people, places, things

My ribs hurt. Coughing too much? Might have slept on my stomach funny.

Anyhoo! I went food shopping and got a bunch of much needed veggies and hummus and chips (Juanita's, natch) so that'll be good for my body. Not been eating well.

Maybe it's my sneezing that is jangling my insides.

So! The concert! Was super fun. I caught the 5:30 ferry because my pre-concert hang out plans fell through so I didn't need to be in Seattle super early, nor did I really want to be. Met a lovely lass named Angel on the ferry who was wearing a Dir En Grey shirt. She was ten years younger than me, but nice enough and by herself so we hung out. I got Ivar's fish and chips and shared my chips, and we walked together to The Showbox. A nice clear night. We parted ways in line because I was going to be waiting for someone (Marcus) to show and would be waiting after the line started going, and one of her friends showed up to talk so yeah. Had a couple drinks at the bar and it became evident Marcus wouldn't be able to make it (stuck on set) and it was too late to probably get another person in to use my second ticket. I'm glad I didn't pay for them but bummed it went to waste because if I had more time then I could have found someone else. BUT going solo enabled me to meet a fella in the 21+ section of The Showbox who was nice and tall with interesting glasses and I got his number.

It was a fun show, but a bit low energy. No one moshed. But it's good that people aren't getting an elbow to the face. No opener. Just out they came to cheers and they rocked it out. I wasn't too familiar with the songs but it had a great vibe. I stayed up mostly in the bar section because I'm short and didn't feel like dealing with the crush. But I did go down for a few songs and I drew a little bit. Kyo, the lead singer, had a shaved head and was looking not as young as he did a decade ago. Good show, though I don't think I'll see them again.

Rachel, a school chum who I haven't seen in four years, was also at the show and I met up with her in the merch line. She got a hoodie and I didn't get anything and we walked over to the Elysian and got a brewski and talked till last call. We bid adieu and I hauled off to catch the 12:15 ferry back to Bainbridge, which I caught. I had good luck with catching ferries with minutes to spare. Got back home late, tucked into bed after washing my face of the really good makeup I did.

See? Pretty nice eh? 

rain or shine or wind or power outages, you can't stop love!

I'm super tired and as much as I want to relate the events, like...they were shared by so many people! But every day is shared by many people. I guess I don't feel so exclusive in my experiences in the past few days.

Well Averie and Muchim are MARRIED!! My family has grown so much this past year.

I woke up to the power being out due to a storm and wind, so I packed up and hauled butt to Seabeck to get ready. The roads were awful getting to Seabeck. Branches flying, wind blowing, wet roads. One of my worst driving experiences. I was still in my pajamas so quickly I showered and ate breakfast. The power flickered as I did my makeup. We were a bit late getting out, but not too late. I had a cute raincoat so I was prepared for the weather. It brightened up when we got across the water into Seattle. The wedding venue was a family property on the water. Oh! We picked up Nathan and Helen at their hotel. Nate is mobil with his foot in a foot. Poor guy. The wedding was on the water. Family was there, all sorts. Carmen and Josh and Janet and Steve. Dan and Brynne and Ben and Erin. Hans. Celia arrived a bit later. The Garmen side too. I had a beverage and grabbed a seat. I drew a bit during the ceremony, and got some photos with my disposable camera. There were family photos too. Big group shots. I was between Honey and Helen...or was I next to Nathan? I forget. I'm slowly moving up to being in wedding photos. Not yet an official bridesmaid. I'm going to more bridal showers too.

The ceremony was nice. Simple, to the point, loving. With the weather holding. Averie was gorgeous. Her dress was a lovely champagne color with an open back and her hair was all tendrils and waves. She looked damn good. Muchim had a nice suit jacket and his vows were written large on a paper towel roll that blew in the wind as it unraveled. A nice, lovely gag. Their sense of humor really showed through. One of those really tender, personal moments that comes through all the tradition.

So happy for Averie and Muchim and all the adventures they will have together!

Post family photos photos we got more drinks and food (it was potluck but with really high caliber people making the food). I nommed down on veggies. I talked to family. Signed the guestbook. Got one last drink and Ma and Pa dropped me off at the Rainier Beach train station because the day before Nathan and Helen's wedding, I bought tickets to see My Brother My Brother and Me & Sawbones live at the Moore Theater. Not on my best behavior to double dip my day like that and leave a big shindig early, but the recording was an event that was super important to me and I'm not much of a dancer at weddings. I kept my leaving on the down low though, didn't want to make it super obvious that I was scooting off.

No one checked my train ticket, but I still bought one. I swung by the Nordstrom bathroom on the way to the venue. My friend Sam met me at the Moore (I bought two tickets) shortly after I arrived. Perfect! I had pretty good seats. Could always be closer though. First up was Sawbones (did I mention these are podcasts? they are podcasts. I highly recommend Sawbones) where they discussed bird diseases. Basically don't eat dried bird poop. Syndee and Justin McElroy were very charming to see in person. There was a brief break and John Roderick played the opening theme for the MBMBaM show (which uses his song for his opening, so that was special). It's so odd because I can't remember most of the show. It was funny, and I loved seeing them up on stage goofing in person, and I remember some of the bits, but I don't know what I could quote exactly! I'm excited to listen to the recording of it. After the show a line formed for meet and greets, and I joined the line. Sam was a good sport about it. He was unfamiliar with both podcasts, but it is a good sign of his character that he is down for something new. I saw Amber Humes in line too! Small world!

I didn't have anything for the Brothers to sign, but I did have the original fan art I did of the Things I Bought At Sheetz so I gave that to Justin and he was really stoked on it. So that was cool! And I got a picture with them and that was that.

There was a 11:15 Seattle/Bainbridge Ferry which worked perfectly for being picked up by the parents. I bid Sam goodnight and walked down to the ferry. Didn't have to run, but I wasn't slow either. My red raincoat did its job. I got my ticket, got a seat, charged my phone, relaxed on the boat, eavesdropped, and before I knew it I was in the van being picked up by Ma and Pa. There were some PAX nerds on the ferry I talked to a bit. They were nice.

At home I slept.

In the morning I showered and had tea and sorted some of Grandma Marilyn's jewelry and Dad worked on my car a bit more (there's been a leaky oil gasket) and we had pancakes. I got home around 3pmish. I did a quick walk up a bit of our road with Celia and hauled branches out of the way. Lots of branches on the road. And I relaxed and got caught up on the internet.

hetch ee double hockey stick ee arrrr

Saturday:

I was browsing through my old blog posts and I used to write such long entries all the time, but I was also doing so much day to day. Going to this class, then lunch, then another class, then hanging out and doing this and that, or going to First Thursday and seeing all this art. I've been out of college for four years now! Wow!

