| If you close the door, the night could last forever |
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[03 Sep 2008|09:25pm] |
I'm going to interrupt my hiatus from livejournal posting to say that I wish I could reach through my tv screen and choke Rudolph Giuliani and all these other morons. IAWE$@2#$(*@Q$@*&%Q$&B %!!! @$I!#U$
God Bless America.
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| you just turned your back on the crowd |
[03 Oct 2007|08:16pm] |
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leonard cohen - "chelsea hotel no. 2" |
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Not many people write in here anymore.. including myself. It might just be a part of getting older, of having less time, or of people simply abandoning livejournal for other mediums, I suppose, maybe some combination of all of those. All I know is I feel compelled to write in this instant, so I'll go with it. (maybe because I'm scheduled to take the GRE on Monday and this seems like a fresher alternative to studying high school algebra?? Haha ha.)
This song is so sad, but so good.
I just started a term with Americorps here in Austin, with a program called Keep Austin Housed. So far it's infinitely more interesting than the soul-sucking temp work I was filling my days with only a month prior to this. Thank god. There is life outside a cubicle after all. (duh)
So, more specifically, I didn't get the exact position I wanted, but I'm instead working with an organization called Caritas, at an apartment complex where they have twenty rooms as part of a permanent supportive housing program. All twenty of those people were chronically homeless for years and have usually at least 1 or 2 disabilities whether they be emotional, physical, mental, or substance abuse. I'll be doing case management--something I'm completely new to, and I've been pretty much just thrown into it, but it's an adventure and I'll be learning new things all year, I'm sure, and making many mistakes along the way.
Everyone is really nice so far, as are all my fellow americorps people working in other organizations that help the homeless here in Austin, so I'm finally meeting some people here at least.
I feel like my mind is more clear than it was this time last year, and that's nice. I have a better idea of what I want anyhow..still not completely clear, but so much more. I think it was a combination of living in poverty-stricken, devastated New Orleans AND Guatemala in the same year, the perfect formula to make me turn to social work.
There's not much going on. I miss a lot of people. It's so sad when I think about how scattered a lot of my friends are now, but also great to hear how they're doing in their own section of the world. I wish I could visit everyone.
I think Austin is starting to feel more like a home, except that it's friggin' October and still hits 90 degrees in the afternoon. Damn you Texas. I miss my seasonal leave color changes. At least there are still some pumpkin-flavored foods, but it's just not the same. I miss Indiana more this year than I did last. I don't know why. Also here I am constantly aware of what state I'm in. There's far too much pride in Texas. I kind of miss that humble midwest attitude. Plus the Cubs are in the playoffs and no one seems to care here! ugh!
(---Umm I think some of the stray cats outside are fighting. I hear loud angry cat noises.)
Oh, also, I'm eligible for food stamps, apparently. rock and roll! No shame there! Be so jealous.
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| I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert |
[20 Jul 2007|09:14pm] |
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Oh, I do still have one of these.
I'm forcing myself to crawl out of my hole to write at least a little about ...the past month or so. For those of you who weren't loyal readers of my Guatemala blog (http://olivetasting.blogspot.com), I guess we have a lot of work to do.
I've been living in Austin, Texas for a little over a month now. I followed the boy again as he's starting grad school at UT this fall.. but really there are worse places to move than Austin I'm thinking. I always wanted to visit here, just didn't realize it'd be so soon and so long-term.
I feel the need to finally plant some roots in a place, as this past year has had more than a slight resembalance to a child with ADD. (Bloomington-New Orleans-Xela-Austin).
I'm tired. and ready to have a home and a job and make new friends and keep it all for a while. (at least a few years.. heh)
I'm sure the travelling spirit will grab ahold of me before I know it, but for now I am content having a new city to explore. The experience in Guatemala, as usually is the case, has taken on a new light since I've returned. I miss Xela more than I think I thought I would. I miss the women at Trama and buying cheap fresh vegetables any day of the week from any number of markets. I miss hot pupusas at night and fairs that would appear and linger with no need for an excuse. I miss volcanoes in the distance, street dogs, looking at women's huipiles and realizing what highland village they were from. I miss market days, the kooks at Best English, microbuses, and the chapin breakfast of black refried beans, eggs, fried plantains, mosh, and queso fresco. I miss the goddamn rooster crowing in the morning.
Argh.
Ok, on the other side of things, I don't miss always being sick and wondering, "Can I eat this?" I'm glad to be away from our crazy house where the Mayan reverend's girls would sit and stare at the tv all day like zombies. I don't miss the constant stares for being white, or the "encapuchados" who roamed the streets in spring making me nervous.
That's the way it goes. It's always strange when you realize a chapter of your life has closed .. which I've done to myself several times this year--first when I left Bloomington and said goodbye to my friends, then in New Orleans, which I didn't think I would miss, but now realize that of course I do, and lastly with Xela. It was time to leave, because my body and spirits couldn't take much more, but now, of course, I miss it.
The trip back home was exhausting.. through Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. I saw some great places and met some really cool folks who were nice enough to let us stay with them, but the parasites, bacterias, AND amoebas had left me pretty weak, and I could not take any more travelling.
Anyway, here I am. currently working a soul-sucking data entry temp job to pay the bills while i await news about another position I'm hoping to get.
