Picking up what's left of me to sing together.

There's a foot of snow outside...and I'm at work!

My commute to the subway this morning:

Yes, they also left a dumpster in my way to make this morning even more fun! It's better than the slush of yesterday, however. And there was a lot less people on the train, considering that most people got a snow day!

I'm looking forward to my final weekend home before Japan. Tonight I plan on near-completing my packing. Tomorrow I'm getting a mani/pedi with Amber & Erica at our fave place in order to prepare my "jet-setter" look for next week (could Mint Candy Apple make another appearance?!) and then I'm seeing Shutter Island! I love a good suspense thriller - they seem rare these days (too much shock horror) and Scorcese is a master!

On Sunday, I plan to celebrate the birth of one of my best friends, Kells, and eat a lot. Then any last-minute errands I need for the trip! I am a checklist maniac. CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!

Before I leave I will be posting my thoughts on the Academy Awards nominations - who will win/who should win and whatnot. Since I'll be out of the country! Wakuwaku suru!

Jesse's in Adelaide today (or should I say tomorrow?) and we got to video chat this morning before work (and before his sleep!). What's so weird is that Adelaide is half an hour off from each time zone - I didn't know such places existed. Right now it's 11am. In Adelaide it's 2:30am (tomorrow!). Anyway, the world is mysterious and I feel rather lucky to be able to talk to him so often when he's literally on the other side of the earth. In a few more days, we'll be reunited again. It will have been a MONTH since we saw each other last on February 3rd. A MONTH. Holy majoly.

So what's up with your weekend?

It's just such a trip how you're still my speed racer.

The day has arrived! I received my lovely LAMB ultraviolet absinthe wristlette! I am happy:

But....but what is this....?!

IS THAT A LAMB NIKOLA HOBO?!

YES THAT IS.

Here's how THAT happened. As you know, I posted a GILT invite on my blog and twitter. A few people signed up, a few people bought LAMB bags for themselves, and when those bags shipped, my account was credited $25 for each referral! On Sunday I found out that I could buy this lovely, lovely bag...which retails for $375, was being sold on GILT for $189...and I purchased for $41 after all the credit went through. And so, I did it. 

AND SO - I MUST SAY THANK YOU. 

Because if it hadn't been for you awesome fashionista friends & readers, I would not have this gorgeous LAMB bag to go with my wristlette! I was ecstatic on Sunday. I was ecstatic to have a few people be as crazy in love with LAMB purses as myself. I mean, REALLY CRAZY IN LOVE:

I am feeling quite great and quite wakuwaku suru to carry my new hobo around Japan! Domo arigato!

I'm a lot like you so please, hello, I'm here, I'm waiting.

In less than a week, I will be in JAPAN. I leave next Tuesday, March 2nd!!!!!!!!! I am excited. In Japanese, apparently, that translates to "wakuwaku suru!" I have been saying this to everyone, regardless if they understand.

Jesse is still in Australia, and it's a little tough when he's out of the country. It's harder to coordinate times to talk to each other, and he's not simply a call away, really. We've been doing well, though! The time difference is funny because as I'm getting up to go to the gym and head to work, he's usually just finished a show and heading to bed. When I'm eating dinner, he's waking up. I say "sweet dreams" as he says "have a great day."

With the help of Skype (and specifically the iPhone application!) we can talk on the phone on different halves of the world for free. We e-mail, chat, and video chat whenever he has an internet signal. Just yesterday morning as I got back from the gym, Jesse was online from a venue in Sydney where they had just finished playing (with freakin' Rx Bandits, Glassjaw, Sunny Day Real Estate and Jimmy Eat World!). I got to "hang out" backstage via webcam and catch up with him. He also brought his computer out in some area above/behind the stage and I got to see Jimmy Eat World perform "Bleed American."

As I sat in my bathrobe in New York. Oh, technology!!!

In Japanese - oh, kagaku gijutsu!!!

I'm not sure about much of anything in Japan in terms of internet connections and time available to update, but I'll try to! I'll be traveling with Motion City for their three shows from Tokyo to Nagoya to Osaka. I'll obviously be taking lots of pictures, notes, etc. for a full report upon my return. One other thing's for certain: I won't have to videochat with my husband once I'm there!

Today blue.

And if you want me I'm your country.

Ah, Friday. Fridays are always so lovely, aren't they? I almost feel like my Friday started as soon as I left work on Thursday.