So today was a really fun great day! Saturday that is. I got to sleep in a little bit, then I had some scrambled eggs with chopped up bacon and cinnamon toast. Put on my stripey tights, my pineapple dress, my black hoodie, my leather jacket, my black Palladiums (though thinking about it, my orange high top Palladiums could have been a great way to bring the colors of my dress out, hmmm next ensemble!), and did shimmery eyemakeup with brows and no winged eyeliner. Just a nice look for being out on the town and hanging and being recognizable. I like to dress worthy of being illustrated, if I'm going to be fancy. Can only wear a tee and jeans to so many functions.

I was originally going to take the Bremerton ferry, but reviewed the Bainbridge times and that was equally as good. On the way there I swung by a coffee drive through and got a coffee to break a $20, not knowing that the parking lot at Bainbridge Island has gone automated. When did we stop having to shove dollars into a numbered slot in a metal thingy to pay for parking? Do we still have to in some places? I finished my smoothie (raspberry) and got a coffee at the ferry dock and finished the coffee by the end of the ferry crossing and felt right on the verge of having had too much coffee. I did a drawing on the ferry ride over, but the drawing was a birthday card for Chris (into which I included a shark sticker because that is how I roll).

Arrived to a gray Seattle day, but no rain! And I was glad it was a bit chilly because it it was hot while I suffered up the hill to Capitol Hill area, ohhh that would have sucked. I strode up Marion in full awesome force. Peed in the bathroom at Seattle Library because that coffee went through me like a champ. Nice library. And continued up the blocks. My fitness app actually was like "wow you did some good exercise today!"

The venue wasn't open (The Eclectic Theater) so I met Chris at Stumptown and we hung out on a bench in a park and chatted podcasts, coffee, life stuff. Hungry, we went down the street a bit to Pike Street Fish Fry and both got the battered cod and chips. Scrumptious. Can't beat a good fish n chip. Catching up with Chris is always great. No matter how long its been, we are always able to talk. It's a really good friendship to have. Had a couple beers at Saint John's Bar & Eatery, which featured a bulls head that was shaped out of Rainier cans. Nifty. I was never one to know all the different places to hang. I've always relied on other people's suggestions. I guess in Santa Cruz I knew maybe, like, one place? I know theaters. If there's a theater near by, I know it. That is what I seek out.

With still time to kill, we got shmancy cocktails at Cafe Pettirosso. When am I ever having a fancy cocktail? Almost never. Treat yo self!

Then, finally, venue time! I saw Emily Heller inside the venue and made eye contact but was far too shy to say anything at that moment. Still, how cool! And she, like my Wentworth Miller sighting almost a decade ago, looks exactly the same in person.

The venue was small. Seating for 20ish people. A guy was solving a Rubik's Cube and I complimented him on his nice cube choice (solid colors, no sticker). Nice friendly crowd. Brett Hamil opened. Funny guy. I liked his jokes about forgetting you ate beets the night before. Elicia Sanchez was next and was hilaaarious! Great stage presence and jokes and rhythm with the crowd. I don't think I've ever seen stand up like this. I saw an open mic in Santa Cruz, but that was a series of 2 minute sets. Very different. I liked this size because everyone was there to have fun and were supportive. I don't know if I'd enjoy being in an audience where someone antagonized the performer. I'm here to have fun and enjoy myself, and fighting against the person trying to make that happen seems...weird?

Anyway, Emily Heller was aweeesome! I love her Baby Geniuses podcast that she does with Lisa Hanawalt (hence why I lugged myself all the way out to Seattle for this show). How do I review comedy? She had good jokes. Relevant, relateable, well transitioning jokes. I dug her. And I talked to her a little bit after the show and bought a poster and she signed it and she recognized me from this Instagram post I made earlier in the day about boating to see the show, so THAT was cool! I had a nice moment (I felt) of banter with Mr. Hamil. "Where did you come from?" "Brinnon." "Where's that?" "Near Quilcene." "Where's that?" "Near Chimacum." Heh heh heh. Small towns.

Absolutely wonderful note to end on. Chris hooked me up with the proper bus to take downtown (the 12) and I caught the 9:55 back to Bainbridge Island. It's probably been three years since I last saw Chris. We should hang more. I should go to Seattle more. It's not a bad city. It just takes time and effort and timing and money to get there. But parking in Bainbridge ain't bad.

I didn't drive all the way back to Pulali. I stopped in Suquamish and stayed over at Aaron's. Not too far out of the way. Banjo is a sweet cuddly doggy, but is prone to chewing noisily on a bone in the middle of the night.

Sunday:

Aaron and I got brunch at The Oak Table Cafe in Kingston. I had the eggs casey (and our server was named Casey) which is chopped bacon in eggs on a croissant, drizzled with mushroom sauce. But the side of pancakes was overkill, but Aaron is a good guy and helped finish those off. Well sated, I took a nap while watching Anthony Bourdain on Netflix...still at Aaron's. So polite of me to just hang out with someone and spend the time napping. Hahah. Then I read a bit about geology from Aaron's illustrated copy of A Short History of Nearly Everything. Learned stuff about the weirdo English dudes who started that whole geology as thing stuff. Then I returned to Pulali.

Did laundry, got shows queued up, Interneted, watched Mad Men and was like "well, that show is gone now." A very good full fun weekend. I love getting out of the house, and really need to do it more often. I just can't think of things to do besides watching movies (in terms of activities that get me out of the house. I also scanned my sketchbook.

Della Fern at The Abbey in Santa Cruz

micron in moleskine

de la ferrrn

Saturday:

Set my alarm because I had paintings to do! Totally slacked on getting Nate's landscape done for him. And I also wanted to paint Helen a belated birthday gift. Have to keep up the square painting tradition! So I worked on those and had tea and oatmeal and got those done. The board game party for Nathan started at 6 and I left at just a bit after 5! Yay for timing.

Helen made some tasty spicy thick not-noodle Korean dish, and there was a veggie stew, and it was all very delicious! Carmen and Josh joined the party, as did Nate's coworker Garth. The first board game was Battlestar Galactica. It was very detailed and multifaceted. I was a secret cylon, but I wasn't subtle enough in my sabotage and was found out. Carmen's character executed mine. The humans almost lost. It was pretty close. Then we played Lost Cities, a game C & J brought. Very fun, and easier to get a hold of. I beat Garth by 5 points!! But we were both behind Nate & Helen and Carmen & Josh by a significant margin (they were in teams). Funny that the teams outperformed the solo people. Anyhoo.

Nate liked his Hufflepuff hat and the new Magic the Gathering cards I bought him, as well as the little landscape I painted.

I got back into Santa Cruz at 2am.

Sunday:

I woke up early and dozed in bed for a good long while. Then I had a three egg scramble and some tea and got my ducks in order for the day.

