back in the U.S.S.R

yeah that's right.
I am officially the representative of the USSR for myste's party on Friday.

anyone got any communist clothing I can borrow? because I got nothin. my sister in oregon has boatloads of this type of thing . but she's in oregon, and that is no good to me now. I'd ask her to fed ex it...but she won't. :)

so, I will try to track me down a red sash and a furry cap. and maybe a hammer and sickle.
and I got a bottle of russian vodka to bring as a party favor. (because I have no time to make perogi's or stroganoff or beets or anything like this. and vodka is the only other russian thing I can think of.)


in other news: I got asked to book a tour for fielding and the cold war kids (for spring). this has many, many strange implications to it - but mostly that I was sort of "hanging out" in a non-platonic way with one of the guys in fielding and we aren't really hanging out anymore but now I find myself booking a tour for his band. I know, I know, I bring it upon myself.

SO...
you should come out to the cold war kids/fielding/careen show that I put together at the Gig in LA on tuesday (10/4) and watch me self-destruct. No, really, I want you all there. mostly because if I don't get 60 people there I am dead. and its only 5 bucks.

MY LIFE IS WORTH 5 BUCKS TO YOU, RIGHT?

sigur ros

a cinematic masterpiece. watch it now.

http://www.emichrysalis.co.uk/quicktime/sigur_ros/glosoli/index.php?version=6.520&bandwidth=530236

the celebrity car game! yeah!

oh do I have a game for you peoples.

so you take a car. and you make it into the name of a celebrity (any celebrity will do), rockstar, band, etc...

this game is best while driving (because you are viewing lots of cars) in traffic.

Examples of what exactly I am talking about:

Toyota Camry = Camry Diaz (or Camry Crowe)
Ford Taurus = Ford Taurussel Crowe
Acura = Acura Knighley ( a-Keira Knightley? get it???)
Ford F-150 = Ford F-1 50 Cent
Jeep Cherokee: Jeep Sonny and Cher-okee

so -- have at it. post them in the comments. you can do it. you know you can!
I seriously love this game.

supercreepin

the last place I wanted to be last night was the Spider Club for a Supercreep CD release party.
I don't like the band.
I don't like the album.
The guys at the Supercreep record label are insufferable.
Kevin cancelled on going.
My sisters were watching the Arcade Fire in Oregon.


and I can't say that last night was amazing, or even fun, by any stretch of the imagination...
but it was worthwhile.
a bunch of really silly things (open bar + linda + ex boyfriends + drunk marriage proposals from strangers + cinespace + paul) added up to what seemed like a pointless Los Angeles extravaganza.

but on the drive home, I got in a fight with linda. we were both yelling and it all seemed horribly exhausting and pointless. paul (my friend from work) was in the backseat. he occasionally added his thoughts.

but today, I drove paul to work. and he told me that he liked listening to the conversation last night. in fact, he told me that his faith in christianity was restored. his words were "You said really good things. In fact, I think you sparked my faith."

things like this rarely happen to me (if ever).
the Lord certainly does move in mysterious ways.
and here I thought that last night was a bust.
needless to say, we had a great conversation all the wa to work today.
I like that.

happy birthday myste!

a little shout out to my dear friend myste on her BIRTHDAY!
let me know your schedule -- and I am taking you out for a cafe ole and an eclair!

paperwork panic attack.

I am a self-diagnosed control freak, organizational freak, OCD, with slight ADD tendendcies.

This means a few things for me:
1. I like things the way I like them. Not the way you like them.
2. I hang all my clothes in the same direction in the closet. I use the same brand of fabric softener, year in and year out. I systematically rotate shampoos so I get a nice mix of volumizing, cleansing, moiturizing, and color protecting.
3. I don't like being touched. Especially in public or when its hot outside.

These are just a few of the quirks that come along with my somewhat rigid personality. Granted, I grew up in a nomadic-evangelical-pack-rat-garage-saling family, so I had some semblance of flexibility beaten into me. And, for that I am thankful.

