It's Called Courtesy...

Even if you can't spell it, you should use it.

Last night I had the priviledge of being my friends +1 to the Dandy Warhols. It totally took me back to high school and they played mostly older stuff so we were stoked! I was bummed today though when I couldn't find their CDs and realized they must be in the missing CD case that was sucked into some sort of abyss or the back of my closet.

The problem is, we are getting older. I don't just mean me, I mean everyone, all of us. We are all getting older. With age comes the list of complaints we have, especially regarding other people behaviour. Things are too loud or too quiet. You have to stand too long or sit too long. Everything is annoying. Unfortunately, we are correct in all of these assumptions. Case in point:

At the show last night, we were surrounded by a group of very young twenty-somethings. The couple to our left was, we assume, on their first date. They could not stop talking to each other the whole night! At one point, the guy turned to the girl and asked if he looked fat in his jeans. Seriously!? Who goes to a concert and chit chats? Do that in the back people! (mark it!) They were disrupting to everyone around us (except their equally dumb witted friends). Grr!!

This lead me to think about the rules of conduct when out in public, say at a concert or movie. Courtesy is not a 4-letter word!

1. If you are not interested in what you are seeing, step away. If you don't like the band, go outside, move to the back of the auditorium. Get out of the way of those who do like the band. If you're at the movies, feel free to leave. If you cannot, then sit quietly and wait for the pain that is your life to end. DO NOT engage in loud or distracting conversation.

1b. At the movies, it is not appropriate to continually turn to your partner and ask "What's going on?" We also don't need your play by play of what action is happening on screen. We can see it too. Maybe, if you shut your mouth and watched the movie instead of talking to your buddy, you would know what was going on. Just a thought, try it.

2. If you are at the movies, leave your phone in your purse or pocket. I'm serious. You can text your buddy where to meet you after the movie. It takes all my strength not to grab your phone from you and throw it at the screen.

3. Dancing is fun and encouraged at concerts. You may notice a whole group towards the front of the stage bouncing up and down. Perhaps there is a circle pit forming and you want to run your little heart out while pounding into other music fans. Bravo! However, flailing your arms akimbo with no regard for those around you is not dancing, it's assault. This includes but is not limited to: feet, legs, arms, hands, and stinky dreadlocks. Please keep these inside the ride at all times.

4. A note to the exceedingly tall: Move it! Everyone likes to be up close and see the band, however you are blocking over a dozen eyes with your gangly form. Move to the side or the back and enjoy looking over all of our heads as we struggle to see around the person in front of us.

5. Be aware of your surroundings. This is a good one for general life use as well. I know you can see me. I've been standing behind you for over half an hour. Do you think I'm a spectre? Then why do you insist of walking right towards me like you plan to pass through my shoulder? There's a foot and a half gap on the other side of me. Head that way fool!

What else annoys the crap out of you when you're at a concert or the movies.

Random Saturday

* So my job decided it would be a good idea to update our software on a weekend. Usually this would be okay , but seeing as how we are open on the weekends and I am working by myself as well; it is a really bad idea. I have no idea what is going on. There is a stack of folders on my desk that I'm supposed to use to manually enter info, but most of them look like the exact same thing. Where the hell's my easy button?

* Everything I see "Drill Team" on tvguide.com, I think it's a show about dancing. It's not.

* The return of Jennie's Word of the Day: Stitch. (Clearly she is day dreaming about knitting or got in a fight with a wildebeest and needs some stictches. I kinda hope it's #2 because that is a way more interesting story).

* Some songs I need to download if only I could remember to bring my laptop to work:
- Guster- Do You Love Me
- Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros- Home
- Arcade Fire- Suburbia (Nothing shocks me more than liking this song. Seriously, I may need an intervention)
- Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings- I Learned The Hard Way
- Ike Riley- Lights Out
- Anouk- Lost
-April March- the whole album. I simply love her.
- Kate Melua
- Frank Black- Honeycomb
- Laura Marlin- Rambling Man
- Elsa Cross- Zombie For His Love
- Spandau Ballet- True

* Why do little dog people (that is owners of little dogs, not tiny dogs that are people; though I would love to see some art on that one) always try to make big dog people into them? The only little dog I like is my sister's and that's because I've known him his whole life. Until recently I didn't like dogs at all. They confused me with their neediness and ability to eat my face. Now, the idea of a dog is not completely without appeal though I am still a "cat person" (just minus the 30 cats). If I ever got a dog, it would have to be a medium to large sized dog. I want something I can lay on, somthing that could eat a face (preferably not mine), and be intimidating enough in size to an intruder. I want a powerful dog. If I had my way, my dog would be an Entlebucher Mountain Dog, or Akita, or Husky. Something powerful. Something beautiful. So, to all my friends and family who keep telling me to get a schnauzer or chihuahua or other tiny meal dog; the answer is no.