Ryan's working at a Japanese restaurant, right now actually, so I'm sittin' all alone on this Friday night. I hope I can make some friends here. I really miss having a group of friends. I should meet people though if I get the Americorps position, and I'm thinking of taking a fun art class this fall too. Also, I MIGHT go to grad school in a year. I'm thinking about it quite seriously.
Austin's fun so far though. Lots of good food! lots of good music, movies, parks, etc. It's a bit overwhelming, really. Earlier this week we saw Blitzen Trapper and David Vandervelde play at emo's which was a really good show. oh and the decemberists played a free show, and I tried to get there as soon as I could, but of course that wasn't soon enough as they were only letting the first 200 people in!! bleh. so annoying. so crazy how big they've gotten.
This entry is so scatter-brained because I haven't written ANYTHING in over a month so it's just pouring out. I apologize.
I should mention that we're currently subletting a room in a duplex and I like to walk around the little neighborhood. We're living with this Peruvian gal named Tania who is a biology grad student and pretty nice/funny. She likes to watch tv and talk to it when no one is around. Oh also the house is falling apart currently. There is some water leak below the house, and the water is currently shut off and I don't know how to turn it back on so I have to wait til ryan gets back.. wah. also there is a huge crack in the ceiling of our closet. It's been raining a lot lately in these parts.
umm.. but we will be moving in austin to a house we just signed a lease for. very exciting. It's a tiny two-bedroom house just east of UT's campus. So it's an amazing location and I'm excited to have a little house to decorate that will be just ours.
Oh also when I was walking around the neighborhood last week, I think I saw a turkey vulture in someone's front yard picking at something but I didn't realize it was a vulture 'til later. I'd only seen them in cartoons before I think! wow.
Another hobby of mine lately is signing up for contests with the free paper here to try and get passes to free movie screenings. We've already scored two! Yeah!
What else? There are lots of crickets here, and they creep me out. also too many mosquitoes. I'm going to Atlanta for Labor Day weekend to visit Hannah which is very exciting. (It's absolutely depressing, though, to come to terms with the fact of how infrequently I'll be able to see my best friends now. Growing up really does suck.) And Sarah's coming to visit Austin in September!
I'm reallllly glad it's the weekend. Oh, and on my last two Saturdays I was handing out yogurt samples for the Mexican dairy company LALA at supermarkets, which wasn't horrible, but we quit, and I'm glad, because I need a whole weekend to unwind. And Ryan has Sunday off so we can actually do something this weekend.
I'm hungry.
Do people still read this?
More soon, with more structure and focus next time, I swear.
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| Let's get out of the country |
[15 Jan 2007|10:25pm] |
Tomorrow morning I'm Guatemala-bound.
It snowed tonight so I couldn't say "I didn't see any snow at all this year." Ay de mi.
Hasta luego
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| put them down in verse so I would always remember |
[16 Dec 2006|02:22pm] |
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juana molina - solo su voz |
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My 69 degree days in December will shortly be coming to an end..
Time has tricked me once again, and I find myself for the 2nd time this year, emptying out a room.
Yesterday was my last day of work, and as much as I was looking forward to that, it was almost a tad bittersweet. They gave me cards and a nice journal and "Auntie" baked me her famous cheesecake frosted cake. Valerie bought sparkling juices. It was really sweet and unexpected. I also indulged in my last of the Adam's St. Grocery Friday shrimp po-boy lunches and I'll tell ya, I savored every bite. oh yes. I feel like I learned a lot. Even though it was really difficult at times, especially at the beginning, I'm glad I stuck with the job. I proved to myself I can work 8 hour days, 5 days a week, and not die from exhaustion. I also now way more about the eye than any good little liberal arts major should know. A (very) small part of me will surely miss writing down "OD", "OS", "macula clear, fovea sharp", "boggy conjunctiva" everyday. C'est la vie. I'm going to miss Conella, but she's going to meet Ryan and I at a crazy casino buffet tonight with her family, so all is well for another day. Leaving a job or internship or friends is always a little awkward and sad. And it's strange to imagine the life you left going on without you. It's comforting knowing it goes on, but I hate knowing that it's going on without me, that I'm missing out. I guess that only accumulates the longer you live. Maybe I'll get more used to it.
Only a few more days down here. The doctor tried and tried to get me to stay, but I'm headed somewhere else. He did successfully make me feel a little guilty for "abandoning" the city. I wish I could do more right now. It's just really sad and the government is doing a disgraceful job in so many ways.
Tuesday is leaving for the big apple to make my brother happy. Then back here for another night to make the big drive back up to the north the next day. Indiana-bound. I cannot wait to see all my friends again. This prospect is really exciting. Sure, I'm going to miss Ryan for the 3 weeks we'll be separated, but I miss my friends so much. I'll get to see Cindy again who will be back from Peru, for the first time since May! and Sarah who has been in Korea since summer! This makes me extra happy. and everyone everyone else.
There's a lot I haven't written about for whatever reason, and that is not good. But it's too late to go back now. To sum it up: weekend in Bloomington, airport troubles, Thanksgiving at home, seeing Andrew Bird, Festival of the Bonfires in Lutcher, LA with beauty queens and kettle corn, sickness, flu shot, new glasses! (at last)
On January 16th I'm headed for Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. This also makes me happy. one-way ticket. We'll stay for several months and hopefully take buses back home through Mexico. and then ??? to be continued.
