I'm not totally abandoning livejournal for good or anything. But, if you're wondering where I've been putting my thoughts and things, you'll find them at the following micro-blogging sites:
I can't wait until I'm done with all the things that've been consuming my time for the past 4 to 5 months. I want to read some books, knit some scarves, draw some pictures, write some stories/blog entries. Almost!
It's finally cool enough to comfortably go outside on a daily basis.
It's a relief to be a slave to the heat no longer; no more a prisoner in the frothing cauldron of the seemingly endless summer heat wave. Sometimes, it's as if the summers here are like harsh winters in other places: people forced to become hermits, venturing outside only when necessary. Only instead of braving the cold with layers of wool and underground tunnels, we wear the minimal amount of clothing possible, prepared to return sweaty and uncomfortable. Then, when the heat breaks -- from a steamy 95 to cool, brisk 85 -- everyone, overcome with a renewed sense of adventure, teems with ambition to use the outdoors to their full potential, in the way we were unable to for two months while stricken with hot, hot cabin fever. Finally, riding bikes is more enjoyable, walking to lunch is once again a tolerable option, and wearing shoes without socks is even less detestable. The only downside is fewer daylight hours... but I think it's worth the trade off.
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I'm pretty stoked on doing pilates and yoga again. I stopped for a while for whatever reasons and almost forgot how much I really enjoy it. I'm not even that good at it and I still like going to classes and trying, so that says a lot about how good it is for me to do. Especially since I'm used to being good at things and I tend to become disinterested in things that I don't particularly excel at; and, while I would like to get better and more confident in practicing, I don't have any burning desire to get awesome at it or to teach it or go crazy with it -- which, historically for me, also says a lot. So I'm making a conscious effort to turn it into a habit and practice regularly (even when I am tired and don't really feel like going to class, like yesterday for instance) and also let myself go more than once a week if I feel so inclined, for the sole reason that it makes me feel good and I need more of those kind of things.
That, and I need an extracurricular activity that doesn't involve television or buying clothes.
And then I'm going to start using my camera again to take photos of things.
And then finish that scarf I started knitting last winter.
I'm watching 30 Rock right now and it's freaking hilarious. I've LOLed like 10 times gah! and this week is almost over. I have to finish this work I'm doing right now, then really finish it tomorrow morning, and then go bowling for the latter half of the workday. Then, it'll be the weekend, and then that means it's time to see Matthew Dear at the Local506.
What else? Caribou, The Octopus Project, Woots opening party, Roulette party, people visiting, Stars, and and and...
Two nights ago, I woke up at 3am because I was screaming in my sleep. I don't think the dream was particularly scary, if anything, it was really really sad. Regardless, I couldn't/didn't want to fall asleep for a long long while for fear of falling back into that particular dream. Last night, I had one in which I was in a horrible car crash. Horrible, like, slow motion glass breaking, every little detail, horrible.
We went to Asheville this weekend to see Girl Talk and Dan Deacon. The show was freaking ridiculous and crowded and sweaty and awesome. But we also drove around and looked at some beautiful large land formations (re: mountains).
We took a million photos of the shows and the scenery, and here's a quick digest:
A mountain
Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon
Girl Talk
Girl Talk and confetti
Girl Talk photoset HERE Dan Deacon/White Williams photoset HERE Asheville outdoors photoset HERE
I went to New York this weekend with my mom and it was awesome. I saw family members who I hadn't seen in roughly two years, I met all the little kids that have been born into my family since the last time I was there, I got some new digs (and so did my mom!), saw some improv shows for freee, hung out with friends, and drank too much for my birthday (goddamn! I'm 23).
Also, I ate about a million zeppole at the SAN GENNARO FEAST -- if you've never been to this event before, you don't even know what you're missing -- otherwise known as the best 10 days in Little Italy! Whenever I'm in town while it's going on, the smell of garlic and fried dough drags me all the way to Mulberry St. from blocks and blocks away... whether I like it or not.
Whenever I get the photos I took with my Holga developed, I'll post them. But for now, here's a photo of some cute kids that I'm related to:
You can see the few other photos I have from the weekend HERE!