* If only it were this easy to get a baby tiger for a pet.

* Thanks to Go Fug Yourself for this link to 10 characters from the 90s that would be fashionable today. I really like number's1, 4, and 9.

* Design Sponge's "Living In" section. They are a group of ladies bringing interesting fashion and housewares to your attention. In "Living In" they show you how to dress and decorate like your favorite movies. It's perty cool.

Why Some Music Snobs Simply Suck

An Open Letter

First off, I love NPR. For the longest time it was the only channel I listed to in the car. Then I discovered the NPR music channel. Thank the sweet baby Jesus! A radio station that plays music, and it's music you like and are surprised to hear on the radio and you have to tell everyone you know to listen! In North Texas it's 91.7 but I think you can find your cities station from the NPR website. Example of it's awesomeness: Right now it's playing Billy Idol "Dancing with Myself". I've heard everything from Regina Spektor (live on their Mountain Roads program), Neko Case, Rilo Kiley, Nina Simone, Elvis Costello, John Lennon, Monsters of Folk, Lucinda Williams, and Johnny Cash. Simply, it is awesome.

So today on my way to lunch I heard something different on the station. They played a clip of a song or past program and then a clip of an answering machine message from a listener telling them why their comment was wrong or right. Kind of cool. What struck me was one particular listener who has a big problem with some band called Crystal Castles. The gist of it was: The DJ was wrong in saying they were a great concert, he should know he's seen them four times. They are always late, drunk, have technical problems, and lights glare in his eyes if he's in the front row.

Uh, is this guy crazy? If they suck so hard why have you seen them four times? I can understand twice, but do you never learn? He said he was not going to see them next time they came to town, not because of how horrible he believes the live show to be but because tickets are $30. Dear listener: You are a moron.

First: We've all been to bad shows. Maybe the sound was off, or your seats were bad, or they sounded nothing like the CD. The fact is, this happens. What's amazing is the number of times a person will let this happen to them with the same band. Example: I love Alkaline Trio. When I was college aged and living in Austin they were the best- romantic punk songs with a good beat. Friends told me how awesome their live show was. So, of course, I went to one. It was not awesome. Maybe it was the 100+ degree heat, I don't know. The band was so drunk they forgot the lyrics to their songs. Many times the singer wasn't even singing into the mic, he would just wander off. He fell down a couple times. It was a let down, but I was willing to try again. After all, several people told me they were awesome. The 2nd time I saw the show the same scenario played out. Now, I'm all for drunken rock star antics- who isn't? Another time I saw a singer so drunk she kept hitting herself in the face with the mic. This actually worked in her favor as her music was not getting any great response from the audience (Okay, it sucked). However, I also want to hear the songs. I want to sing a long and pogo. It's really tough when the band is off. So, I never went to see them again. See, I learned my lesson.

Second: What show ever starts on time? The day I go to a show that starts promptly at ticket time is the day I marry a gorilla. It's never happened and I don't care what you are going to see it never will. Be it punk rock, blues, folk, or opera; it will start late and probably end early or run over. This is a fact. So, quit your belly aching and remember to call in sick the next day to work.

Third: Sound problems/technical difficulties happen everywhere and to everyone. Sometimes you're lucky and the sound guy is on it and corrects it within a few songs. Sometimes the sound guy has gone "out to lunch" and you are screwed. Hell, this happened to me at a musical. I've been to this venue multiple times and never had a problem. However, on this occasion the mic volume was so low you couldn't hear anything but background music. This is a real problem at a rock opera, trust me. If it's chronic for this band or that venue then STOP GOING. It's very simple really.

Fourth: The lights are bothering you? Maybe the music's too loud for you to. Well Grandpa, buck up. Take a seat further back from the stage. Don't stand next to the monitors. Bring ear plugs. Think a head and learn from the past. You're at a rock show. It's going to be loud, sweaty, and possibly dangerous. I've been stepped on, kicked, punched, and poked in the eye. It's my own fault; I like to be near the front, but I know it's coming and now I prepare myself. I don't wear flip flops to shows. I find the burliest guy I can and stand next to him. I pay attention to fools with backwards facing ball caps.

