Planes and plains.

A whirling weekend involving impromptu travel plans began promptly at 5:15am Friday morning. I'd fallen asleep only five hours before, the twinge of excitement alive in my stomach making sleep fitful (also to blame: the nocturnally hungry cats). But the adrenaline pumped as my alarm went off and I showered, put on my pre-planned air travel outfit (slouchy dolman shirt, slouchy boyfriend jeans, a study in ultimate comfort) and threw my toothbrush in my backpack.

Arriving at the airport at 6:30am I busied myself near the gate with the iPads available to order breakfast at every seat around. Coffee, bagel STAT. An hour until boarding. Perused internet places, fell in love with some writers, felt even more motivated to write more. Mentally noted some places I could take my characters next time I sat down to write.

Boarding! Got to my window seat, opened my book, and promptly fell asleep. An hour and a half later I woke up and didn't understand why we were still on the tarmac at LaGuardia. WHAT IS HAPPENING?

And that's where everything devolved. We eased back to a different gate due to a mechanical issue with the air conditioning. And then we heard the problem could be solved! With a new part! That would take 4-5 hours to arrive from JFK airport. And so, at 10:30am my 8:30am flight was rescheduled for 5pm.

I was supposed to arrive in Minneapolis at 10:30am, pick up my rental car, and be reunited with husband, band, cool studio/house by noon on Friday. Instead, I did not arrive until well after 9pm. I spent my day at LaGuardia.

The moment that I cracked? I was waiting standby for the fourth Minneapolis flight of the day at 4pm, surrounded by the others from my stranded flight hoping to get on another, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a co-worker who was sweating profusely.

-- Jessica! What are you doing here?
-- I've been here since 6:30am! What are YOU doing here?!
-- I am going to visit my friends in Minneapolis! I thought I was going to be late, I've been running through the airport. Oh, look my zone's boarding! I hope you get on this flight!

I stood there as she scurried to the gate agent. I watched her drag her carry-on behind her and walk right under the screen that had my name listed as #13 on stand-by priority. And then I started laughing. She'd been in the airport for maybe 20 minutes. And she was on her way to Minneapolis!

As I stood by the window to the new gate at 5pm, waiting for my original flight, I started laughing at the absurdity again. That's right: I was laughing to myself, by myself. When the plane pulled into the gate I was quite shocked. I raised my hands over my head, gleeful and unbelieving. IT'S HERE! I yelled. FULL OF GLEE.

Because many people from the original flight were lucky enough to fly stand-by earlier or get another flight or cancel altogether, I had a whole row to myself when my original flight finally took off at 6:30pm. YUP. I slept most of the way, and the adrenaline returned as I stepped off the plane into MINNESOTA. I nearly dropped to my knees and kissed the ground. But that's gross.

I picked out my rental car, plugged my iPhone into the car, entered the address for the house and I was on my way! It was actually quite a beautiful ride as I drove further into the rural countryside. And then, as it grew darker, I remembered my true feelings about rural countrysides: they are scary.

But I arrived soundly at house Pachyderm, a rental living space and music studio, where Nirvana most famously recorded In Utero. The Motion City men are recording their sixth album there. When I entered the house I was met with complete silence (it was empty since they were recording in the studio building). On first impression, the house looks like it was built in the '60s (it was), but not in the woods of Minnesota, more like the hills of California. Perhaps it was because I was just reading about the Manson murders and the death of the '60s, but I was like, this looks like a murder house. There's orange carpeting and floor to ceiling windows. It's so retro California and at night the windows are pitch black and anybody outside can look in without you noticing. These are the thoughts I have. I mean, serial killers live in the woods, right?

Reunited

Luckily Jesse met me and showed me the rest of the premises, but he had to get back to recording. He told me to relax, swim in that indoor pool if I wanted (it was very inviting after being in an airport all day!), and just chill out. So, I attempted to. The pool is poorly lit and the bottom of the pool is painted black, so pair that with the giant wall of black windows, I was little skittish. But the pool was warm! It was inviting! I got in and dipped under water. When I came back up I heard a BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! above me, like someone running through the kitchen. It ended up being Justin coming back to the house for something, but that was the moment the water grew cold and I started shivering and I tip-toed back to Jesse's room for a hot shower, locking every door behind me. 

Black bottom pool

The house is very beautiful, but, y'know, it's also feels like MURDER HOUSE at night. MIGHT JUST BE ME?!?!!?!

Saturday, my only complete day to be spent in my husband's presence, was a fun day filled with friends. Fellow MCS wives Lindsay and Jill joined, along with our best man Jason, and other new people. There was a lot of catching up and game-playing while the men wrote and recorded. We drank wine and listened to the progress of the recorded songs. I cannot wait to hear the finished versions of these songs. They have me amped. Lindsay and I are already planning dance moves at future shows. When the guys wrapped up for the evening we sat around the dining room table discussing all sorts of topics, but me, I mostly talked about serial killers.

Discussion about some keyboard parts

Takes three men to get this grill to work

Work work work

And on to another subject entirely. It must be noted that throughout this whole weekend, my best friend in the whole world was in labor. I was anxious with updates and I didn't want to go to bed until I'd heard a baby had been born. So around 2am I was able to breathe easy again and let me tell you, as the first of my close friends to have a baby, the photos of that baby made me weep with joy and dance around because he is beautiful and I am so happy for my friend. 

It was a sad Sunday morning, as only about 36 hours had passed, and I was packing up to leave again. Jesse and I made breakfast and sipped coffees looking at photos of our friend's new baby. Everyone else slowly joined the kitchen congregation and then it was time for me to say my goodbyes even though I'd just said hello. 

The drive to the airport quickly took my mind off any melancholy, however, because it began pouring a solid wall of water and my fear-filled weekend ended on a note of hydroplane anxiety. I made it fine however, because I am an excellent driver. 

I boarded the plane on time, it left on time, and it even arrived in New York on time. As I de-planed I noticed my co-worker that I'd seen on Friday had been on the same flight as myself, too. Oh, oh the coincidences--that we must not ignore, because that's the beauty of life, right?

