My favorite birthday present every year.

I had a really good feeling I'd be seeing Blind Pilot. I wonder if them playing while I browsed the new line up had anything to do with it. Either way, this whole "law of attraction" thing is getting weird.


I can handle another night of Phish to be able to see my all time favorites such as Feist, The Avett Brothers, and most importantly, Bon Iver. And Ludacris?? I cannot wait to have flash backs to a little eighth grader named Christina who thought she was ghetto and wore her sweet sweat pants rolled up mid calf. Also looking forward to the Beach Boys. I had a brief obsession with them and the Jackson 5 in high school which was nothing short of random. They performed on the Grammy's this year to kick off their big Reunion/Fare Well Tour. It was sort of bitter sweet to watch. On one hand you're excited because a band you thought you'd never be able to see is giving you one last chance. At the same time however, they're old, therefore lacking the same vocal ability and energy that made them so good in their prime. I almost thought their opening acts covering their hits were more appealing. This especially rang true for Foster the People, who I will also be squishing between swarms of intoxicated sweaty people to see. By the way, did anyone who watched the Grammy's feel a little confused about the ads for a Skrillex performance? I swear there was a bunch in the beginning that seemed to disappear as the show went on. Needless to say, he may not have performed at the Grammy's but that's okay because he will be at Bonnaroo.

I'm kind of also excited to see Alice Cooper. As some of you may know, Mr Cooper has become a very popular radio DJ who seems to especially favor Pink Floyd these days. At one of my jobs, this is all I hear, ALL. DAY. LONG. I can tell you from experience that this is the last thing you want to be listening to after a break up with a guy who is obsessed with Roger Waters and David Gilmore. However, some how this corny dark voice has become so imprinted in my head, that it has me excited to see another artist way past his prime.

Some other bands I'll most certainly be seeing are Flogging Molly and Radiohead which has me thinking that the overall theme for Roo this year is "remember when...". Remember those two summers you spent every day poolside watching over people so disabled, it was required to wear a life vest, and blasting in the background was Dispatch on repeat while some little girl with a voice that exactly resembled a possessed Linda Blair screamed at people for no reason from the deep end? No? Just me?.... The show seems to be highlighting a lot of artists who have been around for a while. While there are a ton of new acts as well, no one really seems to stand out in a big way. That's fine with me though. One of my dearest of friends will be celebrating the dirtiest of 30. I think old prom dresses will be involved somewhere in the mix, making this quite the skip down memory lane. Not to mention the complete line up has still yet to be announced. Bonnaroo always throws in something big and magical last minute.

Hardest of Hearts

Did you know that Florence Welch is only 25 years old? Next week her and I will be the same age. She's got a killer voice, a knack for writing amazing music,and millions of followers. What I have is so insignificant next to that, I can't even write it. The best part is she got discovered singing in a public bathroom. How do you even compete with that?... You don't. If she didn't have such a humble geeky personality and addicting music, I'd probably be too jealous to like her. I think it's time to get my Idol on the next time I drunkenly stumble into a scuzzy bathroom down town.



"Darling heart, I loved you from the start
But you'll never know what a fool I've been
Darling heart, I loved you from the start
But that's no excuse for the state I'm in"

"I realized the problem: You write short stories, and I think you like living short stories,".....

...."but I'm kind of ready for the novel."

Just watched HappyThankYouMorePlease.

The title sounds a bit cheesy, kind of like Eat Pray Love, but surprisingly the movie was really good. Kudos to Netflix for recommending this little indie flick that I would have never heard of otherwise. I still can't quite pinpoint what I liked about this movie so much. I think it may have been the dynamic of the characters and the odd story line. It was something new, yet it had the corny romantic comedy qualities that I tend to feed off of (lots of awkwardness and bad lines). That, and the soundtrack includes one of my favorite tracks from my new favorite band:


... I'm sure the 3 glasses of red wine I had didn't have anything to do with it either.

A simple reminder.

An old friend posted this story today. Her version was longer and had a lot more to do with thanking God. While religion is still sort of a mystery for me, I thought the centering story was a good lesson for anyone. It reminds me of past mistakes and what I'm still trying to understand about relationships in general. Whether you're the girl or the boy in this story, it's a good reminder about perception.

"There was a blind girl that hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, “If I could see the world, I’d marry you”. One day someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn’t expected that. The thought of looking at him for the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying; 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.' "

I could not be stuck on you, If it were true

I've just discovered Blind Pilot about a week ago and somehow between working two full time jobs, I've managed to play their entire album over ten times. If you like your mellow tunes like the Format or Matt Pond PA (one of my other current obsessions), I think you'll like this...



