Welcome to my Pre-Makeover Hair.

Jesse ordered us a Bacon & Eggs set of costumes (me = eggs, obvs) and it didn't arrive in time. So Anne Hathaway it is! And you can see my un-blowdried hair in all its glory.

And Keanu helped get me ready, of course. Party ensues in half an hour!

I was walking with a ghost.

I figured since today is Halloween, I'd share from a time in my life when I lived in a haunted house. Over at No Guts, No Glory, the author is telling a quite horrifying story of her own, which inspired this post - though my story is not as terrifying!

I was only four years old at the time, but I remember some parts clearly, and my parents definitely retold the stories many a time. My mom, my dad, my little brother, and I lived on the first floor of an apartment building in Fort McNair in Washington DC (remember, my dad was in the military).

Some relevant history on the building itself: apparently it was a Civil War prison, and it's infamous for being the prison where Mary Surratt and the Lincoln conspirators were hung (she was the first female sentenced to death and executed in U.S. history). The tv camera crews stopped by regularly on Halloween as part of their local newscast. Sometimes you can catch the building on haunted house specials. Oh, here are some pics I found on Wikipedia of the conspirator hangings (sorry if it's a bit morbid! But suck it up, it's Halloween!):

Where those gallows stood are now tennis courts next to the apartment building.


And that is part of the building I lived in. Yup.

My family's encounters with the ghosts in our apartment weren't too scary, however. There was no huge debacle that chased us out of the place to never look back. We just have a small smattering of haunted tidbits. We had nice ghosts.

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At the time, we had a German Shepard dog named Thor. The dog was huge and strong and didn't exactly have a lot to fear. However, under no circumstances would the dog go near the basement. It was a communal basement for the whole building, and my dad would go down there to grab something, and though Thor followed him everywhere, he would stop as soon as he got to the stairs to the basement. In our apartment itself, which was on the ground floor, there was a door to the basement that had long been sealed off and painted over; it was in the middle of the apartment on the ground in the hallway with our bedrooms. I had to draw a diagram in Paint just now for a visual (hahahaha) -


You can see the little shady area in the hallway. Thor would not go near that patched up doorway, and would take the route furthest from that door to get to where he needed to go. Apparently bad things had happened down there.

On Halloween, all the parents not out walking with their children would gather in the lobby to hand out candy. One Halloween while everyone was down there, they heard a loud noise coming from an empty apartment above. My mother says that all these military men were making excuses not to check it out; they knew the place was haunted and had encountered small things like lights flickering, newspapers gone missing, the tv turning on or off by itself. But this noise was loud, like a bang. So, two or three men headed up there and found that somehow the apartment's dog was whining to get out from under the couch. But it was impossible for the dog to simply get under, because the couch was flush to the ground. Somebody (some thing?) in the empty apartment had lifted the couch up and dropped it on top of the dog, which was the loud noise they had heard: the couch dropping on the ground.

One of my favourite stories my mom told me was on my brother's birthday (probably when he was turning three). Everybody was outside on the patio, and my mother had come back into the kitchen to clean something at the sink. The sink was on the far end of the kitchen, with a window looking out. A pink ball rolled out from me and my brother's room, turned two corners and started bouncing at the feet of my mom at the sink. My mother, who is very superstitious and has always believed in ghosts and spirits, stomped her foot and declared, "Today is my son's birthday, and I don't have time to play these games with you!" Then the ball stopped bouncing, and rolled back in its horseshoe path to our bedroom.

And finally, the creepiest story. My parents would often have to get up and take care of Travis (my brother) in the night when he cried out. One night, my mother heard Travis crying out, but it only lasted a minute, so my mother stayed in bed and went back to sleep. The next morning, my mother remarked at breakfast to Travis, "You were a good boy last night! You stopped crying!" to which my three-year-old brother said, "That's because the nice lady came to sing to me." Apparently, a Black woman in a white gown would come sing my brother to sleep at night, and occasionally floated above his bed.

See? Nice ghosts. Happy Halloween!

Climbin' up the walls, anytime we want!

There are quite a few things I'm digging right now. I thought I'd compile a list, in case any of these would bring you equal joy.

GOODREADS.COM. I am newly obsessed with this website, which allows me to catalog everything I've ever read, everything I am currently reading, and everything I want to read. (Friend me!) I star each book I've read, plan on writing short reviews, and date when I read them (I added Sarah Plain & Tall yesterday, which I read in 4th? 5th grade??). I also totally forget books that I want to read when I don't write them down, and now I have a lovely database which tells me which I'd like to read! My "currently reading" list comes with an area to put in what page I'm on and a little comment - which keeps Sean updated on the book he gave me for my birthday! That brings us to...

A GAME OF THRONES. (by George R. R. Martin) Okay, we all know I get kinda nerdy and obsessive about certain things (kittens, comic books) and Sean just totally decided to up the anty with an epic fantasy novel that's 864 pages long and has four equally long sequels. GREAT. But it is! It's so great. As soon as I saw that book it admittedly reminded me of all the sci-fi/fantasy books my father has, and on the phone the other day, he confirmed he'd read the whole series. Ha. The best thing about this book, though, is the writing. It's been a long time since I've read a novel where practically every sentence is crucial and telling shades more than just it's literal sense. Unlike, say, Twilight, where I could skim and still understand what was going on, I can't skip a sentence of A Game of Thrones. Yeah, 864 jam-packed, no-skipping pages. OOF. But, I'm excited to continue and finish it and get on to the next one!