Funny one because I like it

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Oof. It's already been a trying day. It's always a trying day when you have 10am appointment to fill a cavity! Half my face is still numb; even one of my nostrils, which hasn't happened before. By the way, I get a lot of cavities. Whenever I look in a mirror with this numbing I expect to see half of my face slack, just a little melted-looking like my nerves are taking a rest. Thankfully I look normal, but I keep thinking people are staring at my drooping lip...which is not drooping.

Hey, people, what are you looking at?

Okay, does novacaine affect the brain?

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LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT THAT PATRIOTS GAME LAST NIGHT.

Except that I was super excited (by myself on the couch) when I heard Motion City Soundtrack's "Inside Out" play during an outro from the game! Hurrah ESPN! Way to go! Woo!!! I said to myself, last night.

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You'll be happy to know I found my sweater! It was shoved in the back of a sweater drawer that was being used for--you guessed it--Jesse's stuff. All of his wonderful glasses and lenses and cases. I think he was trying to hide it from me. I shall wear my man-repellent sweater and care not! MARRIED, DEAL WITH IT.

By the way, Jesse, if you're reading this all the way out there in California, I'm wearing a new dolman sweater today that you've yet to see! Mwahahahaha!

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Obviously that is the only way I can address Jesse at this point in time since I am going crazy (not novacaine related, hopefully) missing him. Last week he played a show in New Mexico and sent me photos from Breaking Bad filming locations! And so now I share them here with you because sometimes all I do is look at pictures of the mister:

At Walt's car wash

 

Better call Saul

In front of Walter White's house; I'm thinking of the pizza

He grabbed some coffee at Tuco's lair

So if you're ever in Albuquerque (which I hope never to spell again), the fictional meth-laden locales are there for you to enjoy!

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Tonight my friend Zan is visiting from Ohio and I'm so excited to catch-up! We used to do a happy hour every once in a while when we worked blocks from each other, and we'll be heading back to our haunt after work, even though now she lives miles away. Yay!

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First and foremost, Motion City Soundtrack released a killer single this week called "Inside Out." I highly recommend that you listen to it and buy it. And by all means see it live because it will make you shiver with delight. Weird? I DON'T THINK SO.

P.S. The cover art is rad too!

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My new year's eve plans are SET.

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Pinterest helped me pick out my latest iPhone case. I pinned several while shopping and one of them garnered close to 100 repins, the one I'm now holding that photo above. It felt like a sign, and kind of like a vote. Now that I have a sweet case and I upgraded to iOS7, I feel like I have a brand new phone. This feeling will likely last until the new iPhones begin appearing...tomorrow.

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I think GIFs are the only thing getting me through Fantasy Football this year. I'm losing terribly and it's my singular solace. So far I've been posting a lot of cats and Seinfeld GIFs on the message boards. They are mostly sad reaction GIFs.

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I get listless sometimes without a word from you. And then 4:30 rolls around and my inbox goes from " " to (1) and for some reason 27 words are all I need to brighten up again. My productivity skyrockets.

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Last night I came home and made coconut chicken curry from scratch. It came out a bit bland, but I am going to rev up the spices next time! I suppose I write these things down here for posterity's sake. I have a serious aversion to non-professional photos of food, so you will not see any photos of my cooking projects. All I have for you are words, reader!

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Last night Jesse, myself, and a few friends went 'round to a new bar in the neighborhood. It's selling point was really the fact that it had prosecco on tap. This is the second bar this week I've seen that boasts this feature, and if this is a new trend, consider me ON BOARD.

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I think tonight I'm going on a movie date with myself, one of my favorite activities.

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In a Vans store earlier this year.

Tomorrow I fly off to the Vans Warped Tour for four days. I've only ever gone to Warped on day visits to Jesse, so this should be interesting. My brain is telling me to keep a little 'tour diary' via my Tumblr, so keep checking on that if you'd like -- but I make no promises given the lack of internet and cell signal Jesse seems to have every day. I think I'll be doing a lot of people watching, reading, and tetris. So, it might be an incredibly boring 'tour diary.' At least I know I'm going to be seeing Motion City's rad live show every day.

I'm hitting up Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis in that time. I'm quite excited to get to spend time with Jesse, and luckily Warped has a day off on Monday so we'll be able to relax outside of 'camp' for a day! PLUS I get to see fellow MCS Wife / (Warped Wife?) Lindsay! I haven't seen that sweet lady since her wedding last year.

Now it's time to pack my backpack, dry shampoo, and shorts (in every color).

1185

Here are the makings of a great weekend. Told three days after the fact, given recovery time necessary.

First, get your adrenaline going and then get your brain going while moving fast on a train. I left work on Friday 15 minutes before my Connecticut-bound train would be departing Grand Central; luckily there was no ticket line and I rushed onto the train with a nice healthy sheen of sweat. Once settled, I was able to look over five scripts a friend had sent me for critique (and ultimately editing). I love giving my input on this sort of project. I wrote notes all over each version and then compiled an e-mail to the writer/director via iPhone that I was proud to press 'send' on because no matter what direction he chooses I think the final product will be enthralling. I've enjoyed an amateur capacity as an editor and feedback-giver (that is a term I just made up right now, remember I said amateur) for a few friends lately.

Second, continue your journey with good conversation, an impromptu stop and meeting, and surround yourself with great family for dinner. My dad was awaiting me in Connecticut and we began our journey to Massachusetts by recounting each of our experiences with Cloud Atlas, movie and book now that we've both taken in each of them. We stopped along the way at a grocery store to pick up something I needed to make for the next day (still cooking, guys!). While I was perusing, my dad ran into my mom in another section! My mom was just about to leave to meet us at the designated restaurant, with her visiting BFF in tow. We all headed to the restaurant to meet up with my brother and his newly appointed fiance! It was a fun meal, as always with the family. We spent the time catching up, especially on all the impending wedding details!