I went to see the film Crazy Heart with Jaime and Erica. GREAT movie. Jeff Bridges has always been a talented actor - but nowhere has it shined more than here as aging, alcoholic country singer Bad Blake. His performance gave me chills, and I won't be surprised to see him take home the Best Actor Academy Award for it next month.

Last night I also recieved a few e-mails from Jesse, who landed safely in Australia for the Soundwave Festival. After a 14-hour flight, I was really excited to hear from him! He's on the other side of the WORLD. This morning he called me via the free Skype iPhone application and we got to talk for a few minutes. He was heading to bed as I was getting up for work! Not going to lie: it's the little things. Hearing his voice totally made my day!

And my smile continues to shine bright because I made a frugal designer purchase! I bought a LAMB ultraviolet wristlette via the invite-only shopping site Gilt. Oh, would you like to see it?

I'm in love! LOVE! I've been desiring a LAMB bag in that color since I saw them previewed last year. It was only $39. Boom - bought! I can't wait to go out dancing this spring/summer and slipping all my necessities in that neon bit of beauty.

Would you like to get in on the LAMB sale and need an invite? HERE YOU GO - CLICK HERE! The LAMB sale ends at midnight on Sunday, 02/21 - but the merch goes fast. The site has some great sales every day - though I only keep my eyes peeled for my favourite labels - like LAMB, of course! Sign up, and have fun.

And the rest of the day promises loveliness implicit in the fact that it's FRIDAY - the weekend begins! Tonight I hope for a little Jesse video chatting, some relaxing, perhaps a DVD or two. More fun on the horizon for the rest of the weekend as my friend Jim will be performing with his improv group at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and I'm excited for my super nerdy book club meeting!

What are you up to this weekend? And how awesome is my latest purchase - you cannot deny!

I played it cool and hung out around the kitchen.

As you may or may not remember, I've decided not to embark on another Fifty-Two Books challenge this year - instead, I've spent most of my year thus far reading Tolstoy's War & Peace. It's quite long and a slow read, but I'm enjoying it! I think most of my book club is, too. We have our next meeting this weekend, which we complement with champagne cocktails, and I'm eager to discuss the first 500 pages or so of the novel!

Occasionally I need a little break, so I've been reading the annual anthology of Best American Magazine Writing. I read the collection every year, and every year I'm simply blown away by the excellent writing. This year was no different. I was actually inspired to write this post and share those articles I've enjoyed most so far, due to a profile recently published in Esquire magazine about Roger Ebert, a man I've long admired. The profile was wonderful and it was written by a certain Chris Jones - a man whose name I recognized from the BAMW; I've listed these articles here along with my other favourites I've read so far, which I found online --

01 Roger Ebert: The Essential Man by Chris Jones for Esquire (Not in the book, just published!)

02 The Things That Carried Him by Chris Jones for Esquire (Winner - Feature Writing)

This feature is based on a soldier from Iraq who is killed in action and follows his journey home from base to airport to his hometown - except Jones writes the story backwards. I won't lie: it's hard to read this if you have loved ones in the military, especially if they're overseas. I admit that I cried a few times while reading - it's heartbreaking, but beautifully written.

03 The Lost Years & Last Days of David Foster Wallace by David Lipsky for Rolling Stone (Winner - Profile Writing)

I have never read anything by David Foster Wallace. However, after reading this profile of his youth and his struggles with depression, I have a strong curiosity to delve into his works. Lipsky displays a keen insight into a truly enigmatic writer.

04 Broken by David Darlington for Bicycling Magazine (Winner - Public Interest)

I believe I learned the most while reading this article. I knew very little about cycling culture, but enough to be aware of the "big issues." Darlington's article takes you straight to the human heart of those issues - and it will probably make you reel (as it did to me) when reading about certain injustices that occurred in California. Another serious read.

05 I Choose My Choice! by Sandra Tsing Loh for The Atlantic (Finalist - Reviews & Criticism)

And now on a bit of a lighter (and shorter) note - this quick-witted and biting essay made me laugh out loud when I read it one evening in bed. Her asides are hilarious and her opinions intelligent. I honestly wish I could write as brilliantly as Tsing Loh - or any of these authors listed here.

The entire anthology itself is reliably good every year - I've been reading it since 2003. Not only are the articles the literal best of an entire year of magazines, but the foreword by Chris Andersen makes the physical book version worthwhile. Hope you enjoy - let me know if you get to reading any of them, I love discussing these pieces! Some of them are long, as they are intensely researched and reported feature pieces, but I promise they are well worth the read!