NEW MOON. (by Stephenie Meyer) So, I still liked Twilight, and I do enjoy quick reads - which is why I'm reading the sequel as kind of a little light reading when my brain needs a rest from Game of Thrones. Also, I'd like to thank Katie Brown for this persisting obsession with Edward and the characters of Forks - she messengered me the book at work, complete with a Twilight bookmark and an album she considers to be her own soundtrack to the story. LOVE IT. So, I started reading it last night! Thank you, KB!

DELICIOUS LIBRARY 2. While on a rant about my love for Goodreads.com, I lamented to my friend Rick that there should be such a site for DVDs, so I could catalog my own collection and affix notes/reviews and mark which ones were being borrowed. Not five minutes later I got an email to download the Delicious Library 2 application, a belated birthday gift from Rick. The program is AWESOME. It has little virtual shelves for all my DVDs (and others for books, video games, toys, CLOTHES too!), which I can star, order in a certain way (like by genre!), mark if it's being borrowed and by whom, and THE BEST PART: I can scan in all the DVDs VIA MY WEBCAM. UPC BARCODE STYLE. YEAH. Your mind is blown isn't it? I scanned in our entire collection this past weekend, and I'm not lying when I say that Jesse and Erica had a lot of fun watching me do it. It's $40, but it's so worth it when you have a library of DVDs (and/or books, video games, etc.) - download it here! Thank you Rick!!!

COMMENT REDESIGN. (Nerd. Alert.) Okay, blogger/blogspot is one of the most archaic blogging platforms around (it's like Tumblr's Civil War-era Great- Great- Grandfather) and there was always two choices of leaving a comment - with a pop-up window (me) and by going to a whole other "comment" page without the actual post. And NOW there's an option to have the comment box embedded below the post! So, you don't have a pop-up window and you don't have to go to a whole other page. YES. I really geeked out about this when it magically happened on somebody else's blogspot.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3. By now you should know I love teen stuff. Erica, Kells, and I have been fans of the HSM series for a while now. Which is why we had to go see this theater-released sequel together on Monday night. Let me just tell you, it's the best one. It's full of up-close Efron goodness (there's def something sexy about a guy who can dance). It's SO CHEESE, but kind of like delicious cheese you can't get enough of. And it's a musical! I love musicals, always have. From Grease to West Side Story to Phantom of the Opera to Moulin Rouge (my personal favourite), I love musicals and their soundtracks. Sometimes I just need to take in an all-teen, all-fun, nothing-depressing-here, full-of-songs musical. What can I say? I love it and we completely, totally, and without a doubt geeked out. I kinda wanna see it again, just sayin'. I have no shame!

SEVENTEEN AGAIN. This kid is doing something right! Zac Efron's latest movie is basically a Freaky Friday-ish rehash that costars Matthew Perry (aka Ms. Chanandler Bong). I'm obviously going to see it when it comes out next year, and the trailer ALSO stars a certain song by a certain Fianz's band - "This is For Real" by Motion City Soundtrack. YES!

There you have it! My current dig-o-digs! Friend me on Goodreads, tell me I'm a giant NERD, admit Efron is a damn good-looking bloke, and try out 'em comments. HA. Jk. You don't have to do any of that. Kinda.

[PS Jesse overnighted some costumes for us. Pictures ensue tomorrow...mwahahaha!]

Black cats and falling trees.

It's Halloween again! Jesse, Erica, and I were pretty excited to get working on costumes last week, until we realized we hadn't heard of any parties going on. And Halloween is on a FRIDAY this year! We kept our ears to the ground, asked around, and still came up with nothing. So, typical 410-style, we are throwing our own party, at our place! (With a relatively strict guestlist & definitely strict costume requirement, obvs!)

Of course, I still don't know what I'm going to be. Last year I was gmail (nerd-style), during college I was usually Gwen Stefani, and most of my childhood I was a cat (because who would have though I loved them that much??). We were going to go as characters from that fabulous game CLUE, but scrapped it. Today I've been considering "couples costumes" for Jesse and me, but I'm unaware of any that aren't completely cheesy and/or creepy in a bad way. Except for bacon & eggs, but I have two days, people - two days!

I kind of want to be a superhero or comic book character, and am strongly considering Rorscharch from Watchmen - essentially all I need is a trenchcoat and a ski mask, but it might get hot wearing a ski mask all night.

The other day I caught myself in the mirror and sighed begrudgingly at a usual sight: my hair. Huge and untamed when I don't blowdry it, my hair is cause of many woeful sighs. But perhaps on Halloween I could use this to my advantage! There have been a few times people (usually parents) have said that I remind them of Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada and even The Princess Diaries. To which I always respond, "Yeah, before the makeover, I know." I think one parent even said, "You look just like Anne Hathaway - before she became a fashionista!" Awesome.

I told this to Erica, and we joked about how I have Pre-Makeover Hair. Solidified by the fact that my mother, one morning right after I woke up, said, "Good morning! You look like Ugly Betty!" Thanks. I was rightfully horrified, but my mom assured me she meant it as a compliment, because she thinks the world of America Ferrera. Sigh.

