got a feelin' 21 is gonna be a good year...

KARA TURNED 21!!!!!! my little sister. can i believe it? NO. no, i can't believe it. and she's out with her friends this very minute bar-hopping in Portsmouth. as i sit here, sick with worry.

anyways. we had a lot of fun yesterday, the 29th, which was her birthday. i came home early and there were donuts and iced coffee waiting for me! very good donuts. from Congdon's, in Wells, Maine. um, they were delish! actually, i had an apple fritter. as those are one of my favorite things ever invented.

we hung around the house some. Kara opened up a few presents. here's what i got Kara for her birthday:

- Rooney ticket. (Rooney tickets make great presents, as the concert we went to in December was also Kara's Christmas present!!)

- i put this picture in a frame:




that's one of my favorite pictures of Kara and I. here's the story behind it:

my mom was getting mad because the huge container of all my old dance costumes was getting in the way and she asked me to clear it out. what happened instead? kara and i ended up playing dress up all night and taking pictures. yep, the night ended with drawn on eyeliner moustaches. i was a french painter and kara was a cowboy. every time we see that picture we both burst out laughing. OMG it was SUCH a fun night.

- i made her an anklet and a pair of earrings

- bought her Hannah Montana nail polish set which included nail decals and a guitar-shaped nail polish carry case. YEP - nail polish carry case.

- i made her an eye mask. like, to wear to sleep. YEP! i MADE IT! i went to the fabric store, picked out some great silk fabric. traced a pattern. and constructed one! and um, it came out totally great. like, really really great. every time i looked at it i couldn't believe i pulled it off.


i think kara made out pretty well. i was so excited to give her all my presents.

ANYWAYS. we saw Inception. i REALLY liked it. Leonardo was so super smokin hottt. holy man it was hard to breathe.

OVERALL - i had absolutely no idea what the movie was about going into it, but i had it figured out pretty early on. and i was right! but, i still thought it was really good.

OMG I LOOVVEEDDD LOVED LOVED the fight scene between Joseph Gordon Leavitt and the other guy in the hallway when they were fighting up the walls and it was like there was no gravity. ohhhh i loved that scene so much. i actually wanted to clap after. for realz.

i thought the whole movie, especially that scene, was like a ballet. it was very fluid and sharp.

i thought it was a very well done film. excellent sound. excellent score as always, by Hans Zimmer. excellent Leo, also as always. ohhh Leo. i just can't figure out why we're not married yet.

after the movie we went for dinner at Margarita's. had some delish mexican food. i only had one margarita. my mom had two. and kara had three. now, i have no idea how kara had three margaritas and was still able to stand up afterwards.

now, Margarita's is a kind of special place, because it is where i first remembered my dream about Tony where we were doing tequila shots. my FIRST Crash Kings dream. it was really when i realized my love for Tony AND the red plaid shirt. i was with Andrew and i saw the tequila list and was looking at it and said,

JUILE: Wait a sec... I think I just had a dream where I was doing tequila shots...
ANDREW: Oh yeah?
JULIE: Yeah..... I was doing tequila shots with..... Tony....
ANDREW: Tony??
JULIE: The lead singer of Crash Kings!
ANDREW: Crash Kings???
JULIE: The band I saw open for Rooney in December!!

momentous.

anyways, after that we came home and had cake and opened more presents. i felt really sick, actually. i think from the one margarita. so, i actually can't imagine doing tequila shots because i would probably vom instantly.

but, it was a fun night. i love birthdays a lot.

TODAY!! was fun, although i still felt sick most of the day. i was also REALLY REALLY SUPER SUPER bumming because i checked my bank account and realized that i absolutely do not have enough money to go see River City Extension. or, i guess the real part is that i don't have money to drive to New Jersey. it'd be like a total of 11.5 hours of driving. and in really, really, thinking very hard about it, it's probably not totally smart to drive there and back again in one night.

and i'll definitely see them in Boston next week, so it's not like it'll be a while.

ALSO - it's not like they haven't stood me up before. because, i paid $5 to see them in Portland, and they were a no show. although they have long since made up for it just by being awesome. and the tweets from james, the blog comment from nick, and the emails, facebook friend request and facebook wall note from joe.

MAN that band is so awesome. AWWWWWWW i can't wait to see them!!

crap. i just checked my bank account again to 1) really, really make sure that i can't go and 2) see if any money had magically appeared. not yet.

DAMN. why doesn't money just magically appear in my bank account when i wish it??? it doesn't make sense. also - i just got paid on tuesday and again, i have no money. what's the deal?? i guess i spent money for Kara's birthday. phone bill was due. wasn't expecting to have to take Ruby Tuesday to the vet. and i needed to buy the new Solobob song on iTunes. although, that was only 99 cents. YOU should buy it! it's called Fantastic 15. and it's by Solobob. aka: Robert Schwartzman.

so, moving on:

i never saw the bat again!! nope. tuesday night was pretty scary, though. when i went to bed, i shut off allll the lights in my living room and kitchen and then shut my bedroom door with me and Ruby inside. and i opened three windows and screens so the bat could fly out if he was still inside. maybe he left on his own, i don't know.

wednesday night wasn't as scary, but i was still on edge. and i didn't see the bat again.

OH! but one more thing about River City Extension! i had a DREAM about them last night!! the dream was that i was at Starland Ballroom, but it was on a rooftop. like, an open air venue on a rooftop. still in New Jersey, though. and i had gotten there like, 2 days early. it was a good dream.

but back to the bat: so, i took Ruby Tuesday to the vet on wednesday morning. she howled the whole ride in the car, but she was such a good girl in the vet!!! she was purring and exploring the room! she was so cute!!! omg i love her so much. and she got a rabies booster and they said she looked perfectly healthy!!! and even though her last rabies shot had expired a few months ago, since she had had the shot before, she was still covered.

so THAT was the biggest relief ever. then we came home, i gave her some turkey and treats. and then called my mom to let her know that everything was okay. and then i was supposed to call the doctor about ME. and my possible exposure to rabies.

BUT FIRST: i bought my non-refundable Crash Kings ticket for next week. there was only one night that i hadn't bought the ticket for yet, and i figured, "i better do it before i call the doctor, that way, if i have to go get crazy shots, i can say, 'but these tickets are non-refundable! i have to go!!'"

great plan, eh?!?

and then i called the doctor, explained the sitch, and she said that as long as the vet said that Ruby was still covered, and i had no contact with the bat - i was fine :)

and that's the story about how i maybe was exposed to rabies, but was fine in the end.

and now watch, 6 months later, i'll die from rabies. because turns out, the bat actually did bite me in my sleep. whatever. as long as Ruby is fine.

anyways. so, still in maine. not sure what the plan is for saturday. MAN. okay i'm really sad about not going to see RCE today. i was so, so, sososo, so, sooo, soo, so excited.

BUT - i'm seeing them FOR SURE next week. like - for sure. there's no way i'm missing them when they are in Boston. because really, the experience of seeing River City Extension outweighs the cost of everything. because they're so incredible.

i kind of can't believe i've only seen then once. it feels like more. and it was when they were the opener of three bands.

the LAST time i fell in love with an opener of three bands was with Crash Kings!

anyways. i just have to accept that i have no money. and i can't drive to new jersey today. and really, WHO can ever afford all the tolls on the Garden State Parkway?? i mean, come on!

i should really go to bed. although, i slept like, 12 hours last night. and then had to take an hour nap today because i was so tired. i've had a hard week. between being so excited from events last weekend, being so excited for kara's birthday, and being so scared about that bat - i haven't gotten much sleep this week.


ya know what? i want to get married. maybe not today. maybe not tomorrow. maybe not this year or next, or next or next or next year, but i want it. maybe i won't get married to you. although, maybe i will, who knows. but, i want it. and i feel like everyone is getting married. and we're getting 'save the date' everything. and i want it too. i want to plan a wedding. and i want it to be mine. and so there. that's that.


(really that stemmed from my not being able to stop thinking about how gorgeous Leo was in Inception. and then thinking for serious about why we're not married.)

hm. and i was going to talk about something else... and now i can't remember what it was.

also - i want that tattoo.

also - does anyone else think that 'Saving Grace' and '1985' sound alike? i admit - sometimes, if i miss the very beginning of the intro, i can't tell which is which. that's for real.

ok. i think maybe it's time for me to go to bed.

i'm hoping that someone will take me to see The Kids Are Alright. because i really want to see that. i think Kara maybe mentioned it.

OKAY. i'm going to bed now for real. have a great night! a great day!!

IF YOU'RE going to New Jersey for the River City Extension show, make sure you say hello to the band for me. And make sure to rock. And have fun.

GOODNIGHT!


<3

a few more things to talk about because i'm too scared to go to sleep!!!

➠ ha, look at that funny arrow

➠ guess what?!!? COURTNEY is coming to see Crash Kings with us in Burlington next week!! Courtney rules! She said she finally listened to Crash Kings and could understand what all the fuss was about :)! I'm so excited! CK lovin' spreads like the SARS virus.