Third, arrive home only to be surprised by more exciting news. When we got back to the house, my brother's fiance, Katie, disappeared. After putting down my purse, she reappeared with a card and a wine bottle and said "I have something I want to ask you, I'm so excited!" Then I realized that the bottle of red she was waving around had my name on it! And asked me to be a bridesmaid! Next year! AHHHH! It was such a fun moment, we started dancing around in the kitchen after I said yes and I kind of felt like I had just been proposed to again. Obviously, I spent the rest of the evening introducing her to Pinterest. I felt it was my duty.

Fourth, prepare for your mother's preparation and let the party ensue! My mom is a master party planner, and I've been her faithful servant for years. Sometimes I had attitude growing up, but it's a testament that she can direct a few people into creating spectacular parties. On Saturday afternoon their house hosted Travis and Katie's engagement party, so on Saturday morning, we got to work. People started arriving an hour early! It was incredible, having hosted my own parties in New York in which people don't show up until at least two hours after the alloted 'start time' on the invite. We continued rushing around while conversing and catching up with the guests - no more so than my mother who was doing a million things at once. It all came together soon enough, though, and the sangria was flowing and the steaks were cooking on the BBQ. Everybody was congratulating the newly-engaged couple and their friends were arriving in droves. There were lawn games, cake-cutting ceremonies starring my father's sword, delicious meats, and hilarity.

Fifth, end the party traditionally. Parties at my parent's house tend to devolve into the 'young people' playing party games in the basement. And this was no different; perhaps it was the most epic of them all. I joined my brother and his friends for a couple hours of flip cup. You know, the best college drinking game ever. I played my Bachelorette Playlist from weeks ago since it had a party vibe, and you wouldn't believe the amount of men who sang every word of Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman." My mother even joined our flip cup game at one point (it's happened before) and around two a.m. we had slowed down immensely. Some couples retreated to their tents in the backyard, and I talked to Jesse on the phone - when I noticed someone puking next to me. They shall remain nameless but Jesse heard my whole, "Wait--what is he doing? What? Oh man...I gotta get out of here." Priceless. And it wasn't the first time one of these parties ended in that way.

Sixth, rest up for a farewell and drop-off at summer camp Warped Tour. My brother was a little worse for wear in the morning, but we all agreed it was a great party. I had to bid adieu to my bro and my future sister-in-law after a creepy conversation about lethal spiders, and I can't wait for the next time we get to hang out. My dad, mom, mom's BFF, and I headed down to Hartford to drop me off at the Warped Tour so I could hang out with Jesse for the day. It was a bummer to say bye to the spectacular family, but I was glad to be sitting next to Jesse. Even if it was in a tiny front lounge of a tour bus.

Jesse 'working.'

Seventh, let the fact that you are hanging out with your husband and good friends overshadow the searing heat and gravel dust in your atmosphere. My best friend Rick, who lives in Las Vegas, happened to be in Connecticut this weekend and he was able to join the Warped experience with friends Jared and Karyn. We rocked out to Motion City Soundtrack's set and then (due to their car) were able to grab dinner with our friends Tyler and Pete from A Great Big Pile of Leaves. Being on tour doesn't necessarily mean party party party when those dudes aren't on stage. In fact, most of the time was spent playing Tetris in the front lounge or sitting in plastic chairs in front of the bus. I had to say goodbye to Jesse after dinner, grabbing a ride home with Tyler back to Brooklyn. It was a fantastic few hours with my husband, we really enjoyed our time together and with friends and I had a smile on my face the whole time. I left not too sad, either, because I'm flying out to see him on Friday for a whole weekend on the Warped Tour.

Just fangirling my husband, don't worry about it.

RICK: BFFs since we lived across the hall from each other freshman year! We've taken this photo many times.

Eighth, make sure to get one last photo of Tyler as he drops you off at 1:30 in the morning:

Find light in the beautiful sea.

How does time work, really? Where does it go? It just flutters by and then it's 2013 and it's almost April of 2013 and what happened?

In related news, yes, it seems things have happened. The best thing about this is it just proves again how amazing Motion City Soundtrack fans are. There's always been so much love, and I'm personally grateful for their classy and cool fans. Hurrah! The last month has been a bit weird, but they are all family and supportive of each other no matter the issue at hand. Also, I totally got Christina (Tony's ladyfriend) into Bunheads in our conversations while they were overseas, so I hope Tony enjoys that with his newly found time!

Jesse returns tonight from Minneapolis, at least for a little while... I don't think he even changed his flight to try to surprise/scare me this time! He was out there playing a show and they worked on some new songs--always exciting.

In turn I spent my weekend with my wives. A few years ago, going out on a Friday night after work was no problem. These days I have to strategically plan. Friday is my favorite day of the week, but also the most exhausting. My friends wanted to go to a dance party in Brooklyn that happens only once a month, so I made sure to get in a good nap on Friday night after work because we were to meet up at 11pm. Yeah, I had to nap. Way things go when you have a 9-5 five days in a row. And it worked because I was able to stay out dancing til about four in the morning! I'm exclaiming all this because I seriously feel proud. Like, "yeah! Still got it!" ...I'm not very cool.

The funniest part of the night was that a girl came up to me on the dance floor - during a Rihanna jam, total Diamonds Interruptus - and yells near my ear: "My friend, he wants to talk to you. Is that okay?"

What?

Has there been some sort of regression in the dating scene in the years since I've been in a relationship and married? Did some girl really just come up to me on behalf of her dude friend? REALLY? Has that guy not approached someone since middle school? Does this have something to do with the popularity of online dating? Do guys not want to face rejection in real life only via an OKCupid message? These are not even all of the questions I had at that moment. ANYWAY, I was like, "Are you serious? I can't even see who you are pointing to, but I'm married anyways, so..." She smiled and danced off. Can somebody fill me in or give me some insight into this? Does this type of behavior normal? Is this how dudes are picking up ladies in darkly lit bars these days? In 2013?