Unfortunately they let an idiot swing around this beautifully amazing camera in front of such a talented group, but at least the sound guy knew what he was doing. The mix of vocals and instruments are so perfect, it actually gave me chills at the build up. I highly respect artists that sound as good or better live than on their records. I wish I was that camera man capturing this moment. Or rather I should be...

Bringin it back.

I just spent the past 30 minutes or so rediscovering this blog. It's weird reading these old post and remembering what I was feeling or thinking back then. I was actually surprised that some of those ideas came from me. I'm still the same pensive person always stuck in their own thoughts, but I think it's safe to say that I'm a lot more positive then I was. Everyone has their doubts though.

Lately, I feel like there's been so much I've wanted to share and put out into the world, but I really haven't had the time. I think it's almost necessary to bring this back mostly because not many people read this so I don't have to worry about censoring myself. I'm also for the most part over facebook. It's hard to say or post what you want when you know your boss is going to read it or your mother is probably going to be the only one to "like" it. I'm also not a fan of blowing up someone's newsfeed with things that have no interest to them. I know my newsfeed is currently being overwritten with negativity about how people's lives suck. I sort of don't care and feel that there are most likely others out there who care even less. I think getting my thoughts back down on this site will allow the people who want to know what's up the chance to seek that out, and it will save those who don't from being bombarded.

Bonnaroo 2009

It's been a while, but I am just now recovering from Roo this year. That is if it's even possible to recover. I saw many many things. Good, bad, and just plain magical.

Working on the Post Office was a lot of work, but also a life changing experience. I hate the term "life changing", but that is what it was. Building with natural materials is a ton of work, and also a whole lot of fun at the same time. The end result is mind blowing. It has definitely opened my eyes to different ways of living. The whole structure cost almost nothing. Why aren't the hobos of the world doing this? I actually have money and am considering this option one day. It was also great to do something besides sit at home twiddling my thumbs. Especially something that had great educational value.

Bonnaroo itself is a whole nother world. I can't even begin to describe half the things I saw. We got the best camping of the festival through our visual design volunteer work. It was a tiny gated lot hidden in the very center of all the stages called "the Bone Yard". This spot is way better then any VIP section because we were actually already inside the festival at all times. Sharing this camping heaven were a group of gypsie circus performers that called themselves "The Art of Such 'N Such". Pretty much even relaxing at our site was never a dull moment.

I got to see tons of amazing artists including Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, and Snoop Dog. The best show of the weekend though was definitely Of Montreal. Think Bowie's Labyrinth.

Here's some of the photos from the whole experience. Many were lost due to a not so sober friend trying to make room for more, but there's still some good ones. I'm working on getting them organized and uploading more so check back at some point.

October 16th

COME WITH ME PLEAAASSE!

Fond Farewell

08/09

Just like every other year of my life, 2008 was quite eventful. 2009 should also be. A lot of changes will occur, both planned and not. Somehow though, this year has yet to feel new. I still feel the same I did wednesday. I'm not rejuvenated with resolutions. Instead I'm enjoying my same old pace.

Are the days you spend lying around a waste?

I don't think so...

... Reflecting is good.

Give me miles and miles of mountains, and I'll ask for the sea

I know I said I wasn't gonna tell anyone my plans because I change my mind too much, and to be quite frank, my mind is different since then, BUT I've made a final decision. Savannah, Georgia. I've actually known this for a long time, but there were always other options that were maybes. Now after being home for the first time in months, I realize I don't belong there. I love my family and friends in PA, but Philly will always be my home. I realized this weekend that it's a place that I can always come back to. It's not going anywhere. Part of the epiphany was also coming to terms with the fact that I like being on my own. I like being away from it all, coming and going as I please. I will always love Burlington and the people I've come across living here, but that doesn't make it the right place for me. I'm just putting my foot down and going for it.

Decisions are made and not bought, But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot. I guess not.

Just an FYI, I'm not always an emo case...

I'm in love with MGMT! I guess you could argue some of the lyrics are slightly "emo", but really, few lyrics in the world aren't. I suggest all their songs, especially Electric Feel if you're in a dance party kind of mood. Justice does a pretty good remix of that song.

Seeing Things

I keep finding these "signs" that I think are hinting at what I am suppose to do. I'm not sure if I really believe in signs, but these are really weird coincidences. Maybe its my conscience just helping me figure out what I really want. Sometimes I believe our conscience has more of a voice then we think, like dreams for instance. It may not be that far off to think that something deep inside is making certain things stand out in order to help me answer my questions. That's probably all signs are, your brain helping you to tap into what you really want.