This weekend, my brother is coming to visit so that we can go see THE SLACKERS (also known as: our favorite band through high school; also known as: the greatest ska band ever). And, I'm so totally unashamed of loving ska music as much as I do -- even though the trend fizzled out circa 1999 --, that the prospect of there being innumerable annoying high school kids at this show isn't even bothering me right now. I'm totally stoked to revive 16-year-old-Lauren, who was far more angsty and awkward than present-day-Lauren (probably hard to believe, bit it's tru; except that present-day-Lauren will be consuming more Pabst at this show than 16-year-old-Lauren would have). Maybe I should wear my Doc Martens, which are evidently coming back into style (if that were true, wouldn't someone've responded to my craigslist posting?)? Regardless, it's going to be awesome because I haven't seen them (or any other ska group for that matter) play in about three years or so (since they played with the 40 Ounces at Go! Studios back in 2004 before it closed).
Next weekend is going to be so work-free, it's not even funny.
Speaking of work, GOOD GRACIOUS I've been busy (Except for right now, of course, but I'm about to go home, for real). I don't know if I would be executing my job so successfully right now it if weren't for this livejournal and the html I learned from writing in it for going-on 5 years. Feeling 'indispensable' is pretty great sometimes.
My mom and I are going to New York to shop and visit family (most of whom I haven't seen in 2 years) and have a general good time for my birthday, which, I might add, will be spanning 4 days this year (read: Sept 12-16th). I think I'll make my mom goto a good comedy show (UCBT) and hang out with some of my friends while we're there, too.
23. Dang. (I hope it's better than 22 was).
Other things to do before October 26th: study math, see Peter Bjorn and John, see Girl Talk/Dan Deacon in Asheville, go to the freaking dentist, see various other awesome shows that are coming through town, get tickets to and ride our bikes to the beer festival Oct 6, study math more, take more photos, not eat, draw pictures, and write interesting letters to interesting people.
(Some weird number from West Virgina JUST called me. I didn't answer because I get scared of unknown numbers.)
It was weird. and fake. and like everyone says, it does in fact represent the degradation of American (and Earthly) society. It's easy to stay inside for days at a time since there are no windows or clocks and sometimes the insides look like outside. People buy you drinks left and right. You can't take photos at craps tables. It's very dry. Everything is very expensive and everyone goes there with the intention of spending lots of money and drinking lots of alcohol and having lots of "fun." Gah-ross!!
Anyway, here are photos of times spent in the west with people I had never met before...
After 1.75 days spent in the hospital, only clear liquids, an emptied system, probin' and scopin'... I come back to freak-outs, a loaded inbox, and passive aggression.
^^At teh H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L; approx. monday @ 7pm (and pretty much rightnow at work).
Despite the discomfort (an understatement), it was a good decision I think. I contributed to a study of a condition that affects my life (and a lot of other people's) on a daily basis, and they might have even figured out what's wrong with me. At least somewhat. Finally, a something like a diagnosis. Finally, some relief. Maybe.
I bought 3 boxes of cereal and 2 bags of granola at the grocery store yesterday. And I ate reeeeal food last night. Instead of water and yellow icee.... ^^Miserable approx. monday @ midnight.
[tuesday was too awkward/uncomfortable/hospital-gowned/empty/tired/dead to photograph]
LOST tonight. Corey Brown this weekend. Boo to the Internet/MySpace/Facebook/Feeds/Friends/This Livejournal. DON'T BE LAME. Things are generally lame enough. dah.
OMG I HAVE TO GOTO LAS VEGAS ON MONDAY. IM SCARED. IF I DONT COME BACK BY THURSDAY, MAY 10TH AT MIDNIGHT SEND A SEARCH PARTY.
In Charleston we: walked pretty much around the entire peninsula on Saturday, sat in Battery Park, saw the Open Market, visited the only USPS-issued R2D2 mailbox in town, ate fried green tomatoes at Hominy Grill, looked at the college's cow-blood-covered buildings, took photos of an old jail, bought Solar Shields at a retromart called 'Junk and Jive,' strolled down narrow alleys that used to be roads, hung out with friends who live in Charleston as well as friends who live 25 minutes from me but I haven't seen in 3 years saw some pretty girthy steeples, drank beer in a bar with no sign, etc etc etc..