➠ so, it's nighttime, and i'm in my apartment. and i'm practically falling asleep. but i'm too scared to actually close my eyes. Ruby is having no problem with it:




that was taken just a few moments ago. Poor little girl, she has no idea she's going to the vet in the morning!! awww you have no idea how bad i feel!! and today I had to take a baby to the doctor's and he got shots. He only cried for a few seconds and then got over it. I'm more worried about Ruby, though. I guess it's different when it's your own baby :) She's been very cuddly tonight and I like it.

➠ anyways. no bat sighting yet. i haven't fully barricaded myself in my bedroom yet. i've been slowly turning off lights. i just keep picturing the very first second i opened my eyes this morning and saw a bat flying around. MAN talk about being caught off guard.

➠ i'm also creating fake symptoms of rabies to psych me up. great, huh? yep. i was trying to swallow one of my vitamins tonight and it took a few tries and i was like, "OH MY GOD I CAN'T SWALLOW I'VE GOT RABIES!!!!"

➠ and then my mom got really mad at me on the phone for being so concerned about missing my concerts if i have rabies. if i die of rabies, i'm going to be SUCH a drama queen about it.

➠ also, if i miss these concerts - Crash Kings are playing my funeral. YEP. because maybe Tony would like to be outside sippin' on sunshine in the afterlife, but i would like to be at a Crash Kings concert. best heaven ever.

➠ also, i was thinking about this. because i am always thinking of you guys. BUT - i predict that if i have to get all the rabies shots - it will make for the best blogging ever!!!!! i'll call it, BLOG SHOTS. brillz! because, i was reading about it, and first you have to take these pills, and then have a shot, then go back on like, the 3rd, 5th, and 2 week mark after for shots. basically like a shot a day for like two weeks. that's great material.

➠ BLOG SHOTS. i love it.

➠ so, we all know that i love Tony, but i think he kind of ruined 'Come Away' for me. because every time i've heard it since, all i can think of is him being angry and stopping in the middle of the song. he was ready to walk off stage. maybe i'll tell him my troubles and he'll dedicate a special version to me.

➠ OK, here's the real important thing. the rest of this was just filler. the celery portion of the blog.


✮ WHAT SHOULD WE DO FOR BLOG READER APPRECIATION WEEK?!!? It was around this time, last year. Blog Reader Appreciation Week. And every day we had a different event! But this year - I want to hear FROM YOU!!!! What would YOU like to do for Blog Reader Appreciation Week? I'm thinking it could be in a few weeks. Or, maybe just one day? Or maybe a whole week - whatever! YOU DECIDE!!!

✮ Do you want a party? Prizes? An online toast? Hmm, let's get creative with this. What could be awesome?? ANYTHING you want! Just tell me, and I'll do my blog best to make it happen.

✮ YOU read this blog, how do YOU want to be appreciated?? I feel appreciated whenever I get comments. And when I can see on my blog tracking that a lot of people have viewed the blog.

✮ So, start brainstorming. Maybe think about it for a little while. And then let me know! Either by commenting, or by email!!

✮ Ok great. Notice how this portion was bullet pointed with stars and not arrows. Stars make it seem more fancy, because it was the most important part! Duh!


Well. Folks, I'm exhausted. Like, so tired. I think I have to go to sleep.

Ok. I'm forcing myself.


✮ Goodnight!!!!

the dark night

um, okay, let me tell you about my night last night.

- i was SO proud of myself for going to bed early. i was in bed by 2:30am!!!
- (i tried to watch A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but the DVD was too scratched, so instead i watched 2012 on instant netflix. umm...pretty lame movie. although, the natural disasters were great. i was bummed it was so hopeful at the end. although, i did shed a tear during the big tsunami in india part.)
- so, i fall asleep around 2:30. i had my alarm set for 9:10am. i definitely needed to be at work by 11am, but it might change to 10:30am, depending on circumstances. so - i wanted to be responsible and prepared.

- i am suddenly awakened at 4am by Ruby Tuesday jumping on my bed.
- i open my eyes and the first thing i see is something huge flying above my head
- OH MY GOD
- i quickly scramble out of bed and barricade myself in the bathroom
- i think, "holy crap there is a bat in my apartment right now."
- so, i have a freak out sesh.
- i hear all the commotion has now moved to the kitchen, so i sloowwllyy walk out.
- then, forgetting that my dad isn't there, i start calling out for him.
- and then, i remember that he went to maine earlier in the day. CRAP. now i really have no idea what to do.
- so, i get dressed. why? i don't know. i suppose in case the bat turns into a hottie vampire, i won't be in my pajamas.
- then i hear the bat start screeching and squealing in the kitchen
- so, i creep out and start calling for Ruby. i don't want her to be near it
- she sees me in the kitchen doorway and starts meowing and walks about halfway to me, but then turns around to go see the bat on the floor again.
- i think she wants me to follow her. but, hell no, i stay put.
- then i remember that my boss is staying over tonight, so i call her on the phone.
- she says that she is deathly afraid of bats, but that she knows it's just as scared as i am

- basically, it was just nice to have someone to talk to and help me calm down through it all
- while we were on the phone, Ruby came running out of the kitchen, slid across the floor, the bat was LOOSE.

- THEN, in a quick turn of events, there was lots of screeching from the bat and then SILENCE.

- i hung up the phone and slowly walked into the kitchen, expecting to see a torn up bat on my floor.

- but, no. there was no bat anywhere. and Ruby Tuesday was on the floor in front of the fridge.

- SOOOOO, i think the bat escaped under or behind the fridge. but when my boss boss went to look for it today, he moved the fridge and found nothing.

- so, where's the bat? i don't know.

- am i dreading going upstairs in the dark tonight? YOU FREAKING BET I AM.

- unless however, by then the bat has turned into a hottie vampire. a nice Alexander Skarsgard or Robert Pattinson, perhaps?


so, i was awake with the bat frenzy from 4am until 5:20am and by then, it was starting to get light outside. so, i turned on all the lights in my apartment and hoped the bat would get sleepy. because i was sleepy too.

and i was so worried because Ruby had been playing/maybe torturing the bat while it was under the table. and she was really, really hot when i finally picked her up. so, i was worried she had a fever because she had been bitten and was now infected with rabies.

and then i thought back to the past few days, and she's been kind of throwing up a lot. so then i was like, OH MY GOD RUBY HAS HAD RABIES ALL THESE DAYS AND I DON'T KNOW IT!!!!!!

but then i looked up the symptoms of cat rabies, and it didn't really sound like it.

BECAUSE, i don't know how long the bat has been living in my apartment. maybe just last night, but maybe also other nights. i hadn't been there for a few nights, maybe my dad slept through other bat incidents? and Ruby had been bitten?

OH MAN, all these things were running through my head. and i was really nervous to get back into bed.

BUT I DID. because i knew i had a busy day today and was working alllll day.

i managed to get Ruby to sleep right next to me and we both fell asleep around 6:30, i think.

and she was still sleeping when i woke up at 9:10. and she slept right through all my "snoozes" until 10am.

i think she was just hot from all the excitement. but, maybe she has a little stomach bug? i don't know.

anyways, so i wasn't too worried about getting ready for work because it was daylight.

and i went to work from 10:15am and i'm working until 10pm tonight.

i called the local vet this afternoon and told her the sitch....

JULIE: Hi, I had a bat in my apartment last night and my cat was playing with it. She's a little overdue on her rabies shot...
VET: Okay, so she needs her rabies vaccine.
JULIE: Yep.
VET: Can you come in tomorrow morning?
JULIE: Yep.
VET: 8:45?
JULIE: Yep!

and i hung up that phone and almost burst into relief tears. i was so worried that they wouldn't be able to see her for a few days, or something.

people at work are telling me that i should call the doctor and tell them that the bat was in my bedroom. apparently sometimes you don't even know if you get bit by a bat, because their teeth are so small.

but, they're also telling me that although bats are a major rabies carrier, the fact that my bat was a carrier is pretty rare.

AS LONG AS RUBY IS OKAY, i'll be okay. (but i might still call a doctor, i don't know.)

I SWEAR TO GOD, if i can't go see Crash Kings next week because i have rabies - i will be so pissed off.

because a) that severely limits my chances of making out with any of the guys, as rabies is transmitted by saliva, and i wouldn't do that to a Crash King.

but, i don't think i was bitten by a rabid bat.

UGH. all day that's all i can think about. the stupid bat.

everyone's like, 'just throw a towel over it and carry it outside.'

UM, YEAH RIGHT. like i'm actually going to pick up the bat and carry it outside? and then people were like, 'well, then trap it under a pot and leave it there until Randy comes in.' Randy is the executive director. he was totally fine with this idea, as apparently he's had a lot of experience with bats. but even the pot idea involves going close to the bat.

so then finally, Randy was like, 'well, shut off all your lights, open your windows and screens, and hopefully the bat will fly out.'

PLAN FOR TONIGHT:
- barricade me and Ruby in my bedroom, sealing up all the cracks.
- only exit when absolutely needed.