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| I will dress your eyelids with dimes upon your eyes |
[25 Oct 2006|05:28pm] |
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decemberists - sons and daughters |
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updates.
It's finally started to feel a bit like autumn here in the "Big Easy." I say this because now I need to slip a sweater over my scrubs (yes, I wear scrubs.) when I leave for my daily walk in the morning to work. It's a welcome change.
Lately things decided to stop working in my apartment-- notably the water in the kitchen sink (which thankfully is functioning again), the internet network comes in and out.. and now my cable tv isn't working and I wouldn't care too much but I've taken to watching the Colbert Report at night.
Work can be frustrating but I'm dealing with it better than I was at first.. and I don't get as tired anymore either. The doctor can be a bit much at times to put it mildly. It is consoling, however, to know I only have about 2 more months left of working there.. I know if it weren't for Conella and some of the other ladies that work there, I would have quit much earlier. I told Conella last week that she is the light of each of my days, and it's true.
But for every bad thing I have to say about my job as a fake nurse with no education there is a good thing.. whether it's Conella or one of the 93-year old patients who makes me laugh or translating for a woman from Honduras who broke her glasses. These things make it bearable. Aye.
Last night Ryan and I went to this "free mystery concert" at the Howlin' Wolf which was supposed to feature 3 bands from the upcoming Voodoo Music Festival this weekend.. we were hoping one of these mystery bands would be someone like Broken Social scene or the Flaming Lips who are scheduled to play but no.. Some band called the Soul Rebels played who were actually pretty entertaining. But the second band! was so so awful. ugh. They were called Bonerama. Bonerama...I guess because they had 3 trombones in their band. which was unnecessary. and they played bad metal covers on their trombones and they were just not good in any way. The last band was the North Mississippi All-Stars but I've never listened to them and it was late so we left. At least it was free.. and they gave everyone 5 free beers.. so that was cool.
Tomorrow we get to see the Decemberists which should be fun. I've been listening to the new album in preparation.. I do always enjoy seeing Mr. Colin Meloy play his tunes.
The family comes to visit this Saturday and I am looking forward to that.. I'll have to give them the grand tour I suppose.
The Angola Prison Rodeo was SOLD OUT for every last weekend this month which means I didn't get to go and that saddens me. I wanted to see a rodeo...with prisoners damnit. ugh. someday someday.
It's pumpkin-food season and that is always a joyous joyous time! We (well, Ryan) made pumpkin soup a few weeks ago and it is quite good for your information! pumpkin pies soon to come.
How are the leaves in Bloomington? Kiss them for me.
I have tickets to fly to Indianapolis and visit B-town the weekend of Nov. 10 and I cannot wait! It will be so good to see friends again.
Odds are getting higher I'm skippin' off to Guatemala in January. si si si
I have probably crossed the path of AT LEAST 5 black cats in the past 2 days.. should I be worried? Maybe they're not really black cats but they're just dressed up for Halloween?
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| what a drag it is getting old |
[09 Oct 2006|03:37pm] |
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the news... |
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Today I skipped my first day of work.
I'm riding the tail end of a cold that unfortunately decided to sink its teeth into me Friday evening. It figures and is quite frustrating.. I slave through a whole week of work looking forward to one thing: the weekend, and then that's taken away from me by a silly virus. bah. At least I had Ryan around. He took very good care of me. And I'm starting to feel much better.
But yeah, this means that I missed the Art for art's sake festival on Saturday that I was looking forward to.. and also this means we had to postpone the trip to the Angola Prison Rodeo (oh yes, it's real) for another week or 2.. woe is me. We did eat some good tapas at a restaurant on Friday though which included manchego flambe! It was quite special.
There are so many things I've been putting off that I need to get to already. lots of decisions that need to be made soon.
The weather is finally lightening up a bit around these parts.. and as it's now October I'm really beginning to feel those pangs of "homesickness" for Bloomington and the pretty leaves that are about to change colors, the town that stills has most my friends in it, the familiar friendly streets. I might get to visit in November.
We'll see. I miss school.
My family is already coming to visit at the end of this month. It'll be fun to see them and show them around my new current surroundings.
Most signs right now point towards abandoning the country for at least 6 months in January. Guatemala? Uruguay? Argentina? Spain again? somewhere else? To be continued..
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| I was twenty-two, I'd had my share of yeeeears |
[31 Aug 2006|06:28pm] |
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the dears - "22: the death of all romance" |
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Oh, it's the last day of August! How the calendar days are flying by.
I've been living in New Orleans for about a month now. That's pretty hard to believe, but true. I'm a lot more used to things than when I first got here which is good.
I now have a full-time job working as an office assistant/receptionist-type person at an eye clinic 40 or so hours a week. It's my first real full-time job.. it's a bit rough, but hopefully I get used to it. It IS a nice thought that I'll be able to pretty much support myself for a while for the first time in my life. That's something I've looked forward to for awhile, and it feels swell. ooh mmhmm yeah. It's interesting to listen to the stories all the (mostly elderly) patients tell. The majority of them are pretty depressing of course, because they involve tales of losing valuables, houses, family members and friends, photographic memories all to the storm one year ago. There isn't much to say except shake your head and sympathize..