Finally, concert ticket prices are getting too high. I'll give that one to our fair listener. There are bands I've never heard of charging $30 or more for a ticket at some crummy theatre and it's ridiculous. Learn your place in the pecking order. Arena's can charge big bucks because they showcase big acts- house hold names, top 40, legends. Joe Blow from Kalamazoo is not worth $30 at the run down theatre/club that decided to build a stage. So, venues: Knock it off! Labels and bands: stand up and demand fair ticket prices. Trust me, you'll get more people at $20 a head than you will at $30 which means MORE MONEY.

In closing, 91.7 angry listener: Grow up and grow a brain. It's no ones fault but your own you went to see this band four times. It's no ones fault but your own that you never learned what to expect. It's no ones fault but your own that you came off as a big tool on the radio. Thank god you at least knew not to give out your name.

Random Random Olympics Random Random Saturday

* Once again, I forgot Monday was Monday and had to do Meatless Monday on Tuesday. Ugh. I don't know if I'll ever get the hang of this. Monday is just too close to the weekend and I forget about it. Also, I do most of my grocery shopping on weekdays so on Monday I have nothing to eat save a frozen steak- the veg and fruit is all gone. I'm sure it doesn't matter that I'm always a day off. What, is the veggie police going to give me a citation?

Anywho, I had Fruit Loops for breakfast (ick, but it's all I had), La Madeleine for lunch (salad, soup, potato galette), and... I cannot even remember what dinner was. I think there were eggs involved. Crud.

* According to The Restaurant Refugee , Friday was International Crush Day (mind you, he made it up, but holidays have to start somewhere!). In honor, I am posting my crushes. I think the point is to tell someone you actually know but whatever. I prefer to stick with what works and share my love for strangers. Not real strangers mind you (I have a serious case of Stranger Danger), just celebrities. Today's crushes are:

(Boreanez only in "Bones"- I never got him before then. And, I basically just want to be Chelsea Handler for a day)

* I made a mix tape for my friend with my favorite songs/artists on it. After I had collected all the tracks on iTunes, I realized I had enough for 2 or 3 discs. A little ambitious to say the least! I tried to make it as eclectic as I was without completely alienating him (yep, him; so nothing too girly or lovey dovey which thankfully I don't have a lot of). Featured on my mix was: Lily Allen "Fuck You" (his request), Neko Case "Knock Loud", April March "Chick Magnet", Nina Simone "Ne me quitte pas", Belly "#1 Hot Burrito", Atmosphere "Woman with the Tattooed Hands", Bouncing Souls "Wish Me Well", Swingin' Utters "As You Start Leaving", Gogol Bordello "Alcohol", and a bunch more I can't remember. The final product ended up with 23 songs on it! I love mix tapes, the art of them, choosing just the right songs for the right person. Editing together what you finally chose into something that makes sense. I challenge everyone to pick a buddy and exchange CD's. It's a lot of fun and you should learn some new bands; not to mention a lot about your friend. His CD for me was uncommonly mellow (though he did warn me as such). For the most part I liked it- he had me at Connie Francis!; but I could have done with less Aria and chanting. I almost fell asleep at the wheel driving to work that morning (which I'm sure was the point of the song, but inappropriate for sleepy morning driving)! Hopefully we will get to exchange more music in the future!!

* Jennie's Word of the Day: streusel

* I am officially addicted to curling. However, why's it have to be so expensive? I understand it's a winter sport (i.e. rich, white, American), but I don't have $185 for shoes I would wear everyday let alone a couple times a month. I need someone in the DFW area to get on this immediately! We should have curling allies like there are bowling allies. We would rent shoes and equipment, sell beer, make millions! Well, maybe we'd only make thousands but still. I need the scientists to get on that immediately.

[side note: there is nothing funnier than a group of 20-30 somethings sitting at the bar captivated by curling]

It's National Make Graygrrrl Happy Day!

Or National List Day, whichever you prefer (it would be advantageous of you to prefer the one that makes me happy). Thanks Genius Pending for bringing this fine day to my attention!