The rest of my weekend was decidedly more relaxed and I enjoyed doing some top secret Maid of Honor crafting--something I rarely do--and then spending a morning with the bride-to-be and her mom!  The rest of the time I spent with errands or random activities. Sometimes I find myself walking down the street while Jesse's gone, kind of wandering. If you haven't noticed, I'm a pretty independent person, but when he's gone sometimes I feel aimless. I can always do whatever I want, but it's more fun when he's around and I have someone to come home to and who wants to see me and spend time with me and it's not like something I have to plan. He's there, I'm there and it's nice just to be together and have each other around. I'm being quite ineloquent but that's me trying to explain what happens sometimes when he's gone. Nothing makes you appreciate another person's mere presence when they have to leave for days at a time! And I am truly happy just to be sitting next to him on a couch doing absolutely nothing.

He lands in about an hour. I am excited.

Nothing breathes here in the cold.

The view from our hotel in Chicago last week.

As you may have noticed, NaNoWriMo has most certainly taken over most of my writing time! I'm currently a little behind schedule even in that, but it's all going very well. I visited Jesse and The Tour this past weekend in New Jersey and Providence, and he sweeps back into town tomorrow for their New York show.

I can say without question that this tour has been the best one I've been able to visit - the other people in the crew and bands are all fun, nice, and surprisingly grounded. I mean, on Saturday night when I was hanging out by the stage door waiting for a friend, Chris Conley passed me, then stopped to introduce himself to me. I mean, what? The guy who wrote one of my top ten albums of all time is saying hi to ME? Unreal. I suppose it was warranted given the many times we'd been part of the same conversation in dressing rooms and stage areas the past few days. But still. The people who make up Valencia, A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Saves the Day, and Say Anything are rad - and if you don't have a chance of checking out the live show, buy all their music (with Motion City Soundtrack's own included, of course!) and make an equally rad playlist. Given all the crap skeezball dudes and crap scenes I've witnessed over the years, it's refreshing to see a good group of talented people go out there and have fun.

November's already become a whirlwind of activity, and though I'm enjoying it, I'm already exhausted. I'll try to check in more often here (by the way, I'm at a 98 count of Google readers there on the sidebar - which two of you would like to turn that into 100??) but, as always, you can find me posting on the go via Tumblr or Twitter. And, my Formspring's still up and running, too - and since now I have an iPhone app to  help me out, your questions can be more readily answered. I actually have a post to show off some Gap black pants I love, pictures have been taken and everything, so stay tuned for that!

If you've been wondering about my pop culture intake lately, here are some things I've immediately loved recently: the novel Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (even more soul-crushing than the film - but invigorating), the British series Skins (on Netflix Instant! I told Say Anything's Jake he reminded me of Tony aka Nicolas Hoult), and I finally own the film In The Loop (and you should watch it if you like witty comedy! The next time I meet my NaNo day-quota, I'm treating myself to a viewing). Oh, and this song, constantly.

With brilliant luck and sometimes a bright idea.

You know how I keep blogging about that small band A Great Big Pile of Leaves? How, yeah, the drummer Tyler is my friend, but I also love his band's music? How stellar their newest album is?? How amazing they are live? How, I may or may not have tagged one of my posts, "trust me you'll want to know who AGBPOL is very soon"?

Today, a fall tour was announced.

YES! Motion City Soundtrack & Say Anything & Saves the Day! The lads who brought you Commit This To Memory, ...Is a Real Boy, Through Being Cool! The band Valencia will be opening the first half of the tour dates!

And? On the second half of tour dates? A GREAT BIG PILE OF LEAVES!!!

So, if you haven't, you should REALLY check them out now. Right? Right. I mean, they are GIVING AWAY their latest, bestest album Have You Seen My Pre-Frontal Cortex? FOR FREE RIGHT NOW! Listen, love, and then rock out at the shows!

Here are the official tour dates:

October (with support from Valencia)
14th Soma San Diego, CA
15th Avalon Los Angeles, CA
16th House of Blues Anaheim, CA
17th Regency San Francisco, CA
19th Sodo Seattle, WA
20th Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
22nd Avalon Salt Lake City, UT
23rd Summit Denver, CO
24th Sokol Auditorium Omaha, NE
26th Pageant St. Louis, MO
27th The Rave Milwaukee, WI
28th First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
30th House of Blues Chicago, IL
31st House of Blues Chicago, IL

November (with support from A Great Big Pile of Leaves)
1st Bogarts Cincinnati, OH
3rd Fillmore Detroit, MI
4th Sound Academy Toronto, ON
5th Starland Sayreville, NJ
6th Lupo’s Providence, RI
8th House Of Blues Boston, MA
9th Nokia New York, NY
10th Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
12th Sonar Baltimore, MD
13th Amo’s Charlotte, NC
14th Variety Theater Atlanta, GA
16th Revolution Ft. Lauderdale, FL
17th House Of Blues Orlando, FL
19th Palladium Dallas, TX
20th Warehouse Live Houston, TX
21st Stubb’s Austin, TX

I'll definitely be at a few of them (remember, my husband's in that one band...), let me know if you will be attending as well! Who will be screaming along with me? WHO'S EXCITED?!

MY DINOSAUR LIFE - MY TRACK BY TRACK REVIEW.

Last week, you may have seen my tumblr post regarding Anna's track-by-track review of the streaming My Dinosaur Life. Her post inspired me to write my own track-by-track and I've decided to post it here in celebration of the album's official release - TODAY!

Here is me celebratin'!

I wish I could say I had a glass of wine or two before taking these pictures, but I didn't. I am simply that excited for the date to be JANUARY 19TH 2010! It was a long time coming. Plus, I keep posting the album cover and that just gets boring to see on every post, right?

Anyway - here's what I wrote last week in response to Anna's post:

I love these track-by-track reviews! After only being able to discuss the songs with a handful of people who’d heard it, I’m eager to hear what others think. I’m in love with My Dinosaur Life, and I write that trying to be completely unbiased, as somebody who’s been listening to the band before I knew them, and just happened to marry the keyboardist - I write that as a fan! (As dorky as it may be. As “meant to be” as it all seems.)

