andshewas

Happy Holidays, errbody! Hope y'all are staying cozy.

I can't pick a favorite gift...but perhaps the best part about the holidays this year is that I get to spend them not working. It's much easier to appreciate spending time with my family during this part of the year after not having more than Christmas day with them for the past two years.

Fun traditions, anyone?

I was a little slow on the uptake, but I suppose it's better late than never...

...so thanks! I'm finally catching up on all of this fun music library stuff. Hooray winter break!

Our neighbor is an elderly, widowed veteran. If I have time, I always snow blow his driveway, too. (Tonight he actually tried to give me $10 for my trouble!)

For only 3" of snow? What a nice guy!

Today, for once, the shoveling was done when I got home from school. But whoever did it forgot to put some salt down afterward, so the walk is still covered in an inch-thick sheet of ice.

What's the best way to get rid of those patches of already stepped-on snow? None of my efforts have been successful, whether it be trying to crack them, wedge the shovel underneath, etc. I'm at a loss.

Can I just say that Hiro is the most adorable person EVER?

I had to tell someone...I couldn't hold it in any longer!

Facebook is for ten year old girls and pedophiles.

I never thought I'd hear this version of "Facebook is the new MySpace."

An old Feist song called "Inside and Out"...love, love, love it.

She totally did better than the BeeGees on that one.

Right now, I'm between 1980s-era REM and mid-90s Belle and Sebastian.

I ate:

-a nice helping of white-meat turkey

-my dad's AWESOME homemade stuffing

-candied yams [mmmmm Aldi food]

-green bean casserole

-a crescent roll

-mashed butternut squash

-riced potatoes

-my gramma's delicious apple pie

-dad's pumpkin pie

MMMMMmmmmmMMMMMM! Now that I've taken a crap, I'm ready for round two!

Mine also doesn't work, but if it did, it would get used all too much. Milwaukee drivers are not very good...

Hmm...

I'm so thankful for finally having a good relationship with my family. It wasn't too long ago that my mom and I couldn't talk about much without either of us getting too angry...but this year has been so different. I haven't had a serious fight with my mom since January, and I'm at home almost every weekend. It's a good feeling to realize that it's cool to love your family.

I'm also thankful for my wonderful friends. I've been so poor these past few months, and even though a couple of these people haven't been in my life for very long, they all are so generous--feeding me, buying my beer, looking out for me. I can only hope that they feel that I take care of them like they take care of me. Case in point: Tamala was awesome [duh] and gave me a couple of rides to shows. Thanks!

I'm thankful for the fact that I didn't have to pay for my new Crackbook. Thanks for losing my laptop, DHL!

What else...I suppose I'm thankful for my job and that it's still rather secure. I wouldn't trade anything for having the job I have, even if there is a lot of silly b.s. that comes with it. It pays the bills, dern it!

And of course, I'm thankful for our new President. I can't wait to see what happens!

There is plenty more to be thankful for, but it's not what you want to hear. Perhaps TMI.

Nuh-uh!

I've heard wilco tunes at various Milwaukee Alterra coffee shops...among other very delicious artists and baked goods and coffee (1st post - it's great to be here - look forward to some good conversation)

Many times I've been to the Alterra on Humboldt when they've queued up a good 2-hour long Wilco mix. It's fabulous!

There were a few people in my high school years that knew of Wilco, but the vast majority of people I knew were introduced to them by me. Now that I'm not living at home, I've been running into people from back home who are more steadfast fans than I am! It's funny how that works.

I think that a reasonably good number of people in Milwaukee know of Wilco...shows are pretty well attended [surprisingly good turnout for Autumn Defense, etc.]. I heard 'Secrets of the Sea' at Noodles & Co. the other day, and when I mentioned to my friend who did that song, I think she had kind of an epiphany of sorts in the Wilco department. ["Oh, that's who they are!"]

Vibes for everyone!

The holidays are difficult by nature, but it seems like things are going to hell in a handbasket this year.

If I may, could I request some vibes as well? I haven't had the cash to grocery shop in almost two months...it all goes to bills. My stupid, irresponsible roommate is bleeding me clear out of everything.