Pursue the sound and lock the door.

Thanks for all the kind comments regarding my new blog layout! I have had a pile of these formspring questions piling up in my inbox, so here we go -

Hola Jessica! Someone may have asked you this already, but do you ever go out on tour with Jesse? If you do, what's tour life like? - L.B.

Yes, I've flown out to visit Jesse on tour occasionally. Comes with the territory! I've blogged a lot about my time out visiting Jesse in the past - just not in the past year, considering that they didn't tour for most of 2009. The first time I flew out was in 2007, roughly five months into Jesse and I dating. I've gone countless other times, and they're in the ol' archives.

Tour life is fun and funny. And I promise you, it's not glamourous. There's a routine to the day from everybody slowly getting up from their bunks to bus call late at night/early morning. Buses can get cramped; it's easy to get stir-crazy. I'm a pretty deep sleeper, so I rarely had issues falling asleep in my "guest" bunk on a moving bus, but for others it might be hard to get used to. There's not a lot of room to cuddle up in a bunk, so it's not like Jesse and I sleep together. The first time I was on a bus, back in July 2007 I was SO awkward about the bunks and waking up - should I get up? Did Jesse get up? Do I get dressed in my bunk horizontally or make a run for the bathroom? (Don't get me started on the itty bitty bathroom...)

However, other than the BUS, tour life can all depend on where you are. When the bus stops and parks you could be on a Chicago city street, or in Florida's panhandle next to a dilapidated Days Inn for a day off. It's what you make of it, of course. I've been to so many cities since I started dating Jesse, and I love getting to experience all of them - from the beautiful Portland, Oregon to the rural Council Bluffs, Iowa. It's fun for me, since I'm on vacation and I get to spend a lot of time with Jesse.

Oh, and: there's not a lot of the craziness some people associate with tour buses - Motion City does not equal Motley Crue. I'm not going to lie, they are mostly a nerdy bunch and there's rarely alcohol on the bus, and definitely no random ladies.

Hello! Since you live in the city, I was wondering if you ever find the time to go to any Broadway or off-Broadway shows. If so, what are your favorite shows? As a Theatre major I was just interested to see. I also wanted to tell you that your blog has encouraged me to rediscover my joy of reading. Thank you! -Lurker from Jersey
 
Hey! Glad you rediscovered your love of reading! That's awesome. I have been to a few Broadway shows since living in New York, and I love the theater - however, I usually only go if it has a real draw for me. For instance, any time Kevin Spacey is in a play (The Iceman Cometh in 1997 was my first Broadway play ever, and I saw him again a couple of years ago in Moon for the Misbegotten). I think he's brilliant. I also really loved Spamalot and Spring Awakening. And anything Shakespeare.

Fact: for years when I visited New York as a poor college student my friend Kelly and I would try to get the raffle/cheap tickets to Rent and we never won. Kelly definitely made it in once when I wasn't with her, but I have never seen that musical staged. And after seeing the movie version, I don't think I want to.

How amazing was MCS on Jimmy? lol their performance has made me even more excited to see them live next month! lol.
 
Yay! I loved them on Jimmy! Glad you're excited to see them - I think their tour is so awesome this year because they now know all their old songs so they're switching up the set list each night! I think they're having a lot of fun with it, too.

What do you absolutely LOVE?
 
Absolutely, hm? Nice hands, great performances, perfect wordplay, witnessing accomplishment on a grand scale, a song that complements my mood to the tee, acts of kindness, and knowing looks/locking eyes.

I love the key necklace you wear. Where is it from? It reminds me of my grandmother and how when I was little she would buy me and my sister themed gifts. My sister got apples (apple of her eye) and I got keys (key to her heart).

The necklace was a gift from Jesse. He has the lock, and I have the key. I believe he bought the necklaces in Japan. I'm sure you've noticed that I rarely take it off - he doesn't either. They've definitely become an intimate symbol to us in our relationship, and the only time I've taken mine off in the past two and a half years was on our wedding day. Literally, here's a picture of my mom taking it off while I'm about to head to the ceremony. It was promptly back around my neck the following day! I truly love it.

I've always been a fan of keys - and it was due to my grandmother, as well! She had a huge wall in her house that was covered in antique keys. I loved looking at them every time I visited.

She only took me for ten-thousand yen.

Hey oh! Check out my new blog layout!