THUS! I'm either going as Princess Diaries Anne Hathaway or Ugly Betty! ...Or not, my mind could completely change. But for now, that's what I've got.

Follow me south of the big docks.

I caught Keanu and Jesse napping on the couch, and then they caught me snapping another pic a few minutes later. Cute out moment for sure.

I still get those butterflies I wrote about in the last post; maybe one day I'll tell the whole story of how we met. It's quite epic, and one we love to retell to each other and our friends. He continues to totally makes me swoon. Especially in pictures like this!

And I said, I've gotta be honest...

Yesterday I was on Dashboard Confessional's site trying to find when his tour would be coming around these parts, because Aileen is on that tour with the Plain White T's. I thought it would be fun to scream my lungs out to some Dashboard while hanging out with a friend. Unfortunately, they're playing TODAY in Connecticut, so that plan was a bust.

However, my "websurfing" was not - I came upon this picture on the Dashboard news/blog page -


- and I had this weird moment. I recognize that couch, I thought. Those walls. I know that room... and then I remembered that Dashboard has been recording his/their latest album with Adam Schlesinger, who, last year, was producing Motion City Soundtrack's album.

It was February 2007, and my new friend Jesse told me I should stop by "the studio" after work to pick him up, as Erica, Jesse, and I were going to see The Matches that night. I was totally psyched, but more cause I was invited to this little enclave of music-making for a band I just happened to like...a lot. Jesse was an awesome dude, already proving to be a fun time, and I generally approved of him - cause he was interested in my best friend. (Okay, I know, this is getting tricky, maybe I'll tell THAT whole story another day...) Anyway, I met him at the studio, and I sat on that couch that's pictured, probably totally smiling (and squealing on the inside) while he played me a couple of cuts from what would eventually be Motion City Soundtrack's Even if it Kills Me.

After we left the studio, we grabbed a cab to meet up with Erica for dinner before the show, and, like typical rush-hour Manhattan, we got held up in traffic. It didn't seem to phase either of us though, because we had the best conversation. You know, one of those conversations. You're talking about nothing and everything and suddenly it's very deep but there's a nice rhythm between your exchange of words, with dabbles of joined laughter and smiling silences...

When I got out of the cab, my stomach felt weird. What was that?? Oh, right. We dined with Erica, then went to the show and met up with friends. We continued to joke and hold conversation with ease. We headed to the afterparty, and then as the night neared it's end, I just told him:
"By the way, I like you."

It didn't feel strange though; he smiled, didn't say much, and I told him I'd see him tomorrow, at another show. I love that night. We both regard it as pretty awesome. Because - hey oh! - now we're engaged! And so that story literally rushed into my mind yesterday when I recognized that couch in that picture and realized the last time I was in that room.

One final note - Carrabba, I'm going to veto corduroy hats, thanks -

My Top Artists this Week (Oct 20 - Oct 26)

(via my last.fm)

You know when you get a new album, and it happens to be one you instantly fall in love with, and you must listen to it on repeat? Yep, that's what the new Ryan Adams & The Cardinals album, Cardinology, has done to me. Technically it's not released until tomorrow, but if you're a Ryan Adams fan, I'm sure you'll dig it just as much as I am. Each day had a different favourite song. This morning it happened to be the first number, "Born Into a Light." You all obviously know of my Ryan Adams love, I mean, if you do a search there are probably over thirty posts that show up or something (I fear to even try this experiment myself, because it could indicate stalker/obsessive behavior).

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RE: SNL !

Gaby, Erica, Jesse, and I had SO much fun at the SNL dress rehearsal. The only bum out was when we first got seated, which was in the seats to the furthest right side of the staging area, which even Jason Sudekis (the audience's off-camera host) pointed out, "all the seats here are great, really great - well, except for those [points directly at us], those seats f*ck*ng suck, sorry." They were at an angle where we couldn't see the SNL band, but it didn't worry me too much as we actually saw most of the skits, and there were monitors right in front of all the seats to view the whole show. Also, a few of the skits were right next to us or right below us; including the Mad Men skit, in which I was able to view Jon Hamm's beautiful cerulean eyes up close...

Okay, before I get too distracted by that memory - I watched the live version last night, and there were some significant differences. The skit that opened the entire show, with Joe Biden at a rally, was in the middle of the dress rehearsal and hands-down the worst one. There was hardly any laughing in the audience - which, to me, was an indicator it would probably get cut. I was shocked to see it as the opener, because the past few openers starring Tina Fey have been so spectacular, and this one was downright lame. The dress rehearsal actually opened with the Obama variety show, with guest-star Maya Rudolph (who went to school and is besties with Gwyneth Paltrow, who's married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin - yeah, useless info I put together in my head as I watched, whatevs...). It wasn't THAT much better, but definitely more snazzy and better-fitting for current events and the audience.

A skit that got notably cut was one that took place at a wedding reception, where Fred Armisen gets his old band back together (him, Hamm, and two others in graying wigs) for the bride. They're all saying great, loving things about the couple, and then the first note keys in some crazy punk rock (Fistfight in the parking lot! Fistfight in the parking lot!) and Armisen basically starts moshing with the crowd and dives into the wedding cake - it was HILARIOUS. And Jon Hamm singing backup and with a guitar was pretty sweet, too. I was cracking up SO hard during the skit, and the song got stuck in my head for the rest of the show. Why let Coldplay play again?? This skit was WAY better.

