I Give You My Word

Writers Gonna Write

2011-07-11T00:52:00.002-04:00

Growing up, I was a reader. I read every book I could get my hands on as fast as I could, whether they were appropriate for a child my age or not. I graduated college with an English degree, which involved even more reading, some forced and some done willingly, as well as countless nights spent furiously typing analyses of literary motifs and plot points. This would lead one, I assume, to the

I Told You So...

2010-08-12T19:37:00.006-04:00

These are the four little words I have been dying to say when it comes to one thing in particular: The Boxer Rebellion. For five years now, I have stuck their songs on mixes, posted links to videos on Twitter and Facebook, blogged about them on this here digital soapbox of mine, and generally begged friends to JUST LISTEN TO THEM. JUST ONCE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. I've had limited success,

Like a Rolling Stone

2010-07-08T20:16:00.009-04:00

Since being unemployed is a brand new experience for me and hopefully something I’ll never have to go through again, I’ve decided to try and keep a semi-thorough record of my forthcoming days of laze. This is something I’m doing to keep myself on track and sane during this process. After all, writing truly is the best therapy that I can afford at the moment and the easiest way to keep the

Nerdy and Manic...

2009-10-04T19:25:00.009-04:00

...the perfect way to describe the past few days of my life.In case you don't know this about me, in addition to being a massive music snob and avid concert goer, I am also a mega comedy nerd. One of the major perks of my job is that it affords me ample time and pretty much forces me to listen to podcasts and music all day long, in order to drown out the sound of the people around me.I always

I Knew Things Were Going Too Smoothly

2009-08-25T21:10:00.002-04:00

North America tourThe Charlatans are sorry to announce the cancellation of their forthcoming North American tour. This is due to drummer Jon Brookes' longstanding shoulder complaint. He has been strongly advised by doctors against undertaking 23 concerts in 28 days as this could cause severe damage to ligaments in the affected area. He will start a course of treatment starting in September and in

A Whole Lotta Lolla

2009-08-18T22:39:00.013-04:00

And on the first day, it rained...On the way to Grant Park, Jon, Dan (who was visiting from Florida) and I stopped to pick up ponchos. Turns out, everyone else had the same idea many hours earlier, so they were sold out. We probably should have planned a little better, but tons of people had already assured me, "It never rains at Lollapalooza."I can't lie...I was grumpy. I didn't deal well when I

Letter of Intent

2009-08-17T23:21:00.004-04:00

Hopefully at some point over the next few days, I'll have the chance to sit, ponder and write about Lollapalooza and everything else that's been going on over the past few weeks. I've already uploaded my photos everywhere, as has Jon, but sometimes pictures and their thousand words still can't tell the whole story. If this little blog is to succeed in its lofty goal of helping me remember more

Pitchfork Revisited

2009-07-23T22:57:00.008-04:00

Weeks like this week make me wish I had a few more hours in each day. I would have loved to stay up late last Sunday night to write about Pitchfork while it was really fresh in my mind, but alas, life gets in the way of my creative endeavors once again. I enjoyed Pitchfork far more this year than last, despite a less exciting lineup (in my opinion). The only act I was really looking forward to

Paper Heart

2009-07-17T00:04:00.003-04:00

We just got back from a screening of Paper Heart, a half-documentary, half-film about love. While that may sound cheesy, it's really not.Charlyne Yi and Jake Johnson were on hand for a Q&A after the screening and they were just as funny and adorable in real life. Jake is actually from Chicago as well, so a few members of his family were there to see it along with us. I don't like recommending

Tonight, I Write

2009-07-15T21:32:00.008-04:00

I am sorry, dear blog, that I have neglected you. I have a feeling it is a combination of summer interfering with my downtime and me feeling completely unmotivated (read: intimidated) to write at length about anything when I do have the time. Well, here's what's been up with me:I had surgery on Friday. My first surgery, in fact (yay?). While I was terrified, it was a relatively minor deal and