Either way... I think I found my answer. I'm not telling anyone because we all know I'm bound to change my mind.

I'm screaming for something...

On My Own - The Used

See all those people on the ground
Wasting time
I try to hold it all inside
But just for tonight
The top of the world
Sitting here wishing
The things I've become
That something is missing
Maybe I...
But what do I know

And now it seems that I have found
Nothing at all
I want to hear your voice out loud
Slow it down, slow it down
Without it all
I'm choking on nothing
It's clear in my head
And I'm screaming for something
Knowing nothing is better than knowing at all

On my own... On my own... On my own... On my own
On my own... On my own

Without it all
I'm choking on nothing
It's clear in my head
And I'm screaming for something
Knowing nothing is better than knowing at all

On my own... On my own... On my own... On my own

My head hurts. I think to much, and then get lost in my thoughts. I can never come out with a clear answer. I've become the most indecisive person in the world. I'm trying to think about my future here, think about me, but all that I end with are the people I love. What about them? What happens to them in my final decision? Do I loose them or does the distance make us closer? I don't want to loose anyone. I don't want to just remember anyone. I want everyone to follow me where ever I go, forever...

I'm trying to pick my next step, or rather the school I finally commit myself to. All three are in very different locations. All three have pros and cons. UArts, SCAD, or Burlington College??? Everyone has a choice for me, but no one's providing the correct argument. I don't want to make this decision on my own, but I guess I'll have to.

Killadelphia

I love that I call Philly my home. I love that Philly is the only city that you don't actually have to live in to call home. A lot of people don't understand this logic, but if you're from the area, then you know what I'm talking about. Mostly, I LOVE the people. We are diehards down in the 215. We do everything to the max, especially when it comes to supporting our teams. With our luck (this being that we haven't won a sports championship in 25 years) most people would have lost hope. Not us! Whether we win or loose, we love every single player who represents our city. "Brotherly Love" could never reign so true anywhere else.

Tonight the only sports team that I actually follow won the World Series. The WORLD fucking SERIES! I hate television, but spending hours on end, day after day, has never been more worth it. My boys came in as the underdog. All sports professionals were leaning for the other team. But, WE won. Not them. Us! I seriously believe this time a lot of it was due to the fans. All those people who spent the hours watching. All those people who flew down to Florida for games 1 & 2. All those people who sat in the freezing ass rain with our boys for 6 and 1/2 innings only to have the game be post-poned. Mostly, of those people, the 99% who dropped plans to come back 2 days later, and give our team the same hope and confidence needed to take it all.

I LOVE PHILLY, and I Love all of you who love it too.

Magic.



It only gets better.



"Do you think that theres anybody in the tent?"



My biggest commitment ever.


Airhorn Dana

They've learned to tune it out. I learned to love every minute.


she's a lady

Our children are screwed.




German Boys


Get WiLD

Because we can.

"So careless, I could care less"

Everything I love and hate about random hook ups...
In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Awesome story line. Good acting. Amazing movie.

Complain. Complain. Complain.

All I ever want to do anymore is complain. A lot of it comes from my job. I never complained this much before I started working there. The sad thing is I know I'm doing it too, but I can't help it. Sometimes the only thing I have to talk about with other people is how shitty certain things are, hence my job. BUT, complaining all the time is annoying, which is why I've been trying to quit.

I saw this thing on TV where some guy was trying to get you to buy his book and this bracelet to support his religion. Lame, but the bracelet however did serve quite a clever purpose. Every time you complain, you switch it to the other wrist. Over time, the 21st century American in you gets lazy of switching it, so naturally you cut back on complaining. That or you give up on the process all together. Either way, it's worth a shot to steer off the road towards Annoying City.

It is however, completely impossible to not complain. The guy in the commercial claimed he hadn't said anything negative about something or someone in years. At first I was way impressed. This dude must be pretty chill... but then I remembered he was selling a religion, therefore making this statement not entirely 100%. Plus, looking back I think he was technically complaining about complaining. Right?

Anyways, I'm going to try to cut back. Tonight it was easy...
My Killadelphia Phillies have just won the first game of the World Series. <3


P.S. I'm pretty sure it snowed for quite some time today.

If I were a guy...

So once upon a long time ago, I stumble!d upon a lovely little blog. I have been addicted ever since.

365observations.com

Pretty much this guy thinks just like me, give or take a few things due to the gender difference. Actually he reminds me of an old really good guy friend who I've sort of drifted apart from. Maybe that's why I enjoy this blog so much...

He updates daily (hence 365 observations) so there's always something new.