Tomorrow I'm catching a flight to Atlanta for the long Labor Day weekend to attend my cousin Bonnie's wedding, and I must say I'm ready for a tiny break from this city. I get restless, you know. My parents and brother are unfortunately no longer attending.. and it's a shame cause I was looking forward to seeing them, cause my brother has a slipped disc in his back.. awful. He's having surgery tomorrow. So Hannah is going to go to the wedding with me and we'll have a jolly ole reunion down in Hotlanta of all places. oh life.
Some cool things I've enjoyed recently:
The Hong Kong Market
It's actually not in New Orleans, but across the river on the "westbank" in Gretna.. and WOW! It's a giant Asian superstore in what used to be a Wal-Mart.. so you can imagine how huge it is. It's full of Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, etc. delicacies.. Stuff I have never seen or heard of before! So Ryan and I just went and bought random intriguing items and sampled them. We bought a can of some fruit called jackfruit and he made a delicious jackfruit curry with venison, grapes, bamboo shoots, etc. last night.. mmm. Also there was a stand at this store where for $2 they will make you one of the most unusual delicious sandwiches I have ever had! I cannot wait to go back. Also: dried squid or squiddles as I like to call them-- not bad.
Mimi's in the Marigny and The Delachaise
two little tapas wine bars I've had the luck to find myself in here in New Orleans. Mimi's has been one of the only places i've been to post-madrid where i've seen foods such as jamon serrano, manchego cheese, croquetas, and patatas bravas on a menu! delicious.. and lots of wines which we havent sampled yet too. It made me a bit nostalgic as always/longing for my Spanish days, but it was a nice feeling to be somewhere that made me feel like that again.. The Delachaise had amazing cheap wine/beer selection AND gourmet foods/tapas..
Cool concerts coming to New Orleans
Man, and I wasn't sure what the show situation would be here post Katrina.. but read 'em and weep--especially for that one week in September.. I won't even be able to go to all these shows out of expenses/fatigue:
Wednesdsay, September 13 - Ted Leo (HOB - New Orleans)
Thursday, September 14 - TV on the Radio (Republic)
Monday, September 18 - Calexico (One Eyed Jack's)
Tuesday, September 19 - Sufjan Stevens/My Brightest Diamond (HOB)
Wednesday, September 20 - Menomena/Long Winters/What made milwaukee (oneeyedjack's)
Thursday, September 21 - Architecture in Helsinki/The Blow (Howlin' Wolf)
Saturday, September 30 - Ratatat (Republic)
Sunday, October 1 - Smog (one eyed jack's)
Sunday, October 13 - Man Man (Spanish Moon-Baton Rouge)
Tuesday, September 26 - Jose Gonzales (Parish HOB - New Orleans)
Thursday, October 26 - Decemberists (HOB - New Orleans)
Wednesday, November 8 - Jolie Holland/Sonny Smith (Parish room)
Sunday, November 19 - Islands
Oh yeah.
Other
Little Miss Sunshine, reading White Teeth, Nirvana's Indian Buffet, Neutral Ground Coffeehouse which is a bit reminiscent of Soma, Dirty Linen Night, St. Joe's bar, Pal's lounge in mid-city with its taco nights, where cute dogs sidle up to you in the hopes that you'll drop some food,. dirty martinis in my room while watching Stephen Colbert..and some more things I'm sure I'm forgetting.
oh my stars, am i ready for a weekend.
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| take that woman on down to new orleans, new orleans |
[09 Aug 2006|01:27am] |
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Au Revoir Simone |
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So things have been pretty crazy this past month..
between trip to Canada, pitchfork music festival, leaving bloomington packing, and trying to get settled in a new city.. it's been a ride..
I don't have the energy to say much right now, but hopefully updates will becoming more regularly.
I can say that I just uploaded a bunch of photos from my wild Canadian road trip to Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City to my flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambourineilene so you should definitely check those out.
Here's a sneak peek:
My moods have been changing a lot this past week.. it hadn't sunk in that I was really really leaving Bloomington and my friends until the night before I left, late, before I went to bed. I'd said goodbye to Hannah after Mother Bear's and one last time at the Vid, and then she came up to my room a second time, with tears in her eyes to say goodbye a second time. And after she left it just really hit me. I've been close friends with Hannah since.. the 7th grade, and we haven't not been living near each other since then. There was Madrid, but I knew I was coming back. This is much more indefinite.. I don't know where I'll be after this.. it's all up in the air. So I broke down.. I'm going to miss all my friends very much, but hopefully I make some new ones here. I'm going to miss Bloomington very much, but hopefully I make New Orleans start to feel like home.. red lights strung about my room already have started to do the trick.. (However, the MASSIVE MASSIVE cockroach who probably ate birds that I saw in my bathroom a few nights ago does NOT)
This city is a lot to get used to.. but it's also pretty cool in lots of ways. There's just a lot of extra stuff to deal with that you're not used to dealing with when you move to a city that was harassed by a giant hurricane. It is nice being close to my boyfriend, though, (finally), after doing long distance for 9-12 months.
So I've mostly been acquainting myself with my surroundings and job searching.. I had a crazy interview today with a music legal firm for a receptionist position. I applied with the zoos. I have an interview with a vintage clothing store on Friday.. other possibilities are in the works as well. I know nothing I get right now will be permanent so I just want something that will bring in some bucks and maybe allow me to enjoy myself a bit too/meet people. Be my friend.
I'd like to write a long review of my Canadian trip.. and Pitchfork.. but that will be for another day.
