Today certainly started out fun! Ate brunch with the gang for Andrew’s birthday at Deep Ellum. I had the, what was supposed to be, Portuguese sweet bread french toast. It looked and tasted like white bread. It was alright, although I sort of wish I would have went for the biscuits and gravy dish. I was afraid it wouldn’t be as good as Atwoods! At one point, John asked if he could switch to decaf. 5 minutes later, I realized how jittery I felt, which was kind of a weird feeling because I was drinking a mimosa at the same time.

After Deep Ellum, Mike gave us a ride on his way home to Porter Sq where Sterling, Shiphrah, and (as a birthday surprise from Shiph) Andrew all got pedicures. Rob and I waited. Then we walked to Harvard, where there was a festival going on. Octoberfest? Not really sure. There were a lot of people. We didn’t stick around though. We walked to Central. Rob, Sterl, and I went home.
After a while, I met up with Ant at his work and we drove over to Great Scott for the Vivian Girls and Fucked Up show. As we were walking up to the door, we could hear Vivian Girls already playing and there was a huge line! AHHHH. So we didn’t go in. We figured that to stand in line for possibly more than half their set (since we didn’t know when they actually started) and then to pay $12 and not stay for the last band, since we don’t care for them, it wasn’t worth it. So we stood behind the bus stop on the side of the building where we could hear them playing just fine. We were hoping that the girls would come out the side door when they finished playing, so that maybe we could hit them up for their new full length. But they didn’t. MAIL ORDER! Afterwards Ant, Shiph and I hung out in the livingroom where they tried to get me to jump over the couch…

wow

LOVE

Called Keith while walking to school. He is buying his fest pass today. He seems to be really excited too, which is a big relief to me. He is stoked about seeing Coalesce. OF COURSE.
Also, found out that Owen is playing a show on 12/2 (my birthday!) with Caithlin De Marrais of Rainer Maria!!! ahhhhhhh!!! I’m so excited.
So, I started making a list of all the things I will need to bring to FL with me (3 weeks away!). Today I bought an Ipod transmitter to FM radio for driving around in a car. It was $50. But it will be nice to have. I also need to get a new battery for my camera and either an extra memory card or one of those small storage drives to put photos/videos of the fest and FL on.

LOVE

And townhall-meeting style presidential debate on domestic and foreign policy tonight.

Vice Presidential debate tonight!

On Tuesday I hung with Ant all day.  He did his laundry in my basement and we went to get food from Falafel Palace for lunch.  We sat around my room, listened to records, folded laundry, I cleaned/organized my room, and he read to me from some of his papers for school.  After a while, I got lost in trying to arrange my shoes and decided I need some sort of shoe rack.  We ended up driving out to Ikea, where I proceeded to buy $125 worth of “stuff”.  

Later on, we went to see Sinaloa at Oxfam Cafe.  Now I’ve been wanting to see Sinaloa for quite a while now, but they don’t play shows very often.  (with the exception of playing like, 2 weeks ago at some kid’s house, but I bailed on that one.  But before THAT, it’s been a while, I think…)  Ant and I get there and are met with the $8 cover charge.  YIKES.  I looked around just to make sure we weren’t at the Middle East or something.  Before that moment, I really liked Oxfam because it isn’t a bar and it is small.  The feel is sort of like you’re in someone’s basement, except you don’t get hot.  When we walked in, there was some noise going on, that I didn’t particularly care for, that we later found out was Hats and Glasses.  I’ve been seeing this band’s name a lot in the past month or two, and was kind of surprised they sounded the way they did.  Nevertheless, it seemed like most of the kids was there for them, because they cleared out when the band finished their set.  Sinaloa played afterwards, to a good crowd.  I thought they were so good, but it felt like their set was so short.  I guess I could’ve just watched them play for an hour.  I really like this band because they really try to connect with their audience.  They write thoughtful lyrics and the thing I like the most is that they have explanations of their songs up on the band’s website.  Anyway, I think we got like 6 or 7 songs.  But I just saw that they are playing with DST right before they head for The Fest.