While the sun was out I went to Target and got yakult and soap, then Bed, Bath, and Beyond for compost bags, then Trader Joe's for next week's lunch supplementals. It was a nice day to walk outside.

At home I read a bit. 7:30ish I headed out because I heard that Echo and Maw were playing at The Abbey. I drove in circles on Mission street for a bit trying to find the venue, before parking and walking to try and find it. Walking worked! It was tucked down the street a little (I knew it was 300something, and I was parked on the 100 blocks). The venue (The Abbey) was attached to a church, and it was a nice coffee shop place. But the stage was ample and the seating was comfy. It wasn't like a little stage was shoved in where it shouldn't. Anyhoo. I got some tea and a little muffin and sat and waited. Then I noticed that I hadn't seen any members of Echo and Maw. Then the people that were fiddling with the instruments were decidedly NOT Echo and Maw. Ooops, not Echo and Maw! It turned out the band playing was Della Fern. An Australian band on tour. And they were pretty good! Half covers, half original music. Two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and lady vocalist. Didn't see Echo and Maw, but still saw a great band! I sketched and some people complimented what I had drawn. I'm sick of drawing guitars though. So difficult!

Nice to get out of the house.

Gotta get my oil changed.

interns & special guests

Sleeping and waking up:

Had a nice sleep in the bed that was assembled on the floor for me. A very nice makeshift bed! I woke up before my alarm, however begrudgingly.

Tea and debit card:

I made a pot of tea and set about calling Kitsap Credit Union to see what is up with my card. I managed to get it reactivated for the weekend! I lounged about while other people we getting up. Ariel went out for some food with her Dad and Mom.

Pizza:

After I showered, but before I smeared makeup on my face I walked down to Pizza of Venice, at Adele's recommendation. I asked the lady to test my card before they made my pizza, and it worked! I ordered the "el diablo" but mild. I also got a soda. I enjoyed that soda and pizza very much! And I read from my Kindle. It was so warm and lovely. Just amazing January weather.

Prep:

I shoved a bunch of makeup on my face, and in what felt like record time to do: eyebrows, eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, eyeliner, and mascara. Ariel returned. We got our Welcome to Night Vale ensembles together. Lots of purple.

But first, second lunch:

We four (Me, Ariel, Rich, Adele) had set up to meet Ariel's aunt Claire for lunch downtown. Of course downtown LA is MASSIVE. And as it is massive and not actually "downtown" in any small place, Ariel made a reservation at a restaurant that isn't anywhere near the theater. By accident due to multiple restaurants having the same name. Whoops, easy mistake! So we got caught in traffic cutting down into LA, through Beverly Hills, and into wherever. Arriving late and pressed for time, we just had some appetizers and tea. It was nice though, if quick.

Largo:

And traffic was very easy on the way back! Not a lot of stop and go and slow. We got to the theater and there was a line, so we probably wouldn't be getting the coveted front row seats. Still! Awesome! Rich navigated parking and we secured a spot in line. The theater was the Largo at the Coronet. That is where they perform and record Thrilling Adventure Hour. It was a nice night for standing in line for an hour and a half. Good conversation was had. Lots of people were dressed up or they made things. Things that would take a lot of explaining to make sense of in this blog if you hadn't listened to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. Either way, it was great.

F:

We got through the line, got our seat assignment, and then were told to come back at 7ish for when the gate would be open. We were all in row F. The auditorium fit about 120 people? So there wouldn't really be ANY bad seat. I went for a little walk by myself while waiting to be let in. Just down the street a bit. LA is so big and sprawled and so much visual information! But it just has that feeling of lots of stuff going on. I can dig it. But I also dig being able to drive around town in less than 20 minutes. I returned to the theater and we all went in!

Black and Tan:

I bought a black and tan at the little bar inside the theater, and also a poster for the tour. We were all very, very excited. Just buzzing and going EEEEEE.

Welcome to Night Vale:

How do I begin? The story was amazing. Just this whole extended episode thing. The show opened with a few performances by Jason Webley, who was great. He had an accordion and played it oh so well. And sang so heartily. He didn't even need the microphone, such was the acoustics and size of the theater. Then Meg introduced Cecil, and Cecil was just amazing. His voice is so rich and he can do so many things with it, but his posture and mannerisms! Wow! JASIKA NICOLE was THEREEE!! To play Dana. I was just in awe and so stoked and happy and like WAHHHH about her generally being on stage not too far from me. And. And. There was an Intern Wil. Played by Wil Wheaton. Which was a MAJOR surprise and the audience just went like WOOAAAHHH. The audience was very vocal and cheered and went aww, but at all the right moments. And even sang along a bit. Very great experience. Oh and they had the new Carlos voice actor. And more music by Webley. And just. The whole thing was this amazing experience. So worth the trip down. Would do it again in a hot minute.

Fink:

I managed to have my poster signed by Joseph Fink, the creator of the show! And I told him that I came down from Santa Cruz and it was worth it and I'd do it again. He was really nice.

Food:

We drove downtown a bit and parked and then had a helluva time walking out of the parking garage. We ended up going to P.F. Chang's for dinner and enthusiastic post-show chatter. Our waiter had great hair. We gobbled down entrees, and we three ladies had cocktails (Rich was the driver). And I was like "lets order dessert" and we ordered dessert and gobbled that. And everything was amazing and delicious and fun. And the sketches I produced in the dark of the auditorium during the show turned out pretty good! Can't wait to scan them.

Pasadena (or wherever, it might not actually be Pasadena):

It was a nice drive back. I washed my face. I miss my drawn on eyebrows all ready. It changes the way I feel about myself in public. Like I'm visually more of a dynamic figure in space. I feel like less of a wallflower when I'm all done or. Or less like I ought to be a wallflower. Like BAM HERE I AM, let's talk about stuff! I have photos to upload. Drawings to scan. And a longish drive to undertake tomorrow. But it's all good.