It's quite odd to not be starting a new school year in the fall.. for the first time in probably 19 years.
more soon.
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| it seems to me I've seen three honeys with tiger t-shirts on |
[13 Jun 2006|05:17pm] |
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13th floor elevators - "you're gonna miss me" |
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I don't know what to do with myself right now..
It's beautiful outside and I feel like I'm wasting it. I was out earlier though..
I'm feeling like I have hardly any friends left here--cause it's true I guess, and this makes me bored/lonely. I only have about a solid month left here but this is not how I wanted to remember my final days in Bloomington. bah.
I can't wait until Friday when Ryan will be coming.. it's been less than 2 weeks since I've seen him and I already miss him a lot.
As much as I enjoy this crazy Indiana town, I must say I'm quite ready for a change.. a chance to try on some new scenery and see some new faces. I have met some great people here but I get a bit claustrophobic when I'm anywhere for too long.. that's just the way I am. I suppose it doesn't help that this is a small little city (even smaller in the summer).
(speaking of this crazy area), hannah and i drove to nashville, in on saturday to get nuts from the nut shop (yum) and for kicks i pulled of onto some random road and drove down it for a while.. well eventually we come across this sign saying there is a Historic Site coming up..! crazy. so it was a museum for an artist named T.C. Steele who apparently was a big deal at this university back in the day, painting the buildings, administrators, etc. (some of his paintings hang in the union).. well you can get tours there, and there are little trails and lilly ponds and a log cabin. it was pretty random and cool. and then later on 46 we saw something called the upright ranch,.. and i'm not sure how we never noticed it before, but they had a camel! and there was a peacock just sitting on the sign, on the side of the road.. that was just glorious. oh how i bask in the randomness! it was great except for the fact that i scraped my knee trying to walk down one of those trails.
I've been tweaking my resume and applying for jobs.. I really hate it. I'm by nature really modest so I'm glad Hannah helped me with fixing the resume.. I think it sounds better now. we'll see i guess.
yesterday i had a dream that i overslept and then missed two final exams and then when i woke up for real i looked at the clock and realized that i had overslept a bit and jumped out of bed, got dressed, and scampered to work. the difference is i still got there in time.. dreams are crazy.
at this point i can't wait until mid-july.
amuse /distract me/inspire me
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| they're selling postcards of the hangings |
[07 Jun 2006|03:42pm] |
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espers - espers ii |
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Here I am.
So much to record and I'd best do it.
I'm a college graduate now and golly do four years fly by. just sort of waiting out this next month.. I have a part-time job as a page at the Lilly library and I participate in the occasional/frequent paid experiment still. Today's was interesting because it involved pictures of various people and I recognized some of them. funny.
This just feels like any ordinary summer.. except I know it's not and I won't be enrolled in school in the fall. I'll be living in New Orleans doing some sort of job (I hope?) and things will still be temporary. oh the life of a semi-nomad. mmmm. I need to find a job for the fall. But what can I find? Do I settle for good money/full-time or do I just try to find something that will make me happier and make me some friends as well? I'm not going to have any friends around me in the fall except for Ryan.. It is only 6 months though, for sure. we shall seeee...
if you have any ideas/advice, throw it my way.
Today it started pouring just as I had to leave for a psych experiment. It figures. It was kind of nice though, being one of the only people as far as my eyes could see, flip flopping through the rain under my tiny black umbrella whilst listening to Brazilian tunes on my new mix cd. I liked it. all for $8.
I enjoy the lilly library position.. even though I get paid slave wages. It's a crazy place. I never realized how big it was before.. 7 floors. It's like a scavenger hunt everyday AND I get to wear a beeper!
I'm 22 now.. a pretty uneventful birthday all-round, considering last year I was in Barcelona attending a 3 day festival concert for free, but hey, I was surrounded by some good friends, good drinks, and good food. I can't complain. Jason and Sarah came to visit one weekend and that was good times. I posted some newer pictures on my flickr site.. so Jason, I know you wanted pictures from then, you can look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambourineilene
My actual birthday, which was on Memorial Day was a tad disappointing but oh well. whatcha gonna do. went for sushi at sushi bar, didn't get my free meal cause we were short one person.. yeah. but the sushi was still scrumptious.
Ryan came last weekend and we celebrated late as well. He baked me a pumpkin pie (but he didn't put sugar in it! he says he didnt see it in the recipe. it was funny. but cute), and made me a shirt that says "MOPS" !!! and some mix cds, full of Brazilian tunes, cause he likes those. I like him.
Then we all went to my friend from high school Sam's wedding.. which.. was just strange. but we did get to dress up and look snazzy. It was just weird seeing Sam who is younger than me walk down an aisle and get married.. but I wish her the best. saw random high school people and my 10th grade english teacher being the photographer.. like a weird dream. This was the first wedding of a peer/friend I had to go to.. I guess this is happening now. I feel like someone should cue Mel Gibson a la Signs right now so he can enter the room and say "It's Happening."