Bowie's in Space

2009-06-18T21:17:00.006-04:00

(Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)Jon and I were lucky enough to see a screening of Moon on Monday. I'm going to talk about it, but don't fret, I won't spoil anything for you. In fact, if you're going to go see this film, I would suggest not letting anyone spoil it. Don't read the reviews (except mine, obviously!). Don't even watch the trailer. Throw down your $8 and check it out if:1) You

Y Control

2009-06-01T21:15:00.011-04:00

Currently watching the hot mess that is I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here and loving it already. I thought I remembered watching the original season, which was years and years ago, and after reading this on Wikipedia, I'm certain of it. This is where my dislike of Melissa Rivers began, in fact:The first season of the American version was originally aired by ABC in 2003. John Lehr was the host,

Somewhere Only We Know

2009-05-17T14:28:00.014-04:00

Keane came out swinging last night and by the end of the evening, had knocked us all out. I'm always surprised when I remember that they only have three albums, because the sheer number of memorable, catchy, beautiful songs in their repertoire trumps some bands that have been around for ages.(Check out Jon's amazing photos and videos here)It was, by far, the loudest show I've ever been to on this

I'm Warning You

2009-05-17T03:17:00.002-04:00

I have three separate ideas for blog posts, so if I can find the time tomorrow, you're in for it!For reference, does anyone like Keane besides Jon and I? I'll probably post about the gig either way and try to convince you that you should...but I want to know nonetheless.

Temporarily Out of Order

2009-05-10T23:00:00.005-04:00

So this happened to my computer last week, forcing a temporary hiatus from all things technological. It's since gotten much worse. The crack now reaches almost completely across the screen and the (dramatic) white space at the bottom is widening by the day. I suppose I could have gotten it fixed, but I don't know how much it would cost for parts and labor on a cracked screen and I didn't really

Make the Trek

2009-05-04T23:03:00.011-04:00

Apparently I love J.J. Abrams. I've watched LOST and Fringe regularly since they began and I was really excited about Cloverfield, but watching Star Trek last Thursday finally solidified it for me. I can't even think of anyone to compare him to in the industry, past or present. He's quickly building his very own Sci Fi (or is it SyFy now?) empire where monsters are real, life is mysterious,

All I Want to Do is Rock

2009-04-23T21:17:00.012-04:00

Somehow, in between all of the weird medical problems I've had over the past few weeks (Don't worry, I won't get into it here because who wants to read about that?), I've managed to see three concerts, a live performance of This American Life at the Chicago Theatre, celebrate a friend's birthday and my four-year anniversary with the boyfriend.Before I say anything about any of that, though, I

Welcome to Glasvegas

2009-04-07T23:55:00.012-04:00

I've been spoiled lately as far as concerts go. Last night was no exception. If you haven't heard of Glasvegas, you're not alone, but look out because that may change very soon. It's not that I wasn't looking forward to seeing them live...it's just that I didn't really think about it much in advance. Look at my last post. I mention the show almost in passing. Do you see where I'm going with this?

April in Chicago...

2009-04-06T00:24:00.010-04:00

...is far too much like January for my taste. Today started out with sun, turned into a downpour by 3pm, and was snowing by 5pm. It's now almost midnight and still snowing. This is the forecast for tomorrow:On Sunday, the snow/rain/sleet grossness is not such a huge deal because I can stay in, clean, and watch some TV (assuming our satellite dish doesn't lose its signal due to crappy weather like

I Like My Music Loud

2009-03-28T18:03:00.012-04:00

Festival season is upon us! Never mind the fact that the actual festivals are still months away. Every year, about this time, I sit and look at the lineups for the English/Scottish music festivals and wish I had an extra $2000 lying around. Last year, with my very first Lollapalooza and Pitchfork experiences on the horizon, I didn't think about it at all. This year, I've already bought tickets to

Recapapalooza

2009-03-16T22:30:00.011-04:00

Well, hello there, Bloggerville! Long time no post, and boy do I have things to say. First off, I promised you a review of I Love You, Man. Here goes (no spoilers, I promise!):I Love You, Man is funny. No surprise there. Paul Rudd plays a great straight man to Jason Segel's more colorful and outlandish character. He is charmingly awkward, and most of the early laughs come from some seriously

Short & Effing Sweeeeeet!

