these are old

i dug out my old point and shoot 35mm camera last night and found a roll of film in it. i developed it at work today. the pictures on it are about 3.5 years old, i think. here are a couple of them:

alison, me, and alanna at blues on the green

blues on the green

360 bridge 

ten years ago

it is hard to imagine that some of my favorite albums are already ten years old. gomez played some 10th anniversary bring it on shows where they played the album in its entirety. now jimmy eat world is doing some 10th anniversary clarity shows by playing all of clarity live. i missed the only bring it on show gomez played in the united states and i'm still a little bummed about it (but not really). i would LOVE to see one of those clarity shows as well. it's such an incredible album. it is probably in my top 5 albums that i can listen to from start to finish without skipping a song. 

another album celebrating its 10th anniversary this year is death cab for cutie's something about airplanes. another classic in my book. all of this thought about epic albums that are 10 years old this year made me wonder what other albums are celebrating their 10 year anniversary in 2008. i'm certainly not going to list every album that came out in 1998, but these are some of my favorites:

neutral milk hotel-in the aeroplane over the sea

andrew bird-thrills

massive attack-mezzanine

natalie merchant-ophelia

billy bragg and wilco-mermaid avenue

barenaked ladies-stunt

liz phair-whitechocolatespaceegg

elliott smith-xo

belle and sebastion-the boy with the arab strap

cake-prolonging the magic

alkaline trio-goddamnit

damn, that's a fine list of music right there. thank you, 1998, for producing so many good albums. that's about the only thing 1998 did for me. what i can say? i was a freshman in high school so i'm pretty sure i hated life. 

dear pandora,

your andrew bird station is probably the best station i've ever heard on your website. 

some artist's that i've heard in the last hour include:

elliott smith

belle and sebastian

iron and wine

badly drawn boy

band of horses

arcade fire

radiohead

the decemberists

and of course, andrew bird

seriously? this is amazing. i think it's my favorite radio station ever. it got a little depressing last night but i think part of that was just my mood. i dunno. either way, you should all go to pandora and make an andrew bird station. 

bye bye moose

it's being reported that mike mussina has decided to retire from baseball. this doesn't really come as a shock to me but i sure am going to miss the guy. i sent my dad a text about it when i found out and he wrote back, "Shows class, not a common trait in this $ driven world." right on, dad!

moose just came off his first 20-win season and picked up his 7th gold glove award so i would say he's definitely going out on a high note. i've always thought of him as extremely classy so i wouldn't expect anything less.

bye moose. i'll miss you.

because we're awesome

dana and i started a blog this morning. we had been throwing around the idea for a week or so because we like to g-chat while we watch the same tv show. haha! anyway, we figured we could live blog some stuff along with regular blogging. if you know where the url came from without googling it i'll give you a prize!

i owe this to you 2.0

i just realized that i didn't really mention much about healdsburg or the winery. i had so much to write about that it slipped between the cracks.

anyway, WOW. i had never been to "wine country" before so i didn't quite know what to expect. when we arrived at c. donatiello i was pleasantly surprised with just about everything about it. it was a beautiful day which heightened the experience for me. the gardens were gorgeous but i didn't spend much time walking around them. the stage set up was interesting because it was so high above the crowd. before the bands played i wasn't sure i was going to like that aspect but it didn't bother me once the shows were underway.

now, this would be the part where i write about the wine but since i don't like wine, i really have no insight to offer. but, if the number of empty bottles at the rental house when i left is any indicator, it was damn fine wine. i also had the pleasure of meeting joel quigly at the winery. i really admire his passion for wine and music. i think that the two go hand in hand for a lot of people and by having these concerts at their winery, they've really found a way to bring the two together in a beautiful way. and it's great exposure for both their wine to be discovered by music fans, and musicians to be discovered by fans of c. donatiello wine.

show your support

hey guys, i just wanted to quickly share this website with you. it's very simple: buy some white ribbon, cut a 6 inch piece, and tie it in a knot. then wear it every day to show your support for equal rights. we can all do that, right?

i owe this to you

okay, i'm super bored at work so i am finally going to write about my san francisco trip. i'm a slacker. i apologize. (not like anyone really cares.) this may be tough since it was already a month ago but i shall try to remember the fun deets.