The ceremony/reception was at Lake Monroe.. And when you drive to Lake Monroe on Fairfax, you pass something called the Bakers Junction Railroad Museum.. which always makes me laugh when I drive pass it, cause what is that??? Well I googled it and look what I found:
http://www.bakersjunction.com/RailroadMuseum/Museum/BakersJunctionRailroadMuseum.html
I must go to this!!! wow.
wacky.
i'm probably seeing matt pond pa tonight at rhino's for $3, cause why not? I have downloaded lots of music these past 2 days, including albums by: tom brosseau, espers, vetiver, camera obscura, and mojave 3! oh boy!
i like curling up on my bed and reading and watching movies lately.
friends are really beginning to scatter. i miss cindy but i'm sure she's living it up in peru right now. i'm jealous. i must go abroad again soon soon soon soon
Soon.
let's go swimming?
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| I liked him better each time he crashed |
[25 Apr 2006|09:43pm] |
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mood |
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 okay |
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music |
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Islands - Return to the Sea |
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So tonight is what is most likely my last radio show (at WIUX/WIUS at least) ever.
you'd make me a happy girl if you listened.
it's at 12:00 am eastern time (11pm central, 9pm pacific) just go to http://www.wiux.org or if you're in bloomington get a radio and turn it to 100.3 FM.
last show, weird.
time is creeping me out again.
Rock history was fun today. i should sneak into some of those classes in the summer.. I learn important things in there. I decided my new dream job is to become a rock historian and teach rock history in spanish in a spanish speaking country. that way i'm combining interests. yes!
hopefully i'll have a job for part of this summer. we'll see what happens. I keep participating in paid studies. It's my new job/hobby. Today i got $10 for a 20 minute session.
I lucked out this semester and have it pretty easy these next few weeks.. the parents come on saturday to visit since I don't want to go to graduation.
The jordan river raged today.
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| some power that hardly looked like power said, "i'm perfect in an empty room" |
[16 Apr 2006|11:00pm] |
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 anxious |
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music |
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fairport convention - liege and lief |
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so yeah, it's been a while.
too much has happened in the past few months to backtrack now.. and there's no sense living in the past anyway. right.
i have a bandage on my index finger so it's making it harder to type than usual.. i cut it yesterday on this can that i was opening.. clumsy and silly but ouch.
i should be writing a paper right now.. which is why there is a sudden entry from me now. oh i'm so predictable. in spanish but only 4 pages. blame it on senioritis.. but really i'm just being insufferably lazy and have sadly always been this lazy.
this weekend had its sparkling moments though, somehow amidst all the tornado warnings.
On Thursday I saw the Silver Jews.
Now, this, was amazing. It was their first real tour in forever and it was purely delightful. I could not have been happier when I heard the words "In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection" coming out of David Berman's mouth. wow.
You can see more pictures from the show, as well as other pictures I've taken in the past few months or so here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambourineilene
I guess that's been my silent journal of sorts lately. You can also see a few snippets of the renaissance fair hannah and i stopped by yesterday afternoon.. juwon, i thought of you while i was there for some reason. (probably cause a lot of your guild friends were involved)
it needs to be stated that i am really going to miss bloomington. i know i rave a lot about bloomington in the fall, but bloomington in the spring is pretty fantastic as well.. even after our mild winter. (and yesterday it was 85 degrees.. huh?)
tulips and daffodils everwhere.. people outside all the time now.. the little stores and restaurants and everything in walking distance from my modest abode.. i'm really gonna miss this place. at the same time, i know i can't stay here.
it really doesn't seem like 4 years have just about gone by.. heh.
so i guess i should announce that i'm moving to new orleans in august? now that it's final. i have confirmed housing from july-early january but i probably won't go down until august. i don't know what i'm going to do with myself over the summer in bloomington really besides maybe volunteer/try to write/try to find jobs for the fall? anyway, this is exciting. but scary too. that's how it usually works. i will live by the park with the fighting ducks! and 1.7 miles away from a certain boy.
I want to spend a lot of July traveling.. the idea has been rolling around in my head a lot lately of taking a big canadian road trip (although scaled down from my previous grandiose canadian road trip scheme) (the arctic circle will have to wait).. but i'd like to hit up some manitoba, ontario, quebec lands.. then maybe come down through maine... back to chicago, just in time for the pitchforkmusic festival on july 29-30 cause man oh man is it lookin' good.
i think i'll be a fair bit calmer/relaxed once tuesday rolls around and this spanish final paper for olga is done..
and i should really write in here more.. or some journal. i was so good about recording things when i was abroad.
okay i'm going to start not writing my paper again now.
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| got two tickets to a midnight excecution |
[14 Feb 2006|12:14am] |
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mood |
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sick |
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i'm a sicky.
this slow-building cold thing that started several days ago and now it's full-blown. no fun. no fun i say. seems like everyone is sick.
blargh. and i have to ice skate in the morning. (have to ice skate, how funny. but it's true)
cant make myself concentrate on my work right now.. maybe tomorrow i'll feel better.. after i get out of olga's class at least.
i booked two flights today for new orleans (spring break and a weekend in april) so i'm quite excited about that! mmhmm! wendy's cups really did work! take that, system. thanks to everyone who helped me dig through trash. i owe you.
i also bought two concert tickets today.. i was on a roll, what can i say? (of montreal at southgate house and edith frost at headliners in louisville) glorious.
today i finally finished jonathan safran foer's Extremely loud and incredibly close.. i really liked it... perhaps even more than Everything is Illuminated.. i highly recommend it.
i like when the olympics are on.. i always find myself being captivated by everything for some reason when they're on.
bah i think ill go to bed early to try and ward off these evil germs.
um tomorrow is valentines day but i like to pretend it doesn't exist. i guess it's all those years of being a bitter single person. also it's stupid and made up though and i generally just have a problem with it. hooray.
ooh also i believe it is one miss juwon's birthday! happy birthday, juwon! eat some ice cream. i wish you were here/i was there so i could show you a grand ole time.
