tonight, baby, its just you and me.

yeah. me n' Beck. Chillin at Element Restaurant in Hollywod tonight. good times.

Everyone should make videos like this with their mom.

thankful for the clouds

This last week has been hard.
And there's nothing more that I hate than a gloomy outlook on life when the sun is shining and its 85 degrees outside.
Finally, the weather suits my mood.

tomorrow!

some great bellies ache with many bumble bees

in lieu of all the 'end of summer' posts, I feel prompted to give my own reflections about the changing of seasons.

In May and June I underwent a significant amount of changes. Paul moved to New York. Wyatt got a divorce. Jeremy came back from Europe unexpectedly. Erica and Cameron got married. I moved into a new apartment with Amanda and Kristin. Jamie went to Europe. I hung out with with Sam. Jamie got back from Europe. I stopped hanging out with Sam. I kept busy, I went to ridiculous amounts of shows. June came and went, a flurry of wedding activity and moving trucks. July and August came and went. I was hardly here. I flew to new York, I drove to Phoenix. I went to Portland. I came back to Long Beach and didn't know what to think. It didn't really feel like coming home.

And for the first time, I can see why. I haven't invested here. I have pulled away from the the people that know me best. I keep busy, too busy. I work a lot. and when I am not working I am at shows. which is still working (sortof).

BUT...I miss relationship. I miss people that know me and have known me for years. the ones who don't always need to know the backstory before a story...they just know.

so I made a list. a list of the people I want to invest in. a list of people I want to spend time with.
and I started spending time with them.
and its been great.
yeah, I still went to 3 shows this week. But I also had breakfast at Two Umbrellas with Erica and Cameron. And I had Margaritas with Myste and Katie and Melissa and Kristin and Amanda and Ericam. And there was lots of Project Runway. and The Warriors. its been glorious.

Its funny how something so simple can make a person feel sane again. I like it.
and Becca flew in yesterday. hooray!

So, I agree with Danielle. It just wasn't my summer. I spent a lot of time working towards worthless things. I spent a lot of time looking backwards. I've missed the old days. But now I look forward. I have a lot.

In the excellent words of John Cusak in "High Fidelity":

"I've been thinking with my gut alot lately. And I've come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains."

Its true on so many levels.

Thank you, John.

I PROPOSE...

that we have 3 day weekends once a month.
really, I think it necessary for one's sanity.
you all with me on this?

big plans for the weekend.

yes.
my plans for the weekend are as follows:



and thats about it.

OK. so I lied.
I am going to see Bob Dylan.

HALLELUJIAH.

How did that all work out, you wonder? well, you're gonna have to ask me.

ug, I feel sick to my stomach.
I have a chance to get pre-sale Bob Dylan tickets tomorrow morning.
Somehow I feel this is my last chance to see him.
But I said no.
Because they are $90.
Not only can I not justify it, I just don't have it (money).
ug ug ug ug ug ug ug

Why Bob?
Why do you have such inflated ticket prices?

On a positive note: I am eating Honey BBQ Fritos and they have to be one of the most delicious mid-afternoon snacks imaginable. Full of awful things (and MSG!) but I'm not afraid.

nerderie

I was on Jimmy Kimmel last week (because one of our bands, Cartel, was performing)

You can watch the video here (you have to click on "Cartel's Honestly") : http://abc.go.com/primetime/jimmykimmel/garage.html

I'm in the front row, singing along like a nerd.

my other 2/3's

Becca and Linda just called me from Vienna, Austria.
Gosh, I love those girls.
Sometimes I wonder if it will ever be us three again. You know, like the good old days.
Probably in little snippets. Not 4 straight years of roommate-ness.
I guess that's all part of growing up.
Really, I just think I am grateful to have friends like them.
I know, I know, I am getting all sentimental.
But Linda and Becca are really, truly, the best.
My sisters and I had the discussion while I was home -- that no one really gets the Strannigan sisters until we are together. And then everyone sort of marvels. All our oddities and expressions and inside jokes somehow make sense in light of each other.