Other changes: in the Vincent Price Halloween skit, Hamm did an impression of Dean Martin, not James Mason, in the dress rehearsal - his Mason was far better than his Martin, so that was a good switch. Elisabeth Moss, or Peggy Olson of Mad Men, was not in the dress rehearsal - but Gaby and I saw her when we stepped out of the elevator, as she was going up. (Sidenote: Gaby and I rode that elevator down with Chris Hansen of To Catch a Predator, ha.) John "The Silver Fox" Slattery did make the dress rehearsal, and is apparently a big fan of Coldplay's, as he came out during each of their songs and bopped his head. Also, our credits rolled with Coldplay's THIRD (not fourth) performance, of a very messed up "Yellow" (I don't think he even sung the titular word), and Jon Hamm & Silver Fox were so bro'ing down during it - shaking hands, hugging, putting their arms around each other in a total bff way; it was both adorable and awesome. The only other skit that I don't think made it was a "playing themselves" quickie where Sudekis tries to explain Mad Men to Kenan Thompson, but gets flustered when realizing all the African-American roles in 1960 are usually relegated to service industry roles, and Jon Hamm comes along unable to help the situation. It fell a bit flat, and felt like filler, anyway.

Overall, I loved the experience - seeing the sets go up and come down in mere minutes by the nimble stagehands. Seeing Jon Hamm getting pulled off the scene as soon as the feed cut, and being dragged (literally) backstage for costume change. And all in all, it seems like a lot of work. It's quite incredible to see it all pulled off, and even more so when it's live. So kudos to that cast and all the people who make it work behind the scenes, because I would probably crumble under all that pressure!

We DID get to witness some taped skits that are supposed to air on an election special the Monday night before election day. So, you can hear my laughs then. MWAHAHAHA <---I decided to go "evil-themed" for Halloween, though it will air post-Halloween, so that was all for naught. Just kidding!

....it will still totally be funny.

It's Saturday Night Live!

It's magick.

I read a lot a lot a lot of blogs all day. I have a Google Reader. It's quite an addiction, and so finding awesome sites to read just feeds (ha) into it. I just wanted to share six of those blogs today, for which I have created a perfectly corollary award badge:

I'm going to try to do this every month, since I read SO many, and a lot of them deserve some love because they keep me entertained in my work day's bored moments! I tend to plug a lot of my friends in just about all of my posts, so these are some more rad friends I might not mention all the time.

And now, I present our featured guests...

Oh! How Lovely!

Jamie lives and thrives in Chicago. She almost doesn't need this award cause she's already a featured blogger on the Twenty-Somethings site and she's all like, 'Hm, I want to interview a quasi-celeb...' and she DOES. Like me, she also digs sweet bands and makes recommendz, went to Lollapalooza, and you might remember our Twilight Geek Out.

Loud & Proud

Ang (Angilio) is totes into writing about anything and everything going on, and I always find myself giggling at her posts. Another Chicago blogger, she tends to share about her social outings with pictures as well! Also, I may be great at finding randomness on the internet, but Ang always finds more! Her links, quite frankly, ocassionally best my Google Reader. And like me, she has a similar disdain for large packs of children in public places like gyms!

Kyla Bea

I just recently started following Kyla Bea, and was sucked in by the facts that she: was engaged (now married!), super crafty in ways that make me jealous of her nimble hands and creativity, her husband's name is Jesse (whattup?!), and, um, she's DARLING. Her wedding pics are adorable and you have to check out her video post which FAR surpasses my pallid entry. Obvs.

Surviving Myself

Chris - where do I begin with Chris? One of the only male bloggers I read, Chris is positively Seinfeldian in his entries, always top-notch and branded with rich satire. He will probably make fun of me for this. He makes fun of everything. Except for AC Slater. I especially enjoy his posts regarding living in New York, because we both despise the same annoyances of a daily commute: other people. Oh, and this was one of my favourite entries - it made me laugh in the middle of my work day.

& That's the Way Life Goes

Maria lets her readers into her world intimately, and sometimes she's totally random - but completely awesome! (Some of her incredibly honest entries are password-protected, but it's a quick email to gain it!) Also, she could totally kick my ass.

Coffee__girl (Dance to the Radio)

I most recently discovered Liz because she's a total music lover, too. Our tastes are similar (nobody's the same!) but I absolutely dig her sardonic humor, her Friday playlists, her regular guest blogger Billy Fondly, and we're both on the same side of the World Series, as she's a newly-bonefied Phillies fan! Oh, and one of my favourite parts of her blog is that most of her post titles are music lyrics I recognize, and I get so excited that sometimes I leave comments just saying "I love that band!" because I'm lame but super stoked on small things. I do this, too, but she usually continues the lyric into the first part of her entry - Liz, I like this.

So those are my faves! There are more, of course, and Keanu and I will try to commend the others each month! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Turn the radio up loud and get down.

A little Friday fun: Keanu hanging out on the napping Jesse's booty. I had to take that picture, and now I have to post it. They both rested that way for quite a while last week...