I’m somebody that falls in love with music and then must hear how others hear it (see also: Heartbreaker, Deja Entendu, The Con) - I made all my friends buy I Am the Movie on the power of seeing them live in 2003 before it was released on Epitaph and having only a two-song sampler of “My Favorite Accident” and “The Future Freaks Me Out” to pass around. I scoured the AP.net threads for first-listen opinions on CTTM as well…and pretty sure I left my own. I remember when they posted “Better Open the Door” on AP.net pre-album release and I listened to it over, and over, and over again. I’m not going to lie: hearing the songs for EIIKM and MDL in-studio months before release definitely still gave me a rush of fan-excitement.

Also, I’ve come to find that MCS have the BEST fans! They all seem so fun and positive and ready for whatever MCS has in store for them.

I present to you my fan-to-the-max track-by-track review --

01 Worker Bee

What great lines to open an album with - "it's been a good year, a good new beginning." First songs should get you excited for what's in store, and I think "Worker Bee" is a wonderful example; it always leaves me full of anticipation, every time I hear it. Also from the get-go, you hear Justin singing his lungs out superbly and he keeps up that raw intensity through most of the album.

02 A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)

This catchy number was the first demo I heard, and just from that recording - with the machine drums - I had it stuck in my head for days. I found myself walking around and singing the chorus; at the same time I can't stress how absurdly greater the songs became after Tony's drums were added - before I was just walking around, but after hearing the final version I was bopping my head and shuffling my feet down city sidewalks. Tony's drumming has some sort of crazy charisma, I swear.

Of course, my first reaction to the song was to the lyric "indoor living, lacerated to the bone," I remember telling Jesse, "Did he say indoor living? Oh man, the fans are gonna love that." (Read: I freakin' love that.) I also loved hearing this song played in Las Vegas for the first time in July, and then played several months later in Chicago to a room that knew the lyrics and the room singing along: "but I'm gonna need a little help to get me, need a little help to get me..." etc., etc., etc. Sentiments of camaraderie.

03 Her Words Destroyed My Planet

You all know me too well: I immediately loved this song because of the Veronica Mars namedrop (seriously, does this give you enough incentive to watch that marvelous television show yet?!). The sounds of the song are kooky and perfect, I am almost always shaking my head violently side to side when I hear this song. Hey guess what I'm doing now? THAT. 

But back to those lyrics - some people mistake all the pop culture references in the songs as some sort of abstraction without real emotion, but MCS songs (especially about love) are entirely relevant and relatable. I've already gotten an email saying "there's no way this song doesn't remind you of me." It's true! These songs about love are also never corny, which never ceases to amaze me.

04 Disappear

Love the strength in this song - the first "I can disappear" always comes with the imagery of a fist pump. The song bites and drives and never lets you go. The chosen words add to the mood, such as - cadavers, decompose, festering, severing, artery. The last words seem a desperate plea after feeling like this song has been chasing you...

05 Delirium

I dig the minimalist-sounding verses here, complimented by the big choruses that tread upon old subjects that haven't tired. Another great example of Justin's fun vocals, plus the classic MCS pull of sounding fun but talking about something more serious - or are they? Honestly, this song makes me laugh when he sings, "I didn't know it was hot in the middle."

06 History Lesson

For a while, I had been listening to the original version of this song (the song that went up on MySpace last week until it got replaced by the actual final version). I think the first version didn't have a lot of personality - and MCS is nothing if not full of that. This version is a bit more complex and fun; there are gang vocals!

07 Stand Too Close

Maybe my favourite songs are those without actual choruses (i.e., "Last Night"). This was a hit with me personally right when I heard it. Handclaps, people, handclaps. Romance me with handclaps, I'll be yours forever. But for real: there's a seriousness here juxtaposed with cheeky lyrics. And as the song culminates in louder and louder sounds, my smile gets bigger.

08 Pulp Fiction

And even bigger! Maybe it's those choice keyboards at the beginning - they almost remind me of a certain No Doubt song - guess I'm a sucker for those spacey keyboard sounds. And here is the onslaught of pop culture lyrics everybody loves MCS for! The rapid-paced song ends soothingly in those lovely "aahhhhs" - I'm most definitely into it.

09 @!#?@!

Here it is! My dance around the room and sing into the mirror song! I always think that any album worth a damn has one of those especially for me (or others who do the same!). I can't wait to hear the crowd go crazy to this one live. I remember hearing the geeky (& yes, very explicit) lyrics and specifically the phrase "sensitive home boys" and thinking fans were going to die laughing, as I did upon first hearing it. I definitely snap my fingers along and dance around like I'm at a sockhop - no joke! And no, I will not video this for you! WORD!

10 Hysteria

Totally into the opening of this song; it makes me think that perhaps Motion City Soundtrack should just tour with No Doubt already! Nobody will get that. But since I know every ND song and their intricacies, I find myself bouncing around to My Dinosaur Life like I do of their own fun, beguiling, layered albums. Plus, I can't deny that I don't have dreams about a tour line-up like that. But you know what this song has that very little ND songs have? You guessed it: handclaps.

11 Skin and Bones

Honestly, going through these songs makes me realize how much I love each and every one of them together and separately. There's not one I would toss out of the bunch. The whole album is pure and unadulterated MCS, and the streak continues with this mounting and lovely ditty. It makes me want to "frolic." Yup.

I hesitate to restate this, but maybe this one's my favourite? Can I have five faves? Twelve?

12 The Weakends

Okay, wait, no THIS is my favourite song on the album. I could listen to that intro and kick-in forever. I'm not much of a jam band fan, but I wouldn't complain if those first 45 seconds or so lasted for many more minutes. I think it just relaxes me into the finale of the album only to jolt me awake: we're not done yet. And that's what this song, and ultimately the album is - aggressive. Some of the songs are obviously softer, but I'm pretty sure MCS just knocked you out with how awesome these songs are by the time you come to those last notes and the slow burn.