It's all very good.

well, that went fast

So on Saturday I slept in, and woke up to find an email... or did I return that email in the evening? Anyway, there was an email from someone who saw my post- no it was in the morning- there was an email from someone, Jeff (a different Jeff), saying they had a room and they linked me to their post. And it sounded really neat and up my alley, so I responded, and after my shower and stuff I got a call and we talked about housing basics and stuff and then we set up a time for me to see the place and that was that! So the rest of the day I relaxed and tidied. Then I went to the Live Oak area to see the house. It is in the middle of a neighborhood with lots of other houses and streets upon streets of houses. Very residential. Jeff works with schools and biking things. Tara works as a nurse in Monterey. Wasabi is an oldish cat who lives in the house. The other roommate is moving to Portland as it turns out, so I didn't meet them. The house has a nice back yard, not lawn back yard. More trees and some sculptures and a big bottlebrush tree. And a pear tree. It's nice. The room is smaller than my current room, but the closet is nice. I could make it work. I plan to make it work as Jeff called me today (Sunday) telling me that they talked about it and would like me to live with them! Yay! Anyway to go back to the meeting. We talked and there are house meetings, so that is neat. And it seems close to a different sort of stuff. Not downtown stuff but stuff...stuff. Maybe I'll be biking more! I'll have to do a "Trillian has moved!" card to send to all my correspondents. So the meeting was good (obviously) and I returned home feeling good. Didn't get up to much for the rest of the day. Just took some much needed head space relaxing time. Then I went to bed and stayed in it for a good long while. Sunday came around and I needed food, so I bought food. And bought some naan. Ate an early dinner and got a call from Jeff! Hurray! I have the room! I threw on some fun makeup and drove up to Felton for the Odd Owl show! They were playing at a newish open air venue that is an outdoor stage in someones sorta backyard. Anyway, it was nice. And even though I was running late, I got there with plenty of time. I had a beer at the start and that was that. Had some pizza and sausage later on. Dina was there, and I met a buncha people. I keep forgetting business cards! But they were awesome and played the old hits and some new stuff and they just jammed for a while, which was great to hear. Just a lot of fun and mingling. Dina lent me her jacket. I went around collecting tips. Chatted for a bit but didn't stay too late as I have work in the morning and BREAKING BAD TO WATCH! Wow, what a start to the season! So good.

I've almost got three weeks left in this month, and I aim to relax. I'll start sorting eventually, but I don't even move in till September. It's nice to have that out of the way. And the rent & utilities are almost a full Benjamin cheaper all together. Sweeet.

I could pass many days like this, and be content

Saturday:

Started my weekend at the dog beach with Janet! Had a couple doughnuts. Met Susan and Alicia. And met many many dogs. It was a gray morning, and just a bit on the side of cold, which was disappointing because of how hot it has been through the previous week. After the dog beach, I gave Janet the "Beware of Dog (she is adorable)" print that I bought her for her birthday. She really liked it and said she'd put it up at work (because Joey goes with her to work). Hee hee.

Back at home I had a scramble and watched Doctor Who. In the late afternoon, I packed up and headed to San Francisco. I prefer to tag along with Carmen to the Odd Owl shows, because it is easier than arriving later in the day and trying to find parking downtown/driving back late at night. Anyhoo. I accompanied her to their practice space, which was cool. It's sort of neat to think about a warehouse filled with band practice spaces, and all the bands have their own thing going on. All that stuff going on, tucked away in an industrial area. Anyhoo. We picked up Stephen along the way to the space, and then we went to the venue, Amnesia. And found great parking! Less than a block away. Sweet. Anyhoo. There was unloading and stuff. I took a little walk to this scifi book store, though didn't find that much of massive interest. And I got a burger from a little burger place and talked to Madeline on the phone (the band was doing band stuff). When I returned to the venue (which was a narrow bar with a small stage), it had filled up a bit and Adam, Vanessa, and Phil were there. I bought a drink but it was this ginger licorice beverage that took a while to consume. Ehhh. The other musicians were New Spell, a three piece band, and Anita Stryker who was singing with a wide variety of backup people. Odd Owl went on first and were quite swell. Of course. The venue was packed and everyone was really into it.

Anita Stryker had a voice like she should sing the next James Bond theme. Really lovely. She had a violinist, and a dude on cello. It was all quite nice. New Spell had a funky rhythm and sound that I dug. Because I ended up not paying the cover for the show (what with being with the band) I used that money towards buying the New Spell CD. Gotta support artists! After the show, we unloaded the stuff at the practice space and I crawled into bed (at Carmen & Josh's) at the nice time of 2:30am...

Sunday:

And I woke up at 7:30am, so that I could meet Robin for breakfast. Having gathered directions the night before, I tip toed out of the house and headed to the sort of Tenderloin area of San Francisco. It was a quiet Sunday morning, so I didn't have to fuss with traffic and I found parking on the street by the apartment complex. Hurray! We got tea, and then went to a little bakery place and got some pastries, and then we returned to the place she is house sitting and Robin whipped up some tasty scrambled eggs. Yum! It wasn't much time, but we did get some catching up done. Just a little bit of good company goes a long way.

I left San Francisco at 10:30 and was back in Santa Cruz by noon. This weekend felt long. Maybe because I got up early both days?

Anyway. I took a nap late in the afternoon. Helped Janet install a shelf above the stove. Took it really easy and the time crept past. Now I shall eat a salad and watch Game of Thrones.

What a weekend!

Oh and Odd Owl has a kickstarter that you should totally support. I'll make a full post about it soon, but here is the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oddowl/odd-owls-first-album-as-a-full-band

oh no, he has a violin, how am I going to draw that?

Odd Owl gets better and better every time I see them. The songs sound better, more refined while also having new vibes to them. Always growing. The new music was great, of course. And the screenprinted drum head was awesome. Viva Carmen for screenprinting it!

They played It's The World I Love, Little Pink Carnations (I forget if that is the song title or just a lyric), Lonely Island (again I should know their song titles better), Radioheart, The Way Home, Some People are Spaceships, among other awesome tunes. Steve and Phil were in suits, Adam was not. They were just swell.

The venue, Yoshi's, was beautiful. All seated seating, chairs around tables. A really nice way to enjoy a damn good band. Nathan, Helen, and I were the second row of tables back from the stage. Josh found us after Odd Owl's set and joined us. We three had sushi (you could order at this venue, which was good because I was hungry). I drew a bunch in my sketchbook. Some really good stuff that I'm very pleased with. My Carmen sketches are my favorite.

What a lovely night! I drove up to Redwood City and met Nate, and we carpooled in and found a parking space just two blocks from the venue! Booyah!

My morning was filled with sleep, scrambles, and some painting. Felt pretty good, despite the bummer that was Saturday.

Today was a very good day in terms of art productivity and good company.

Wonderful.

Thanks to this blog, I know that December 28th, 2009 was when Carmen first mentioned Odd Owl to me, at Grandma Marilyn's memorial. She inquired if I would be interested in doing art for this new band she was starting. Over three years it has been. Pretty coo'.

Odd Owl was followed by the amazing Foxtails Brigade. They had a lady vocalist on the guitar, a guy who stomped on a tamborine while playing the violin, and also playing the guitar, a guy on bass, a guy bonking bottles and drums, and a full on drummer. The singer was fantastic. She sang in French. She had a duet with her brother who wasn't in the band. The violinist was also very talented. I tried to draw him playing the violin but my brain couldn't quite comprehend what a violin looks like. They had such a wonderful plinky plonky sound.