YEP! that's the stellar plan!


anyways. i'm dreading it to the max. i think it's worse than when we had bed bugs. and lice.

and i have absolutely no idea how the bat got in. NO IDEA. apparently they can fit through holes 1/4 inch in diameter. LAME. that's really lame, bats. you should stay outside.

i mean, i was sleeping when it came in, so there were no lights on in the house. why else would it come in, unless it had already gotten in?

ah well. i'll be more at ease after Ruby's vet appointment tomorrow.

in other news?

i'm still beaming over my exciting weekend. can't stop thinking about the awesome.


OK, so sometimes (like right now) i think that my life is a huge coincidence. or, maybe fate. i don't know. but like, i was just reading my horoscope for today, and it includes the phrase,"rabidly jealous." really? really, horocope? today of all days to use the word 'rabidly?' you chose to use it the day after a bat was loose in my apartment?

and then another horoscope for today reads:

It's your day to flirt with danger and successfully manage to come out ahead. If there's anything you've been waiting to act on because at first it seemed too risky, take a new lease on your adventurous side and remain confident while meeting obstacles head on. Look for friends to come to your aid in troubling times.

do i think they're talking about the bat? yep.

is it coincidence that they used the word 'rabidly?' or is it fate because i'll get rabies?

i don't know. ok let's stop talking about bats.

i'm really excited to eat food tonight. i'm super hungry. i thought i was working at 11, but instead i worked at 10:15, so i didn't have time to eat before. and then we had cake and ice cream in staff meeting. but that's it. and some coffee.

i'm going to have leftover chicken parm tonight. i'm happy because 1) it was good and 2) i can just reheat it up, which means less time in the open, more time barracaded in my bedroom.


so, the other day i super burnt my ear on my hair straightener. like, it hurt really bad. and then it alllll scabbed over and today, the scab got caught on my earring and pulled off, which hurt a lot. BUT THEN, you should have seen all the blood!! holy crap! i couldn't believe it! it bled for so long.

good, story? right?!

in better news than that: i've found my new house!!! yep, $12,000 a month. 4 bedrooms. 3.5 baths. rooftop gazebo. overlooking the Venice canals in Los Angeles!! on Via Dolce. sound good? good! who wants to live with me?!

ok. i guess i have some work to do before i go home. maybe i should do that.

awww i can't believe i have to take Ruby Tuesday to the vet!! she's gonna HATE it!! awww she hates being in the car soo much! i'll give her turkey when we get home. and treats. awww i love her soo much!!!!!

OK. now i guess i should go do work.

hope everyone has a great night. wish me luck with all my batty endeavors.


goodnight!

'cause i would never leave you high and dry...

OHHHHHH MAN. The new Crash Kings video has PREMIERED!!!!!!

It's their new single, 'You Got Me.'


If you want to see some freaking hotties, please click here to watch the video.


This is the video that took Tony allll the way to Ann Arbor, when we were there together :)

Um. Okay. So the theme of this video is, "girls, girls, naked girls, girls who are obsessed with us, BUT THEN, all the hott girls turn into monsters." Tony says he wrote this song after all the times he's been played and used by girls whilst living in Los Angeles.

REALLY love the black and white part of Tony on the little piano.

There are some great bro shots, especially at the beginning. Mike and Tony, just chillin together with some strippers. If it weren't for the strippers, it might actually be a good photo. I would post a screencap...but, ya know, the strippers....

Video was directed by David Arquette!! very cool.

I definitely like this video a lot better than the Mountain Man one. the real one. the blue one. not the one where they're skiing and there's nudity. LOOOOVEE THAT ONE.

anyways, just wanted to post this for everyone because i am really excited about it.

my dad and i are going out for italian food tonight! i'm excited.


you may now continue having a great day!!!!


<3

Julie Dyes Things Hott Pink and Other Adventures (including, Rooney, Hanson, Crash Kings, and the Mysterious Case of the Double Clavinet.)

HI FRIENDS!!!

I'm back! With pictures! Great ones!

I was finally able to sleep last night after my day of epic awesome. All the excitement finally wore me out.

Back in Lebanon now. At work. So lame compared to my weekend. It's kind of strange coming back to work after having so much fun. It's like, I have to switch back to a responsible person.

Like, Friday night at the Rooney concert I was dancing and clapping and singing and having such a freaking blast, and I thought for a moment, 'Hey, just this morning I was dealing with babies and teenagers and doctors appointments and all this important boring work stuff. I TOTALLY DESERVE THIS.'

ANYWAYS - let's get to the goods.

I'm taking you back to when Kerianne and I saw Crash Kings in Chicago. Remember I pointed out Tony's shirt and said it reminded me of the one I had just bought? That I was going to dye hott pink?

Yeah. Here's the shirt:




And remember I don't like that above photo because he looks like a classically trained clavinetist.

And, here is the shirt I bought at Earthfest on 22 May:



Don't they kind of have the same idea going on? I don't know. They remind me of each other.

SO, I planned to dye my shirt hott pink because I wasn't crazy about white/gray color. And you can never have too many hott pink things - that's a fact. So, I bought the dye, but was nervous to do it because I was afraid I would ruin the screenprinted design on the front. Or, the white lines would immediately turn hott pink and be faded.

BUT - I was attempting it anyways, in hopes that it would turn out awesome enough to wear to the show in Portsmouth on Saturday. Here is the process:






In my efforts to dye as many things as I could find, I came up with some elastic and a facecloth.


AAANNNDDDDDDD..........





ROCKED IT!!!!!! Ohhhh it came out so super awesome. I was so amazed. I think it looks 100% better. And Jason and Mike really liked it, so that was great. Jason especially. Love that man.


Great dyeing adventure. So happy with the way it came out. And I wore it with a gray skirt and black leggings. If you're thinking, "wow, Julie must have looked incredibly cute," YOU'RE RIGHT. :)


So now, let's go back to Friday, when Kara and I drove to Cape Cod, MA to see Rooney and Hanson.

Let's skip the part where it took us 4 hours to get there because of traffic, but we had a totally hott dance party in the tunnel on 93 south. YEP. that part rocked.

So, we get to the place and pick up our tickets. Get to our seats. It's a weird place. A round theater. And we actually have SEATS. And the stage is in the center of the whole place, but, it revolves. Yep. It was weird.

And apparently they have a really strict camera policy. Which I didn't know about. IT WAS SO LAME. They would go around telling people to put their cameras away. And this happened A LOT. Did it happen to me? Nope! I was super stealth :)




ROONEY!!!!

Take THAT no camera policy! I did keep the flash off, which is why it's blurry a little. And that's the only Rooney pic I got!! There were HARDLY ANY Rooney fans there, so we really had to represent. They started off not-facing us, but when the stage revolved to our section, I stood up and danced, and then more people followed.

Um, and they ROCKED. Like, a lot. They always do! Robert was just wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, which I thought was awesome. Probably because it was super down pouring and kind of chilly. Which was weird because the last time we saw Rooney it was also down pouring. That was the night I first saw Crash Kings! And before they played 'Raincoat' Tony said, "this song is appropriate for tonight!" or something like that.

Anyways, so, you'll notice that there is no Matt Winter. Who played bass in Rooney right from the beginning up until last February. Instead - there is Brandon. Or, Brando. He's on the far left.

Taylor Locke got a haircut, which I DEFINITELY approved of. He was smokin. They played some old favorites and some new ones. Not my fave off the new record, but it was okay. I was just so excited to see them at all.

So then Robert says to come find them out at the merch table to say hi. So, we go outside to find them! There's already 1 million people there and lots of obnoxious security guards. So, we decide to wait a little bit and see if it clears out. In the meantime, we checked out the merch, went to the ATM, and bought things! I got a GREAT new t-shirt. Navy blue with a yellow lighthouse design and just under the lighthouse beam of light it says ROONEY. It's great, especially for an aspiring lighthouse keeper as myself. Kara got a nice and cozy black hoodie. It's great.

AND THEN, probably the best thing that could have happened, happened. It started to rain really, really hard. Like, out of the blue, torrential downpour. And the people SCATTERED to find shelter. The line to meet the band shrunk by a lot and it was now super easy to get to them.

Kara was super interested in meeting Brando, because he kind of sounded like the perfect boyfriend... 21, 6' 4", bass player, and totally cute. So, we went over to see him. First we both told him how great it was to meet him, congratulations on being an awesome new Rooney bassist, and just generally how much he rocked. He was pretty excited about this.

Then! Kara told him that she had just started playing bass and was really loving it. And he seemed SUPER excited about this! They talked bass player shop for a minute and then Kara asked to take a picture....




I REALLY hope she's not mad at me for posting this, but I think it's a totally great picture.

So then, we walk over to see Robert. I tell Kara,

JULIE: I think I might go in for a Robert hug.
KARA: Whoa, really?
JULIE: Yep. I've had a lot of practice with Mike, and I think I'm gonna do it.


