summer fun

Exhaustion has set in after a whirlwind weekend. Well, for homebody me it was a whirlwind anyway. The plan was:

Friday - Brookfield Zoo with my parents, then back into the city for the birthday celebration of Jillybean's BF
Saturday - BBQ on Montrose Beach with some friends, one of whose mother was in town from China, then a Bachelorette party for a friend in from NY
Sunday - possible brunch with NY friend, then Wicker Park Fest with some pals from work

That was the plan, anyway. However, Friday morning I got a text cancelling Saturday's barbecue, because the host had to get his appendix and gall bladder taken out. Yikes. After ensuring he was okay, I decided to rearrange my activities, and move the trip to Wicker Park Fest to Saturday so I could see The 1900's play. Well, after the Friday at the Zoo, and the Friday night of drinking too much whiskey at the birthday party, any activities during the daylight hours of Saturday were pretty much out of the question. I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store to purchase appetizer ingredients, and then made my way (late) to the Bachelorette. (Side Note: The Baton Club is an experience definitely worth the price of admission, in case you're ever in a position to go.) It was already 12:30 by the time the show was over, so I decided to forgo the clubbing and cut out early, relatively speaking. Brunch was a no-go on Sunday due to the timing of flights back home, so around 3:30, I left for WP Fest. A small snafu in plans led me instead to my friend's girlfriend's house, where we chilled for a while, and then eventually made it out to the Fest, running into a random assortment of work friends and colleagues. But a couple hours later, I was pooped. The yawns were flowing in direct proportion to the sangria. I got home at 9 and wanted to go straight to bed, but ended up watching a very sleepy hour of TV before finally hitting the sack.

And I wish I was still there.

NEXT weekend, I am super excited to be going to Lollapalooza! Another crazy weekend is certainly in store. 3 days of outdoor music, and a Monday vacation day for good measure (and recovery). Friday especially promises to be brutal - in a good way, of course. Lolla all day long, then the Gogol Bordello after show at the Metro, and THEN a gypsy-punk-themed after party at a friend's place ... if I make it that far, that is. ;)

Good times.

the weekend

I had a pretty productive weekend, so I guess I'm a little bit proud of myself. Though yesterday I was kinda lazy and mostly just watched bad weekend TV instead of going grocery shopping or cleaning my apartment. But hey, you can't be good all the time. Saturday I had to drive to Skokie to pick up my box o' medicine. It's weird, but sometimes FedEx will leave it in the lobby of the building, or even in front of my apartment door, and sometimes because of the nature of the package (perishable) they won't drop it off and want me to come get it. I ask for the same type of delivery every time (no signature needed), so maybe it just depends on which delivery guy I get. Dunno. Anyhow, I had to go pick it up, then drive out to the p's house to SELL MY CAR! It was such a weight off my shoulders to get rid of it. I think I got a good price, and I believe it is going to a good home. The man who bought it didn't speak English very well, so he brought a friend along (also because he needed to ride with someone so he could drive his new car back) who did most of the talking. My main concern was that I wanted it to go to someone who would fix it up and make it into a much cooler car than I ever bothered to do. And I think this guy will do that. We were both happy with the sale. Yay! So I hung out with my Dad a bit (Mom had just left for a Florida vacation with her lady friends) then drove back into the city before going out to meet 'Tatious and her hubby for an evening of Wedding Banned debauchery. We were joined by this guy and this girl, and then all hell broke loose. Okay, maybe not all hell, but a whole lotta heck broke loose! The show was a lot of fun, a highlight of which was a personal serenade by a guitarist, complete with leg up on a chair, directly in front of me.

And then we went to IHOP. The end.

'looza

Okay, I started writing this a week ago, so it's a little late, but here you go anyway.

Some highlights from my Lollapalooza weekend:

• The music (obviously): Daft Punk, The Rapture, Silverchair, Muse, The 1900's, Regina Spektor. These are the artists that stand out in my mind.


• Bringing a sweater on a whim on Saturday and being thankful that I did.


• Hearing a guy with a mohawk tell me he liked my hair.


• Settling a dispute between some drunkards sitting behind me.


• Catching up with some friends on Sunday.


• Watching a crane raising some photographers up over the crowd to take pictures, and nearly getting stuck up there.


• Several times accidentally finding myself in the pot-smokers corner of the park.