After the show, I got some hugs, and I hope they sold lots of merch. Back to Redwood City we went, and back South to Santa Cruz I went. Another awesome week begins, lets do this!

last days as a 24 year old

Saturday:

• Slept in, of course. 
•  Got cashback at Trader Joe's and some snacks for the drive up. The couple behind me in line was really nice, and they were from Poulsbo so we bonded over being far away from the gray weather.
•  The drive up to San Francisco was uneventful.
•  Carmen and Josh bought some guinea pigs and named them Merlin and Arthur. They are quite cute.
• Carmen and I took the N Train to tonight's venue. 
•  The gig was Trails and Ways with My Satellite and Tremor Low.
• Phil and his brother Stephen were also at the gig. Phil and Carmen both bought me birthday drinks. Nice people. 
•  It was a good show. Not hop around and dance type music, but I dug it. Tremer Low moreso than Trails and Ways, which was the headliner.
• We ate sushi down the street and it was good. 
•  Cabbed it back, though it wasn't that late.
• It was nice to sleep in that big cozy bed that I slept in all those months ago while looking for, and eventually finding work.

Sunday:

• Woke up relatively early for me, though Sundays tend to be early days.
• Had some oatmeal and tea and chatted with Josh and observed the guinea pigs.
• I was a bit late leaving San Francisco for Oakland.
• And my GPS refused to locate any satellites.
• So I got turned around, and turned around again.
• And arrived on Lakeshore an hour later than planned
• But I made it!
• Finn, Robin, and I drove onwards and parked and had brunch at Cock-A-Doodle Cafe.
• We browsed the used bookstore while waiting for our table.
• I had the eggs benedict. It had avocado and it was delicious. I ate it with my hands and made quite a mess of it, and I probably embarrassed my companions but they have good poker faces.
• From there we returned to Robin's, where I parked.
• We walked down to Lake Merritt and went into another used bookstore (though it also had new books). George Grosz's autobiography caught my eye. I want to read more biographies and non-fiction, so this with my Lucrezia Borgia and Berthe Morisot tomes will make for some good historical reading when I eventually get around to it.
• Finn treated us to coffee, though I had hot cocoa, and we sat by the lake and Finn read to us from This Is How You Lose Her as the sun set. It was a nice time. Finn biked away.
• Robin and I drank wine and watched Clueless.
• Then we drank tea and watched a bit of Basquiat.
• Then I drove home.

And now it is past midnight, so I guess I am officially 25.

awesome day!

Had an awesome wonderful day! Was all up in San Francisco with my favorite people: the band members of Odd Owl and their friends who are becoming my friends slowly but surely.

Alarm went off at 7, was out of the house at 8:20. Magic! Filled up my tank and away I went to the great North. Well, the great slightly more northern. It was a nice ride and there was parking on the street. Boom, easy!

Carmen took a nasty spill on her bike, so I helped her haul some stuff into her car. Then we were off to Steve's! From there we rode to the venue (the street outside Candybar) and unloaded the car, and Carmen took the car back to Steve's because it was Sunday Streets, which is where they shut down some of the streets to cars. So we quickly unpacked and got the car out of there. Then we moved the stuff to the back and once it was all secure we went back to Steve's (which is Steve and Erin's and their roommate....ohh I've forgotten his name, he is German but it isn't a-FABIAN! He is name is Fabian. Okay). Anyway, it is multiple people's place. Because like many dense cities, there are as many people as possible crammed into houses.

Hung out there. Phil arrived. Josh showed up. We chatted and snacked and chatted some more. It was nice.

At 1ish we went back to Candybar (everything was all in the same neighborhood, just a few blocks from one another, OOHH earlier we dropped a speaker and stand off at the house that the second gig of the day was to be held). I mostly held guard while things were getting set up, and hauled this and that.

The set was awesome! Some of the tunes sounded different live. They played on the street, and lots of people congregated and listened to many of their songs. I danced a bit along with Erin and Dina and Robert. Dina petted many dogs. It was fun. It was warm. It was outside. And Odd Owl ROCKED! They always do, but yeah.

They broke down the set, and we hauled the equipment the couple blocks to the Wigg Party House Party Party thingy? It was another instance of getting things to a place and going back to Casa Steve and Erin to chill for a bit.

The Wigg Party shindig was full of nice people, though I mostly hung with those I knew. Steve had set up the entertainment and Julia, a street performer, was first. She has a beautiful voice, is talented on the accordion, is a superlative whistler, and can juggle AND balance on a ball? Her set was lovely.

Steve played some awesome diddys on his guitar.

The next guy whose name I have forgotten was also swell.

Then Odd Owl! Though it was the same set just about. OH! They had a cover of Very Superstitious which was awesome. So quality. It was quite chilly in the backyard of the house, where the show was happening, so we danced to get warm. I had my arms around Erin and Tanya and we did a three lady kickline. That was fun. I danced and ate corn and chatted and they sold some merchandise and I gave out my card. All was awesome. It was corn on the cob. Dina, Robert and I cheers'd each other with our corn, though it turned into a bit of a sword fight. My kind of party!

All was awesome today. Josh dropped me off at my car. I got back at a reasonable hour, and since I don't work till noon tomorrow I get to sleep in a bit.

Yay!

work & show

At work I mostly caught shirts and cleaned screens. I did a little registration as well. Brock, my occasional coworker, and I have similar musical tastes. So we just jammed to tunes and pulled shirts. It was a long but good day.

I did some grocery shopping and rant into Phil and Eric, who were preparing for the show. We gabbed a little bit.

The Odd Owl show was awesome. They played a house party. I danced. I talked to an assorted amount of people. Drank a bit. They walked me home. They meaning the band. What as swell group. They are performing in Fresno tomorrow. If I get Monday off, I may see their show. Who knows.

Today was awesome. Work hard, play hard, etc.

hooting it up in San Francisco

AHhh! Odd Owl was so good! They played songs I was unfamiliar with, and songs I knew (though not The Way Home or Spiritual Psychic Hannah, which are my favorites).

But lets go to the start of the day. Nathan went off to work, and I slept in many, many hours. I had some oatmeal and tea for breakfast. I toodled around on the Internet. I showered. Then I got around to tidying up. I put a couple things back into my car for storage, and sorted other things into little containers, which fit perfectly under the bed. It is pretty well organized now, though I can't find ANY of my rechargeable batteries. I walked down the street and went shopping at Safeway. Got bacon and eggs and jam and peanut butter and soap and bread and some other things. Also got a sandwich, though it wasn't that great of one. I sat in the sun and consumed said sandwich, and read a bit, and soaked in the warmth of the day.

Then I put some makeup on, and put on tights and a dress and made myself look nice for the Odd Owl show. Nathan had a 6pm meeting, and though we didn't discuss it, it was assumed that when he came home, we'd be off to the show right away. So I was ready for when he came home, which he did at about 7:20ish. Quick as he was back, we were off! We swung by his work and picked up his coworker Oleg. Nice fella. Very chatty and fast to talk as well. I felt positively sluggish compared. Anyway, it was a nice drive into San Francisco. I'm glad I didn't have to drive it.