1. Playing basketball with the dudes during lunch and winning at Knock Out; thus returning to work hot, a little sweaty, and a bit gross... similar to a young pre-adolescent boy after recess... which I am not.
2. Getting a chocolate milkshake at Chick-fil-a and drinking it all on our walk back to work; thus returning to work with an uncomfortable and upset stomach... similar to a lactose intolerant person... which I am.
And together we saw The Paper Chase and Explosions in the Sky, and a lot of other people I haven't seen in a while or only see on rare occasions when I goto shows like that. It was fun... and awkward.
But these people (below)... I like to take pictures of these people with my macbook even when they don't want their photos taken. my brother...
my mom...
and my dad...
The manager at American Apparel here in Charlotte definitely knows my mom and me too well. And the dude from Niche always asks how Chapel Hill is (I still swear I know him from somewhere else, though). And I don't even live here. RETAIL ADDICTION.
Okay. So. In the past few months, my internet junk has been deleted a few times, not by me. By "internet junk," I mean my MySpace account (I used to be so OG!), my flickr account and all 2000 photos I had tagged and sorted from DSI's first year of existence (and not to mention from my own life), my forums username, and my old bellsouth email was broken into.
One thing that wasn't disturbed, fortunately, was this blog. If this livejournal, and all the things I've written, done, felt and experienced throughout college and after so far, were to be deleted and unretrievable, I don't know what I would do. I would crumble.
I get paranoid sometimes. I decided to export and save all of the entries I've written since January 2003, when I started this blog, and back them up on my hard drive. And then I went one step further and decided to import all of them into another blog site for double back up.
Now I think I might actually transition into using that blog more and more. It's like growing up. Because I think I've maybe outgrown this livejournal.
1.) I've never owned "chucks," but I would be lying if I said I hadn't seriously considered it many times in the past 10 years (well, as 'seriously' as one can consider buying shoes without ever having tried them on). In fact, I'm currently going through one of those chuck-pensive phases - specifically pensing on *white canvas*. Is it dumb that after reading this post on Gawker, I want white converse all-stars even more than I did last week?
2.) Pet Peeve: People throwing cigarettes out of car windows.
3.) Side Note: I had to look up how to correctly spell "cigarette" because I always mix up my double-consonants.
4.) Okay. I don't eat chicken. But I goto Chick-fil-A for one reason and one reason only:
coworker:: What makes it "Polynesian"? me: I dunno... the "xanthan gum"?
5.) How should one feel when she sees THIS and THIS? 1. Happy because an artist she has been into for years is becoming so popular that his work needs to be mass produced and distributed through everyone's local hispter-supply mega store? OR 2. Disappointed in the fact that an artist she has been into for years is becoming so popular that even people who would buy wall art at Urban Outfitters like him?
I've had this LOMO camera for almost 2 years and I just yesterday finished and processed the first role I've ever taken with it. However, I'm stupid. And I ended up exposing half of it beforehand (I thought it was all rolled up, I swear!). But we managed to salvage a few good shots and even a couple from almosttwoyearsago. Including these two:
Periwinkle Palace!
Fiesta Grill!
This one is more recent, but I kinda like it. ( More here... )
I have to admit, LOMOGRAPHY is still pretty awesome two years later. 10 Rules of Lomography: 1. Take your LOMO everywhere you go & whenever you go. 2. Use it anytime — day or night. 3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of it. 4. Shoot from the hip. 5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible. 6. Don't think. 7. Be fast. 8. You don't have to know beforehand what you've captured on film. 9. You don't have to know afterwards, either. 10. Don't worry about the rules.
I was overjoyed yesterday (and still) when I saw a commercial for some local bank and none other than MUGGSY BOGUES was the spokesperson. Especially since I just recently added this vintage pin that I got at an antique store in Charlotte to my gigantic bag:
Where has he been for the past howevermany years?