We go up to him and some girl hands him her cell phone. He takes it and says,

ROBERT: Hi, this is Robert from Rooney. Um, why aren't you here at the show?! We missed you, but hope to see you next time we're around...

Things like that. Yep. He was leaving a fan a voicemail. LOVED IT.

Anyways, so then that girl leaves and he turns to us!

ROBERT: Hey!
JULIE AND KARA: HEY!!
ROBERT: (holds out his hand for a handshake) Great to see you!
JULIE: (opens arms for a hug) Can I get a hug instead?
ROBERT: Definitely, bring it in!!

And then I hugged Robert Schwartzman. Yes, the Robert Schwartzman. I've loved him for a long time. I've loved Rooney for a long time. And I was finally getting the hug. And it was great.

Then we told him how great they were, how excited we were to see them, how much we loved the new record, etc. He seemed SO happy and gracious to hear all this, and especially to know that there were people who came just to see them play.

So then we're departing and Kara asks for a picture. I have three words to describe this picture:


NEW COUPLE ALERT!!!!!




Kara and Roberto.

Then, we were saying our goodbyes, and Robert holds up his hand for a goodbye high-five. So, um, duh, I reach out and we high five, but then, he grabs my hand and holds it for a minute afterwards. I mean, not a real minute. But maybe like, 4 seconds. SO GREAT. A hug and hand hold from Rob. Ohhhhh yeah I loved it a lot. I don't really remember what happened next. It was kind of daze-worthy.

Oh yeah, but eventually we made it back to our seats for HANSON!!!!! My middle school girl personal came through and I got totally into it. And yes, I did the "round and around and around and around" hand motions for 'Where's the Love' and I was not ashamed. They rocked!




Zac on drums, Issac on guitar.




Issac, Zac and Taylor. HOTTIES. Like, super hotties.



Acoustic-trio portion of the show. Ohhhh they were soo good. And the screaming!!! OH MAN. You should have heard the girls screaming for them. INSANE. And it's insane that they've been doing this for about 12 years and they still have so many superfans. I love it! I think it's so great. They're so much more than your typical "boy band." They can actually play their instruments really well. They can all sing. They write great songs. GO HANSON!!!

I was actually happy that they didn't play my favorite song, 'Georgia,' because I wouldn't have been able to get it on video with all the camera policing. Even I'm not that stealth.

After the show, Kara had to go to work in the bakery. She slept in the car, while I drove from Hyannis, MA to Wells, ME. Vacation spot to vacation spot. We arrived around 2am and worked until about 6am. LOOONNGGGGGGG AND TIRING NIGHT. But, that Schwartzman Hug got me through. For realz. That, plus the fact that I was seeing Crash Kings the next day. I can stay awake forever on excitement.

Finally got to bed around 6:45am Saturday morning, making my total awake time exactly 24 hours. :)


AND THEN SATURDAY HAPPENED. Did it? I still can't believe it happened. But no, it was for real.


And now.... for the Mysterious Case of the Double Clavinet...




If you look to the left of this picture, on top of the wooden box partially hidden behind the speaker, you'll see a clavinet. Then, if you look to the right side of the photo, you'll see Tony's clavinet with the whammy bar. It's on top of a bright red keyboard, which I hadn't seen before. I was excited about the red keyboard, until it never worked. Ever. Then it became lame.

Anyways - I was so excited that Tony had finally gotten a new clavinet! I was dying to hear the story.

And then as I'm talking with his mom and glancing up at the stage every now and then, I see that they are setting up the other clavinet with Blues Travelers set. And I thought, 'really? Blues Traveler has a clavinet in their band too??' I mean, anyone can buy a clavinet, it's not like they're some rare instrument (unless it's the whammy bar infused version). But seeing two clavinets in one day?!?! After never having even heard of it a few months ago??!! Really?!

YEP!!! It belonged to Blues Traveler. What are the odds?!?!? I mean, seriously! Two bands playing in Portsmouth, NH would both have a clav?? I thought it was weird. Even weirder that the clav for Blues Traveler worked just fine. For some reason the sound guys made it work for them, but not for Tony. Ohhhh bummer.

So, the clav belonged to Blues Traveler - CASE CLOSED!!!!


Here are the pictures from the Crash Kings show. Or rather, the time when they were on stage trying to get their instruments to work...

They still rocked it, duh. Because they just rock everything...




ALSO - PLEASE NOTE THE LACK OF MIKE'S ORANGE AMP. Why didn't he have it!?! Where was it!?!? He had it in Missouri the day before! This made me think that maybe they weren't using their normal equipment?? Besides their instruments?

Tony and Mike's mom told us that their flight from Missouri to Boston had been canceled, so they had to take a later flight, which kind of messed up their travel plans and everything. Maybe everything couldn't come?

Well now, Jason's not even playing on his normal drum set. Usually his is white. Hm. I don't know, but now I'm thinking this maybe has something to do with all the sound problems.





Oh, hi Michael.







When they were actually PLAYING music, oh, it was awesome.




Yep, and then I talked to their mom for almost an hour.

So, it was still super exciting to see Crash Kings. I OMGCAN'TWAIT to see them three times next week!!!!!

But I'm really excited for Kerianne to see them ON TUESDAY!!!! IN CHICAGO!!!!!! Because seeing them once just is never enough. My mom even said that if she didn't have such a busy week at work next week, she'd come to the show in Boston. She also said that if the show in Burlington wasn't on a Thursday, she'd go to that one. YEP. Mom's converted. Superfan. Loves it!

So, my friend in Kansas City went to see them on Friday and took a TON of great pictures. Even Crash Kings themselves commented on how great her pictures were. YEP. They sure did! So, there's just one picture that is totally my favorite and I have to show you.

PLEASE enjoy!



Who knew Tony was a great dancer?! And LOOK at that smile. WHAT A GREAT PICTURE!!!!! Although I'd take any kind of Tony, happy Tony is better to watch than angry Tony.

AHHH that smile! It's so great.


Ok. It's almost 1am. Monday morning. I'm working tonight, Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night before I have Thursday, Friday and Saturday OFF!!!!! For Kara's 21st Birthday/River City Extension in NJ!!!! Ohhhh I'm super excited about that too!

Alright friends, hope everyone is having a great start to their week!

HEEEYYYY!!!! Happy 26th of July!!! The 26th of July Movement started back in 1953 and is named after the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. It was the start of the Cuban Revolution.

AND WITH THAT, goodnight :)

sweetsweet dreams.


J.

PS:

RE: ENTRY BELOW THIS ONE:

I never finished the story about the two clavinets. You'll have to come back to find out WHY THERE WERE TWO!!!!!!

oooooo cliffhanger!!!!!!



i love you guys.

it happens only in the daytime

SO. I just had an epic day of Crash Kings madness.

Here's the deal:

I'm exhausted. BUT, I'm going to briefly tell you about it because I'm so excited I just need to tell people. Briefly! And, I don't have my camera cord with me, so there'll be no pictures. (But I got a really good one from the looks of it on my camera!)

SO.

The scene was PORTSMOUTH, NH. REDHOOK FEST. At the Redhook Brewery. My mom is wearing my gray Crash Kings shirt and I'm wearing my newly dyed hott pink Crash Kings shirt. WHICH CAME OUT FREAKING AWESOME.

We get there and walk to the ticket holders line. Immediately one of the event workers says to me,

EVENT WORKER: Crash Kings! Awesome! I'm excited to see them. Right before Blues Traveler.

So great! Blues Traveler was the main attraction.

So we get in there and walk to the stage. It's pretty crowded. The whole event is sold out. But, there's like, one spot of grass in the front on the lawn that is perfectly sized for my mom and I. Like, it was perfect.

We put our stuff there. Sit there for a minute, and then decide to get up and walk around. And we walk around for a while. Check out the vendors. Get some food. Then, we head back to our seats.

Listening to the band, 'Rustic Overtones' play. They're kind of, eh. I thought they sounded too much like every other band that plays radio festivals.

And then I start to people watch. Just kind of stare at people around me, because I was bored. And I like to look at people a lot.

There's a couple sitting directly in front of us. They're older. Maybe around the age of my parents. And for some reason, the man looks familiar to me. And I'm thinking very hard about this because WHAT I'M THINKING, is that he looks what I remember Tony and Mike's dad to look like.

BUT NO, I would not have such luck to sit behind their parents.

So, I keep thinking. And keep thinking. And while I'm trying to figure out who he is, I'm also telling myself that it would just be so freaking awesome to sit behind their parents that I'm creating this man who looks like I remember their father to look like.

And so finally, they start to change the set for Crash Kings. And he stands up to watch. And this is when I turn to my mom and whisper,

JULIE: Okay, I kind of think that's Mike and Tony's dad...
MOM: I've noticed he seems very interested in what's going on with Crash Kings.

And then Mike comes out on stage to do bass player things. And this guy in front of us starts waving.

JULIE: (thinking to herself) HOLY CRAP OMG NO WAY I'M SITTING BEHIND THEIR PARENTS.

Finally he gets Mike's attention as if to say, "this is where we're sitting." Mike smiles and head nods back.