-listen to me on the radio tomorrow night. same info as before. you know the drill.
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| rock that candy shop, set it on fire |
[07 Feb 2006|10:35pm] |
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nervous |
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music |
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Animals - "we gotta get out of this place" |
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Well tonight is my first FM radio show in its normal time slot so I would be quite delighted if you turned in.. to 100.3 WIUX FM if you're in the Bloomington area or http://www.wiux.org if you're anywhere else.
midnight - 1 am eastern time. yes. oh and talk to me at aim name wiuxrequest.
There have been many things getting under my skin as of late and it really will be in my best interests to figure out how to calm myself down and just let it all go. Unfortunately, for me that not as easy as it sounds. I can be quite a worrier/anxious person even if my exterior hides that well.
Suddenly this week I find myself with more work than usual as well.. I guess it's time.
bleh bleh bleh.
Things should be getting better...
And last weekend was really really great. Andrew Bird of course did not disappoint. He was even a lot sillier than he normally is. At the beginning of his set he said "I am in a good mood tonight" very dead-pan. That sure appeared to be the case..
I love his new song he's been playing at the last few live shows I've seen.. It's called something like "armchairs of the apocalypse" .. with lyrics involving cosmonauts and ancient sea slugs. I've rambled here so much about Andrew Bird but I don't care. He deserves the attention. It was a marvelous feeling to see him in a sold-out venue in this lovely little town. Oh yeah, Ryan was here too. (teehee) really good weekend.
Saw Capote on Friday and it was quite the film. a tad unsettling.. but in a good way. i love philip seymour hoffman.
i was happy in rock history that he at least briefly mentioned the zombies.. i would have been quite annoyed otherwise. his visual recreations of "good vibrations" on the chalk board made me happy.
ahhh so much to do. so much i don't do. sara told me to breathe today at dinner (or something like that). i think it was good advice.
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| i'm glad i hitched my apple wagon to your star |
[30 Jan 2006|02:42am] |
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content |
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WIUX (on the real radio!) |
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Forcing myself to write. Go.
I've really gotten out of the habit of writing in here, of writing at all. That can't be good. Something needs to be done about this.
3 weeks into the next semester of school, my last semester of school.
man, does that sound weird. and it keeps sounding weirder.
this time of year is usually not so fun for me and i feel those familiar sentiments trying their best to tug at my sleeve lately. i keep putting up the best fight i can.
i need to find a part-time job. i've been trying for a few weeks now and there are a few leads.. we'll just have to see. i need something else to fill my time though with only 10 credit hours (4 of those belonging to, yes folks, ice skating instruction and history of rock and roll part 2!)
oooh yeah.
Still no concrete ideas as to what my life will be in a year, or even in MAY! hah... ah. nice.
It's been essentially a year since I arrived in Madrid. now that feels strange. it doesn't get any easier to be away either. i probably think about that period of my life an incredible amount every day.. i'll remember something, i'll think about a friend and this intense feeling that i can't even remotely begin to accurately describe washes over me and i can do nothing but be prey to it. dramatic-sounding but true.
will i feel this way in a year about my time here in bloomington? probably somewhat.. yes. and i'm trying to realize that now. make the most of my remaining time here.
what i know is this keeps looking more and more appealing:
ahh lonely highway, only friend.
i love that picture. it was this great empty road surrounded by the marshes when i went down to new orleans/bayouland with ryan over winter break. i love the road!
so the radio station is FM now. and frustrations and bitterness aside for a moment, that's pretty damn cool. i can listen to it from an actual radio.
my new show is going to be tuesdays from midnight-1 am eastern time. (yeah only an hour this semester). however, this week i'll be on from 1 am-2am on wednesdays since i have to drive home for a doctor's appointment tuesday night. you should listen to me then. i'll post another link later.
i have a feeling that somehow this week will go quickly, which is splendid because i wouldnt have it any other way, for my two favorite men await me at the end of the week (ryan) and (andrew bird) (of course). my poor head isnt going to know which way to turn. it'll be making nervous tic motions to the left, to the right.. every which way.
eee i want to drive to canada! what's wrong with me! nothing!
no more being anxious
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| don't you worry 'bout the atmosphere or any sudden pressure change |
[04 Dec 2005|12:36pm] |
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mood |
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anxious |
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music |
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mx-80 - "so clear" |
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yeah so it's been a while (as usual) since i've written one of these.
it makes perfect sense that i'd write one now then since i don't want to start my paper. mmhmm..
today is absolutely no good, but i just need to get it over with. i should probably make myself go to the library to get this done. maybe later.
having papers looming over my head makes me fairly anxious.. moreso than with tests. i know ill get it done.. but eh.
ok time to catch up.
well for one thing this semester is almost over. we had 6 (endangered) bats living in our air conditioner several weeks ago. 6! we'd heard squeaking for a few days and yep, turns out they were bats. who knew. this apartment is silly and the landlord people suck but that just gives it "character."
i do love living with cindy, hannah, and megan though. well i've clearly always liked living with cindy, otherwise we wouldnt be living together for the 4th straight year like this.. but i just really like the dynamic we have here with the 4 of us. it's fun times.
it's cold outside. i hate winter. it just makes me not want to go anywhere..
i saw andrew bird twice. yes, it's true. once in newport, ky and the second time over thanksgiving break in chicago. head of femur opened both shows and wow how marvelous were these nights. there is just something about this Mr. Bird.. he is unlike any other performer and if you want to experience true art, see a musician who is completely connected with his music in a way that will just blow you away, do yourself a favor and see andrew bird live sometime (or 8 times) before you die (or after, i mean, if that's your thing).