Don't forget to buy it, now! Have I not convinced you how RAD it is yet? Because, really, it is. It's not just me. All the reviews coming in have been backing me up, and I couldn't be more happy. Also: PROUD! I'm so proud of those dudes and their abilities to produce (with Mark Hoppus' help, of course) My Dinosaur Life.

Support them by checking the album out at your local retailer or online at Shockhound, Amazon, or iTunes (here's the Deluxe with five extra songs!).

And please, send me any links to your own blogged reviews or leave your thoughts in the comments! What's your favourite song? Which one can't you wait to hear live?! TELL ME! Let's discuss!!!

MY DINOSAUR LIFE RELEASED TODAY!!!

I will post my track-by-track review later today, lo prometo! I've just been able to hang out with Jesse for the past two days, so I've had no time to write it! I also have to get up early to work out, just got back from Motion City Soundtrack's acoustic set at Looney Tunes in Long Island, and have no time to sit down and be in the right mindset to write it!

But I will link you to all the places you can purchase this WONDERFUL WONDERFUL album My Dinosaur Life! I mean, you heard Alternative Press gave the album 5 stars out of 5 right?? And Entertainment Weekly gave it an A-?!

BUY IT NOW! ----

SHOCKHOUND

Amazon

iTunes

And support those music stores in your area! Get a physical copy! The Joe Ledbetter artwork is RAD! Really take a close look at that booklet and everything...

ENJOY! Stay tuned for my review and let me know how much you love it!!

Total calamity, the choices I have made.

Hey Jessica I was wondering if you would be willing to review the new Motion City Soundtrack cd? I'd really appreciate it, I've lost contact with all my friends who are MCS fans and would love to hear another fans take on it. If you don't want to I understand.

Thanks for having a blog that always makes me smile,

*hugs*

Lurker from Ohio
 
Hi! I'm working on a track-by-track review of My Dinosaur Life to post next Tuesday on release day! Keep an eye out for it, and leave a comment with your own thoughts! (You can even do that now if you want.)
 
I'm bummed to hear that you don't have any one to flip out with to MCS! I hope this doesn't deter you from going to shows - you should probably pass along a little MCS mix to a friend who may not have heard them! Also, one great thing about the internet is now you can find people who love a band or movie or whatever as much as you - for MCS fans I'd definitely check out the official boards on their website, and if you want some reviews from fans, I'd start with Anna on tumblr, who inspired me to write my own review! MCS fans are super awesome!
 
Can we follow you on twitter too?

MOST DEF: http://www.twitter.com/jessicaxmaria

Um, you know how I wrote about my hobbies and "researching obscure facts"? Well, I was watching the first season of Ally McBeal on DVD the other night - I got the entire series for Christmas (thanks, bro!) - and I noticed somebody Ally was gawking at in a bar was none other than Jon Hamm! And I imdb'd it, and his no-lines-character wasn't even credited. But, it's definitely him in the 1997 episode. Also, I realized the casting director's name for the episode was "Judith Weiner" and I was like, "Could she be related in any way to Matthew WEINER who created Mad Men?!?!" But after some thorough research, I came to find that Judith died a few years ago and there were no Google-able connections between Judith and Matthew. I twittered the gist of THAT, and here's the pic I grabbed while it was on pause:

Have fun following my crazy!

Haha. I too, watched "Ke$ha" on Conan. I didn't see what the big deal was. In fact, I had to change the channel midway through the song. I don't mean to bash on her, but it's just not my style of music. Although where I'm from, lots of people seem to like her a lot. So I get roasted for not liking "what's cool" lol. Is there any other artist you find depressing?

Not everybody has to like what's considered cool! Music is your own deal.

My own deal? Ke$ha was embarassing to watch. And then bringing out presents for Conan afterwards? I don't think he was into it, either. I think I would have a lot more to be depressed about if I actually listened to the radio, but in those moments where radio is all I've got, what I've heard pretty much sucks. Plus, looking at any type of iTunes or Billboard chart is no fun. In my super-humble opinion, here are some acts that make me sour: Owl City, Black Eyed Peas, Boys Like Girls, and Miley Cyrus. That's what I can think of from the top of my head.

I mean, I know music is one's own thing for the most part, but to see what the majority chooses to listen to and pay for is depressing. Especially when you're married to someone in the music industry! Of course, when you see certain acts climbing the charts and doing well - like Paramore - there's glimmers of hope. I'm hoping for the future!

(Ask away.)

Questions 38-42 (That Dude and His Band Edition)

Ah, the questions about Jesse! These were pretty hard to answer. I feel like I could go on and on and on, but I won't!

Were you hesitant to start dating (no less marry) a guy in a band that tours often? How do you deal with his frequent absence from home?

When I first started dating Jesse he was in town recording an album and would be off to Europe for tour within a month. I knew all this but I also knew it was worth a try, given how much I liked him. And there were definitely moments in the beginning that I hesitated diving into it, as he could have been like certain other touring guys out there who aren't particularly great or loyal when they're out of sight. My fears were swiftly squashed as we got to know each other, and I knew that we were on the same page before he left. Since the beginning, we've kept everything very much on the surface - there were no dating games.

Of course, dating and marrying somebody that is on tour is a challenge; but every relationship has challenges and him traveling is pretty routine at this point. I miss him a lot, of course, but I wouldn't change anything about how our relationship has evolved in the past three years. I've developed some pretty good communication skills having moved around all my life and keeping up a lot of long distance friendships and Jesse's the same way. It's almost a non-issue because touring is his job - and I'm obviously supportive of his career, as he would be if I was the one that traveled the world while he worked from an office. We miss each other a lot when he's gone though, that's for sure! And I get the added benefit of visiting him on the road, to cities and places I've never been and we get to explore them together.

Your second question I can answer along with the next one...

How does it feel to be married and have your beau on the road fairly often? How do you cope?