But, this is what I simply do not understand about my organizational tendencies: I have a crippling fear of paperwork. Mostly paperwork in the form of bills. But I also hate traffic tickets, any sort of contestment, bank statements, credit card applications, credit statements, loan payments, insurance papers, etc. I HATE THEM ALL. Rather than deal with my paperwork like a normal OCD person, I simply let it pile up on my desk -- and I let it sit there and haunt me for as long as I can possibly stand it. I won't open the envelopes because I fear whatever horrible news is waiting for me inside. There is NEVER good news inside of those envelopes.

Needless to say, I set out to take care of those nasty little envelopes today. And I found some real gems. A court contestment for the seatbelt ticket I got in Oregon. A bill for a Loretta Lynn CD from my CD club I supposedly recived at the Fullerton house while I was living in Oregon (I told you, I let this stuff PILE up), a few months of bank statments to be opened and filed, and my new loan payment information. There was lots more, but I won't bore you anymore with these details...

I don't feel much better now that I have opened them and written the corresponding checks. I just feel poor. But, I also feel a wave of relief. I did it! I tackled the pile. Now, I get to wait for the next set of mail to arrive and the crippling panic to rise out of my gut and into my chest as I stare at the stack of unopened envelopes on my desk.

I think I should start praying now that my husband will be a paperwork whiz. because, otherwise, I am screwed.

My new boyfriend.

Ok I tricked you. I don't have a boyfriend!

but, you have to listen to this. this guy is amazing.
(warning, its like 15 minutes long, but it is so worth it)

www.purevolume.com/troysmixtapeoflove

and, just so you know - the girl broke up with him the day after he recorded this for her.

this time last year...

...I WAS HERE. (Venice, Italy)

Just me and Danielle, traversing the european countryside. Drinking cappuccinos and eating pastries. I miss those days. I went back and read some of the blogs from our travels, and it makes me homesick. Or should I say travel-sick? I can't believe its been a year.

here's the europe blog if you care to take a trip down my memory lane:

http://eurostrans.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_eurostrans_archive.html

a smashingly good weekend

1. kanye west guest appearance with jon brion (and adam from maroon 5. but that doesn't really register on my awesome radar) on friday night. well worth the three hour wait. he did the first song off the new album and then freestyled about hurricanes and things of this nature.

2. jon brion played "don't think twice it's allright" for me. yes, I requested it, and he played it and it soothed my soul.

3. I slept till 11:45 on Saturday. i dont think I've done that in a year. and it felt gooooood.

4. Linda and I watched a LOT of the OC this weekend. (still season 1). I hate that Oliver kid. and Julie cooper. but I love love love love love Seth Cohen, and that's what keeps me coming back.

5. Dodgers games yesterday with the new boy on the block. The Dodgers beat the Padres 7 - 3, which worked out well for the overall mood of the date. He came over to my house and we watched a lot of OC and drank a bit of wine and I cooked him dinner. an all around lovely day.

I went to bed at 11:30 last night and woke up ready for a new week. That's a good feeling.

fallen from beach boy grace

my uncle doesn't think I should have taken this job.
so I think the glory days with Brian Wilson are over.

I sat at home on Sunday night while the wonderful melodies of "Smile" were enchanting those in attendance at the Hollywood bowl.

busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy

ha! that was fun.
the point: too busy to blog the past few days. sorry kids.

if you give a chimp a cig...

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/irresistible/4899696/detail.html#

inspired to write a hit song.

I think I am going to write a song called "gas prices got me down"
either that, or "gas prices are ruining my life and now I am broker than broke and if only LA had a decnet metro system and I didn't work 35 miles away and how come people blame the president for a hurricane and I am looking into bio diesel so that I can afford to live again."

today is...

the 21st anniversary of my brother's death.
Jonah Thomas Strannigan

I was 3, he was 4 and a half. It was a car wreck. My family's vehicle was hit by a logging truck. Everyone else survived, except jonah. My parents both broke both of their legs, and were in hospital beds for a month. My grandparents moved in with us to take care of me and Danielle (she was 9 mos.). I literally have no memory of that month.