He sits back down. My mom immediately reaches over and taps him on the shoulder to ask if he's their father.

YEP. Yep.

This place was really big. It was super crowded when we got there. THE ONLY spot of available grass that fit us perfectly was directly behind Mike and Tony's parents.

No matter WHAT happened for the rest of the day, IT WAS A GOOD DAY.

AND THEN, my mom has a tiny conversation with their dad. And then he takes out his camera and starts taking pictures of the guys setting up. And he goes up to the stage to take more pictures. I imagine these will go somewhere in their living room.

I really don't know how much time passed. I was in such a daze. SUCH A DAZE. A daze of wonderment.

I told their dad that this was my 12th show and he laughed and said he had stopped counting.

And then he leaves for a little bit and my mom initiates conversation with their mom. It was basically mom talk. Like, normal mom talk. For realz.

And then I decide I'm going to go up and stand in the standing area so I can get a good spot.

So I go up and stand. Moving closer and closer every few seconds. Until I'm in the second row. And then the guy in front of me says,

GUY: You want a spot on the rail?
JULIE: Really?! You don't mind?
GUY: Not at all! I thought I was going to be the only fan here!!
JULIE: You're not!!

Turns out he was a super fan. We actually talked for a while. TURNS OUT he lived (or lives, i can't remember) in Amherst, MA, which was where I went to college. Hampshire College. SO THAT was really weird. And I told him I was going to the Crash Kings show in Boston and he seemed like he would go too.

So, I'm watching things happening on the stage and keep looking at the clavinet and wondering, 'why aren't they setting it up?' It was just sitting over in the corner on top of a big wooden box.

And then I look directly in front of me on the stage, and Tony is setting up his clavinet. And I think,

JULIE (thinking) HOLY CRAP Tony got another clavinet!?!? How did he make that happen?!?!

Because, as we all know, the modified clavinet with the whammy bar that Tony owns is only 1 of 12 in the whole world. So I was PRETTY excited for him.

ANYWAYS, so then Jason notices me from the stage and smiles and waves. And I smile and wave back. And he makes gestures like, "your shirt is awesome!" And I make, "I know! Thank you!" gestures back.

And the guy next to me is seeing all this and says,

GUY: OHhhhhh... so that's how it is??
JULIE: (laughs) Umm...nooo...
GUY: (laughs) Wow.... okay.
JULIE: If I see them, I might get a hug. But that's it.

it was funny and really awesome.

ANYWAYS. Then their set starts and they open with '1985.' Immediately the SOUND SYSTEM GOES TO CRAP. Which was the theme of the performance. A version of 1985 without vocals or piano, was what we heard. A drums and bass version! They keep going right into 'Nonbeliever,' still with no piano, and now with very, very low vocals. Tony ran off stage during the beginning for a minute to talk to sound people, but made it back just in time for the beginning.

So then after they finish 'Nonbeliever' Tony stops and says something like,

TONY: Okay, we're not gonna start again until this gets fixed... TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED!!!!

And people start shouting PIANO PIANO and making "piano motions" with their hands.

So then, the piano gets fixed. But there's now no vocals. So, they take a long time figuring that out. The crowd kept shouting LOUDER LOUDER LOUDER and making upwards motions.

Then, the vocals come back in, but they're still very low. People keep shouting louder. Tony looks down at me and I mouth, "louder."

TONY: (looks to the sound booth, points to his microphone.)

YEP. He looked at me, and then did what I said. Even though everyone else was also saying it. It was like he trusted me more. YEP. That was it - he trusted me more.

ANYWAYS. Then everything was worked out. They played 'It's Only Wednesday.' ROCKED IT. But halfway through the piano went out again.

So, they stopped again at the end of the song and worked out the piano. FIXED.

Then Tony starts 'Come Away' and almost immediately the piano goes out again. By this time - he looks pretty pissed. Like, really, REALLY annoyed with this whole thing.

and Tony stops the song and says,

TONY: Okay, I'm not going to play this one anymore. It's just not working.

And Mike stalls and goes into this whole speech about people came here to hear music, and why isn't the MUSIC working.

So, they try and fix the sound some more. A lot more. Tony finally says,

TONY: We're gonna play 2 more songs for you. This one you might recognize.

And they played 'Mountain Man.' WHICH ROCKED. I did the claps. No sound on the piano, but the clavinet sounded GREAT. After that was finished, Tony mouthed to Mike and Jason, "Carry On."

And they played 'Carry On,' which was a TOTAL SUCCESS because there's no piano in that song, only clav action. It sounded great. Ohhhh and I rocked. Because I freaking love that song.

And things are finally sounding pretty good. So, they tackle 'War Pigs' another clav-only song. Almost immediately the clavinet sound goes. Then, something happens and Jason's kick drum breaks. Tony announces that Jason is now playing with a broken kick-drum.

So, now the song is crazy sounding drums, vocal and tons of bass. It's insane. BUT - the crowd is totally rocking and getting really into it.

I, however, am now so used the 'War Pigs' melody in lullaby version, that I started to get sleepy.

No, I'm kidding. I didn't get sleepy. But, I did think about the lullaby version and how it has a ton of bird noises in it.

ANYWAYS. So, they end the show. Tony says,

TONY: Thanks for coming to our sound check!!

Mike says,

MIKE: I would like to invite every one of you to come see us in Boston at The Middle East on August 3rd. We'd really love to give you a real Crash Kings show.

And the crowd is going wild. Like, really cheering them on. And Tony! He's just unplugging his stuff so fast it's crazy. You can tell he's really, really upset. I felt super bad. And then Jason looks at me and just shakes his head. I shake my head back and shrug.

Then, I head back to our seats, where I find my mom laughing, chatting it up with Mrs. Beliveau.

JULIE: (thinking) OMG this cannot really be happening!

So, I go over. Kind of join in the conversation about what a bummer it was about the sound.


JULIE: I think Tony was pretty mad...
MRS. BELIVEAU: I've never seen Tony that angry before! Well, during a performance. I mean, I've definitely seen him that angry before (we all laugh), just not during a show.

And then I think it really hit me that OMG I WAS TALKING TO THEIR MOM.

And then my mom, Tony and Mike's mom, and myself proceeded to have a conversation for like, 45 minutes. It was on and off for about an hour, because then Blues Traveler started playing.

And it was like, the perfect conversation, because all we talked about were Mike and Tony! Who needs to talk about anything else, ever, really? She told us about the time when Tony was 6 and he came to her and said he wanted to start taking piano lessons and then took lessons from the same woman for 12 years. About the time when Michael (she kept calling him Michael) was in 3rd grade and wanted to learn piano, but then stopped because he didn't think he could be as good as Tony. So he picked up the guitar. And then the bass. And then the upright bass, which he played in the school band. And also that Tony played violin in the school band.

She told us about how when Tony was really little and they would all dance around in their living room, but Mike was just a baby, so she had to hold him. (and then she made a motion of holding Baby Mike.)

I think my favorite was the story about when JET came over. First she went on and on about how nice and how funny JET was, and we talked about how the show at the Paradise JUST SO TOTALLY ROCKED EVERYONE'S WORLD.

And she said,

MRS. BELIVEAU: I got a call from Tony at 11 the morning before, it was their day off, and he asked if it would be alright if all of them came over for dinner, it would be about 12 people. So, I said 'okay.' And Steve was outside doing yard work and I went out and said, 'stop whatever you're doing, the boys are coming over tonight with 12 people!'

it was a great story. And I had heard Crash Kings talk about this event to some degree, making it seem like things got pretty crazy, and they all had a blast.

And that's just exactly what their mom said too! It was just really fun hearing it from their mom.


OOHHHHHH IT WAS AWESOME. We talked about lots of stuff. She told me twice that I should come find her at The Middle East. My mom asked her if she was from Massachusetts and she said,

MRS. BELIVEAU: No, I'm from Michigan.

Which, I thought was weird, since Michigan has played such a strange part in my Twitter life recently... Tony was in Ann Arbor and "so was i."

um, so the whole thing was great. like, great. and she was just a normal mom. like, just really proud of her sons.

so, by this point i had missed the guys at the merch booth. they never announced that they would be there, but their dad said they were for a little bit. he went to go look for them, but couldn't find them.


ANYWAYS. this didn't end up being a brief version at all! So, their parents left a little while after Blues Traveler went on.

Shortly after that, Mike walked over looking for them. He saw me,

MIKE: Heeyyy!! Nice shirt!!
JULIE: Thanks!

This was at least the 6th time talking to Mike and I still don't think he knew who I was. 2 hugs, 6 conversations later, no progress. Sorry, at least 7 conversations.

So, he's walking around looking very confused, obviously looking for his parents. I was thinking I should go over and tell him they left. But, my mom acts upon this before I do.

MOM: Are you looking for your folks?
MIKE: Yeah...
MOM: They left just a little while ago.
MIKE: They left?
MOM: Yeah, I think the crowd was getting too rowdy.
MIKE: They left? Oh, okay... Thanks.