We found parking right near the venue too! Awesome! The place itself was a bar with a downstairs area for bands to play. Quite cozy. I hugged Carmen and Josh and Phil and Steven the new band member. I didn't meet the fourth Odd Owl though, the drummer guy. Next time I'll meet him. I sat, we chatted, I drank a bit, I drew a lot. My sketches started out quite good, and as I imbibed they got, well, a little more gestural. I'm excited to figure them out come morning. Helen was there, and Phil's dad. It was a great first night in San Francisco, even though the only time I was outside the place was when I was going to and from Nate's car.

The first band, Morning Commute, was good. Nice music to accompany the scene of it all.

Odd Owl. Those cats are so good! And they had new music, which was great. I swayed and danced a little bit. Oleg danced the most of us all. Good for Oleg. Pretty good set, mucho enjoyable. I hope to see them perform many many times in the years to come. And I think they want some more work from me, so that is swell!

The third band was Yellow Dress, or something like that. They had some good tunes. I sang along as best as I could, when the lead singer incited us to sing of course. Part of the way through the set, Nate, Oleg and I left. I hugged the people goodbye, and in parting I was wished many "welcome to the area!" type comments. Indeed! I have arrived, and it is swell.

We stopped by Denny's and got some food. I just got a cheap meal item, and finished off what Nathan couldn't finish. The moocher method of consumption. Now it is 2am and I am ready for sleep. Who know what tomorrow will bring. Today was fun indeed.

song in my heart, ringing in my ear

So it seems Blogger is back up. Hurray!

Slept in later than I should have. Did two portraits, went to school. Scanned them in. Burned a disc with the files. Turned in my receipt to prove I earned my degree. And then I got some paint to paint my studio back to white, and that took a long time. A long long time. It seemed to take longer to paint it white than it did to paint it blue. And the ground is probably due for another coat of gray paint. It is pretty well splattered. But that is one less thing to worry about. I think all I have to do now is turn in my keycard, pay my library and printing fines/fees. And then I'm good to go.

It was a very warm warm day so I went home at 4:15pm and changed into shorts. My first shorts day! Winter is gone!

When I got to the end of the year picnic, I had missed all the hot dogs. And I was grummmpy. Small breakfast + no meat + manual labor = grumpy Trillian. Sat with Madeline, Tabitha, Kristen, and crew while I got my nourishment in.

The next five hours went by super fast. I would sit with Heather and Daniel. Then Kristen and Co. Then Karen. Then hop around and talk to Abby and Matthew. Ate Tabitha's hot dog. Drank some beer. Participated in TWO dog piles. I got my hair caught in Sivonna's shoe. Swung on the swing set. The sun went down. It got a bit chilly, but I was fine. It didn't feel sad in the "I'm saying goodbye this is it" way. Besides, we still have to walk and get our diplomas. None of us are GONE yet. It was just a fantastic day.

And it didn't end at 9pm! I went home, changed back into pants, and went to Slabtown, which is a free venue/bar. I knew some people I knew would be there. Vince, one of Jon's friends, was there and so we chatted. Jon, Dom, and Sivonna showed up later. I ended up staying at Slabtown with Vince and his crew, instead of going to Ground Kontrol. It was better to stay reasonably close in, because I would be biking home and couldn't stay out that late. Some bands played, I can't quite separate the music styles but each band was better than the last. It was loud and fun. Vince and I grabbed some cheese fries at The Roxy afterwards. And then we parted ways.

All in all, an excellent of the the school year day. Now to go to bed, get up, and volunteer and do stuff!

Todays Portrait Is: Carmen Caruso (Odd Owl).

*the photo is a picture of Morgan Murphey's 20' x 20' self portrait.

'illian

It's only 7:30, but I am tiiiiired so I'm blogging now so that whenever my body collapses in on itself, I don't have to worry.

Focus week begins. Now all my lovely friends over the years defend their thesis. Our time at PNCA comes to an end.

I got out of bed at the horrid hour of 7:50am. UHG. Showered, got dressed, made myself pretty, grabbed the bread and hummus and set off to school. First up was Dominic's Defense. His work looked lovely all hung up, and he seemed relatively calm considering that I ran into him last night and he was mighty stressed. Anyway, he got up there and went through his speech. And he did super well! Every time he paused he took the chance to drink water. It gave a nice pace to his defense of his neurotic paintings. It was a room with friends and everyone was enthusiastic. He did very well. The crew waited with him after he defended, and naturally he passed.

Between his and Leo's, I went to Safeway and bought a Red Bull because with about two hours of sleep under my belt, I knew I couldn't survive the day with no assistance.

Drank that and went to Leo's defense of his wordless series of illustrations depicting a revolt in a society dominated by technology dependance. It was a nice little series, and he had pretty much eliminated all uses of the word "like". Good on him! He had a good little defense as well. Chatted with him after till he went in for questions, so then I went to get some food!

Lasagna! Sat with Acey and Arvie and David Ritchie joined us. Apparently Ritchie has met Douglas Adams. After that I went to BT's lecture thingy on setting up a screen printing set up at home. Dad, do you wanna make an at home printing set up with me? It will be fuuuun.

After that, I went to Matthew Miller's thesis proposal. He is proposing to do a series of photos based on gun culture and representing gun owners in their home. He laid it out there that his thesis isn't about if we should have guns, but why. Still his audience asked a lot of heavily biased questions. Probably a good thesis if it will spark such reactions. He is a quality photographer and will pull it off. It will just take a good sense of his argument.

Afterwards I went to August's proposal. He is doing several broadside comics in different formats. His room was packed and he was a bit awkward but he got through it with gusto.

And AFTER that I went to Danny's room to see his set up. His wife Mara brought their just turned one year old daughter Lillian along. OHHH what a cute baby! Just wandering about with big blue eyes and drooling and so happy. I picked her up and gave her tons of kisses on her little baby cheeks. Cutest critter EVER. But I didn't stay for Danny's defense, I went to Beth's. Which ended up being packed. She got through her information in a great manner. Argued it well. Her series of animal pictures based on the group nouns we assign them turned out so beautiful.

AND THEN I went to see We Buy Diamonds. I got my free shirt that they owed me for the printing and then went around school to generate interest. And interest was generated! The doors opened at 5:50 and in five minutes it filled up. And people kept coming. Unfortunately people decided to sit on the floor instead of standing and dancing. So the people coming in didn't really have space, even though if people scooted there would have been space, and standing would provide even more space. But Karen, Mel, and I stood in the back and hollared and hooted and cheered them on like crazy. We shouted the hooks to the songs and shouted responses when they asked questions. We three brought the WBD fandom!

And the show was PHENOMENAL. They performed with vigor and enthusiasm, and nailed the songs. The lights, the set up, the costumes, the everything was spot on. They did so well. They did it! They did it all!