Well, the best thing about the whirlwind that was this year is that I am extremely busy; there's always something going on, some errand to run, some movie I must catch. And my friends are amazing in this city that never sleeps, so I never feel too lonely when he's gone.

Keeping myself busy is key, as well as keeping in touch with him while he's out there. Best thing ever: video chat! Seriously, forget texting, email, and the phone...we have the best conversations when we can see each other while we talk. We make time for each other and put in the effort, because, in case you hadn't noticed, you know, we like each other and we're in love. (Barf.)

That's all I've got: communication is most important, and be clear: it's not a medium in which you can play any guessing games. You've already got tons of white noise going on with the distance and when and how you communicate, it's not wise to waste each other's time dancing around subjects or not telling each other how you feel. And, of course, it's about that word we always hear - trust. Does that make sense? Hope so.

What is the hardest part of having a boyfriend/husband/"other" on tour all the time? How does it feel to be married to one of the members of Motion City Soundtrack? Did you fall in love with his amazing handstand on the moog?

The hardest part, to me, is missing out on something great that he's experiencing, or when I'm having a great time and he can't be right by my side. Like the holiday party - I had a blast, and I only wish Jesse had been there to share it! We have plenty of years and fun times together ahead of us, though.

It feels great to be married! And to a member of one of my favourite bands is cool I guess, but it's weird how I didn't really think about it that much when we started dating. The band stuff kind of all melted away when we began hanging out and getting deep in conversation and having tons of fun. We connected on a personal level that wasn't tied to the band; as much as people are skeptical about guys in bands, some dudes in bands are skeptical on the reason a girl is with him. I don't think Jesse would have proposed if he thought I was in it for free tickets to MCS shows!

His moogstand is quite amazing, but definitely not the reason I fell in love with him!

I have 2 questions! haha

(1) How did you & Jesse meet?

Yay! Easy! I've already written all that out here: PART I & PART II.
(2) Do you ever find it hard to date (and now be married to - congrats btw!) to a guy in a band? I just recently started dating a guy in a band and I'm worried about how it will work when he's on tour and I'm still in school! 

I think I answered this above; I hope it helps a little. Any long distance takes some time to find a rhythm in which you're both comfortable!

Yeah, man. What a jerk that Matt Taylor is! Once I was in the front row and am sure I looked absolutely ridiculous since my life was being completed and all, but that dude had the nerve to actually laugh at me!

And I just wanted to say it makes me REALLY happy that you were a fan of the band before meeting Jesse.

And a question: the other day I was mentioning to a fellow MCS fan how I follow Jesse's wifes's blog and she asked your name. I of course wanted to say Jessica but then I was like, could it really be Jesse and Jessica? And how had I not noticed? Were you called Jessie growing up? Is it ever strange?
 
Ha, great to find this one in my inbox! Yeah, I never hid it, I've always been a fan of the music and the shows. I just wasn't a personal fan of Jesse until much later!

I was not called Jessie growing up by anybody except a relative or two; I don't like the nickname! It's not really "strange" that our names are similar, it's actually just funny. Especially when we're with our parents who have always shortened our names to "Jess" and we both look up. It's been a couple of years but it still happens!

That's what I've got! A couple more question posts are in draft mode right now. And hopefully tonight I'll post my Top Ten Albums of 2009! Got any more questions?

Indoor living, lacerated to the bone.

My Chicago weekend marks another great, amazing, splendiferous weekend of 2009! I was sitting at the airport looking back on all the fun I've had this year, and I almost can't believe it. I almost can't believe the year is basically OVER!

Last Wednesday, I met up with Erica after work and we got a car to LaGuardia, an airport inferior to JFK in my opinion. Anyway, we waited at the gate for a while and with minimal delays (besides Erica yelling "Mom" for me from two rows behind - I'm such a mom these days to my friends?!) made it to Chicago. Her dude Diaz picked us up as the kindly gentleman he is, and they dropped me off at the Days Inn in Lincoln Park to meet up with my hotelmate for the evening, Adam.

Jesse and the Motion City dudes wouldn't be arriving from their rehearsals in Minneapolis until the following day, Thursday, so Adam and I had the night to BE ON VACATION. I called up Ang, who lives in Chicago and blogs at Loud & Proud, and apparently could get to the area quickly - she took us to a little bar with cheap sangria and we had a lovely evening! She's completely adorable and hilarious and our collective sangria conversation didn't end until around two in the morning, and Adam and I were so surprised how late we were up! But, time, flies, fun, etc.

Angie!

On Thursday morning, Adam and I made the most of the free continental breakfast and woke up at 10:30. Well, actually, I was up at 10am and then tried getting Adam up at 10:30 with a quiet "Adam?" at which he practically bounded out of bed, ready to shower and eat. Just learning each other's habits!

And I tell you what: that breakfast was delicious. Adam here just scored some donuts, but I remember having a smorgasbord of cereal, donut, toast, fruit, and coffee. You could also make your own waffles. And it's all free! (Everyday we woke up in time to get to breakfast before the 11am shutdown time.) These type of things excite me, and thus, I blog them.

After breakfast, we walked to the brown line of the El and met up with our friends Jim & Sam who were also in Chicago for the marvelous shows.

We had a plan: Art Institute to see um, art, and because it was where the friends go in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Yes. Then eats, then Millenium Park, some minimal shopping, etc.

Grabbed this shot of Adam and Sam taking in some pieces.

Adam got this shot of me looking at Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Very Cameron, you see. This whole area of the museum kept in step with my reading of Madame Bovary, so that's probably what I was thinking of in this picture. The rest of his fabulous photos from the entire weekend are on his flickr HERE.

We saw some great and sometimes weird art, and then we looked for somewhere to eat. We found a restaurant called Midtown and settled in. I'm not afraid to say that I had the best sandwich of my entire life there - a roasted pear, brie, and turkey sandwich. Holy majoly, I devoured it. With a desert pear margarita. Reasonably priced and delicious - I'm sitting her typing and drooling just thinking about it.