i had an early ass flight out of austin which i barely slept for. i had a 2 hour layover in phoenix where i limitedly browsed the internet on my phone (i chose to leave my laptop at home) and freaked out about all the birds flying around in terminal d. seriously, sky harbor? ugh. upon landing in san francisco i scooped up my suitcase from the baggage claim and headed outside to wait for josh. he took me to the marin headlands and twin peaks to take some scenic pictures of the city. it was a little hazy but not too bad. i was still able to get some pretty cool shots.

after being touristy we headed to the house and i vegged around while josh did some work. the rest of the afternoon/evening was pretty tame as i was completely exhausted. i enjoyed a lovely dinner with kerry and josh and then went to bed around 9:00 pm. lame-o.

on saturday i woke up around 7:30 which was actually good because meghan and matt landed about 15 minutes later. after josh picked them up kerry, josh, and meghan went to the farmer's market while matt and i watched 90210 and talked for a long time. i had never spent much time with matt so it was really nice to just sit around and talk. he's hilarious and awesome, but we all know that already. the rest of the day was full of bread, butter (the best butter on the planet, to be exact) and michael clayton naps. after some showers, eyeshadow borrowing, and bangs styling we were ready to go out for the night. we called a cab, and then another. the first one arrived pretty promptly and kerry and i volunteered to wait for the next. i suppose since it was the weekend of the nike women's marathon cabs were in high demand. we waited for quite a while for one to finally arrive. kerry and i were both pretty sure that it was actually the same cabbie that had dropped off josh, meghan, and matt but he said he wasn't. hmmm. we had a tasty, inexpensive meal at thai spice then headed over to the red devil lounge to see buddy and ian (did you think i wouldn't mention them?).

the red devil lounge is a cozy (read: warm) little venue with terrible sight lines, bad ventilation, and reasonably priced drinks. oh, and far too few toilets. buddy played first and absolutely nailed it. they are such an extremely talented group of musicians. i can't wait until their new album is finished so i can hear a studio version of armed and dangerous. i'm sure it's not quite as invigorating as it is live but i bet it's still fantastic. the crowd seemed very receptive to the performance. ian came on a short while later and knocked out a few gomez songs (old and new) and then some stuff off his solo album that came out last year. i was already a few drinks in and my attention span was that of a fruit fly. i'm sure it was a great set though. we concluded the night with a loaf of bread and lots more of that yummy butter.

sunday morning came too soon. i think everyone got off to a bit of a slow start but we all finally managed to shower and dress ourselves to hit the road to healdsburg. we somehow failed to eat anything for breakfast though which led to a hangry meghan on the road. we stopped to eat a meal that we are not proud of and have vowed not to speak of to anyone. we had a wee bit of trouble locating the winery with our google map directions. perhaps it was the map, perhaps it was the navigator (me). we'll never know. the atmosphere upon arriving at c. donatiello was a little bit off. it was definitely something i had never experienced before. but once the band got set up and took the stage, i wasn't so worried about the weird vibe. the "winery versions" of buddy's songs were quite enjoyable. then, buddy did something that i doubt i'll ever forget. percy, holly, will, and al left the stage leaving just buddy and fil up there. they proceeded to play a tear-inducing version of salt point, complete with harmonica (my favorite instrument!). i had over-sized sunglasses on so it wasn't apparent that i had tears in my eyes but kerry, meghan and i later confessed to each other that we all had some waterworks during that song.

ian played another solid set except this time there were no gomez songs. it was his birthday, as well as his 5 year wedding anniversary, so there was lots of celebrating. ian decided that it would be a fun idea to invite the entire crowd up on stage to sing along with his last song, failure. we all obliged but first sang 'happy birthday' to him at the suggestion of elisa. it was a very unique experience and something that i'm glad i was there for.

after some freshening up at the hotel we headed to a gathering at the house that kerry and josh were renting with the balls. it was a nice way to wind down from the weekend and still get to spend some quality time with (almost) everyone (meghan and matt were only there for about 30 minutes before they had to head back to san francisco to fly home). everything about the weekend was practically perfect and i'm so, so glad i decided to participate. it was definitely worth the money, the time, and the sleep deprivation.