Jiscilla came over this weekend and with her expert styling, make-up, and photography skills, came up with some great pictures of yours truly! I know I look a bit pensive above, but I really loved the photo. And the books! Obviously! What do you think?

There are many photos where that came from - I plan on changing up the header later in the year! Here's a couple of fun shots that aren't header material...outtakes, if you will:

I think you can tell that Jiscilla and I had a grand weekend, starting off with vegan burritos and Friday night photo shoots! We then stayed up and watched Zombieland, which was a laugh riot. On Saturday morning we decided to wake up in time for the special $6 Saturday morning deal at a movie theater showing A Single Man. Let me tell you: A Single Man was a beautiful film, a wonderful turn by one of my favourites Colin Firth, and all the men looked impeccable - both in their tailored suits and out of them!

We then spent the rest of the day preparing for my upcoming trip in March. I've failed to mention exactly where I'm going, but I've decided today is the day to break it to you:

I'M GOING TO JAPAN!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it? I can't believe it.

Jesse and I have been planning this for a few months, as Motion City is playing some shows there for a week in March, it's one of Jesse's favourite places in the world, and a destination I've always wanted to go to! Seriously, I believe one of our first conversations centered around our mutual love for Japan. And later we would speak of visiting the country together.

And now! On March 2nd, I head to Tokyo! We'll also be visiting Nagoya and Osaka! I can't help but type all these sentences with exclamation points! I studied Japanese culture in college, and have been dreaming about visiting ever since. It's been the number one place I'd like to visit in the world for a long time. And I get to go with Jesse!

I've been bummed since the last time I saw Jesse, knowing I wouldn't see him for a month. However, we've both been relishing in the fact that the next time we see each other we'll be in JAPAN! On the other side of the world! On Saturday, I bought a suitcase and some new headphones. I've been carrying around a Japanese phrasebook, and whispering to myself on the subways. You'll probably be hearing much more of my preparation for the trip in the coming weeks - stay tuned!

Oh, and lest I forget to mention my Valentine's Day: I received a lovely bouquet from Jesse, who was in LA, and we videochatted twice for maximum FACETIME. Otherwise, I watched figure skating with Pee Wee (he's a real fan, I'm not kidding), and did some cleaning around the house. Plus, I decided to buy myself a Crumbs cupcake and indulge in my quiet Sunday night!

Now to prepare for the week ahead...and Japan!

Will cauterize and bruise.

It's been a long week.

I don't have too much to update on, except that I will be updating soon. My weekend plans are to relax and hopefully update the look of this blog. We'll see how I do. It's been a rather busy past few weeks! I'm ready to catch up a bit with my home life. Jiscilla will also be in town while most everybody else is out of town! We have some fun girly stuff planned. We're girls, it makes sense.

Tonight I actually uploaded some pictures from the camera. And that is what I bring to you - random photos over the last month. I believe you can click on them to see them bigger.

Playing around with the camera and distances.

And, um, my favourite nail shades of 2009?

Motion City rehearsing at Looney Tunes.

Miss that dude. A lot.

Smiling Amber, stoic me on a Saturday night.

I know this weekend is a big "to-do" for most people - so let me live vicariously, hm? What are your plans? Whether romantic or otherwise!

I'll send the weak ends down the drain.

I originally planned to update over the weekend, seeing as Liz and Meredith were visiting and I imagined a downtime or two in which we would take photobooth pictures and post silly things since we really are bloggin' friends.

However, it was hard to stop all the fun being had and relax - we were on the go each day of the weekend, with maybe an hour or two spent in the apartment besides sleep!

On Friday, Liz and Meredith made it to New York after a crazy afternoon of cancelled bus tickets and impending inclement weather in Philadelphia. However, we figured it out and they made it by train to Penn Station, where I picked them up and we instantly hugged and squealed. (Okay, maybe only I squealed - I wouldn't want to embarrass anybody but myself here!).

In these situations, you become acutely aware of how you might come across on your blog and how that differs in real life. For starters, you can't tell from my writing here that I am a particularly fast walker, especially in crowded areas in New York. Like Penn Station. And no matter how much I explain the "fast pace" of New York life, I probably forget to mention that I also up the ante in my own way. So, in my need to get out of Penn Station stat, Liz and Meredith followed me and dodged others with me on the way to the subway. They probably did that all weekend in certain crowded areas, so I'd just like to thank them for bearing with my pace!