Then, of course, we stopped at Dunkin' Donuts because Jim simply CANNOT LIVE without the chain. (True story: Jesse made me take a picture of him next to the Dunkin' in Aruba on our Honeymoon FOR JIM.) Also, Sam conquered her fear of revolving doors (finger accident as a kid) since every building in Chicago has one. We stopped at one of the millions of popcorn stores downtown for Sam, and then at a beauty supply store for me since I am a sucker for nail polish (duhhh). I also totally forgot my makeup bag for the trip, so I look very pale and monotone in all pics of me. But I didn't get makeup, who cares.

Then we headed to Millenium Park to see the mirror bean thing among the other sites:

I think you can tell that we were having an incredibly fun day - and my friends, if I haven't mentioned it before, RULE! They are THE BEST! We wandered away from the bean to see the ice skaters below and decided that we should attempt to ice skate! Jim and Adam were skating pros, given their hockey backgrounds, but Sam and I hadn't ice skated in quite a while. They also gave me hockey ice skates since they were out of figure skates in my size, so I was at an added disadvantage at never using hockey skates before!

However, damn my ankles, it was so much fun! Sam and I would hold on to each other, the dudes, if a precarious moment ever arrived, and neither of us fell on our asses! (A tragedy I kept on imagining in my head.) The rink was playing holiday music over the loudspeaker and we couldn't help but feel festive and sing along as our cheeks reddened in the cool weather. I truly loved it.

Then Erica and Diaz showed up for a hot minute to say hello and check in on our whereabouts before heading off to a dinner together!

Sam gives an enthusiastic thumbs up!

After returning our rental skates, we headed back to our hotel in Lincoln Park to await the impending arrival of my husband and friends. During the day, Jesse had been texting me from their eight hour journey, which stretched to longer when they blew a tire on the road. Sadface.

But not to worry! They all arrived in merry spirits and we told them about that sangria place around the corner and decided to eat and drink there for the evening (thanks, Ang!) and this time the sangria was only $2 a glass. Actually, everything on the drink menu was half-off! That's what I call vacation money-savvy. Or something. Ang rejoined us that night, along with Erica and Diaz.

The next day I made Jesse get up for the continental breakfast OF COURSE, and then he was off to interviews and rehearsals at the venue for the imminent I AM THE MOVIE show that night. Adam, Jim, Sam, Erica and I then decided to walk to the nearby Wrigley Field where the Cubs play. We were blown away by all the rooftop seating for games we saw on nearby apartment buildings! Amazing! The stadium and area also reminded me a lot of Fenway Park in Boston, as both are situated in the city without giant parking lots surrounding it like the majority of stadiums.

We ate at some placed called the Cubby Bear or Bar or something, I don't even know. It was a giant multi-floor bar that...on that Friday in the off season was...you guessed it, completely empty. But they did have a really funny playlist playing basically every pop-punk act that was popular from 2001-2003. Mainly Taking Back Sunday, I'm not kidding. Weird.

On the way back to the hotel, we passed by some sweet shops, like a vintage place where I bought a couple of sweet rings and the boys got shorts and stirrups that matched the shirts of their favourite hockey teams. Guess what they wore under their clothes that night for the show:

Precious, no? We got to the venue and caught up with the dudes for some food and pre-show hangs. I also checked in with some people who came to the show - Dan and lovely reader Brittany! Then I settled in the balcony to watch Ultimate Fakebook, who are definitely amazing and should definitely be checked out!! Then I got really stoked because Motion City was about to play their entire album I AM THE MOVIE from start to finish!

 

Erica and I in the bar at Lincoln Hall before the show! (via Sam!)

Remember, I've been a fan of Motion City before I met Jesse, and it was with this album and...actually, before Epitaph even released this album. I sang and rocked along and it felt like 2003 and I was SO HAPPY. Everybody was really belting it out that night and I was caught up in the excitement generated by that crowd. Also, loved hearing "Shiver" and "Red Dress" and "Perfect Teeth" and hey oh, hows about everything?

Jesse was a bit nervous leading up to the shows, as they had some intense rehearsals for some songs they had NEVER played live before. Each night they played at least one b-side and/or one song they had never played before to an audience. However, after the show, Jesse and the dudes had the biggest smiles on their faces and I'm sure they felt quite accomplished with having conquered that feat. I was so proud of Jesse, and it was so fun to rock out with a room full of people who all loved their first album.

Afterwards, we went to a karaoke place Diaz recommended which was pretty fun, but Jesse and I were starving! (By the way, when we entered, Diaz was singing Hole's "Celebrity Skin.") Jesse and I got some foods and returned to the bar only to be faced with a wall of people who would hardly budge for us to get to the back. After some futile attempts and rude people, we decided to head back to the hotel - and Jesse was already exhausted from the evening's show! I mean, here's a picture from that night:

Yeah, we're kinda nuts. (Via Sam!)

On Saturday, after the requisite breakfast haul, Jim, Sam, Adam, Jesse and I went to a local games store that sold old gaming systems and technology. Jesse got really excited about this, of course, and he bought an Intellivision. Yeah. And games. Then we settled in at Noodles, which is one of Jesse's favourite places to eat, and it was soooo yummy. After a walk in the rain, we were happy to be warm and eating mac'n'cheese and tomato soup together.

The dudes then decided to try to hook up this new (old) gaming system, and the girls and I got manicures! I finally found a place (called, no kidding, Nail.com - no, it's not the address of their website, either!) that carried Essie's Mint Candy Apple color that I've been loving. It was a fabulous treatment for a reasonable price, PLUS they had free wine AND a parting gift of three pairs of socks all wrapped up like a a gift. I mean, amazing, am I right??

My manicure, and those rings I bought the day before!

And that night was when Motion City would be playing their second album COMMIT THIS TO MEMORY------

To be continued...it's time for me to start my journey to Massachusetts for the holidays!

A quick preview: some awesome bloggers came out to the show on Sunday night!!! -