For a Friday, I've got a bit going on, but I wanted to pause and share this. The Empty Cages Collective (where we adopted Keanu & Eko!) is having a Kitten & Cat Adoption event in Brooklyn tomorrow. If anyone out there is thinking about adopting, get yourself there tomorrow! I mean, after all the pictures I've shown you of Keanu and Eko, what's stopping you from helping out these homeless felines? Also, this flyer lists "kitten dancing" and I'd say I'm a little intrigued, myself!

I should have something up here later, too, when I have some time at home - check it out tonight or this weekend if you have a chance. Last night Jesse surprised me with reservations at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, and then we went to see Religulous at the Angelika. My burgeoning fakey crush on Jason Segel made for a sidetrip to Best Buy on the way home to pick up Forgetting Sarah Marshall and then Jesse and I settled into the couch to watch the DVD, as Keanu curled up on my chest and Eko slept peacefully by in her claimed-for-herself kitty cubby. Like a little fam!

It's toasted.

Announcement! Announcement! I don't know if you've heard, but Jon Hamm (THE Don Draper, my favourite of the Mad Men) is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend. We all know of my love for him. And GUESS who is going to the live dress rehearsal Saturday night?!?!?!

THIS GIRL! THIS GIRL! THIS GIRL! WHATTUP?!

If you're unaware, the dress rehearsal occurs from 8-10 every Saturday night before the actual live show. They go through two hours of material during this time, and between 10 and 1130, they cut out a half-hour of skits for the live broadcast. My laugh factor (or lack thereof) may help decide which skits make it and which get auf'd. Just sayin'.

Oh, and the musical guest (who also rehearses) is Coldplay, a band who's music is creeping up on my U2-brand lame-factor. But they're solid, of course. The SNL studio is actually one of the best out there - apparently it sounds amazing when you're right there, but sometimes doesn't translate to television as wonderfully.

I'd like to give a special THANK YOU to my bestie Kells for this lovely engagement gift. How awesome is she?? Yeah, she's right at 11 stars out of 10. She's good people. She's salt of the Earth. And, in all honesty, she's one of the most inspiring people I know, and one of the people I most admire. Two words: Hero Status.

And now, this is a perfect opportunity to share more Jon Hamm/Don Draper photos. Anybody complaining? Didn't think so.

Slick.

Pensive.

Perceptive.

See you on Saturday.

Screech!

boring video from jessica maria on vimeo.

You know what? You don't have to watch it. Seriously. It's really boring. Forty-one seconds of lame. I tried talking into the camera, but much like Eko, I spazzed out and nearly threw my computer across the room while simultaneously gagging by the mere moving image of myself. So, like I've been doing lately, I made Keanu and Eko the stars. Kind of. They play ALL DAY and the few seconds I want them to do something for the camera it's like, "absolutely not." Typical.

I awkwarded myself out so bad. But, whatever, I DID IT, right? BAH!

TRAINWRECK TUESDAY FTW !

So, you know how I'm always talking about my amazing roommate's weekly party called Trainwreck Tuesday? And how she & Rob Hitt DJ up a storm every week? And it's so much fun? And if you live in New York you should come to it and rock out and have fun and drink free? Well, AM New York is sayin' the same freakin' thing in their latest issue, BEST OF NEW YORK, which just named Trainwreck the Best Weekly Bash. YEAH.

It's on page 24 in AMNY and this online PDF!

CONGRATS TO ERICA & ROB!!!

There's no need for everyone to stare.

Okay, no video - YET. I can't even see videos at work on my computer (grrr blockage), so I have to check out the other video posts after work. I'll be sure to post one before deadline tonight. Isn't video so weird? I've definitely seen video of people I've only read online and been like, "Hm, I thought she'd have a squeakier voice," or "Man, he's just as awkward as his writing." What you'll probably figure out from the video of me: I talk with my hands, I'm super awks, and I'm a baritone. Just kidding about that last one. MAYBE. Tune in later.

I couldn't very well narcissistically record myself last night, because I was out having a grand time. Jesse, Erica, and I went to see The Photo Atlas at the Charleston - it was particularly small, as the venue is much like somebody's parent's basement. The band is consistently awesome, though, and Erica and I have been front row at all their New York shows, I'm not kidding. I was a little embarassed when Jesse introduced me to them (they toured together earlier this year), as I was thinking: "crap, please don't recognize me as the flailing dancer at all of your New York shows for the past three years..." Thankfully, they're either not incredibly observant or I'm much like an elusive chameleon (slash, who cares?).

ANYWAY.

Jesse and I then met up with our dear friend Kristy at Union Pool, who is in town for a couple of days. We went to her wedding in Santa Barbara last year (it was spectacular) and hung out earlier this summer, so we spent some time catching up and had some good newlywed conversation. Then the three of us headed into Manhattan to Crif Dogs, a tasty hot dog place on St. Marks, before heading to Trainwreck. Trainwreck proved to be just as fun a night as it usually is, though there was a different crowd there for the live rap performances. Gaby, Perry, and Jesse headed out to the late Bronx show, while Kristy and I called it a night. I ran into Lauren Ashley on the subway ride home, and she reminded me that Halloween is next week. EEP.