I was young, so I don't remember much about him. He was autistic, so he didn't relate with me much. But he did share his box of raisins with me the day before the accident, and I will always remember that. He never shared with me, so this was unusual and special. He was my older brother, so naturally, I adored him.

He's buried in a cemetary just outside of Sacramento. When I was a kid, we would visit the grave often, and we would put pinwheels on his grave. Jonah loved pinwheels because of their resemblance to a fan. Autistic kids generally adore fans, due to their constancy and repetition. They find this soothing.

Since my parents were injured, drugged up, and hospitalized, the head pastor of our church picked out a gravestone for Jonah. He chose to put an image on the gravestone. It was a picture of Little Boy Blue, asleep on the hay. He chose to write: "Jonah Thomas Strannigan. Born: December 6, 1979, Made Perfect: August 30, 1984". I always liked that he wrote that. But, I never liked the picture. In my childish mind, I thought it was a picture of my dead brother. I literally thought it was a picture of his dead body lying on a mound of hay. No one ever explained to me that it was Little Boy Blue (I found out quite a few years later). So, I have these vivid memories of visiting my brothers grave and being really uncomfortable with the image of the boy on the hay.

For whatever reason, that image has been burned into my brain. Whenever I think of Jonah, i think of Little Boy Blue and all the confusion that ensued because of my childhood perceptions. its funny and strange.

funny things from this week:

1. had drinks with a couple of the guys from Jet at the Cat and Fiddle. Cam (guitar) was actually a nice fellow and I didn't mind listening to his aussie accent for the better part of 2 hours. too bad he makes pretty bad music.

2. Got an email from a guy who used to play in a ska band called "Mr Smarty Pants" that my band (Agnes United) used to play with all the time in high school. He works for Tooth and Nail now. what a small, Northern California Christian music world it is.

3. My good friend Andrew got fired from his job at Pat's Record Company. They hired the mailroom guy (who is convinced that he looks just like Brad Pitt. The guy is insufferable.) instead, beacause he will work for $5000 less a year. thankfully, andrew got severance and vacation pay (and hes worked for the manager of Green Day for the last 2 years. he will be FINE.), but it still bums me out.

4. Linda and I are getting attacked by bugs. I thought it was just her, but I found numerous annoying little itchy bumps on my ankles and legs yesterday. Will the summer just END already?

5. lastly, I am dying to watch the 2nd season of the OC. OC party for memorial weekend anyone?

a first.

I fired someone today.

I must say, I didn't mind it.

except for the part where he swore a lot and cried.

but he was terrible at what he did. and he didn't like brett.

so that's what I did today.

a first firing.

cwk last detroit bar show

with the likes of Jessica Dobson (aka Margo lee)
and denison witmer (he's amazing)

so, go, my friends. I hope to see you there.

overworked, underpaid

*NOTE: title is not a complaint. it is a statement

I am Products Manager/Office manager-ish person/Aunt Lindsay for Playback Entertainment

As of 2 days ago, I am the Advertising Coordinator for Sidecho records. this could be a full-time position in it, and of itself.

Also, as of 2 days ago, I am co-publicist (with my friend Paul Maziar at the Militia Group) for the new Tokyo Rose record that releases October 4th. We get full color promos on Monday and I gotta do the send outs after that. That means I gotta write a bio and press release on a band I've heard TWICE by the end of this weekend.

funny enough, I am eating this up. I work 10-12 hour days and they fly by.
all I gotta say is: no more body butter.
I love my job. I really do.

by the way

last night was probably the nicest date I've ever been on.

you will have to ask me about details in person or phone.

(this is no way indicates my feelings for the datee, I am just stating that the date - on an event level - was amazing)

for the control freak

watch this.

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/fold.php

I need this in my life.