and in case some of you haven't seen my pictures from that weekend, here they are on flickr.

the best of the onion according to me

i was just discussing these two onion articles with a co-worker so i decided to post them. many of you may have already read them, but they're definitely worth reading again.

bro, you're a god among bros

i'm the denzel washington in training day of booking plane tickets online

point, click, bang motherfuckers.

protest pictures

check out this set and this pool on flickr for some great photos of prop 8 protests. according to this austinist piece, 3000 people showed up for the protest here in austin. that's really awesome. be sure to check out their pictures to see how diverse of a group it was.

here are some more events to look for in the coming weeks:

December 10th 2008: Day Without a Gay. There was some confusion about the date, but two organizations proposed this great initiative and we combined into one. On December 10th, we ask that the LGBTQ community Call in Gay! Don’t go to work, don’t consume, don’t contribute to this economy at all… instead, contribute to your community through volunteer work, community outreach, and social outreach. We are taking a new spin on boycott. During the busy shopping season where analysts have year over year numbers, we want to watch the graph dip as we take our tax dollars and keep them. Instead, we will give to the organizations that need our time and help. We are taxpaying citizens who contribute to this economy. We deserve legal protections from our government and marriage provides 10,000+ legal protections that are not awarded to our families! Read Joel Stein’s Call to Action and Visit DayWithoutAGay.org (Remember the Date will be December 10th NOT the 5th) January 10th, 2009: National Protest. Let’s do this again! We’ve done so much with only one week of planning. Now imagine what we can do with 2 months! It’s time we get out and protest all of the anti-gay ballot initiatives from 2008 AND the initiatives from 2004: DOMA. DOMA exists in 37 states throughout our country! Full equality will not exist with DOMA. We need to bring the nation’s attention back to this, keep their attention on Prop 8’s revoking of rights, and keep giving this country a reason to talk!

and lastly, check out blue for equality. all you have to do is display a blue light on your front porch or window to show your support.

join the impact

i know i've briefly mentioned my feelings toward proposition 8 but i wanted to share some more. first off, i hope you all watched the keith olbmermann video that i posted a couple of days ago. it has been plastered all over the internet since it originally aired on monday night so you've probably had many opportunities to watch it. in light of this being a shitty, shitty situation i would like to say that i was really excited to see so many of my friends post the video on facebook. i honestly think that it has the power to soften some (not many) peoples' views on this issue because it cuts right to the point: this is about love.

i would also like to urge ALL of you to check this site to see if there is a prop 8 protest near you this saturday, november 15. unfortunately, i have to work on saturday and will not be able to attend the protest here in austin. believe me, i am tempted to call in sick and go anyway but i'm not sure i can afford the backlash of that decision. but that doesn't mean that i don't fully support each and every person going out and protesting this.

this list of austin residents who financially supported the passage of this proposition was brought to my attention this morning. nauseating is what that is. the largest donor, spencer wheelwright, works for dell. unfortunately i own a dell and i can't exactly afford to ditch this computer right now. sorry, dudes.

and apparently, cinemark donated $10,000 to help the prop pass as well. there are 8 cinemark theaters in the austin area alone. gay marriage advocates are urging people to boycott any business that donated money to this "cause" saying that they won't support businesses that don't support them. fair enough!

so please try to do your part to protest this violation in civil rights, if you see fit.

please watch this

this is literally one of the best things i've ever seen on keith olbermann:

apd=racist jerks?

i've always heard that members of the austin police department are racist. i'm sure that's not an austin specific issue. anyway, i finally heard it for myself last night. we were walking to the car last night and while waiting to cross trinity at 7th street we encountered some sort of an incident. all i saw was an african american woman with her face all bloody and a bunch of people crowded around. four or so of those people were cops and one was a paramedic. the cops weren't really doing anything to aid whatever the situation was but i heard one of them say, "what are these two clowns doing?" and the other one said, rather disdainfully, "they're trying to represent the hood." WHAT? i couldn't believe my ears. looking back now i'm not really that surprised but that definitely doesn't make it okay.