Things That Bring Me Down:

- People who don't recognize this day was made for me

- The end of Coco

- Only wanting Chick-fil-a on a Sunday

- When the phone cord gets tangled up in itself

- How only my computer in the office seems to be possessed by demons

- Children singing (although to be fair, this should really go in the "shit that creeps me out" category)

Top 5 CD's Playing in My Car This Month:

- Lady Gaga

- Tiger Army

- Drive Time German disc 3

- Air Born Toxic Event

- Pine Hill Haints

Things That Make Me Happy:

- snow days (come on Texas- this week seems prime for one)

- The words "pie", "pamplemousse", and "ausgezeichnet"

- This guy:

- Getting the final Jeopardy question correct (Seriously, how did all three contestants not know the answer to this: Category- 19th Century Literature. Answer: Chapter two of this novel begins, "My eyes were not to be deceived. I was indeed awake and among the Carpathians")

- Cooking

- Movies

-Unexpected presents

- Travel

- baby goats

- gnomes

Play Some Skynard!

I gotta keep this quick, as I just got the good word that I could take a half day and start my mini break (re: extra two days off this week) a bit early. I am super proud of my friend Gofahne and her blog. (I went looking for a pic of the two of us and I couldn't find any without other people in them. Let's rectify that next time I see you!) I love the new layout and her quirky mind. Check her out!

[side note: I am super proud of all my friends who blog and follow me- you can see their lovely faces to the right]

On my way to work this morning, I was rocking out to some Rilo Kiley and a thought hit me, two thoughts actually. "Who the hell have I become" and, "Man, do I love B-sides".

If someone told me 10 years ago that I would listen to and love indie-rock, contemporary folk music, I would have punched them in the face. I was a punk rock/grunge chick who used profanity a lot and was weary of showers. As you get older though, I guess it is more than your taste palette that expands and changes. I still don't like most "indie" music (What does that mean anymore? How can you be indie if you latest album came out on Maverick? Which reminds me, I read a wonderful article in MovieMaker about Truffaut being the last independent filmmaker. More on that at another time). Anywho, I don't watch music TV (if there is still such a thing) and I rarely listen to the radio. All my current music comes from friendly suggestions and magazines.

It started innocently enough- I was reading an issue of Bust when a review caught my eye and I thought, "My sister would like this". So, for Christmas, I bought it for her. It was Neko Case "The Tigers Have Spoken" and it was the beginning of the end for me. I heart her. I quickly copied the CD into my computer and have bought every one of her albums. I went on a date with the music editor of the Dallas Observer that year to one of her shows. Poor thing, I dumped him with my sister and moved as closely to the stage as I could get. goosebumps ran up and down my arm. I can't remember when that has ever happened before. Her music, lyrics, stage presence, overwhelmed me. This year, she's up for a Grammy ("Middle Cyclone" Best Contemporary Folk Album, and Album packaging), and I got so excited.

From there, I finally gave in and shelved the latest from Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis, Neko Case, Amy MacDonald, The Kaiser Chiefs, Thao & The Get Down Shake Down, etc. right next to my Horrorpops, Tiger Army, and Avenged Sevenfold. I can now stand tall and proud and declare, "If you make music with a steel guitar, accordion, banjo, or ukulele, I want your album".

For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of B-sides. I love when artists release "Best of" CD's composed entirely of B-sides (big thanks to The Pixies for one of the best ones). The B-side of a tape (or the back half of a CD) is where the actually artist lies. It is comprised of the songs you know they had to fight to be included. They were not singles, they may have detoured from the expected sound, they were personal. I find myself listening to tracks 7-12 most often. When in doubt of what to listen to, I pick Track 9- It's almost always spectacular!

So, point two: My love of B-sides. This came into my head while listening to Rilo Kiley's "More Adventurous". I already knew I loved the "forgotten tracks", but this album was a bit different. I like the A-side so much better. Songs like the "Portions for Foxes", "Does He Love You", and "I Never" are the reason I love this album in the first place. Towards the end, it gets a bit murky and laconic.

In the spirit of Sunday (and again stealing from Stephen King's EW lists), here is a small list of what I've been listening to most this month:

* Neko Case

* Rilo Kiley

* AMP presents: Psychobilly

* The Cardigans

* The Kaiser Chiefs

* Francoise Hardy

* Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood

* Johnny Cash

* Marianne Faithful

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home to enjoy my 2 1/2 days off! See you Saturday.

It's Saturday: I'm floating in a sea of Randomness

Oh boy, do I have some random things to talk about. It seems once I started writing them down, I couldn't stop!