In other news, Sean got me this totally nerdy book for my birthday that I'm starting to read, and I've become quite engrossed in it. It's been a long time since I've read a book word by word, instead of my usual fast skimming - I enjoy having to pay attention. More about that, including its title, later.

Tonight? Video. Maybe catch up on some television. Kitten hangs.

And I'd always win.

I'm bringing you kitten pictures. Because they are effin' adorable! They are constantly cute-ing me out, and it's getting a wee bit hard to take. They are both enthusiastic cuddlers of my lap, chest, and even shoulders - though their positions constantly crack me up. I wonder how they are comfortable sometimes, with their backs in a full 360 degree angle, and occasionally Eko sleeps half off my lap, half on. Eko keeps more to herself, but comes out to play and sleep, but Keanu is the truly curious one. Sometimes he just walks up right next to my feet and looks up like, "Whatchu doin now?" And, yes, sometimes I squeal and pick him up and start a cuddlefest right there when he looks at me like that. Like I said, CUTED OUT. They are also both spazzes, which is normal for kittens, as they chase each other around the place and jump at sudden noises. When they play, they play - and when they get tired, they zonk out! Here are some snaps from Jesse's iPhone the past few days!

I took this picture last night after looking in their little cubby and Keanu opened his eyes but then passed out again after ten seconds. I think Eko was a little perturbed by how much room he was taking up!

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In other news, last night the Patriots beat the Broncos! Jesse and I tried valiantly to adorn the kittens with their Patriots scarves, but they were having none of it! Tyler, Jim, Sean, and Adam joined us for the fun times and Erica even made wings!

Tonight I'm seeing one of my favourite live bands, The Photo Atlas, at the Charleston. I don't think there's ever been a CMJ I've participated in without a Photo Atlas show; they're quite amazing to dance to. I'll be hitting up Trainwreck as well, which has more free booze and live performances. Jesse is heading to see his buds in The Bronx for their 1AM show, but it's a "school night" for me, so I will probably call it an early night!

Also, I got my hands on the new Ryan Adams & The Cardinals album, Cardinology through somewhat top-secret methods (it comes out next week), and it's brilliant. I'm obsessed. Possibly more obsessed than last year's RA solo (but still with the same band as "backing") effort, Easy, Tiger. I know! That's saying a lot! But so far, I've had "Magick" stuck in my head all day, and though I love the album, it makes me a little more depressed to know that I won't be seeing the band on Halloween this year (like I did last year!) due to super-fast ticket sales! I'm still holding out hope on my connections though - we'll see!

Oh, and apparently, as a twenty-something blogger, I'm to create a video to post tomorrow. HAHAHA! Fools! You can't trick me like that! Everyone knows my most embarassing moments tend to be caught on film, so having me make a video of myself is an inevitable death knell to my pride! HAHA!

Okay, maybe I'll still do it.

My Top Artists this Week (Oct 13 - Oct 19)

(via my last.fm)

I can't believe it's Monday again. I can't believe it's October 20th! 2008! Where am I? Just kidding. Kind of. So, I pretty much listened to Against Me! all last week due to their incredible show I told you about. And the usual standby favourites of She & Him and Dragonette were there as well.

Oh - and look! It's Monty's Fan Club! So, last week there was one day that I was on my way to work, and I was tired and kind of bummed out for some reason (me being bummed out is usually a fleeting feeling, so I don't even remember why), and I was listening to the This American Life podcast when they segued a story with Warren G's "Regulate." This song immediately conjures the sounds of a Monty's Fan Club live show because they used to use the same clip to intro into their song "Handy With the Steel." And sometimes it only takes a little ska and memories of VFW hall shows to pick up my day. Of course, Monty's Fan Club became Monty, and then finally Monty Are I. They just officially announced that they're recording in LA with producer Matt Squire (Thrice, Panic! at the Disco), and I couldn't be happier for them - I'm sure the album will rock.

This week is CMJ in New York, so I may or may not be seeing a lot of shows - I'm basically going where my little music event planner Erica the Dagger takes me. I do know that I might see The Bronx, Butch Walker, The Photo Atlas, Minus the Bear, and The Hard Lessons! All of which are exciting prospects. And if I can't catch the shows, there will be afterparties. Oh, the parties.

And finally, don't forget to vote for Motion City Soundtrack for the Woodies' Best Video!!! Vote often!

---

Wait, wait, wait. I didn't tell you about my weekend! Okay, there's not much to tell besides lots of kitten hangs, Fianz cuddles, and sports-watching. The Red Sox just couldn't make it this year, sadly enough, and I'm so sick of those Tampa Bay cowbells that I'm just going to go ahead and root for a National League team, the Phillies, in the World Series. Tonight is the Patriots football game versus the Denver Broncos. And by the way, we definitely plan on suiting up the kittens with their very own Patriots neck bandanas. Oh yes, there will be pictures.

They could care less as long as someone will bleed.

A few weeks ago you all decided I should read Twilight. So, Jamie of the fabulous blog Oh! How Lovely! joined me in my task and we had a little post-Twilight book club meeting last night to discuss our feelings on the the Stephenie Meyer novel about a teenage girl named Bella who (clumsily) falls in love with a boy named Edward - who happens to be a vampire.

[I know it's a little long, but I figure there's enough Twilight fans who read this who'd be interested in following along. If you don't care about Twilight, just read the last part with the picture. Ha!]