• Seeing a guy dressed head-to-toe in black (a suit!!) on what had to be the hottest day of the year.
• Beetlebaum (or however you spells it) introducing The 1900's.
• A random girl from the audience getting up on stage during The Rapture and managing to dance around for quite a while before security noticed she was up there.
• Regina Spektor being very gracious about the fact that half the audience wasn't listening to her.
• Getting a flip-flop tan.

a good weekend

The good thing about where I work is that we can opt to work longer hours during the summer, and get every other Friday off. This past weekend was one of those three-days and it was pretty good. Though I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I wanted in the "chores" and "errands" departments, I managed to get out of the house and have a little fun. Friday, I went grocery shopping - wait, did I just follow a sentence about fun with one about grocery shopping? Didn't mean to do that. :) But I did want to mention the groceries, the one productive thing I did all weekend, just so nobody thought I was a total sloth. Anyhoo, that was Friday. Saturday, I went out with a couple friends and saw the new Harry Potter movie!!! I was so damn excited about this thing, nothing could bring me down. Not even the snafu with theater location, the endless traffic, and the fact that we had to go to a later show than planned. It still rocked! I am SUCH a Potter-maniac, and I am PSYCHED for next Saturday when the final book comes out. I am also really sad, though, because, sniff, this means it's the END!! No more! Boo hoo. :( But right now, the anticipation is killing me, and that is totally the best part. :) Then, on Sunday, I went with a friend to the Gogol Bordello show at the Vic, which also rocked! Those guys are so completely insane and fun, that even though I was confined** to a chair next to my be-crutched (Is that a word??) friend - long story - I still felt like I had bounced and flailed along with all my fellow concert patrons. Oh, I also got my back spit on, my hand kissed, and my shoulder bitten. Yeah, it was THAT kind of show. ;) Totally fun. And bouncy.

And as a little update to my previous post, after a bit of research, I have diagnosed myself with rebound headaches. The only way to cure these is to stop taking the medication that is causing them (duh). So that means I am basically going to have a headache until it goes away. Sounds fun, huh? I have one medication that I think is safe and will hopefully prevent them, so we'll see how it goes. Send some positive thoughts my way, guys, okay? I could use some.

** Just to clarify, I was confined to the chair completely by choice. My friend is on crutches, so she called ahead and got a section roped off especially for us so that she could sit comfortably and be able to stretch out her leg. The velvet rope was breached shortly into the set, but the uninvited guests were at least courteous enough to give her a wide berth so she'd be comfortable. Everybody at that show was actually very nice. They've got cool fans. :)

Ok, this was a little disjointed, but I've got work to do and I'm TOTALLY procrastinating. Hey, it's Monday.

do you hear what I see?

Something I've come to realize about myself over the years is that I am a very visual person. I discovered in college that I learned best by seeing things written down on paper, as opposed to hearing it spoken aloud. I'd remember reading specific sentences and even know approximately where they were on a page, but I could convince myself that a lecturing professor said the complete opposite of what he actually said. Knowing this, you'd think I'd learn to take really good notes and play to my strengths ... but alas, my laziness usually won out over my desire to be a good student. How I managed to graduate with a decent GPA, I'll never know.

A more recent example of this trait of mine (and the thought that triggered this post), is the way I tend to describe the concerts I go to. I have been going to quite a few of them as of late, and when people ask me how they were, I go into great detail about what the venue was like, who was in the crowd, how the stage was set up, and what the performers looked like, or what they wore. The music itself usually gets a much shorter description. Sometimes as concise and vague as, "It was good." It's not that I don't enjoy the music at a concert. I love music! And that's the reason you go to a concert in the first place. I guess it's just that visual images make more of an impression on me than aural. The experience of going to a concert involves all of the senses, and though the focus is on what you hear, my most trusted sense is my vision, so that's what really sticks with me. It's only in those rare instances when the emotions evoked by the music mesh perfectly with what my other senses are experiencing that the music itself leaves a lasting impression. Or perhaps it's just because I am not as good with descriptions of sounds as I am with images. What's that saying? "Talking about music is like singing about architecture"? I think I may have that wrong. But I believe that statement is very true.

On the topic of how one experiences a concert, I've also realized that my experiences are shaped largely by outside influences. For example, last night, Jillybean and I went to the Sufjan Stevens show at the Riv. The crowd there seemed to be very young - much younger than I would have expected, actually. There were several groups of high school aged kids around the area we were standing, and I realized afterwards that they ended up giving me a slightly lower opinion of the concert than I might have had otherwise. There was a kid to one side of us who was shouting annoying requests between each song. There was a girl next to me who kept bumping me with her purse in the same spot on my shoulder over and over again (though this could have been anyone, not necessarily a teenager). And THEN. Then there was the kid behind us, who will, in my memory, always be known as the "Oh My God!" guy. Let's just say he was VERY EXCITED to see Sufjan. So much so that between every song, he'd shout "Oh My God!" like he just couldn't believe that Sufjan Stevens was right there in front of him. Seriously, you'd have thought he was having an orgasm each time he said it. Oh, and his breathing was erratic and very heavy. I know because I could feel it on the back of my neck through the entire show, whipping my hair into my face, even though he was a couple feet behind me.