*The other day, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "Sometimes my make-up is so on point, I think I look like a drag queen!"

*Dear walkers, joggers, and all around fitness nuts: Walk AGAINST traffic or I will be forced to run you down with my car. Seriously, don't get mad and shake your fist at me when you get startled to find there is a car on the road.

*Dear eHarmony: Calling yourselves a "relationship site" and not a "dating site" isn't fooling anyone.

*Some people should never wear cowboy hats. I'm looking at you Casey Affleck!

*I've been watching a lot of late night MTV, Fuse, etc. and I have no idea what is going on. Shakira? What the hell are you doing? I'm glad there's music on at some point in the day (even if it is 3 AM), but I am officially old. I don't get it. Please explain it to me. I think in the 45 minutes I was toggling between channels I saw one band- one group of people playing an instrument.

*On a similar note: Can someone tell me the difference between Jet and The Donnas besides the obvious? I just heard the new Jet song on the radio and if you substituted Bret Anderson for Nic Cester and you've got a Donna's song. I was reading something the other day about the difference between music critics and music writers and how one group believes the music is the most important thing while the other believes it's the lyrics. I have to say, I believe it's a combination of both. See the success of the above two mentioned bands. Clearly lyrics are not the winner here. In fact, lyrics don't seem to be the winner in ANY modern music played on the radio. However, most will not be remembered in 20 years and will not make it to the oldies station. Oh god, that reminds me. When did the classic rock station start playing music from the 90's?

*An Open Letter to the Masses: Toilet paper goes over not under. I don't want to have to dig around the back of the roll looking for the end. You're not helping anyone. From here on out, all toilet paper will be installed properly or I will confiscate your rolls. I will appreciate them a lot more than you, clearly.

*Obliviousness: 1 : lacking remembrance, memory, or mindful attention 2 : lacking active conscious knowledge or awareness —usually used with of or to. See also: people who block the driveway of apartment complexes entering the gate code when the gate is already open. I'm disturbed that these people are behind the wheel.

*I keep losing pieces of Tupperware. I have the lid, but not the base, or vice verse. Where are the going? Are there storage gnomes that come and steal bits at night? At least they've left my socks and underwear alone!

*Yesterday at Taco Bell I saw this t-shirt: "All stressed out and no one to CHOKE". Um...No. Quit it!

*I don't remember Saved By The Bell being so bad. However, I am thankful for the mini marathon playing right now.

*New curse word: Fun. As in, "Go fun yourself!" or "What the fun?!"

*Overheard today at work: "Why can I never find someone to rob?" [side note: I am no longer interested in you Mafia Wars. You can suck it!]

And now, for my comic of the day:

Thank you Married to the Sea

Proof of my Idiosyncrasy #32:

I believe inanimate objects have feelings. Now, let me try to explain.

I’m a collector. I don’t think I’ve voluntarily thrown anything away since 2000. Sometimes things break, or get lost, or my cat exacts his revenge on me by pissing on anything within 2 meters of him; but otherwise I’m a packrat. I try to limit my junk to certain categories and trinkets: shot glasses, Nightmare Before Christmas figurines, Halloween chotchke’s, comic books, records, pictures of sad cats (preferably on velvet), and the like. I haven’t thrown a CD away since I was 14 and embarrassed to own Madonna (not very punk rock). Fast forward a few years and I had to buy it all over again for a dance performance. I made a vow right then and there to keep it all!

The problem with this is that I feel bad for my things sometimes. My CD’s feel the brunt of my burden. I feel bad for the little guys forgotten in the back of the closet or thrown behind the seats in my car. So, periodically, I pull them out and try to make them feel better. That is how my playlist last weekend came to include: Roxette, 10,000 Maniacs, Alkaline Trio, Hair Soundtrack, a riot grrrl comp, The Cardigans, Avenged Sevenfold, and Neko Case.

I don’t want my CD’s to get lonely or mad at me! I don’t feel the same way about my books. In fact, I find it difficult to read a book more than once because I remember all of it far too well, dialog included! With few exceptions, I don’t even like watching my movies again for the same reasons. Of course, no Halloween would be complete without a viewing of “Beetlejuice” or “The Worst Witch”, and Christmas would be lost without “Elf” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. I watch “Elizabeth” and “Gosford Park” at least once a year, but that may have more to do with the costuming and actors than anything else.
Why do my CD’s torment me so???