Here he is in all his glory:
( More pictures from those heavenly nights )
i'm still too scared to really talk to andrew bird. i don't know what's wrong with me. haha
it was great to see the head of femur again and they were sweet as usual. we hung out with them after each of the two shows and that was good times.
the rest of thanksgiving break was just okay, but andrew made up for the mediocrity. i basically just ate, watched curb your enthusiasm a lot, and read.
oh and before the chicago show, cindy, sarah, and i went to this turkish restaurant i looked up online because i am DYING to eat a kebap. i miss kebaps so much its getting ridiculous. i actually had a dream about eating one a few weeks ago. this is getting intense. so the restaurant did in fact have doner kebabs on the menu but it wasnt quite what i wanted.. but it was close.. hmm.. sigh.. one day my beloved kebap and i shall be reunited and there will be fireworks in the sky.
i asked our waiter if they had pitas and he didnt understand me. and then i guess he felt bad and brought us free dessert samples. also we felt that the place might have been a cover for the turkish mafia. .. it was fishy. with the couples coming in with flowers. the girl always had a fur coat and the guy wore black..
this past week has been so work-filled. and then i was really disappointed mid-week cause ryan was supposed to come here last thursday but it had to be pushed back (to this upcoming tuesday)so he could help his dad fix up a house. and that wouldn't be a big deal normally but it was fairly last minute information and we haven't seen each other in TWO MONTHS. i'm rather excited about tuesday, to say the least.
i just need to get this bloody paper done.
yes.
oh also if you go to wendy's, you should save your cup and give it to me. i'm not going to tell you why though. (unless i already told you. i probably did) i might already have 32 though. HA HA HA HA!
and listen to my radio show tomorrow night. it's going to be my last one of the semester.. and i would much appreciate it. just go to http://www.wius.org at 11pm - 1am eastern time. thank you.
okay how about starting that paper..
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| don't it get dark outside |
[07 Nov 2005|09:42pm] |
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mood |
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busy |
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music |
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castanets - "no voice was raised" |
] |
you should probably listen to me on the radio in about an hour..
http://www.wius.org
11pm - 1 am eastern time. instant message me at wiusrequest.
i know i only seem to write entries on nights i have shows.. and it seems like that because it's true.
mondays are so busy busy busy. i dont like them.
last weekend was pretty decent. included was a trip to the little nashville opry where we were the only people there without a head of white hairs (i only have a few!) and then to mike's dance barn where we learned a line dance or two and ate ribs and peach cobbler!! it was hilarious and i enjoyed it immensely. i felt like i was hundreds of miles away as opposed to.. 20.
The opry was pretty wonderful. I couldn't stop smiling/laughing the entire time. The old people in attendance applauded at just about everything and door prizes were given out. They loved that..
spent a lot of time with sara and that was lovely.. um i cant finish all my homework tonight and thats okay i suppose.
eh.
school has become a secondary concern. or maybe it was always a secondary concern and nothing has changed. this is how it always gets this time of year i'm guessing.
my roommate megan thinks she can eat more than me and she most certainly cannot.
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| it broke my heart to leave the city, i mean it broke what wasn't broken there already |
[31 Oct 2005|09:04pm] |
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mood |
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okay |
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music |
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blood on the wall - awesomer |
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well you can officially listen to WIUS again via the internet so um.. you probably should. And really that's what is motivating me to write this entry right now. It's much more fun to do a show when there are legions of listeners. so yes.
go here: http://www.wius.org and listen to me at 11pm - 1am eastern time and that's 10pm - 12am central time and that's 8pm - 10pm pacific time.. and if you have some other weird time zone, well you'll have to do the math for yourself. oh and you can instant message me at wiusrequest and i'll play a song for you.
eep. i don't even know where to start or what else to write. Briefly, last weekend was pretty decent for the most part. I went home on Friday and it was great to see Milkshake (and my family) and the house was all clean and had newer furniture everywhere since my dad has more free time now. I've never seen my room look so nice ever. quite impressive.
Saturday I drove up to Madison, Wisconsin to hang out with miss kristin charles, and it was fun to reunite and see a bit of the madness that is madison on halloween weekend. i mean madison even has the word "mad" in it! woah.
here we are:
aw isn't that dear.
i did a lot of driving last weekend again. i keep doing that. something just clicks in me and boom! i am restless and must go go go go go go, so i went. i drank much.. and then sunday drove back to munster and got warmer clothes and a nicer chair for my desk which i'm sitting in right now. then later i drove back to bloomington.
um and last week was just pretty terrible in general but it's over now and hopefully this week will be better.. i think it will be. it has to be.
i have a test tomorrow. and another test wednesday. what's the deal?
tomorrow's november???
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stateofbliss's journal