Jessica: you've effin' finished the SECOND book?!
Jamie: its ridiculous. i went to target saturday night and picked up the second and third
Jamie: and now have finished both
Jessica: well, let's talk about the FIRST one hahaha
Jamie: hahah i know right, jumping ahead of myself here!
Jessica: okay, so a of all, if i was fifteen this would be a tome for me
Jessica: as a military kid who went to three high schools and was always the new kid
Jessica: but i would have turned into a sulky kid, without an edward... so it's good i didn't read it in highschool
Jamie: seriously, high school girls are dying right now because there is no edward in their lives
Jamie: no one to dazzle them!
Jessica: oh gawd
Jessica: some her words though - like "dazzle"
Jessica: made me scrunch up my face
Jamie: really! i was like who says that!?
Jessica: there were a lot of really funny lines that made me laugh
Jessica: oh man! there was one that was SO hilarious, but i forgot to mark it
Jessica: it was like, "if he left i would only be left with a perilous anguish and depression" - cheese
Jamie: i know! it was so dramatic at times
Jessica: okay, also, nobody in the entire story ever smiled
Jessica: is the word "smile" in the book?
Jessica: all i picture are intense stares
Jamie: agreed. everyone was so serious
Jessica: she's always disgruntled and edward is always just intense and silentish
Jessica: even the end when she's supposed to be yay! happy! i'm alive!
Jessica: she's all complaininz about makeup and a dress
Jamie: it was prom! that's what people do! how did she not know about it
Jamie: obviously lost in edward's dazzle-ing
Jessica: hahaha
Jamie: it made me laugh about the kid who showed up at her house thinking they were going to prom together though
Jessica: haha, that is true
Jessica: he was a little comic relief in all the "i'm gonna hunt you down and killz you" stuff
Jessica: and ps you can't be with me because you're gonna die and i will live forever
Jamie: and then OMGZ I'm old!
Jamie: you're like a year older, chill!
Jessica: that freakout was so stupid
Jessica: she's all sad on her birthday and angry on prom
Jessica: dude, your boyfs is hot and loves you eternally and you're all disappointed with life?
Jessica: ps you're alive, you almost died.
Jamie: okay this is kind of stupid but in the beginning when they were talking about how they dont hunt humans
Jamie: i was thinking well wtf how do they survive?!
Jamie: and i was well Carlisle is a doctor at a hospital and they have blood there! they totes steal blood for like infusions and stuff
Jessica: hahaha great guesswork! too bad they like 'em grizzlies and mountain lions
Jessica: okay okay okay important part: edward is fucking hot
Jamie: um YEAH he is!
Jessica: so after finishing the book i totally looked up the movie trailer and how they cast the movie...
Jamie: hahah i was going to bring this up !
Jessica: and that dude is kind of how i imagined him
Jessica: as in, that dude is fucking hot. oh hey! you fit!

Jessica: and then i saw him on perez today (i did NOT put those hearts on him) and his face is kinda lopsided
Jessica: or like, if you cover up one half of that pic he has a certain face and if you cover up the other he looks like another person
Jamie: i totally agree
Jamie: i was looking at these stills earlier and he looked so good and im trying to find the stupid post with them
Jamie: when does the movie come out? november?
Jessica: december 16th
Jessica: what? how did i answer that so fast?
Jamie: http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/28878250.html#cutid1
Jessica: um, also, the trailers look really tied into the book, but still like a CW show
Jamie: i have yet to watch the trailers
Jessica: they're like scenes from the book come to life, looks pretty good
Jessica: OMGZ HE'S SO HOT
Jessica: teenage moment.
Jamie: YES
Jamie: the one at the piano
Jamie: swoooon
Jessica: SERIOUS SWOON
Jessica: must. calm. down.
Jamie: omg edward stop dazzling us!
Jessica: hahahaha
Jessica: great casting, though in terms of looks
Jamie: i think kristin stewart was a good choice for bella too
Jessica: yes, definitely good
Jessica: i'm still looking at that pic of edward on the piano
Jessica: fact: this book made me feel like a teenager
Jessica: which isn't a bad thing
Jamie: he's all like, look at me with my raybays. im all hot and shit
Jamie: and i say Yes, Edward. Yes you are
Jamie: hahahahahaha!
Jamie: i was so determined to hate these books
Jessica: me too!
Jamie: my sister was so disappointed when i told her i bought it and LIKED it
Jessica: i felt all teeny and wrapped in it BUT the writing was cheese
Jamie: definitely felt like a teenager
Jessica: i skipped over a lot of the exposition - like, i don't care about the effin' trees
Jessica: EDWARD!!!
Jamie: for real! she got a little too descriptive sometimes
Jessica: yeah, was not into that
Jessica: and bella wasn't all that awesome as a character, like i said, i would be totally mopey if i was reading this as a teen
Jessica: like, "hey she was all mopey and silent and stuff, but she got the hottest guy in school."
Jamie: and was STILL mopey
Jessica: YEAH!
Jamie: what a waste
Jessica: i just can't deal with people who can't be happy when they should be
Jessica: as if she's a real person...
Jessica: but, yes, i will give Twilight an enjoyable thumbs up
Jamie: hahah she is not a real person but edward...
Jamie: !!!