Growing up in Charlotte and being "into" sports throughout my childhood, Muggsy was totally my (and every other kid's) hero because of his short stature but fiery basketball skills when he played on the Hornets in the early 90s. And he made pretty much weekly appearances at various kids sporting events or sports stores. Man... I can't find the commercial on YouTube (and I'm probably the only one who cares enough to want to find it), but if I do its going straight into this blog, I'll tell you what!
If you need a memory boost:
And for anyone who doesnt already know, using the internet to passive-aggressively bother people is so totes 1995.
Update: Okay, i didnt find that commerical, but I did find a short MTV documentary about how awesome he is...
To me, three doesnt seem like a balanced number. Its oddness makes it deceptive (re: peculiar, lucky), but in actuality it is the basis of fundamental balance in so many fields of study. Everything, from ancient philosophy to primary colors to states of matter to principles of repetition in comedy, relies on the number three. Even coincidences. Earth is the third planet from the Sun in our solar system, DNA's triplet codon system, holy trinity, Babe Ruth, three bodies of Buddha, Thesis + Antithesis = Synthesis.
The Wiccan Rule of Three states that both the good and the evil that one creates in the world will be returned threefold, in either joy or suffering.
Applications...
1.) One of the first and most basically important things I learned about photography was the Rule of Thirds. Thinking in thirds while composing a photograph helps to capture and create a balanced image. And sometimes its something you do without even realizing. Most of the time, though, its the fact that people dont always think in threes that so many photos exist in which people's faces are in the middle with about 2 inches of nothingness above their heads.
QUOTE: The rule states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. The four points formed by the intersections of these lines can be used to align features in the photograph. Proponents of this technique claim that aligning a photograph with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the feature would.
But really, in all honesty, all of this exposition was to show you a new polaroid photo I took the other day when it was really blue and really windy in Raleigh. The first person who commented on it (who wasnt there when I took it) said: "Nice rule of thirds."
My brother gave me a Holga 120N for Christmas. It is pretty awesome. Here are some photos from the first batch of film I took with it (see the set HERE):
1.) While in Open Eye, standing, reading Fifteen501 Magazine and waiting for my routine coffee and bay-gul, I overheard an exchange between (who I assumed to be) two mothers, one with a young daughter:
Mother #1: So, did Judy lend you that movie yet? Mother #2 (child in tow): Yes, but we didn't get to watch it all. Mother #1: Oh it's really good, how come? Mother #2: Well because [looks left then right, leans in, and whispers] it has S-E-X in it [raises eyebrows, leans away] Mother #1: Oh, I guess it does.
2.) While waiting to turn right at the traffic light at Roberson and Main, I was behind a Subaru wagon with an unexpected bumper sticker: "Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and good with ketchup." Can some explain to me what that refers to, if anything?
3.) While waiting to turn left onto Franklin from Boundary, I was behind a car with a vanity license plate that read "MNHTNBB." It was an easy one, but I impressed myself with how quickly I figured it out, despite how early it was ("Manhattan Baby").
---
Anyone who knows me relatively well, knows that I love awkward social exchanges, and also that the only two things I enjoy about the concept of driving and/or riding in cars are bumper stickers and vanity plates.
If you know me really, really well, then you also know that I have always wanted that one bumper sticker that reads "Don't take your organs to heaven - heaven knows we need them here!." Not because I have any strong beliefs about heaven or an afterlife, and I'm only moderately opinionated about organ donation (I have the little heart icon on my drivers license, because what the hell do I need organs for after I'm dead?), but because its such a nicely composed and poignant statement, only midly undertoned with a religious agenda. And, it uses the word "heaven" in such a way that could even be considered "in vain." I love bumper stickers because it is endlessly interesting, the things people decide to express on their bumpers or rear windows.
If you know me really, super well then you also know that I am awesome at figuring out cryptic and/or complicated and/or voweless vanity plates. It's like sudoku for motorists. Like the morning jumble in the newspaper, even. A little puzzle for you to ponder while driving behind that particular car with the added challenge of trying to figure it out within the time period you are following them, before they change lanes, turn, or you get antsy and go around them. I figured out a really hard one the other day, but I can't think of it right now. And I've spent (admittedly) a lot of time thinking of different things I could have on a vanity plate with which I could repay the challenge.