And those are the things that I'm going to remember most about that concert. Those people in the crowd, the butterfly costumes that the band was wearing, and the fact that for most of the show, all I could see of Mr. Stevens was the end of his guitar and the tip of his wing (too many tall people).

But the music was very good. :)

my oh my

I am BEAT today! When you're running around like a maniac for three days straight, and then you finally slow back down to normal speed, your flurry of activity finally catches up to you and you realize just how exhausted you really are! Maybe I'm just getting old, but man, this weekend kicked me in the ass!

If you weren't already aware, I went to Lollapalooza this weekend - all three days of it. TONS of fun and TONS of great music, but I am glad it's over and I can finally relax!!

So here's the rundown:

Friday:
I arrived at about 2:15 with Jillybean and the roomie (a work friend of Jilly's met us as we got there), and we went straight to see The M's play (which would be the last time all weekend I'd see Jillybean's work friend), who were quite fun and entertaining, especially the drummer, who was a riot to watch. We didn't stay for that whole set because the roomie wanted to see Panic! at the Disco. So the two of us went over to the AT&T stage to see them. They were pretty good as well - I may be purchasing something of theirs in the near future. I enjoyed their wierd cabaret/vaudeville/clown dancers, especially when they interacted with the singer fellow (don't know any names), and even had a little choreographed dance number with him. After that, we met back up with Jilly and two of her friends, Steve and George, and just hung out for a while, enjoying the weather. Steve wanted to try and find another friend of his, so we ventured to the other side of Buckingham Fountain to try and locate her, only to realize that she was closer to where we had just been. So we got a little bit of exercise in the process and explored the festival grounds a bit. No biggie. We eventually found her and chilled for a while in her cool spot in the shade, then got some yummy food, and eventually went back for another round of music. Jillybean, the roomie and I went to see Secret Machines, who were great as usual (though their recent Metro performance was much better, IMO). We caught up with my friend Adam from work during that show, and randomly ran into Julie, another work friend, and her roommate Jeff. Small world!! Well, not really. I knew they were going to be there. :) Julie and Jeff were already SM fans (they were with me at the Metro show), so they enjoyed their performance, and I believe the SM virgins enjoyed themselves as well ... at least that's what they told me. :) After that, the work friends, the roomie and I went across the field to see The Raconteurs, while Jillybean met back up with Steve etc. for My Morning Jacket. At the moment, I am really really in love with The Raconteurs. I think this was one of the highlights for me. Jack White is a wierdo, but a musical genius. I like The Raconteurs much better than The White Stripes, though, I must say. After the work friend and the roomie all ditched me in favor of The Violent Femmes, I made my way to the other side of the park for Sleater-Kinney. I'm not too familiar with their stuff, but I know they're kind of like indie legends, and chick-rock is always fun, so I decided I'd check them out. They were pretty decent I must say. Plus, I was glad to get to see them since this was their very last Chicago show and one of their last shows entirely before they disband. (Ha ha, "disband.") I was able to find Jillybean and the boys again at this show, though we would soon part ways again while they went to VHS or Beta, and I opted to see Death Cab for Cutie as the closing act of my evening. I know these guys get a lot of flack for being too sell-out-y or whatever, but hey, I like 'em. And I enjoyed their set, though I couldn't see for crap. I was TOTALLY excited when they ended up playing my favorite song as the last song in their "encore." (I use quotes because the supposed encore was still within the time limits of their set, so it wasn't like they were giving us anything additional, or special. They were actually cheating us a bit by taking a little breaky and passing it off as an encore.) I had lost the roomie at this point, but figured he could fend for himself, so I met back up with Jillybean and the boys at Bucky Fountain, and we headed to Streeter's for some libations (though I did not partake). I guess I just wasn't feeling the scene or something because it became tedious to just BE there, so I took off early. Plus I was bushed, and had to get my beauty sleep in preparation for Day 2!!