And after that I went home. Kristen and Mark came by and I joined them, and Kristen's parents and brother Anthony for dinner at Sansai. Mmm sushi. Now I'm back and exhausted. So I think I shall wash my face and crash. Tomorrow is two pre-lunch proposals and then lunch and then I set up my thesis and then practice practice practice. I don't know if I'll go to any more things after lunch. I'll just see how I feel. Less that 48 hours till I defend!

Todays Portrait Is: Mark Strong.

hoot!

Friday:

Oh boy. I slept in till noon after staying up till 5AM! Got a lot of good writing done. And when I looked up the formatting, I realized that the left margin, because my thesis will be bound, is 1.5". And that brought my paper length to 17 pages. When I was editing it and putting all the chapters on their each page and inserting illustrations, it came to a plush 19 pages. Perfect.

My meeting with Martin went well. We went over a rough outline for my thesis defense. I talked a lot about my experience with Joan's class. It was a beautiful brilliant sunny warm day. But I still went to yoga. Nice and relaxing and held poses. Out of yoga I spent a good two hours editing my paper and whipping it into shape. Printed that sucker out and plopped it in Joan's box. Talked to Daniel a bit. Went home. Had some pasta.

I thought the Odd Owl show started at 8:30 so I left at 7:45 to get there in time. I had never ridden up to Alberta street before. Across Broadway and onto Williams was easy. But then it was a long 20 or so block ride with lots of false "OH is THIS Alberta?" turns. But after a pretty tiring slightly uphill journey, I got to Alberta. And then I got to Alberta Street Public House. No one I knew, or Odd Owl, were there. So I grabbed a pint and settled in. After about 20 minutes Carmen, Phil (of Odd Owl, not printmaker Phil), and their manager Eric came. Yay! Hugs all around. I moved to the venue side of the place (which was a nice hall with movable seating and good acoustics I think) and chatted to them as they brought stuff in. Molly, who went to the Eugene show with me and will be a PNCA MFA student, and her boyfriend Todd arrived. A good crew. The first band had some good little diddies, though I didn't catch their name.

A good crowd came. I think going in the middle of a three band lineup is very much the best. You get the people who linger after the first show and those who come from the last band. It is the peak time.

Odd Owl hit the stage and they were amazing! I snapped pictures using Molly's camera. I boogied. They played new work and old work. I exclaimed "The Way Home!" between some of their songs and they said they would get to it. And when they got to it they said "this one is for Trillian" which made me very happy. That is the song that I did the short animation for. I boogied a little bit. They get better every single time. Just the songs and how they play them and stage presence and general aura of it all. So wonderful! Had a really great night. Had a few beers as well.

After Odd Owl's set Phil and I sat and talked on the other side of the pub (there was one bar section where you get drinks and can sit at tables, and then in another sort of room is the venue hall). Carmen joined us. Pretty soon it was time to pack up because the place was closing. Option one was to hug and part ways and option two was to load my bike in Molly's pick up truck and hang with the five cool people at her place. I went with that option. After some shuffling of people between cars and dropping one off in a lockable studio place we arrived at Molly's place. We popped open a couple more beers and chatted into the late hours. Another option was presented to me: ride home at 4am or sleep on the floor on a mat and in a sleeping bag. I went the the latter.

Friday's Portrait is: Stephen Fry.

Saturday:

Woke up early because people were shuffling about. The sleeping bag was surprisingly cozy and the ground wasn't all that bad to sleep on. I guess I spend a lot of time getting comfy on mats in yoga. Molly made tea and Carmen had some scones. Believe me when I say these were the best scones in existence. Fantastic. We went for a walk and enjoyed a bit of the bright beautiful day. Stopped in at a book store. Molly lives on Broadway and 20th or so, which is hella convenient for me. At noon we said goodbye to the awesome Odd Owl. I must visit Carmen in San Fransisco this summer. Take a week. I think that would be greaaat.

It was a perfect ride back. Not too hot, not too cold. And sunny. The shower I had when I returned home was marvelous.

I decided to allow Saturday to be a chill day. Take a breather. I did go down to the studios to try and catch Eva, but she wasn't available to be drawn. So I conversed with Mel instead. Then I went back home and prettied myself up. Rollyn picked me up at about 6:20 and we drove out to Tigard. His friend Aaron, who is also a director he works with frequently, bar tends at this Mediterranean restaurant. We sat at the bar, I had a kabob, and chatted with Aaron and his assistant director Caroline and other folks. It was a nice night. There was also a belly dancer that performed. I gave Caroline one of my posters. It's always awesome to meet super nice people. Chatted movies and stuff. Rollyn was a bit tipsy still, so I drove us to the theater to see Hanna. His Honda Fit has very sensitive breaks, and it is a small car like the Prius. And the roads out in Tigard are like those in Poulsbo and Bremerton. That is to say easy driving. None of the complex downtown stuff. It was fun to be behind the wheel again.

Hanna was a much better movie that I was expecting it to me. The great actors didn't outshine the main one. The soundtrack, which is by The Chemical Brothers, set the mood in a very pensive building manner. It wasn't standard action music which really gave the movie a special feel. The colors of the film were crisp and beautiful. The shot layouts were well conceived. And there were some impressive long shots. It was just really well made. Not the most original of plots by a long shot, but because it was so well made I ended up enjoying it a lot. That is how you do an action movie. Rollyn invited me to be an extra on a film shoot tomorrow, but I passed. Time to get back to printing!

Saturday's Portrait is: Bill Bailey.

sytycdaaaannnce

Daylight savings time! Now we get more sunlight. Gets dark at 7 instead of 6. Whoo!

Woke up at 8am for some reason, but I guess that was actually 9pm. Got up. Ate a scramble and drank some tea and watched some stuff. Worked on writing. Showered. I'm cruising through the bullet points pretty good. I don't have the links between themes yet or corresponding slides, but it is coming along. Just gotta get the language and length down. It is at about four minutes right now (the thesis part). It needs to be double that, but I'm not done writing and polishing. I have three weeks to polish. But there is a lot of grime to get through.

Anyway, ma and pa visited Sylvia out in Beaverton and then hopped on the max and streetcar back to my neighborhood. I wrote for a bit more and then got dolled up for the show. We walked down to the max stop at the train station and hopped the green to the hotel. Dropped stuff off, grabbed some good at Burgerville. Yum! I don't eat a lot of burgers.

At 6:30 we walked the couple cold blocks down to Rose Garden Arena. There wasn't a standing line like the last time we saw So You Think You Can Dance. A half minute in a queue and we were in.

