was out 'til at least 2 but this damn time difference is making my body go kurflooey. Anyway, my friends are still asleep, possibly still drunk, so I've got nothing better to do.
Sunday: Arrived at the airport around 7:45am for my flight 2 hours later. Apparantly they oversold the flight and started offering incentives for giving up one's seat. They raised the bar to a voucher for a ticket up to $350 for a flight of your choice in the next year. I grabbed the bait. They then stuck me on a Delta flight (I was going to go America West) that was way more comfy and enjoyable than AWest would have been. And I was only 2 hours later than I had originally planned. Not bad at all. Flying wasn't so bad, by the second leg of the trip I had pretty much resigned myself to it and wasn't so jittery.
Got in at Portland, my bag had indeed made the journey by itself and was waiting for me (AWest flew it on the flight I was supposed to take). Mere and Jeremy drove me around Portland for a bit and we came back and just hung out.
Yesterday: Walked around Reed, drove around the city some more. We then met up with some Reedies for dinner and then proceeded to drink. This may surprise you, but I actually only had 2 beers (and not PBR), and then made the executive decision to become designated driver for the night. Which wasn't really that bad, I still had a rockin' good time. They decided it would be a good idea to check out a strip club. I dunno. I felt kind of uncomfortable the whole time, as I really just wanted to give the ladies some bathrobes and give a feminist rant to the gross men who were ogling them. It was a little sad. There's something so skeezy about men who spend their Monday night at a strip club, by themselves or with one other guy, looking at the strippers with a predatory look in their eyes. So that's that. Did not enjoy the naked ladies, but I didn't really expect that I would anyway. I then shuttled my drunk friends home like a good little Jennykins, and have earned some serious karma points for doing so.
So on tap for today is a visit to Powell's bookstore and wandering around downtown. Possibly a trip to the nickel arcade. I've got to play some Skeeball.
D- miss you!

UPDATE: Who just got invited to go in for a second interview to follow up on one of last week's interviews? Oooh, that'd be me! Hooray!

Wow, so apparantly my dad is getting married this summer. That's big news, but also happy news, as his girlfriend is super nice.
Big thanks to all who came out last night, it was a very enjoyable time! Sorry that the dancing place turned out to be sucky, you win some you lose some.
Had an excellent day today hanging around with c_m_i. We saw Winged Migration, per komos's suggestion, and it was a mighty fine film. It had lots of pretty birdies. Tenille met us for some tasty dessert products, then T. and I came home to read Harry Potter and relax.
So tomorrow I am off for my big adventure.
I will be in Portland, Oregon until Wednesday, at which point Meredith, Jeremy and I will drive down to Cali to Lucas and Christine's. Berkeley for a night, Davis for a night, and San Fran for a night, and then I shall return, completely broke and exhausted. Here's hoping it goes off without a hitch! See you all in a week!

Not much goin' on today.
Got one paper done yesterday, must start the last one tonight.
I talked to Christine yesterday and am *so excited* for my trip in a couple of weeks. bouncy, bouncy! Though I also woke up in the middle of the night last night and started to worry about money. That's something I didn't think would happen until I was more, um, adult.
This morning I tried waking up early to work out before starting my day. I am definitely not a morning person. My body doth protest when it's made to do aerobics at 6am. That's a plan that may be shelved. After work it's also a good way to get rid of tension.

I opted against getting tore up, though it was a tempting idea. And am feeling a bit better than I was earlier today, so here's hoping the cold is nipped in the bud, as I have a Busy Weekend (tm) ahead of me.

So I got my plane tickets today for my first real vacation on my own (I'm a big girl!). Looks like the last week of June I will head out to Portland, OR, help Meredith and Jeremy pack up, then drive down with them to San Fran/Berkeley/Davis to hang out with Christine and Lucas for a few days. They actually live in Davis, but will be house sitting in Berkeley... and I really want to spend my last night in San Francisco so I can see the purty lights and big city stuff. Plus that's where I'm flying out of to get back home. Hooray for future vacations!

whee.
so, so glad the powers that be at work made the call to give me a snow day in the early am, before it looked all calm and kinda pretty out.
( nyc was a blast. )

i have no shame. i'm addicted to a nelly song.

so tomorrow i'm off to NYC with c_m_i. i *heart* new york. all those big buildings and exciting things (i'm from maine, give me a break- i still get a thrill from boston sometimes). we've got a few things on tap as far as stuff to do goes, but any suggestions for good bars from anyone who's been there recently? the last time i went i recall a place called "the stoned crow." -Aside- tintin1, i don't think you were there with us, but it was the time R.E. and i went to visit you. i'm hoping to not cause as much chaos this time.

reasons why today already rocks:
1- let myself sleep for an extra half hour this morning and still got to work on time
2- it's sunny outside
3- the new teen girl squad comic is hilarious
4- only a few more days 'til the trip to new york!!! hooray! art, sleater-kinney show, tiki bar...

i realized i forgot to recount the fun times of this past weekend's lewiston trip. after the, um, time in north carolina, and a Planes,Trains and Automobiles-esque journey back to boston, i meandered up to my dad's house in maine.

( Friday )

( Saturday )

( Sunday )

( Monday )

All in all, this has been a pleasing vacation. I am so, so tired. tomorrow i return to work.

i am in north carolina.

things which i have done / heard since arriving:

1- the O'Reilly Factor dissing on the ACLU

2- my mother's boyfriend stating that Howard Zinn is, quote, A Marxist Idiot, unquote.

3- the word "ain't" drawled. a lot. did i say a lot? cause i really mean it.

4- watched home movies of picturesque trips to the mountains of, you guessed it, north carolina. featuring a splendid 5 minutes of "camera lens is still on" footage.

5- listened to stories about gambling (i don't have a Problem with gambling per se, to each his own, but i like my money. i like my money to not disappear on the whims of lady luck. i like to get goods and services in exchange for my hard-earned money).

6- ate really good sushi.

7- became mildly tanked on tasty wine. my mother praised my tolerance. if she only knew the half of it....

8- had a christmas present i was excited to give slightly marred due to my lotion spilling all over it whilst in transit. who wants Crate & Barrel potpourri with a little splash of Bath & Body Works lotion? mmmmmm, bourgeois homegoods.

um, yeah.....