Saturday:
Saturday ended up being a day I spent mostly by myself, so it was an entirely different experience from Friday. I left the apartment by myself because the roomie was still sleeping, and I hadn't heard from Jilly yet and assumed she was still in bed or running late or whatever. And I wanted to get there by 2:30 for Coheed and Cambria. I got there in time, and they were just eh. I didn't bother getting up close, and what I heard was just so-so. Unfortunatly though, I had to leave in the middle of their set and make a stop at the Medical tent to bandage up my poor footsies! I made the mistake of wearing a pair of shoes that I hadn't worn in a while and had forgotten the reason WHY I hadn't worn them. They cut me bad. So I got some lovely gauze taped across the tops of my feet and was nice and comfy again, though my feet looked kind of ridiculous. Oh well. Instead of going back to Coheed, I went to the stage across the field where Wolfmother would be playing and tried to get a semi-decent spot for them. I could still hear the rest of Coheed's set from where I was, and I must admit, it got better towards the end. All in all, I guess they weren't too bad, but not a favorite. Wolfmother, however, rocked the house. Me likey. Adam was supposed to be there to see them, but he didn't show until there was about 2 minutes left in their set. Too bad for him. So I got to chat with him for about 30 seconds before we parted ways again. He wanted to see Gnarls Barkley, but I was more interested in checking out Chicagoans, Kill Hannah. And they were pretty cool. I really loved the stage they were on! It was one of the smaller ones on the north side of the park, and was hidden away in a little nook surrounded by trees. That was the only band I saw on that stage, but it was my favorite spot in the park. After them, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to Dresden Dolls on the adidas-Champs Stage (the converted Petrillo (sp?) Music Shell) - which was my fave of the larger stages because you could see well from practically anywhere. Dresden Dolls were definitely entertaining. I have their most recent album, but haven't given it much listening time, so I didn't know their stuff too well. I particularly enjoyed a song about a "coin-operated boy." :) Oh, and there was the time that the woman flashed the entire audience. That was wierd. :) The roomie managed to find me in the crowd during that show, and then accompanied me to The Flaming Lips across at the Bud Light stage. They were great! They just seem to be having a big fun party on stage, which I have a tremendous amount of respect for. The roomie left before their set was over so he could make it to The New Pornographers, and meet up with Shannon and Ronak, but I stayed where I was for Thievery Corporation, and I'm soooo glad I did. They were amazing!! Love them! I hadn't heard too much of their stuff before, though I have a couple discs I got from my brother, but I can guarantee I'll be giving that sh*t a listen or two or twenty in the very near future. Another highlight of the weekend for sure. I ended up leaving on a high note that night and after Thievery, I made my way back home so I could shower and go over to Adam's new place for a party (a story for another time). After the party, I think I went to bed at 4 that night?? Bummer.

Sunday:
I met up with Ms. Jilly Sunday (yesterday!!) afternoon and we got to the park in time to see Andrew Bird at 3:30. He was pretty darn good. And what a talented whistler!! :) I was happy that he played a lot of stuff from his newest album, because that is the one I have and those were the only songs I knew. So pretty. The Shins were next, and though they were a tiny bit anti-climactic, they did not disappoint. We found Adam in the crowd, so he shared in our enjoyment of The Shins as well. And there were dancing noodles!! (Don't ask.) We had a free hour after that, so we made our way over to the AT&T stage where Steve and George had been staking out a spot for Queens of the Stone age since 12:30 (they went on at 6:30)!!! Took a while for us to find them, but we did ... and they were close!! We were on the left side of the stage, maybe 20 feet from the speakers. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I certainly was. When the set started, it didn't seem to be as bad as I thought it was going to be (sound levels, crowd rowdiness), but it got worse. As the band and the crowd got warmed up, the crowd surfing got started, and at one point, there were people passing overhead, like every two minutes. It was nuts! After a while, people started to get a little rough, so I decided to back up a bit, still staying close to the stage. It was a little better there for a while, until a guy fell on my head. So I moved back a little bit more, and found a happy little hippy commune that was more than welcoming, so I stood in that little pocket, safe from people falling on me and crazy moshers. But yeah, the music was awesome, and there was no doubt that we were at a rock show at that point. I love the Queens. Love them! After that craziness was over, I was considering going to see Blues Traveller, but they were all the way on the other side of the park, and my feet were already killing me, so I decided to just hang out for a while, and then call it a day. I didn't stay for the Chili Peppers because I had seen them once before and didn't really need to see them again. I'm sure they were great (and from what I heard as I was leaving, they sounded great), but I put priority on going home and getting a decent amount of sleep in preparation to go back to work today. I did stop at an ice cream truck for a chocolate chip cookie sandwich on my way home, though. :)

So today, all this fun has finally caught up with me and I feel like death. I woke up this morning out of a deep sleep, completely disoriented (but NOT disorientated). I'm sore all over and struggling to keep my eyes open. It was a goooood weekend, but I am so looking forward to going to bed tonight! :)

Latah!

Bah

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I've been feeling kind of uninspired lately. Even though I've had lots on my mind, I haven't really been in the mood to write about it. I'm hoping for two things to happen in the near future, though, so perhaps, if and when they do happen, I will have something to write about. I can't guarantee that they will be good things, seeing as how things have been decidedly crappy lately, but news is news, right? And at this very moment, I could not disagree more with the phrase "no news is good news." I'll explain later.

Ciao!

Oh! One good thing to report -- I bought my ticket for Lollapalooza today!! Woo hoo!! And The Secret Machines are playing!! Woo hoo again!! Yay for super groovy 3-day outdoor music fests in my very own city! (Did I just say "groovy"? Wierd.)