Also, I just want to make a note that my best friend and show-going partner is NOT going to The Fest with me.  He is really busy with school and working and can’t afford to take any time off.  I understand this.. but am getting more and more disappointed as the 30th draws closer.  It doesn’t seem to make sense that he wouldn’t be there by my side, watching bands that we listen to every day together whether in his apartment making breakfast in the morning, or scrolling through our ipods driving on the highway, when I settle on listening to Latterman/Shorebirds/Slingshot Dakota AGAIN (b/c I can’t think of something else I want to listen to).  I know it will be fun, it just won’t be the same.

Even though I said I’d never go back, I’m going to FL at the end of October for The Fest 7. I bought my plane tickets for $167. Not too bad. Bought my fest pass. $55 for the weekend. I’m really sad that Justin and Jess won’t be driving down. But Keith still says he’ll go with me. Hopefully that will happen.
I will also be seeing my sister at that time. She is having her baby on Tuesday. The doctor is inducing her. Sounds scary.
I’ve become a full-fledged insomniac. I guess it doesn’t help that most days I work 2:30 to 10:30p and am wired when I get home. It’s 2:52a. I am watching South Park on comedy central. There are more interesting cartoons on Cartoon Network at this time. Like Family Guy. And whatever other random Adult Swim cartoons are on. I still get up at 8a everyday though. Somehow. I’m programmed to not miss the first airing of Democracy Now!.
I’m really satisfied with my living situation now. I really like living with Sterling and Shiphrah a lot. I really like that there is almost always someone else at home whenever I’m there.
I’ve gotten used to working at the Prospect St store. I like the people I work with a lot, and am even kind of meeting people in other departments as well. Which was kind of unheard of at the other store. A problem I am running into though, is feeling anxious. All day I feel anxious about having to go into work, constantly looking at the time and complaining that I don’t want to go. It’s only 5 mins away, not likely that I would be late. I’m fine when I get there, until I get up to the register. Then I feel even more anxious. I know the system, so that’s not it. I don’t even care if I inconvenience people by looking up codes or calling managers for key flicks, but there’s something that I can’t pinpoint that makes me feel really nervous.
Anyway, Ant sent me the new Bridge and Tunnel so I can have it on my Ipod. I really like it a lot. Still waiting for the lp to reach my doorstep.

So I’ve been sick since yesterday at work. My throat started burning and I told Cindy that I probably wouldn’t make it into work today. This morning, around 9, I called in, took a Tylenol pm and 2 spoonfuls of Nyquil and went back to sleep until 6 tonight. I’ve never slept that long before. But now my body feels achy. UGH.
I just saw a funny commercial for High Fructose Corn Syrup.
I’ve been laying in my bed all day. I’ve been watching TV since I woke up at 6. I forgot how good That 70’s Show is. Kitty is my favorite TV show mom of all time. I should probably be doing some school reading.
There are a few films I want to see soon. FLOW: For Love of Water, is a documentary about the privatization of the world’s water supplies. And Battle in Seattle, which is about the 1999 protest of the WTO’s meeting in Seattle. Both of these films start showing at the Kendall Theatre next Friday.

Rob is on his way home from RI where he looked at, and bought, one of these:

I started work at the Prospect St. store this week. It’s been ok. Everyone’s pretty friendly and all. I really miss my other coworkers though. It’s weird going into work and not knowing anyone. It’s the worst feeling. Like when I get an especially weird customer, there’s no one for me to look up and laugh with. There is no constant bagger, so not always someone to talk to. No smiling stoned face of Emilio that I miss so much! But the people at this store have been really nice to me. I’ve been surprising myself by talking a lot too. I work with Kate tomorrow, that should be fun.
I talked to my sister on the phone last night. We are just waiting for her to give birth now. She is due on October 2nd, but is hoping to deliver any time. I told her to call me when she goes into labor. She was telling me last night that she is trying everything to “get this thing out quickly.” She’s been going for long walks with David every night and she went swimming the other day. When she told me that, I pictured her floating on her back with her belly poking up above the water. It made me think about how much I’m missing out on being so far away. I sort of wish I could just go to FL for the next two months to be with my sister. She is due Oct 2nd. It would just mean so much to me to be there for her.

So tonight Rob’s brother came to visit. He has been in MA for a week visiting from CA. He is here for another week. Tonight we all went to B-side Lounge for dinner. It was good. I didn’t realize how expensive food would be there.