Edit: My horoscope for today is so damn accurate.... Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22) - Wednesday, January 17, 2007 Simple pleasures are important now, yet you can fulfill your need for fun while you are working. You aren't so eager, though, to let others tell you how to do your job. You have a good idea as to the best way to do something and that will likely work well. Just remember that you could easily miss an important detail today so think everything through twice before starting.
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In my youth, I used to goto a lot more shows. In more recent times, that has been lacking a bit, but (as more of a reminder to myself) here's a list of some really good ones that I may or may not end up going to, because I'm an old, old tired old lady.
Jan 20: camera obscura (cats cradle) Jan 29: the rapture (cats cradle) Feb 09: HORATIO SANZ @ DSIF7 (cats cradle) Feb 12: deerhoof (cats cradle) Mar 03: grizzly bear (506) Mar 05: of montreal (cats cradle) Mar 10: the pietasters (cats cradle) Mar 21: RJD2 (cats cradle) Mar 24: battles (506) Mar 29: mstrkrft & john digweed (the forum - charlotte) Apr 15: tv on the radio (cats cradle) Apr 16: ratatat (cats cradle) Apr 27: machine drum (nightlight)
Date created: 2003-01-23 18:40:00 I am in the fifth year of this blog and I've posted 337 entries (well, 338 now). That's an average of 84 and half entries a year for 4 years, or 0.23 a day. I am a horrible blogger. And I bet we can even discard about 200 of those entries on account of them being of what-I-did-today-as-a-freshman-in-college nature or just for being about general, uninteresting nothingness. Also, over the past four complete years, I've posted 1,273 comments and received 1,402. Statistics.
sta·tis·tics /stəˈtɪstɪks/ [stuh-tis-tiks] –noun 1. the science that deals with the collection, classification, analysis, and interpretation of numerical facts or data, and that, by use of mathematical theories of probability, imposes order and regularity on aggregates of more or less disparate elements. 2. the numerical facts or data themselves. 3. one viewed as a nameless item of statistical information
Today, my car was an igloo again. And I remembered that I forgot something in my house after I was already in the car, so I left my car running in the street in front of the house. While digging around in the house for whatever it was I forgot, I started to think about the possibility that someone could just get in my car and drive away with it as it sat there unlocked and idling in the street. I mean, it wasn't stolen or anything, but it would've been easy to do, and then what would I have done? I'm pretty certain that I'm not the only person who regularly pictures the worst-case-scenario of a particular moment and thinks about how she would really, honestly react in that sort of situation. In this particular case, I would probably stand there in disbelief for a second or two and then would immediately realize that my phone would have been in the car, so if my car were stolen, I wouldnt be able to call the police right away (or anyone else because I don't actually know anyones numbers) but I could go back into the house and use the landline assuming I didnt already lock the door behind me as the criminal sped away in my enviable '95 Toyota Camry thereby locking myself out of the house and having to bang really hard on the door for a while with tears streaming down my face in order to get in and then after exasperated conversations with the police and the insurance company and calling my parents I guess I could try to catch the bus to work because what else would I do all day, maybe call in and say my car was stolen, and I would probably be really upset and crying because my gigantic bag with my wallet, cards, ids and everything would also have been in there with my computer, my hello kitty wafflemaker, my in-progress scarf, my new-old polaroid camera, and then I might never get my car back and would have to settle for an insurance payout that would hopefully fund a new/different car altogether or I could just not have a car anymore but I really like my car despite the faded hood sometimes, but it would be really stressful and I'm not really in a good frame of mind to deal well with something like that and then what? It's like how, when I was very young, I used to spend 15 minutes before going to sleep every night picking out an armful of my favourite stuffed animals to sleep with that I would want to save the most if my house were to catch fire that particular night. I like to consider myself an optimist, but I probably do that too much sometimes (hence the strikethrough). Neurosis
neu·ro·sis /nʊˈroʊsɪs, nyʊ-/ [noo-roh-sis, nyoo-] –noun; plural -ses /-siz/, [-seez] 1. Also called psychoneurosis. a functional disorder in which feelings of anxiety, obsessional thoughts, compulsive acts, and physical complaints without objective evidence of disease, in various degrees and patterns, dominate the personality. 2. a relatively mild personality disorder typified by excessive anxiety or indecision and a degree of social or interpersonal maladjustment.