My mom said he seemed very sad. BUT, she touched his arm during this conversation, which she mentioned a few times throughout the rest of the night. Also, how cute he is. And also, the prettiness of his eye color.


So, even though the actual performance part of the day was kind of a bummer fail, the overall day was SUCH A MAJOR WIN.

yeah, it was kind of a dream. like, i'm writing this now and thinking, 'really? all this really happened?' because, how often do you get to talk to the parents of rockstars?

OMG IT WAS SO GREAT. i'm just really thinking about it now.

and i actually didn't get to talk to Crash Kings in person at all. but it totally feels like i did!


and i'm just going to mention it real quick:

but all this comes THE DAY AFTER i got a hug from Robert Schwartzman. ♥ believe me, i'll talk about that more in detail. also, he held my hand. MORE LATER.

MORE WITH PICTURES LATER. which is amazing in itself, because the NO CAMERA POLICY at the Cape Cod venue was soooo super strict it was insane. like, INSANE.

but, yours truly, is a super stealth picture taker - AND I GOT SOME GREAT PHOTOS. of Hanson, mainly.

ANYWAYS. i've had a great weekend so far. nay - A GREAT WEEK. between this and all the personal contact with River City Extension - i am exhausted. it's known as GREAT WEEK EXCITEMENT EXHAUSTION. it affects 4 out of 5 Crash Kings fans. very serious, as it may involve driving long distances, staying up for long periods of time, and rocking out really freaking hard.

it's currently 2:30am. i'm going to go to bed. but hey,

I'VE SEEN CRASH KINGS 12 TIMES NOW!!!!!

that's pretty awesome.

ok! i love you all. Schwartzman hugs all around! *does circular finger motion in the air*


have a super great sunday.


✭✭✭,
Julie

Pre-Crash Kings Concert Conversation with my Mom

MOM: Ya know, I don't really know any Crash Kings music, so I think we should listen to their CD on the way down.

JULIE: Um, DUH that's not even a question.



QUICK UPDATE:

- Rooney and Hanson rocked the heck out of the Cape last night.
- after much practice with initiating Mike hugs, i felt confident enough to reach out and hug Robert Schwartzman. WIN. EPIC EPIC WIN. (and we had a great conversation and he held my hand for about five seconds after.) MORE LATER.


CRASH KINGS TODAY!!!!


♥

LAME NEW PLAN::

∞ I'm going to try and stay awake and NOT take a nap.

∞ that way i won't sleep for three hours and then be really awake at night time.

∞ i think i have enough entertaining things to do to keep me busy until like, 10pm at least.

∞ movies to watch. Jonas to catch up on. things to dye hott pink.

∞ although, i'm getting my 6pm headache. lately i've been getting these headaches in the evening that just won't go away. i think it's my eye drops mixed with the setting sun.

∞ Kerianne sent me an email today and she said, "I just listened to the entire River City Extension CD, and now I'm starting it over again! Yay!" GREAT, right?! i told Kerianne about RCE, she started listening to them, and is going to see them when they're in Chicago! So awesome! Readers, I listen to good music, I promise. You should too.

∞ and if you think i DON'T listen to good music (maybe because i talk about the jonas brothers a lot...) you should start listening to River City Extension anyways, because i can't imagine a person not liking them.

∞ ok. i'm gonna go drink some coffee and dye things hott pink now.

"let me pacify my soul"

Dear Blog Readers,

I am really freaking tired. I think it's a combination of only getting 3 hours of sleep and how excited I was last night. It's catching up with me now.

Went to sleep around 4am. Up at 7am. Got ready for work. Down to work at 8am. It's finally 12:20pm and I have somehow managed to waste enough time for me to only start blogging now. What did I do in the time between 8am and now? Well, I don't really know. I ate some cereal. Drank some coffee. Surfed the web. Did some arts and crafts for about an hour. Listened to music a lot. Started to fall asleep in the rocking chair, but then I woke up.

I keep remembering that I am seeing Crash Kings on Saturday! Well, not remembering, but like, realizing. Because it's not that I forget, it's that I don't believe it is actually happening. Because of how much awesome it is.

Kara was just texting me about how she's totally not excited to see Hanson tomorrow night and how she hates concerts. So, it should be a fun night! I reminded her about 'MMMBob,' but she just said, "yeah, i don't like them." Ah well.

Crash Kings posted a tweet this morning advertising a show they're playing in the UK this November. I felt really proud and so excited for them. They have pretty much sexed up this continent, and now it's time to bring the sexy overseas!! How great is that!??! It was a mini-emotional moment for me.

I'm really excited to see them. And not just see them perform, like, to see them. Hopefully I'll get to say hi. It's been a LONG TIME. Chicago was June 5th. YIKES!

MAN, I'm just realizing that I've done pretty much nothing since I started working again. June 21st. That's a month. I've only had one night off. That's kind of pathetic.

I know what I've done!!! Finally!! In my cleaning out the corners of my living room adventure, I came across my Coconut Records poster that came with one of the CD's I got for Christmas. So I said,

JULIE: OMG, why didn't I hang this up immediately?!

So, I hung it up immediately!! Look at it! It's so great. Actually, the lighting is bad in every room of my apartment, so you can't really see the colors. But, that's teal. It's Jason Schwartzman in front of a pretty teal background. LOVE IT!!!!

Now I smile every time I walk by!!





And I just realized once again that I'll be hanging out with Jason's brother tomorrow night!! And by 'hanging out with' I mean fawning over and trying to get him to fall in love with me. And speaking of Robert, I should be listening to Rooney right now.

Ok, don't worry - I made a new iTunes playlist featuring, Rooney, Hanson, Crash Kings and River City Extension. The four things getting me through this work day. For realz.

Hm.

Finished watching season 5 of How I Met Your Mother last night. awwww. So good. Can I just tell everyone about how good an actor I think Neil Patrick Harris is?? I just think he's so good. Like, he's not just enjoyable to watch, but I actually think he knows what he's doing. A lot of the time I feel like he's acting like he's on stage, and I really like that.

Also, that musical number about wearing suits? AWESOME! Yeah, it was a good season. Can't wait for season 6!

But just for the record: I do not think that Robin is prettier than Lily. Everyone on the show is all about how hott Robin is, and how men just love her and how she's so sexy and pretty. I just do not find her that attractive. I think Lily is the super sexy one.

Hmmm. What else can I tell you about?!!

I watched Thelma and Louise the other night for the first time!! Aw, so great, right?! Yeah, I really liked it. It made me want to become an outlaw. Girl power!

I watched something else too.......

OH! When in Rome. Um, it was pretty silly. Much sillier than Leap Year. I thought it was a really cute plot and idea, but it just kind of failed. Well, no, not failed. Just didn't live up to what I thought it was going to be. Kristen Bell was cute, as always. Her sister was played by the actress who played Ashley in season 6 of Entourage! I didn't like her because she was way too skinny and annoying.

I thought all the guys were funny. Dax Shepard (real-life fiance of K.Bell!), Will Arnett, Danny DeVito and Jon Heder. I liked all of them.

Anyways. Tonight I have 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.' I haven't seen it! The one with Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel. And the guy who plays Jim on The Office in Britain. I feel like I've seen a million trailers for it recently on old movies that I watch and so finally I said, "okay, I have to see this movie."

So, that's all.

Oh, for those of you playing at home, my 'It's Only Wednesday' play count is up to 238 on iTunes.

WOW - it's 1:30!!!! Only 4.5 hours left!!!! I'm hoping I can leave at 5:30 instead of 6. I'm scheduled until whenever the next staff member comes in, and it's usually somewhere in between. Last night she came in at 5:30.


Ok, so read my horoscope for today:

There's some potent, active energy coming your way today, so seize the day. You may want to seize the night as well, for that matter! You don't have to do anything huge or take any life-changing risks -- you just need to make sure you're in the right place at the right time. Luckily for you, almost anything you choose to do should place you there. All you need to do is show up with the right attitude.

It kind of bummed me out, because it makes it seem like something cool and awesome is going to happen tonight if I go out and do something exciting. But, my plan for after work was to go home and take a nap. So now I'm like, "Well that's crap."

What could I be missing out on?? But then I thought, "maybe the universe has another great dream in store for me!!!" Because that would rock. And just as exciting as anything that could potentially happen in real life.

Actually, probably more exciting than anything that could happen in real life. At least to me, anyways.

But now because I said that, there is probably going to be some perfectly awesome situation that I will miss out on. And what will I be doing? Taking a nap.

Also,

I read an article this morning saying that one of the ingredients in Silly Putty is also found in the McDonald's Chicken Nuggets. It really grossed me out. That's so gross! I couldn't believe it. UGH!

Now it's 1:45!! Time always goes quicker in the afternoon. Like, from 11am on.

And in other news: there are some very disturbing things going on with Tally Hall. Specifically related to Joe (red tie) and his absence from the band for recent shows. Apparently, he did not tour with the band when they toured in March. And, they are playing a show tomorrow at the Ann Arbor Arts Festival, which he also won't be performing at.