Going slightly off subject: this PANTHER guy sounds exactly like my ex-boyfriend [and spells like him, too! ]. He informed me a couple of weeks before the election that he was voting for Nader, and couldn't give a decent excuse for wasting his vote on him. He just babbled on about how there needs to be a viable third-party candidate.

While he talked about that silliness, I was thinking this: if there was going to be a viable third-party or independent candidate, why isn't there someone following Ross Perot's example?

Really, the '96 election was the closest that a third-party or independent guy got to the Presidency...

My dad has a cousin in Naperville, with whom we're rather close. I really haven't seen much of the town, but from what I recall it's just as everyone here is saying.

My favorite uncle moved to Arlington Heights last fall for a job, and I was ECSTATIC because he lived somewhat close to Mitsuwa Marketplace and Ikea, which meant fun visits. He quit the silly job quite a few months ago [crazy electrical engineers and their 'consulting' stuff...] and now works/lives[?] in Evanston, which I am not familiar with at all.

Do You Realize? - The Flaming Lips

 

I think this song is inherently sad at it's core. The line "Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face" ALWAYS gets me.

My best friend had this song played at his dad's funeral. I guess his ex-wife [of many, many years] couldn't handle it...

As for me, though, this song is sad because my asshole ex-boyfriend always used to quote that song to me in text messages. I hate thinking about it.

An interesting article, indeed.

Whenever I think of Chicago, I always feel like I have to ask my parents why we left. My mom was quite happy living there, and did for a good part of her adult life. I'm a little bitter about our exodus. My parents try to tell me that our neighborhood was a little 'dangerous,' but I think they've failed to realize that the neighborhood where we lived (close to the intersection of Clark and Buena) is, simply put, frickin' sweet!

It's easy to feel a sense of belonging in Chicago. I hope I get the chance to move back sometime soon.

I watch this with a bunch of fellow Meteorology majors every week. When I flipped out seeing that, they didn't understand....nor when I said "That shirt is so cock."

I wish the other meteorology majors here were cool enough to watch Storm Chasers with me...

Would you mind someone joining y'all somewhere along the line?

stars of track and field - belle & sebastian

Damnit, I wasn't asking you to defend anything, and I CAN recognize that other people like different things.

Is it a crime to want to know why? Don't put me in a group with those people in that other thread...I don't even know about that shit. I don't read EVERYTHING that is said on this board.

Lay the fuck off.

I was going to respond in depth here...but I really don't like your tone. Your veiled insinuations ("It's so easy to appreciate that song...doesn't the message of it appeal to you?") are not going to drag me into an internet shitting match.

I don't know what I was insinuating...I tend to be pretty transparent in what I say.

It's only a shitting match if you make it one.

If I didn't answer you...maybe it's because I find your tone a little irritating.

Listen, I find it irritating that you won't discuss this with me. I'm not here to stir up shit and argue.

Like everyone else, I'm here trying to gauge others' opinions on songs, and I simply wanted to know what you don't like about it.

See, this is what I don't get about this place...everyone has something to say, but when someone wants to say something back, many times they are ignored or their opinions otherwise invalidated. The people that aren't ignored are in some kind of weird VC elite club or something...I notice it on the board and IRL. I go to shows, run into people from VC, and it's too easy to see that some people [even though we're all here for the same reason] are just better than others in some eyes. If you want to be acknowledged at all, you have to somehow make it into the elite, the clique.

Why is that?

Oh, and don't tell me to go away if I don't like it here. I did like it here for a while, and I'd like to stick around for the people that aren't condescending assholes...

Seriously...what's so bad about Comment? Is there something I'm missing?

But I must admit I am not very fond of Comment

It's so easy to appreciate that song...doesn't the message of it appeal to you?

my five:

shake it off [never been able to listen to the whole song]

misunderstood [sorry]

radio cure

dash 7

tie: leave me like you found me / on and on and on

I finally got to listen to BAITUSA on vinyl [even though I've had it since March...], and HOW DID I NOT KNOW that it comes with a poster?

ROCK! :dancing :dancing :dancing :dancing

...sorry...