I feel the same way about the Triniti. We just get each other. They understand my obsessive-compulsive need for communication and the way I relate most life experiences through text messages ("And then he texted me this. and then I texted him this..."). I get that Linda is a zombie for the first 15 minutes of being awake (and this is accompanied by STOMPING). And I get Becca's obsessive-compulsive need to worry (and her occasional bouts of road rage).

I hope that you (oh person reading this) have someone(s) that relate to you on this level.
It really is a lovely thing.

SNAKES! (Or, more accurately titled: SOME PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS)

Recently, I had the thought that it might be fun to go watch Snakes on a Plane and bring a rubber snake or two with me into the theater. Then, at the opportune moment (i.e. a particularly stressful scene in the film), I would throw the snake into the crowd - and mayhem would ensue.

So, in my head, this was a funny idea.
I knew I'd never actually do it. But it was fun to think about.

Well, then some morons in Arizona thought it'd be fun to release REAL LIVE RATTLESNAKES into the theater during the movie.

YES, GO HERE TO READ ABOUT THE MORONS..

I just had to share.

its official:

I can rent a car now without paying 'young driver' fees.
Oh the perks of being 25.
Is there anything else cool that comes with turning 25? I can't think of anything.

its good to be back

Its been 8 months since I've been in Portland. I'm nearly 24 hours into my week-long stay and already I feel better.

I sometimes wonder if there will always be this struggle. The friends in California vs. the family in Portland. The job in CA vs. the quality of life in Portland. There are so many other pros and cons -- the list goes on...

Truthfully, I think that either place will always hold a little bit of my heart.

I just don't know which place will win out in the end.

For now, its California. But, Portland is calling. I know I will be back someday. I just don't know when.

I think my caffeine intake is really becoming a problem.

owch.

Cold War Kids
“Hospital Beds”
[2006]

Like so many Facebook profiles, this Californian four-piece probably likes just about anything but country. Recently signed to Downtown Records, they cite an exhausting list of influences-- everything from Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and U2, to, several paragraphs later, Belle and Sebastian and Nirvana. In particular, frontman Nathan Willett needs to realize he can't be every singer he idolizes at once, because no matter how good the rest of the band sounds, his pompous delivery makes every song sound like a Jeff Buckley cover band playing a wedding while drunk. Here, what could've been a nice mixtape number snuggled in between humble Voxtrot and Antony and the Johnsons ballads blows a gasket, at times stretching for soulful Black Crowes heights à la "She Talks to Angels". I suppose hidden somewhere in between Dylan and Cobain there was a Crowes shout-out, but they could at least have paid homage to their heroes by writing a damn chorus.

- Pitchfork Media

* Lindsay's side note: Pitchfork sucks, I love this song. Sorry to my friends in CWK.

august is a busy month

Happy birthday to (in no particular order)
ME
Darren Harbaugh
Zach Kleyn
Chris Donohue
Mikey Bernard
Amanda Paganini
Matt Maust
Shant Abadjian
Josh Pardy
Matt Pool
Chad Pearson

I am sure I am forgetting MANY of them.
Just too many Leo's in my life. :)

At the request of Becca:

A birthday "wish" list.

1. Post Secret book (#1 or #2)
2. Millions DVD
3. The newest Johnny Cash disc
4. any of the Scrubs DVD's
5. Underwear (I need it!)
6. Keith Green CD's
7. DIG! DVD
8. Instructional videos on Krumping
9. Mermaid Ave Vol 1 or 2 (I dont own the physical copies unfortunately)
10. A ticket to see Talladega nights (or a ticket to see Snakes on a Plane)

Today, some very good friends of mine flew back home to Israel.

And, today, Hezbollah shot a record number of missiles into Israel.

I'm not going to lie to you -- this information did not help my already stressful day.

Read more about it here.