NOW WHAT?!?

as the baseball season draws to a close every fall, i start to wonder what i'm going to do with myself without it. this year, baseball sort of fizzled out for me after the bay rays beat boston on october 19. i didn't really notice the lack of baseball in my life because i was so focused on all things election related. now that the election is over, i'm realizing that baseball is gone too. wtf am i going to do without baseball AND a presidential election to geek out over? i feel empty, sort of.

i'm still following obama's moves pretty closely. i want to know about everything that he's doing and everyone that he's appointing but it's not with the same anxiousness that i followed the election. so with all of this spare time on my hands, i've run across a number of upsetting comments on facebook about obama. i know i already mentioned the worst of them a couple of days ago but it all still irritates me a lot. so i really need something to occupy my time when i'm bored at work and surfing the internet so that i won't go back to facebook and get angry. sure, there are a few offseason baseball stories happening right now but that's not really enough to entertain me for very long.

so now what?

interview with joan baez

i just read an interview on cnn.com with joan baez. it was kind of weird and awesome at the same time. i guess like her. ha! anyway, this part really stood out to me:

I've never seen this country this politically charged. I realized something this morning. I was watching Obama on TV and I thought, "I really love this guy." I love what he's capable of, I love that he's genuine. He's a statesman, and he's brilliant. People say, "Do you think he can change America?" He already has.

and she's so right. he has already changed america. look at all the people who went out and voted in this election. it's a much higher number than it was 4 years ago and i believe that that is a direct result of barack obama running for president.

you can read the rest of the interview here.

also, obama won north carolina. that's the 9th state that bush won in 2004 that obama won this time. that's insane and incredible!!

yes we did!!

you guys, we did it! i have been trying to gather my thoughts all day but i still just can't wrap my head around it. it's an incredible feeling, for sure. many of you probably got this email but i wanted to share it anyway:

Stefanie --

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

dana had an election night party at her house. there was a pretty good turn out. i made a cake and an obama mix cd. what songs does one put on an obama mix, you ask?

will.i.am-yes we can
stevie wonder-signed, sealed, delivered
spoon-the underdog
robert earl keen-feelin' good again
david bowie-young americans
queen-we are the champions
ashford and simpson-solid as a rock
kool and the gang-celebration
marvin gaye-ain't no mountain high enough
obama girl-i got a crush on obama
bruce springsteen-the rising
david bowie-changes
fojeba-fired up! ready to go!
pat benatar-hit me with your best shot

and what does an obama cake look like?

it was red velvet, the best flavor ever! here are a few more pictures of the excitement:


i came home this afternoon to find A LOT of activity on facebook. these are a few examples of status updates of friends who live in the uk (i've omitted their names just 'cause):

high fives for the US for not letting the idiots win.

would like to congratulate & thank all of his American friends.

says Congratulations America!

i love it! i love that people all over the world are excited about this. and i love that we didn't let them all down, again. then i saw these updates, all belonging to the same person. this is a girl that i went to elementary, middle, and high school with. it blows my fucking mind to know that i essentially grew up in the same community as she did. i've omitted her name too even though i'm awfully tempted to include it.

never thought I'd see a "President Hussein" in my lifetime...

says "Well maybe its not so bad... Rollin down the street, smokin indo, sippin on gin and juice might become legal now"... Lol!!!

is all of a sudden in the mood for chicken & waffles.

i was so incredibly close to commenting to her and letting her know that she's a FUCKING RACIST. but instead of getting into it with a moron that is completely inconsequential to me, i just deleted her as a friend so i don't have to look at it anymore. i just don't need people like that raining on my parade today, so i'm not going to let them.

on the other side of the coin, an old friend of mine wrote an entry in her live journal yesterday about how she had been having doubts about voting in this election at all. she finally realized how important it is for us to exercise our right to vote and at the end of the entry she wrote this:

Finally, I just wanted to dedicate this entry to stefanie. many of you have put really inspirational posts these past few days, but she's been the one person whose persistance, dedication, and wealth of information really made me second guess whether I was making the right decision. You have been really inspiring to me and I just wanted to thank you for reminding me what I have in this country and how I should show my gratitude. :)

it totally made me cry!

and dudes, it's president elect: BARACK OBAMA!

my friends

holy shit, this is cracking me up:

in other news, i owe you people a blog about the decemberists show, the ben kweller show, and my general thoughts/anxiety about the election. hopefully i'll get to that later tonight!