Wednesday, March 29, 2006

I know he's a cancer survivor and all that, but...

God dammit I hate Lance Armstrong. From the Reliable Source:

Hey Isn't That . . . ?
ยท Lance Armstrong , perching in the VIP balcony of the 9:30 club for the Monday night Arctic Monkeys show. The cycling champion and eligible-again bachelor, in town for business with his Lance Armstrong Foundation, went backstage to meet the Brit band and pose for this photo with club owner Seth Hurwitz and his wife, Caroline .

Friday, March 24, 2006

Oh no, not I...

I survived! I feel a little weird, kinda weak, but I made it. I might even be well enough to go see Tai Shan today. Everyone at GUMC was really nice and put up with all my pre-op blubbering and my post-op giggle fit, my parents are being super (they loaded me up with chinese food last night, so awesome...), and I really appreciate all the calls and texts. Thanks guys! Hopefully, I'll be back to my normal chipper self in a day or two. OK, back to being babied...

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Shriek of the Week: Bridenapping Special


Since I'm still on a damn Arctic Monkeys high (and haven't heard much else worth shouting about) and I had such a fantastic weekend, this week, I'm shrieking the mix tape I made for the drive to Lex, and whoever that band was playing at Kappa Sig at W&L on Saturday. One of my very bestest friends is getting married this summer, and we did what any good General would do... kidnapped her and brought her to Lex for one last hurrah. For the trip down, a proper mix. If you were in college in the late 90s, this is the best mix ever:

1. This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan
2. Wannabe - Spice Girls
3. Staying Alive - Wyclef Jean
4. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
5. Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
6. All About U - Tupac
7. Hypnotize - Biggie
8. Bling Bling - B.G.
9. Still Not A Player - Big Punisher
10. Jigga What, Jigga Who - Jay-Z
11. Got Your Money - Ol' Dirty Bastard
12. Miami - Will Smith
13. One Headlight - The Wallflowers
14. Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
15. Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
16. Mmmbop - Hanson
17. 8:02 PM - For Squirrels
18. No Scrubs - TLC

It's kick ass, no? As for the band, I have no idea who they were, and they weren't very good, but we still danced and they closed with Rage. Madness! The mix tape got us all fired up, so we hit the Palms, worked the jukebox, Alabama Slammers and $5.25 pitchers as much as we could, then found a Live Drive to Davidson Park for the KS throw down... Unfortunately, people thought we were Road Cheese, but we got over it and had a blast. Exhibit A above. I had so much fun, I bought a confederate generals souvenir mug at Lee-Hi.

This... 27-year-old me at a frat party/proud owner of a confederate generals mug... was the start of what is sure to be a seriously bizarre week. It's currently snowing in Washington, what kind of horrifying joke is it to make it snow when I have no chance of snowboarding? WTF. On top of that, I have what my doctors think are three fibroadenomas in my right breast, and I'm having them removed on Thursday. I'm a little freaked out by it all, but I'm glad it'll be over soon and I won't have to worry about them anymore. It's just not something I thought I'd be dealing with at this point in my life. So I'm emotionally messed up and everybody's being phenomenally nice (Jen and Jill brought me candy!), my parents will be here tomorrow and then I spend the following two days lying around, possibly detour for pandas and cherry blossoms, then go see Jamie Cullum. Maybe it'll be unbizarre by then.

I've had the last smoke I can have before the surgery, and the last beer, so now all I can really do is go to sleep, I think. Wish me luck... post again Friday. Or possibly while drugged on Thursday night. YAY painkillers!

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Love and Death Far From Long Island

Lots of random bits to report at the moment...

If you haven't read Art Buchwald lately, give it a whirl. Wholly worth the time and the scary thoughts to which it may lead. He's chosen to stop dialysis and let himself go. He's still writing from his hospice facility. It's a brave choice, one I've seen a few people I love very much make (minus the writing part), and reading him, I feel things I can't describe.

I'm also too obsessed with Arctic Monkeys to shriek anybody else right now. Victim of hype, am I. And I'm not sure if it's just that there's been such a shocking lack of decent rock that any glimmer of talent is an oasis or if it's really that good. But then I hear From the Ritz to the Rubble, Fake Tales of San Francisco or Still Take You Home, and I'm left grinning like an idiot because I like it so much.

I ate Taco Bell today. If only there had been snowboarding first. Or chilitos on the menu. Either would've been satisfying.

And finally, my thoughts are so overwhelmed by loss and gain and trade-offs and good things and bad things and when-lines-are-crossed lately that I'm starting to resemble a sulky sixteen-year-old. I want to sit around at a diner doodling on my Chucks, smoking cloves and writing "We Love You Kurdt" all over the place. What the hell is the 27-year-old version of that? Off to sleep, but I'll leave you with a line I've remembered since life at 16...