2009-03-06T00:04:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to post this quick-like and then it's off to bed for me. We saw 'I Love You, Man' on Tuesday, thanks to Gapers Block and it was fantastic! The best part, though? Maybe this:If you saw 'Sarah Marshall' then you know exactly what that is. I promise I'll post a real review of the movie and Q&A tomorrow or over the weekend, but it's a must-see, I'd say. We've got 'Watchmen' tomorrow!

Busy busy!

2009-02-26T13:45:00.004-05:00

Good stress is still stress. This is what I learned in school. I definitely believe this. Just looking at my calendar for the next three months blows my mind and gives me hives. I'm not complaining, mind you. I like having stuff to do and to look forward to, but I like having a little bit of time to myself as well.Right now my uncle is in town for a work thing. We're possibly having dinner

A quickie

2009-02-17T21:38:00.003-05:00

I need to post something...bad. A few things have been preventing me.One: The boyfriend and I have started watching Friday Night Lights and you know what it's like when you get on a roll with a show, right? It's hard to stop, and we're not even through Season One yet.Two: I'm thinking about changing up my blog style. Let's face it, I use this mostly to rave about something I'm currently in love

Something to smile about

2009-02-06T21:03:00.008-05:00

This, my friends, is a beautiful thing:And it reminds me that spring is indeed around the corner. It's amazing how different 40 degrees feels in February than it does in October. The snow is beginning to melt and only a few man- and plow-made icebergs linger in the corners of parking lots. This may be the first weekend in a long time that I don't feel like hibernating, and that's a good thing,

Killer

2009-01-27T21:30:00.004-05:00

I'm not going to use this platform to complain about my day. That would be too easy. I'll just say that it has left me drained, exhausted, a little frustrated and wanting to go to bed at 9:30. In other news, January is almost over. There is a teeeny tiny little light at the end of the bitter cold winter tunnel. I know it's not going to be 50 degrees again anytime soon, but I feel like the very

The Lolz

2009-01-19T19:57:00.006-05:00

I found this hilarious and just had to share! I wish I could pay my way through life with drawings. Everything would be so much easier, wouldn't it?Just a quick post because I'm off to read this book for my possible (who knows if it will actually happen!) book club on Wednesday. Seeing The Killers tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have all sorts of lovely things to talk about next time.Oh, and speaking

Rebellious

2009-01-14T20:44:00.012-05:00

Ok, I'm going to take this opportunity to shamelessly promote a band that you should be listening to. I first heard The Boxer Rebellion while I was in the FSU Study Abroad program in London in 2005. Nathan had apparently come to London to study a few years earlier and while he was there, was determined to join a band. Boy has pipes. He found a band. He ended up staying...and that band is The

Inspired by all of the recent techy conferences and weight loss New Years resolutions

2009-01-10T18:31:00.009-05:00

So after initially wanting a pedometer and never getting one, signing up for SparkPeople and only using it for a couple of weeks, getting a WiiFit and immediately not being able to use it (due to injury and resulting lack of balance), I've decided I need another motivational fitness gadget. I may or may not get it, but here it is in all its glory:I had never heard of BodyBugg or GoWear Fit before

Tebow-riffic!

2009-01-08T23:45:00.011-05:00

I know my fellow FSU alumni will disagree with me, but seriously...does anyone deserve it more? I mean he's a quarterback and he had over 100 yards rushing. That just opens it up for the offense so much. It really is an asset to have a running quarterback. I admit it, finally.So Florida lost a heartbreaker early on in the season and bounced back more than I ever thought they could. I gave up on

Like, duuuuh?

2009-01-06T21:47:00.003-05:00

My day in a nutshell:I spilled coffee on myself and when I went to clean it off, I noticed that my shirt was inside out. It took me until after 4pm to realize this. I think I need to start going to bed earlier!

A New Year and a Look Back

2009-01-04T22:33:00.002-05:00