Even though we were a bit back, the seats were still good. We were on a more slanted section, so no chance of a blocked view. Also the seats were comfy this time. Speaking of time, it passed quickly and the show started before we knew it!! This tour show had less of the filler chatter and was dance dance dance all the way through! There were some jokes and stuff, but overall it was the routines we love and full of great dancers who were very fit. I hooted and cheered for Kent and Robert. They did my favorite routine (and moms). All in all, a fantastic time! Ma got me some cotton candy and then had to tell me to stop eating it because I was getting hyped up on it. It was a great night that totally took me away from the worries and stress of thesis. And it was nice to see the parents, especially as I might not be able to make it home for Turkey Day.

We walked back to the hotel, I watched a minute of Walking Dead on their cable. I love the show, but it wasn't a good part to turn to. Said our goodbyes, and I grabbed a cab that was waiting outside. Didn't feel like trekking from China Town to Nob Hill on a Sunday night.

Got back. Put on my jammies. Watched Walking Dead. Watched Boardwalk Empire. Have Dexter and Bored to Death waiting to be watched. Sunday is the main night, there isn't much television throughout the week (House, Lie to Me, Glee, Raising Hope, Community, Fringe, Terriers...yeah think that is it). I think I'll have some tea and watch Dexter and tuck in for the night.

Tomorrow I am going to school to work on dubbing in AfterEffects. Oh joy. Should swing by Ace Hardware and exchange my clock on the way there. What else do I have to do? Thesis slide show...animation...have a reading I have to do. I don't think there is anything in Advanced Illustration that is due. But yeah, when I'm done with animation (or when I get too mad to work) I'll come back and slide show it up. I don't feel rushed though. I've made good progress and need to keep fluid about it. Verbal practice and question asking and answering will fill it out as well.

deer tick: their tee shirts had poor designs

My ears are ringing. Whoo. Anyway, slept in. Way way in.

Had my usual huge breakfast of toast, eggs, bacon, and tea. That is the way to go, don't you know? So I had that, watched some stuff, put up my feet.

Tabitha came over for her and Kristen's usual Thursday Thesis day. Tabitha got signed with a modeling/acting agency! And something else as well, but yeah! She is all signed and stuff! How cool is that? Hopefully she gets cast into Leverage and then I'll have an excuse to watch that show that films in Portland and calls in Boston and holds me up in traffic with their filming from time to time.

Norman Klein was giving a lecture about the history of the moving image. So I went to school for that. Got some books from the library and sat with Cotey and Tippi. It was a good lecture and he was much more accessible to listen to than to read. It was a little too short and he couldn't quite delve the depths of his content.

Went home. Ate some pasta. Watched Community. Mel called me and said she had an extra free ticket to see Deer Tick at Crystal Ballroom. I'm not familiar with Deer Tick at all, but a free show is a free show, so I changed and put on some makeup and scooted out the door. Biked past Harmony and Peter and said hello. Parked outside Mel's place and off we strutted.

We arrived during the first act, so I treated her to a beer in thanks for the invitation and we chatted about stuff in the little balcony area. Second act was good enough. Lots of shaggy long hair and plaid. We moved down to the floor and got closer to the front of the stage. It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. I draped my coat on a side bar thing, and kept it in sight.

Deer Tick was fantastic! No idea who they were. Sort of folk, sort of rock. The singers had great voices and the songs were well varied. There were two guitarist, a pianist who was also able to play the sax and the lead singer/guitarist could also play the piano. There was also a drummer and bassist. And most of them were very cute! And very talented. I bopped and moved and whipped my hair about. I'm close to finding a signature Trillian dance move, even if I dance like a dork. There were two tall gingers that hit on Mel, which is totally barking up the wrong tree in more way than one. Neither hit on me, so that was fortunate, I guess? Anyway. It was lovely. Lots of variety in music. We departed during the last song to avoid the crowd. Got home at 1am.

Whee! Tomorrow is yoga and then illustration party. Whoo whooo!

tired but enthused

just spent 30 minutes on my bike after dancing and hula hooping and I'm super tired so I'm going to pass out now because I'm still not fully feeling well, but exercise probably will help gaawd I'm so sweaty.

Guantanamo Baywatch at TBA WAS AWESOME! Just showed up and danced. Didn't feel like drinking because I wasn't feeling well and had to bike home. Just had a good old time!

Nightshade won

Cherish and I went to Ikea today! In exchange for the car trip, I bought her lunch. Delicious meat balls. I ate them at just the right time because I didn't need to really eat anything huge for the rest of the day. I should have...but I didn't get really hungry again.

I picked up an extension cord and some bag clasps and a little table. A nice little 20$ thing with a white top and red legs. Now with a table I can haul art stuff down and get started at making it a legitimate studio. But yeah, it was a fruitful little trip. Picked up more tea lights as well. Ikea is perfect for things you were not even aware you needed (like clips).

Ran some more errands. Got some birthday cards, a present, and a book. Now I'm really wary of the streetcar tracks.

I borrowed a power drill to assemble my table. So excited! Whoo table! Tidied things up and went home. Chilled with Kristen. We went to William Temple House to pick up some second hand mix and match wine glasses. We got caught up in the clothes aisle. Got a great Hawaiian shirt, a long sleeve Banana Republic shirt (for like six bucks! it is in great shape too) and a hat for 2$ that is seriously awesome. White with black band. Then I got some glasses. Ha.

Japanther was playing with Nightshade at The Works tonight to start off the Time Based Arts festival. I rode my bike over to Mel's and we caught the 15 together. The line outside The Works (the venue for shows and installations at the old Washington High School) was lengthy when we got there and it doubled as we waited. Doors didn't open till 10:15 and really that was just letting the crowd amass. We got through in a decent amount of time. A lot of fluids were tossed at the door.

There were some seats in the front to the left and we grabbed them. The venue filled up. The stage was set up with a huge sheet of paper blocking the performers. All we could see was the sheet, which a paper cut out puppet show was projected onto. Nightshade did all the cut out animations and blended it with the occasional silhouette of one of the two bandmembers in Night Shade. There were some other living people but mostly cut outs. FANTASTIC AMAZING CUTOUTS! It was great. We stayed standing in our seats, not wanting to get into the crowd at the stage. Which was good, because the security was insane. They pulled tons of people and even hauled a couple that were dancing a little too much out of the crowd. They also left the lights on a bit, which made it harder to see the puppets. Still, the 30 minute show was fabulous. Lots of energy and great artwork. They tore down the paper in the end and did another song. Mel and I left. She hugged one of her friends in Nightshade. We chatted with a couple people and went to catch the last 15 back into town.

This huge group of Goose Hollow kids started to crowd at the stop, so we walked up two blocks to the stop before it. HA! The bus didn't overfill, but it was nice to get good seats at the front. It was a nice walk back to my bike and Mel's place. Stopped for some Sprite. Now just to relax. Some more celebrating tomorrow night but a pretty open day. Set out my chocolate croissants. In 9 hours, those will be ready to cook. Yum!