And nobody from Tally Hall is releasing any kind of a statement about this. It's making me sad. Joe! Red tie! Gorilla! We love him. I love him.

Also, Ann Arbor!! Ah, the city that holds my heart. And that key lime pie fro yo that I want to try someday. And, what a pretty name for a city, right?

Ok. I guess I should maybe go do something?? The thing is, there isn't anything to do. Maybe I'll go upstairs and make lunch and visit Ruby Tuesday for a minute! The hard thing about living at work is that times like right now, where I'm not doing a freaking thing, I keep thinking, "why can't I be upstairs at home doing nothing?" I would keep the phone plugged in in case anyone needed me. Then at least Ruby Tuesday wouldn't have to be alone.

OHHHH I haven't watched the Jonas episode from Sunday yet!!!!!! HOLY MAN I can do that later!!!!!! I'm not sure how I feel about Jonas L.A. I mean, duh, I love it. But, do I like it better than normal Jonas when they're in New Jersey? Um, I don't know. It definitely makes them seem more like famous rockstars and less like normal people.

But, NICK AND MACY PLEASE MAKE OUT ALREADY!!!!! OMG, they are so cute together!

I'm wearing this great purple necklace today with my hot pink, orange and purple dress. I realized that I have not one, but TWO hott pink, orange and purple dresses. One is plaid and one is not. Hott, right? Yep. And the one I am wearing today I got at Wal-Mart for $10. STEAL.

OK. 2PM. Scratch that, 2:01pm. Even better. Every minute counts.

I'm going to go make a sandwich. I hope everyone is having a great day!! It's Thursday!

Take care, friends.

OH, there was one more thing I wanted to talk about. Hm. I'll make it a separate entry later because it's important and I want everybody to read it. :)

OK! Talk to you later!!!


<3,
J.

“Nothing is so aggravating than calmness.”

- - - OSCAR WILDE


one of my favorite men in the whole history of the world.

FOLKS - - - I AM EXCITED.

I WAS CHOPPING UP LETTUCE THIS EVENING AND I GOT SO EXCITED I HAD TO DO A FEW LAPS AROUND MY KITCHEN TO CALM DOWN.

(OK I'M GOING TO STOP WRITING IN ALL UPPERCASE.)

true story. i was listening to an iTunes playlist whilst lettucing, and '14 Arms' came on. Crash Kings song. one of my faves. and i thought, "HOLY CRAP I'M SEEING THEM ON SATURDAY!!!!"

and then i remembered that i'm seeing Rooney on friday!!!! that's technically TOMORROW!!!!! and it's not just Rooney - it's HANSON TOO.

for those of you who don't know my middle school aged self - - - i was freaking obsessed with Hanson. the walls in my room were covered - top to bottom, side to side - with Hanson posters. i have NEVER postered anything as much as that room was postered with Hanson. it was insane crazy.

i have only made two scrapbooks in my entire life. let me tell you what they are:

1. a Titanic scrapbook
2. a Hanson scrapbook

ANOTHER TRUE STORY. hanson. scrapbook. YEP. ashamed? heck no! Hanson rules! and when Kerianne and I saw them during the last weeks of our last year in college - they totally rocked! and then we met up with Aliya!!! (and Matt??) (wait, did we see Matt that night??) and we went to Packard's!!!!! GREAT night.

omg i had planned to wear a dress today, but maybe i'll wear my Hanson t-shirt instead.

no, i think i'll still wear the dress.

anyways. Rooney and Hanson TOMORROW. and then Crash Kings on saturday. i was thinking about Crash Kings in relation to Titanic tonight. i saw Titanic 7 times in the movie theater when it came out. i was in 6th grade. 7 times is alot of times to see a movie.

and i've seen Crash Kings 11 times. 11! i should start using exclamation points instead of the number one.

number of times i've seen Crash Kings = !!

um, LOVE IT. that's how excited i am. what else have i done !! (11) times? i mean like, something substantial that i've done. not like, sleep. grocery shop. washed my hair. like, REAL stuff. not much.

okay, let me clarify: i've seen Titanic WAY more than 7 times. the number of times i've seen that film is countless. COUNTLESS. there was that one week i watched it like, 7 nights in a row. normal version. james cameron commentary. cast commentary. pop up trivia commentary. behind the scenes video pop up commentary. historical commentary. (there's a lot of commentary on the 3-disc special edition.)

and i've listened to the Crash Kings record WAY more than !! times. my iTunes says that 'It's Only Wednesday' has played 234 times! and that's just on my laptop! my iPod? geeze louise, that would probably be thousands. seriously. probably 200 times just with Ryan! for realz. like the trip to Philadelphia and back when we ONLY listened to that.

(PS: 'It's Only Wednesday' count up to 235.)

ANYWAYS. what am i talking about? i guess the point is that i get very excited very often.

BUT THE FUN DOESN'T STOP AFTER SATURDAY!!!!!!!

because my little sister Kara turns 21 IN EXACTLY ONE WEEK!!!! and we're going to go out drinking margaritas.

and then two nights after that!!!!! RIVER CITY EXTENSION IN NEW JERSEY!!!!! yes, i am driving to their home state and i am so very super freaking excited to see them again. i kind of feel like we're all best friends?? is that weird a little?? maybe??

i was driving today during a total downpour and 'Ballad of Oregon' came on. and i got so excited. i couldn't stop smiling! and i was like:

JULIE: Julie! You need to pay attention to the horrible downpour that you are driving in!!! Stop singing along so loudly!!!

needless to say, River City Extension is good thunderstorm music.

anyways, now me and Joe, who is the lead singer, are friends on Facebook. and that is awesome too. yes, it was a very exciting time to get that email that he wanted to be friends.

there's this van for sale that i drive by on my way home to Maine and every time i pass it i think:

JULIE: I should buy that for River City Extension.

and then i think,

JULIE: Wait - where am I going to get $250?!?!

just like when there was that RV for sale a few streets down from my house in Maine and i would think,

JULIE: I should buy that for Crash Kings.

i'm sure they would love an RV. just like i'm sure River City Extension would like an extra van. although, they've got that great red van that i just remembered. i saw a picture of it on Twitter and it was awesome.


HERE'S THE POINT OF THIS ENTRY::

i am very excited about the events that will take place in the next week and a half or so. VERY EXCITED. so excited that it will probably be hard for me to complete simple, daily tasks. like chopping lettuce.

this afternoon i managed to keep it together at the hospital to talk to an important doctor-type. i think i was pretty credible. even with my teal hair.


and now just a boring life update:

i'm working until 6pm today. i'm working right now. and i work until 6. and then work again at 9. and THEN have friday and saturday off.

but, here's the weird part: the resident who lives here will be at work allll day. so, i have no idea what i'm going to do. her baby will be in daycare. 8pm until 6pm. well, she'll be home at 4, i think. but still. what am i going to do?

keep your eyes peeled for a minute-by-minute blog update. REALITY BLOG. i'll probs bring some arts and crafts projects down to work on. and some coffee. and also maybe some cereal. once i brought down my whole container of soy milk and the whole box of chocolate cheerios. that was a good day.

OH, ALSO: had a totally great dream last night. like, maybe one of the best dreams i've ever had. well, actually, i don't know about that. i've had a lot of great dreams.

i spend my whole day daydreaming. and daydreaming is easier than night dreaming because in daydreaming you can have anything you want happen. but night dreaming is harder because you don't have as much control! so when things turn out perfectly, it's wonderful. and things turned out perfectly in my dream last night.

and i slept straight through from 7:20am until noon. so, it was a nice, long, perfect dream. and it turned my whole day perfect. NOTHING got me down today. nope. not one thing.

actually, okay, one thing. i went to the drug store and was bummed/surprised that my inhaler medicine was $20.99. that was crap! i was expecting $12 or $13. but $20.99!!!!! outrageous! ah well, i needed it. i've been wheezing at nighttime more. i think it might be because Ruby Tuesday has moved her sleeping place to closer to my face. i know i should move her, but she's so cute! and sweet and cuddly and she's just a baby.

this morning i was trying to get to sleep and she just kept bringing toys up onto my bed! the round white thing. the orange mouse. she's the best.

OKAY. it's currently 2:29am. i have to be awake at 7am to get ready for work!!! that will probably turn into 7:30am. or heck, 8am, like it did the other week, when i needed to be at work at 8, but didn't wake up until 8. the joys of having a short commute! or, zero commute.

alright, have great days. i'll talk to everybody later!!! take care. be well. drive safe. drink water.


☃ ✈ ☎,
Julie


(snowman, airplane, telephone. why the heck not?!?!)

i like your beard

OK - it's been far too long since my last update, and i would like to first apologize. SORRY. i'm sure i had you all on the edge of your seats waiting for news about my terribly awesome exciting life.

HERE IT IS!!!!!

:: nothing new is going on. yay!