"To bed, to bed! There's knocking at the gate: come, come, come, come. Give me your hand. What's done cannot be undone - to bed, to bed, to bed."

Monday, March 13, 2006

It's 84 degrees... do you know where your brain is?

I know where mine is. It's sitting on a porch enjoying a frosty beverage and some seven-layer bean dip. There's definitely music. Maybe a little VaCo, some Agents, moe., Sublime. In my brain, this is the happiest I could possibly be. The trouble is, the head which houses said brain is actually in a seventh floor office in Dupont Circle.

I'm taking comfort in the fact that I have a window which actually opens, but it's just not the same. If you need to find me tonight, I'll be in front of my computer making the Front Porch Playlist so that next time this happens, I'll be fully prepared and in my car on the way to Goshen faster than you can say "pass the chips."

Whoa.

Uncle Jun! WTF! How many of you saw the Sopranos and are there even words for how far beyond good it was? Wow.

Also awesome: Arctic Monkeys on SNL. "That man just yawned." Bastid. And since I can't let it go, I shake my fist and declare, DAMN YOU 9:30 CLUB!!! Damn you.

In housekeeping news, yesterday I was a wee bit more tired than usual, not a whole lotta sleep to be had this weekend, so, I apologize for the lack of a Shriek. I'll post one tonight... Gracias por your patience.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

On a happier note...

The OC is back. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Keep Your Hat On Jenny, Keep Your Hat On Jenny. Hush Your Mouth, You Said Too Much Already."

For the most part, I consider myself a pretty self-aware person. I know my weaknesses all too intimately and have an OK measure of my strengths. And I think that as I've gotten older, I've gotten better at downplaying the former and emphasizing the latter. Knowing that, letting myself down by giving my weaknesses free reign hurts more and more every time, and these last two days, I've got some serious let-down-dread in my gut. It's the worst kind.

There's one big weakness I just can't shake. While it's gotten better in recent years, I still feel compelled to talk over just about every emotion I feel. Right when I feel it. I can't NOT talk about them lest they overtake other, infinitely more useful thoughts. They bubble up at inopportune moments and a seriously flawed internal filter lets them out. I don't know, maybe it's actually healthy, maybe societal norms telling me I should stifle my emotions and be a proper lady - as two of my favorite movies describe the philosophy, "aloof, unavailable, ice-queen" and "be desireless, be excellent, be gone" - or else I'll never have a career/relationship/house with a front porch are shite, but the fact that few of those things have happened to me makes it awfully hard to write off as mere b.s. So, I try.

In a span of four days, I failed like three times. It's horrifying. Other than that, I had an excellent time, the emotions happened for a reason, after all... but my mind, so fixated on the emotion and on the lack of self-control that led to spilling it, won't let that go and just let it be what it was. It's possible this means I'm completely insane. Or it could just make me human. Or I guess there's a chance I'm somewhere in between. But it's killing me. And I don't know how to fix it, or if I can, or if it even requires fixing. I'm perplexed. Wish I was going to Smuggs so I could take it out on the half-pipe. Sigh. I think all I can do is let it go and try not to mope too much.

P.S. Subject line courtesy Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Someone get this woman off of national TV...

Watching GMA, and Charlie Gibson interviewed the woman who's chosen to challenge Hillary Clinton for NY's senate seat. She said she thought one of the biggest problems is that we're divided into red states and blue states and people inside Washington refuse to get together, all the usual b.s. So Charlie, displaying some serious skillz, says, so is it wrong when Republicans call Hillary Clinton bitter and angry? And she stuttered and then said, "I gave up saying bad things about people for lent." DAMN WOMAN do better than that! Step up to the plate and stand behind this principle you're claiming as the basis for your entire campaign!

I'm thoroughly underwhelmed.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

1-0


This is a glorious day. Tonight was the first game of Mets spring training. And even better, they beat the snot out of the Cardinals. Hope springs eternal for me and my fellow believers in all that is Amazin'.

I also seem to have turned some things around in my life, and feel like it might be the start of an upswing. Jenn 1, terrible shit, 0. It's about flippin' time. I wish I could elaborate, but it's not one particular thing, it's just an overall feeling of good. Not quite "Walkin' on Sunshine," but possibly "Waitin' On A Sunny Day." It's nice for a change, and kind of shocking given certain looming events, but I'm going to go with it.

Also, the Rangers... whoa... I don't know if I can handle this. The Rangers have been so bad for so long, I can't possibly be optimistic about this situation. I have to expect utter disappointment and a March-long losing streak. I don't know how to act otherwise. Should something like that not happen, I do have a playoff ticket or two lined up. Hurrah!!