When we got back to my apartment in Brooklyn, we went to my favourite neighborhood eatery/hangout/bar, Life Cafe, with Erica and Tyler and downed some Long Islands while conversing about everything. We returned to the apartment well-liquored and ready to sleep for the next day.

Which, by the way, included manicures - obviously!

I took them to my favourite mani/pedi salon, Lulu's, where a manicure is under ten bucks. We all love Essie colors, so Meredith went with Mint Candy Apple, Liz went with Looking for Love, and I went with my latest Essie purchase, Chinchilly!

I picked up Chinchilly on Friday (along with two other colors, eep! Issues!) because I was digging some ladies sporting the taupe shade lately, and I also got this little collage from Who What Wear in my inbox, and I wanted to try it out for myself -

Verdict? I love it. It's a classy neutral and I feel a bit sophisticated!

We then went to Top Shop, a store I'd never deigned to wander in due to its popularity and high traffic (remember when I said that thing about crowds?). Well, Saturday the place wasn't too bad and we got to wander. Honestly, I was unimpressed. There were a few standout pieces I would love to add to my wardrobe, but not at the price for the quality. Disappointment!

However, Amber joined us afterwards and dragged us to the first place that served food because she was starving. We ended up in an Asian pub. As in, Asian food in an Irish bar. Strange, indeed. The drinks were cheap and strong, and the food was rather bland, but we laughed about it for the majority of the time. Amber decided she needed us to forgive her for taking us there, so we went to the best cupcake place in the city, Crumbs! After downing our delectable desserts...

...We headed to a place in Manhattan I've heard much about, but never made plans to visit until that day: The Museum of Sex. Funny, informative, and wacky - I don't know what we expected, but we sure had fun! And we learned a lot. As in, there are people out there who are really into popping balloons. Just big ol' regular balloons. They like popping them. They really like it. Who knew?! We didn't.

That night, I took the ladies and a few friends to Kate's Joint, a great vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the East Village. We gobbled up the goods and readied ourselves for the rest of the night, because we were seeing Quentin Tarantino's classic, Reservoir Dogs at midnight on the big screen! So, coffee plus Baileys it was!

And we managed to stay awake through most of the movie and trudged through the apartment door at 3am, Liz and Meredith reaching for the futon and couch respectively and me to my bed. The girls had to leave early this morning in order to make their train back to Philadelphia, and it was sad to see them go! I truly had a great weekend and I can't wait for our next weekend of escapades which, as I made sure to tell Liz, will include many more pictures and probably a rocking-out-in-the-mirror moment to our most recently loved pop punk song.

UNTIL THEN!

Remember that we all feel the weather.

Hello! It's been a few days. It's been an incredibly busy week!

On Sunday night I went to the wedding of my friends Janice & Stu and had a grand ol' time with friends and meeting new people. Jaime was my date, though her boyfriend Andrew was there - but he was DJing! We gathered in this lovely art space in Brooklyn that had shallow pools of water in the floor surrounding the seating area. There were candles in the water, and giant ice sculptured vases along the aisle. Janice looked beautiful and outright glamorous! Their friend Matisyahu officiated the ceremony and many of their other friends read poems and sang songs for them. A truly special evening.

Not to mention the waitstaff was carrying around chocolate martinis all night - we never had an empty glass for long! (All these wedding photos are via Jaime!)

Jaime, me, Lauren Ashley. Many martinis.

Deep breaths. Let's drink these.

Should you really be having another one?

There's more on the table! They won't stop! (Here we are with Lauren Ashley's Christmas-Day-proposing FIANCEE Alex!)

Andrew, a bride's favourite DJ (he was instructed to play Taylor Swift, and added it to his repertoir obligingly) and Jaime!

And Jaime decided to take a picture of my outfit:

Ann Sui for Target dress, teal tights, Madden Girl pumps. Behind that railing is the water - there were four "islands" of tables veering from a center pathway that led to the stage, where the ceremony and the reception dancing took place! Seriously great, intimate, romantic, and cool venue!

Yes, all I've covered so far is SUNDAY.

On Monday, Jesse's mom (that's right, my mother-in-law!), Sandi flew in from Missouri and we had a great BBQ dinner near Times Square. I was still tired from Sunday night and had many an errand to run after dinner, too! Plus, we were both preparing for the next day -- for Jesse's return to New York!