I'll admit that I am neurotic, but I stand by the fact that I'm not really crazy. I prefer "peculiar."
This was a source of hyperventilation yesterday: (My boss said to me: "I didn't know you were into stuff.") Beautiful.
I kind of like the way Last.fm makes me feel really, extremely self-conscious about the music I listen to. "Self-conscious" always sounds like a negative term, but in this case I mean it in a good, increased-self-awareness kind of way. I like "scrobbling," and I like trying to predict what will be in my top 10 for the week based solely on what I remember listening to or feeling like that week. It's like a game really, and I try to, you know, surprise myself.
I also know that, otherwise, I would probably end up listening to Junior Boys, She Wants Revenge, and Peter Bjorn & John (or whatever other music I'm jocking that month) over and over again, all day long, until I tire of them and find them unlistenable for the next three months. I'm pre-disposed to that sort of behaviour: I've been listening to the same Hollertronix album in my car for about 2 months now (maybe longer) and will most likely need to hide it somewhere for a year once I've had enough. The CDs in my car more or less act as a back up, though, for when I don't feel like digging through my gigantic bag for my ipod or when the distance I am driving doesn't justify the effort (but I realize that most of the distances I drive rarely do).
Not to mention that I don't even have to try to list my music interests on things like MySpace or anywhere else that encourages that really anymore... just copy, paste, and scrobble. And a side note: I've had this last.fm account since June 2005 and then I didn't use it for a year. That was pretty interesting to come back to and see what I was listening to on repeat then (a lot of it is the same actually... - Blockhead and Boards of Canada).
Look, here's what I'm listening to right now!: (It looks like a screenshot, but it'll scrobble, I promise)
I get really into things. When I was younger, it was troll dolls and tamagotchi and then sports and music (there was other stuff in between, too, I promise). Right now, I'm really into friends and improv and I'm really into taking lots of photos with different kinds of cameras and film (mostly polaroid and digital, and testing the holga 120 waters). Luckily enough, those things mesh together quite nicely, unlike my sports/punkrock years which left me awkwardly angsty but really in-shape.
I went to Peace Camera this weekend and bought this guy: and it is awesome. We tried it out in the store to make sure it worked alright, since it's about 25 years old, and we were all surprised at how well it operated and how awesome the colors came out.
I love my Spectra and everything, but it needs a good three feet to focus and it has a manadatory flash that tends to wash out photos. This SLR680 has actual (not-fixed) focus and optional flash and even some aperture control, this one guy said it can focus even 1 foot away. Here's the first photo taken with it. The Peace Camera guy signed it. It was awesome, even though I look stupid.
I can't stop listening to Peter Bjorn & John. Except for the first hour or so that I've been in Open Eye and they were playing The Smiths. I also can't stop taking photos and collecting more cameras. Neither of these are necessarily bad things.
I've been meaning to post photos from Christmas. In addition to the normal kinds of things people do on a holiday, this year involved light sabers, headlamps, and Charlie, Brian, and me locking ourselves (intentionally) in the bathroom for an hour. You can see the whole set HERE. Most of these were taken either with Charlie's minolta or my D50, and I also have a ton of polaroids to scan, but those will go elsewhere....
My mom who is undeniably adorable.
I wrapped these myself, and for those who don't know, that is a feat in and of itself. I won't deny it... I'm mildly retarded when it comes to wrapping things in decorative paper.
This photo more or less sums up my only resolution... if thats what you want to call it. Like I said... new calendar years are something I can really get behind.
We had our company Christmas party last night and I ended up MCing a mandatory karaoke competition. After two glasses of wine, saying "Krismahanukorobaroake" became more of a challenge.
For the many of you who have never seen where I work, this is where I spend at least 8 hours a day, Monday thru Friday:
The production team:
You can go look at more photos from my office here!