:: actually, this weekend was great. i was home on saturday and spent the day with family, which was really nice. then saturday night got even more awesome:

I SAW ALIYA!!!! yep, THAT Aliya! she was on annual vaca with her fam in Ogunquit, ME and so i made my annual trip over to see her!!! which was so great. we drank fancy coffees and sat on the beach for many hours. it was lovely. soooo good to see her again! and so soon! the last time i saw her was in Chicago!!!

i got home around 1:30am that night, which was crazy because normally i have to be at work at 10pm! but i had the night off!!!!! GREAT! first night off in like, 3.5 weeks, so that was really nice.

and now BACK AT WORK. i'm working right now.

OH, but more on the weekend...

:: so, sunday i hung around with Kara. we had to go out and do some errands in the afternoon, then we went to the gym, then we went out to get fancy hot dogs at this new hot dog place called Monkey Dogs. crazy, to say the least. but delish.

then kara drove back home with me!!!! i LOVE it when she does! we have the funnest rides.

i also discovered the song, 'Your Love is my Drug' by Ke$ha. um, i love it! and i can't wait to dance to it at a dance party. because i have in my mind that a dance party needs to happen. so, if anyone has any thoughts on that... you can let me know.

ANYWAYS, we went to bed kind of early on sunday night. everyone was tired.

monday, we went out for breakfast. kara, my dad and me. it was nice! came home. took naps. went out for dinner in the evening. and then, sadly, they had to go back to maine.

i actually had a really productive night after they left!!! i said to myself, "NO MORE PHONE ALARM CLOCK!!!!!" because, we all know that it never works. and every time i trust it to work, it fails me.

so, remember when i built that little blue table from IKEA?? well, that table quickly became a junk table. a place to hold all the junk and useless things that somehow find me.

last night i said, "NO MORE!" and cleaned off the table. i brought it into my bedroom and am now using it as my ALARM CLOCK TABLE. a REAL alarm clock.

actually, i should clarify. i'm using it as a CD player to play lullabies at nighttime, while my iPod alarm clock is my real alarm. i burnt a CD of lullabies*

*including two new ones:
- lullaby version of 'Love Lockdown' by Kanye West
- lullaby version of 'War Pigs' by Black Sabbath (the great cover song that Crash Kings do.)

so, it's a great new setup in my room AND a great new clean space in my living room! this has inspired me to keep cleaning. so, that might happen. i kind of did some more this afternoon while i was looking for my jewelry making pliers. i found them! and did some organizing along the way.

PRODUCTIVE!!!! then i came to work and looked at a photo recap of Lindsay Lohan's Journey to Jail. yep. that was enjoyable. i also did some real work stuff like printing and faxing and phone calling and baby holding. it was actually pretty busy for a while.

and now things have calmed and i'm blogging.

tonight: should be a good night. we have to run out to the store, but that shouldn't take long.

may i remind you about this upcoming weekend? yes i may.

FRIDAY = ROONEY AND HANSON!!!!!!! performing together at last!!!! on CAPE COD!!!!
SATURDAY = CRASH KINGS!!!!!!!! performing in Portsmouth, NH!!!!!! sooo close to my house it's crazy!!!!

and i am SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR ROONEY that i keep forgetting about Crash Kings! true story! and i kind of can't believe it! like, i can't believe that THAT MUCH awesome will be happening in my life in just two days.

and MY MOM is coming to Crash Kings with me and i can't wait!!! i think she will soon be a Crash Kings fan, as is everyone who sees them live. so exciting!!!

and then NEXT WEEK is Kara's birthday!!!!!! my little sister is turning 21 years old. TWENTY-ONE. omg that is so crazy to think about. i remember the night she was born! and next week, we'll be drinking margaritas together!

and then River City Extension on the 31st. if i can't get anyone to go with me, i just may go by myself. if i hadn't been to Starland Ballroom before, i probably wouldn't. but, since i've been there, it makes it easier.

and then the beginning of August is so much Crash Kings awesome amazingness i can't even describe it.

alright - we're going on a quick errand!

hope everyone is having a great night! my friend in Kansas City is going to see PAPER TONGUES and NEON TREES tonight!!!!!! and i hope she has a super wonderful time.

i PROMISE i'll talk to you again soon!!!! have a great week!!!!!


♡♥,
Julie

lavender all the time

guess what?!

i bought lavender oil! at the health food store! which - TOTALLY ROCKS. i've lived up here for 1.5 years and it's taken me that long to get to the health food store. i love it in there! so many expensive things! so many vitamins! so many oils! tofutti cuties! and a 'make your own trail mix' section! how great!

anyways, i bought the lavender oil because i read that it's supposed to keep out all bugs. including: earwigs. which, are abundant in my apartment again this summer. and they are sogross and soscary and ihatethem.

so, i sprinkled drops of the lavender oil around my kitchen. i didn't do the living room because the smell was so overpowering that i figured i'd see how it worked and go room by room.

SMELLY. yep. everything smells like lavender oil!

the first night, i didn't kill any bugs in the kitchen. but last night i did. so that was a bummer.

i actually haven't seen as many earwigs since sprinkling the oil, but i don't know if that's just a coincidence or not.

anyways, the health food store has a tiny cafe that had delicious sounding sandwiches, so we got sandwiches! which weren't as delicious as they sounded. too much bread. not enough spread. but, i had a totes delish pomegranate limeade Odwalla. i had never seen that kind before, and i loved it.

and speaking of delicious things:

last night i made a great sandwich. i had some tofu in my fridge that needed to be used. so i cut some strips and soaked it in soy sauce for about 15 minutes. you can't do it too long or else it'll get too salty. then i put it on some multigrain bread and put a slice of cheddar cheese over it and stuck it in the toaster until the cheese was melty and the bread was crispy.

then! remember how i bought that peanut sauce that turned out to be really spicy even though it said 'mild?' i took that sauce, and spread it on the bread - and then - also spread some mayo on the bread to cut down on the spicyness.

RESULT = BEST SANDWICH EVER. omg it was ssooooooo good i never wanted it to end. but, it did end. and it was a sad time in my life.

mmm a great sandwich is a wonderful thing.

ANYWAYS.

last night i went to a chocolate party! yes, a chocolate party. it was like Pampered Chef or Avon - but 100 times better obvi because it was all about chocolate. DELISH chocolate that we got to sample a lot of in many different forms.

we had:

:: chocolate covered, cinnamon dusted almonds
:: tiny chocolate peanut butter baking bits
:: merlot hot fudge sauce
:: double chocolate chip cookies
:: white chocolate smoothies
:: chocolate covered fruit (cranberries, cherries, blueberries)
:: chocolate covered graham crackers

YEP. yep. we had all that. most of it in tiny portions, though. but it was a very exciting time.

one of my coworkers was hosting the party, and i didn't think i would know anybody else there, because i hadn't heard that anybody else was going. so, i get there, walk in, and see Courtney!!!! that was really exciting. so i sat next to her. and then!! Diane came also!! so that was really fun.

it's really nice to see coworkers outside of work. especially since i always see everybody here, because i live and work in the same place. so seeing people in other atmospheres is good.

it was a fun time at the chocolate party. and i ordered yummy things which i am very excited to get!

hmm. what else can i tell you about?! the tofu sandwich and the chocolate party were the really important things.

i'm going to maine tomorrow.

ok. i'm done. that's all for now.

oh. SHOW PLUG:

if you're in West Chester, PA tonight you should definitely go out and see River City Extension play at The Note. cool place. parking garage close. GREAT BAND. as of yesterday, i am now following them all on Twitter. it's a good thing.

OK! have a great afternoon/early evening. i'll be talking to you all again soon!


love,
Julie

let's buy a house!

hi friends:

who wants to buy this house with me?!

every time i drive by this house, i want it. i want it so bad. i think it's so pretty! kind of like a dollhouse. and i found it online and it's really pretty on the inside too. lime green walls!! it was made for me!!!

so, it's 4 bedrooms. 1.5 bathrooms. plus a huge barn!! on 3.78 acres. built in 1890. going for $299,000. i think that's a lot of money. especially since the house is on a busy road. i bet we could get it down some.

so.... great! who's in?

but, the bummer side is that it's in Epsom, NH. not typically known as a paradise, if you ask me. so, we could either go 'Up' style and float the house somewhere else.....or, we could buy this other house:

Villa Carolina

that i have wanted to buy for literally YEARS. like, maybe 3 years, i've wanted this house. DREAM HOUSE. yep. this is it. a gorgeous villa located in Capri, Italy.

here's my plan for this house: buy it. fix up the exterior so it's beautiful. fix up the gardens so they are beautiful. and then the best part: get married to Leonardo DiCaprio in the house. yep!

you know how i said a while back that i had wedding destinations picked out all over the world? well, this is one of them. if i ever should marry Leo, we will buy this house, renovate it, and then get married in it. and it will be perfect.

but, even if i don't end up marrying Leo, i still want the house. maybe Kara will want to buy it with me? or for me??!

ohhhh i think this is the most beautiful house i've ever seen. i love it so much.

anyways! i thought i'd share my future plans with you. they either include living in Epsom, NH or Capri, Italy. hmm...


GOODNIGHT!!!