On Tuesday morning at 6:30am, Jesse walked into the apartment and we got to catch up lying in bed face to face while Peesy lay between us wondering why he suddenly lost his half of the bed. Then I had to get ready for work and say bye to the good husband, who had jumped off the tour bus as soon as it hit New York in order to see me before I left!

I got to skip out on work early that afternoon to attend the Jimmy Fallon taping! My friend Kelly works at NBC as well so we met up to say hello, and as Meredith Vieira was a guest, Kelly introduced me to her since they're old friends. I'm not kidding! She was super nice. I also caught passing glances at Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family (funniest show on television right now? Possibly!), though (my) Jesse later got to tell him how much he enjoyed the show. The Motion City guys were all a little nervous, as I think anybody would be taping a nationally broadcast show! Fallon stopped by the dressing room to say hi, and he was exceptionally nice and personable. (I may or may not have had a crush on him in college when he was on SNL?) MCS took the stage and played wonderfully!

Right before they took stage, I met Risa who works on the show, and apparently reads this blog! Hola, Risa! She stayed for the song and rocked out with me!

Here's Jesse with the cue cards backstage after the show:

Afterwards, we grabbed dinner with the band and managers and everyone and then we had to hop a train back to Brooklyn for LOST!!!!! I can't sit here and discuss LOST right now. I simply cannot in this forum.

Jesse and I finally got to sleep, though I decided to wake up for my daily workout again on Wednesday! I then had the most busy and annoying day of work I've had in a long time, and when 5pm rolled around I was completely exhausted from stress. However, I was quickly reminded of the evening's event: Motion City Soundtrack at The Fillmore/Irving Plaza!

I'm not lying here. I think it may have been the best show I've seen those guys play, both in terms of music and energy. The crowd was LOVING it - singing all the new songs and jumping around. I was especially happy to hear them sing a part of "Lifeless Ordinary." Their fans rule! The guys were all enjoying themselves and smiling, too. I believe I have a new favourite MCS song live: "Even If It Kills Me." I was blown away by it the first time they'd played it back in Chicago, and this time I got chills all over again. SO. GOOD.

Also, they had a surprise for New York - they had the a capella group The Williams Octet come in and sing the song "Fell In Love Without You" at the beginning of the encore! Their YouTube video of the original performance caught the attention of the band and they started figuring out how to collaborate! Check out their amazing a capella rendition on Wednesday night via Motion City's tumblr!

After the wonderful show, the guys and all of our awesome, fun friends went to a nearby billiards hall for some post-show shenannigans. We stayed out for a little while, as bus call was relatively early. Jesse decided to stay in New York one more night and get a train the next day for Hartford. I had to say goodbye as I left for work on Thursday, knowing I won't be seeing him for a long, long while. (More on that in a future post.)

As for Thursday, I was tired and my throat felt a little scratchy (probably due to stress, screaming my lungs out, etc.) and so the day felt like it was at a crawling pace. When I finally got home, I ate, and then did not move from the couch, as Tyler, Erica, and I watched Thursday night comedy. And then, I slept. So good.

And now it is Friday! And you've heard about my week! And this weekend?

FRIENDS ARE VISITING! Not just any friends! But the crazy awesome blogger LIZ (check out her BLOG and her TUMBLR) and blogger MEREDITH (her TUMBLR!). I'm beyond excited for some sweet hangs with these Philadelphia ladies - we have bounced around many an idea for plans, and we'll try to fit in everything we can +craziness +disorder +havoc. That's how I do. There will be updates. I feel they are necessary given the participants. Good thing I got some sleep last night!

This was us on Sunday.

We are video chatting GOOFS.

He'll be home in a matter of hours! He's supposed to get here at 6:30am, so I'm taking one (only one!) small break from my morning gym time. And he'll be here for two whole days (that's a lot, my friends). 

He & Motion City Soundtrack will be performing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tomorrow night, February 2nd - you don't want to miss it! Watch it at 12:37am (technically Feb 3rd)! Set your DVRs! I just did. And I'm serious that you're NOT going to want to miss it!!

And guess what else is happening tomorrow? THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS. I'm obviously a huge film fan, and though the Academy Awards are The Academy Awards and don't exactly do the best job of honoring the bestest and greatest movies - I still love them. They are a family tradition, if you will. 

And guess what ELSE is happening tomorrow?! THE SEASON PREMIERE OF LOST!! THE FINAL SEASON!!

When did GROUNDHOG'S DAY turn into such a relevant DAY?!

I'll stop yelling now.