Our conversation then degenerates into looking at pictures of Edward Cullen (I know not the name of the actor who is playing him, and don't really care). Looking at stills from the movie, there's one of Edward in the sun, and in the book he's supposed to "glitter" (see what we mean about the word choice?!). So...I photoshopped what the picture should actually look like...

Jamie: like even in that picture of him in the sun that i sent you the post of
Jamie: he's suppose to GLITTER
Jamie: im really curious how they are going to do that
Jessica: SPARKLES!
Jessica: that would be hilarious if they just covered him in glue and then actual glitter for that scene
Jessica: like, "oh by glitter, i mean he turns into a disco ball."
Jamie: hahahahahaha
Jessica: oh man. i smell a photoshop opportunity here.
Jamie: that could be amazing

Jamie: HAHAHAHA
Jamie: IM DAZZLED!
Jessica: vampires vom glitter, didn't everyone know that??
Jamie: well they obviously will now!
Jamie: im way too amused by this
Jessica: hahaha dude, i just spent the time MAKING that

In summary: if you are a girl who enjoys teenage moments, read Twilight because you'll get that #1 Crush feeling again, and the book is written pretty much like my diary probably was (poorly). Except...there were no near-death scenarios in my youth and unfortunately, no ridiculously hot bloodsucking vampires went to my school.

Naming the kittens.

[OMGZ I KNOW KITTENZ AGAIN! But, honestly, getting kittens is like having babies (right?) so it's kind of a big deal. Back to regular scheduled programming later.]

There are two entities to thank for the naming of Eko Robot & Keanu Robot: The Casey and Mom Show, and Ryan Adams' Blog.

The Casey and Mom Show (TCAMS) decided months ago that were two kittens to be purchased, they should be named Mr. Eko and Keanu. Because TCAMS tends to take place on the couch, I can probably pinpoint the moments we decided. Obviously, Mr. Eko is a character on Lost. Pronounced "Echo" but spelled "Eko," which us girls at TCAMS love, of course. I think the name happened in the midst of a repeat viewing and we started naming off "possible kitten names" -

Juliette Buttface, Black Cloud Monster, Hot Jack, Hot Sawyer, Polar Bear, Creepy Kid, Big Prayer Stick, Desmond Best Chesthair, Poor Charlie, Mr. Eko, Brainmelting Future Kate with Baby ---wait, wait! Go back! Before Kate! That's the one!

And then, yes, Mr. Eko ended up being a girl, so she is simply Eko. Or The Lady Eko. Because when we take her out to restaurants we ABSOLUTELY LOVE saying, "And the Lady will have..." Makes SO much sense!

I think we all know where the name Keanu came from. I mean, it probably light-bulbed when we were watching another amazing never-gets-old viewing of The Lake House. And of course, The Replacements on TBS, or Parenthood (classic style) or, (bite your knuckles here) a Day the Earth Stood Still trailer. Also, real Keanu might have something to say about kitten Keanu soon...

Yes, we realize these names have sci-fi, time-warping connotations in some ways. But that's where we found the kittens - we snatched them out of a wormhole leading to another time and dimension, duh. And, clearly, they've gotten too big to go back, as Eko bravely tried to today:

Now for their quasi- last name, "Robot." Ryan Adams has a blog, though it got semi-deleted, and only lives on in the name of his band, The Cardinals. In an amazing series of posts, Mr. Adams wrote about his cat "Daryl Hannah Robot." I CRACKED UP immediately upon hearing that name, deducing it be quite brilliant in naming schemes. However, he then posted a picture of his cat (after describing it sans pictures for a few posts) and it was an actual cat robot. There is only one archive I could find referring to his cat -

"now i get to sleep with two imaginary women AND a robotic cat. my cat is truly a fucking robot. ask anybody. meet me at the BMX track behind Bill Bristlemeyer’s furniture repair shop at high noon and we’ll have a jump contest.

woah. i am excited."

That is why Ryan Adams' blog was amazing. (Jonah, shut up.)

And that is how Eko Robot & Keanu Robot came to be.

Getting bigger and sleeker.

Keanu and I last night!

Okay, this blog isn't going to turn into kitten central, but I decided to work from home today (along with Erica) and Jiscilla was here and took some great pictures of the kittens! I had to share. Of course.

Eko has come out of her shell and is quite the cuddler, just like Keanu. She just took a little longer. They love all the toys and are quite rambunctious. Keanu pooped on the carpet last night, but Eko surprised us by walking straight to the litter box and taking care of business. Trained! Woo! They're also eating pretty well and I think it's a good sign, considering how I've heard that cats that move to new places sometimes don't eat for a few days (this happened a lot with my cat growing up).

I videochatted with Jesse last night and he got to see the kittens play around and have fun. He's so bummed that he hasn't been here since we got them, but he arrives tomorrow morning for his own bonding time with them! I can't even begin to explain how excited he is to have kittens, too.

They make me incredibly happy!

Keanu loves to strike a pose.

Both kittens are fans of the Bowflex!

I love, love, love Keanu's stripes and swirls!

Eko hanging on my lap!

Eko is usually a diva, but Jiscilla caught her in a goofy moment.

Keanu stalking.

Presenting...

Keanu Robot (already Bowflexing)

and

Eko Robot (she's a little shy at the moment!)