stuff i love 6

this is going to be short and boring. no graphics or anything. i am suffering from a really, really awful toothache and have been since sunday. it comes and goes but when it's on, it's REALLY on. sunday night was the worst pain i think i have ever experienced. so right now, i love vicodin. it's the only thing offering any sort of relief from this stupid toothache. don't worry, i'm going to the dentist on thursday.

i'm sorry this is so lame but i just don't have it in me to put much more effort into this tonight.

top five 6/21-27

artists:

grizzly bear (44)

jenny lewis and the watson twins (12)

spoon (12)

gomez (11)

jenny lewis (9)

songs:

grizzly bear-lullabye (4)

grizzly bear-fine for now (4)

jenny lewis and the watson twins-melt your heart (3)

grizzly bear-cheerleader (3)

grizzly bear-ready, able (3)

i have to share this

back in february i wrote about seeing loney, dear open for andrew bird at the paramount. i just found this video of that song, the meter marks ok, from a performance in london. the crowd sing-along gives me goosebumps! anyway, i just wanted to share it with y'all because when he played that song here it was pretty much the exact same thing. definitely one of my favorite live music experiences ever.

just a quick pic

today at work i was making display samples and i used this picture of nels on one of them. it's from his birthday party on may 9. even though it wasn't taken that long ago, i've taken so many pictures since then that i had kind of forgotten about it. it might be my favorite picture of him so far.

stuff i love 5

this week's edition of stuff i love is going to focus on something that i simply cannot live without. i'm sure there are many things that i think i couldn't live without but this particular item is vital to my survival...especially in the summer months.

yes, that's right, the air conditioner. i know that running the a/c uses quite a bit of electricity but i also know that when it's 105 degrees with 50% humidity, i don't have much of a choice. this summer is already brutally hot. i think 9 of the past 10 days have been over 100. and it's only june 23. temperatures like this should be reserved for august! last night we went to see jenny lewis at stubb's and i was so hot i threatened to take my pants off. i know i shouldn't have worn pants but i didn't have time to shave my legs so pants it was. for those of you who don't live in texas, or any other state that gets this hot, enjoy your beautiful summers. i sure do enjoy our beautiful "winters".

top five 6/14-20

artists:

gomez (26)

grizzly bear (20)

spoon (12)

operation aloha (10)

radiohead (10)

songs:

m. ward-never had nobody like you (4)

andrew bird-giant of illinois (2)

grizzly bear-fine for now (2)

gomez-win park slope (2)

andrew bird-masterfade (2)

he just keeps getting cuter

my parents and i babysat nels tonight while cecily and steve went to see a movie. we had so much fun! he's at the stage where is a lot of fun to be around because he's so active.

my dad is obsessed with these mango popsicles and, apparently, nels is a fan as well.

stuff i love 4

i meant to post this yesterday but i worked all day then went to grizzly bear so i didn't have time. at least it's only one day late instead of 5 or 6!

for frozen burritos, these things are the bomb! i like to add a few pieces of shredded cheese on top for the last 45 seconds that it's in the microwave. i've heard that using "external salsa" on burritos like this can make a huge difference as well but i don't like salsa so that's a no-go for me. but i don't really think they need much help. i was pleasantly surprised by these burritos when i first tried one last summer. i don't eat them very often but i always enjoy them when i do. i highly recommend them for a quick meal!

stuff i love 3

this is late but you can't say i didn't warn you! i thought about skipping this one all together and just catching up this tuesday but i changed my mind. so here is last week's edition of stuff i love.

cameras. specifically my cameras. the ones i use most often are my canon sd630 and canon rebel xti. they are not the greatest cameras on the planet but i really love them. i can't imagine my life without pictures. i've loved taking pictures for as long as i can remember. my external hard drive is full...of pictures! sure, there's music on there, but the majority of space is filled with pictures. and i couldn't have all of those if it weren't for cameras. people who don't own or really use cameras confuse the hell out of me. i know lots of people who kind of rely on other people to take pictures of events they're at and that just seems boring to me. what about documenting the event from your own perspective? what if you see something that really catches your eye that you would like a picture of? are you going to ask your friend to take a picture of it? just do it yourself! it's fun, i promise. i guess some people don't think that a camera is a necessary expense but i beg to differ! yes, i've spent some money on cameras in my day but if you take care of them, they can last a really long time.

do you own a camera? if so, what kind? and while we're at it...post one of your favorite recent pictures. one nice thing about having a camera with you at all time, you're able to take a picture of the beautiful texas sky after a tornado warning!

660 miles later...

that is the approximate distance i traveled this week. i saw 4 gomez shows in 3 days. one was just an in-store at waterloo records but, whatever, it totally counts. for the past couple of years, i've had a bit of a love/hate on-again-off-again relationship with gomez. it's hard for me to explain but i really started to question my love for them. i wondered if maybe i was just hanging on to the great memories that i've made with all the amazing friends that i've met along the way. i know that part of it was due to the fact that they took a much deserved hiatus from touring. finally, after nearly 2 years, i saw them a few times during sxsw. i had fun but wasn't super impressed but i was still all about driving around texas to see them because i'm a sucker. and i am SO glad i did!

the show at stubb's totally blew my mind. at first i thought maybe it was just me, like i was searching for something to grab onto. then i realized that everyone else there was having their minds blown too. i knew it was the best show i had seen in a LONG time. everything just clicked together perfectly. the music was flawless, the energy between the band and the crowd was unbelievably high and the guys really seemed to be enjoying themselves more than ever. after the show the band was in agreement that it was one of the best shows they've had in years. the term "triple dicked" was used to describe what they had done to the crowd. haha! who knows why exactly it happened but i am so glad it did and so glad that i was there.

the next day bonnie and i headed to houston. i knew that the show in houston wouldn't have quite the same vibe that the austin show did but i was still really looking forward to it because my dear friend sarah was coming with us. the crowd was kind of meh but the show was still lots of fun. they all seemed to be in high spirits again (or still) and that really rubs off on me. i thought of a new term for when they're all getting along really well and goofing around on stage: bromez. haha don't ask! my big complaint was that EVERYONE in the front row was acting like the band was some sort of zoo exhibit. i've never seen so many people taking pictures of them before. and the stage wasn't very elevated or separated from the crowd by anything so it all seemed pretty awkward for the guys. i managed to sneek in 3 pictures that i really wanted without being awkward or annoying. seriously, y'all, the cougar next to me must have taken 500 pictures with her phone. it was ridiculous!

the drive to dallas was a bit tedious but when we were about an hour outside of dallas we were able to pick up 93.3 out of dallas where ben, ian, and olly were doing an in-studio performance and interview. it was hysterical! it definitely helped perk me up for the rest of the drive. when we finally got to the hotel we just relaxed in the room for a few hours before heading down to dinner. during our meal a massive storm rolled into town. i'm talking HUGE! it was crazy windy for a while and then the sky opened up and dumped buckets and buckets of rain. there was also a tornado warning. after an hour or so it stopped and we were able to leave the hotel bar. the hotel had a shuttle that took us to the house of blues for free. it would have been great if the driver hadn't been a total creepo. as soon as we got in the van he said, "if i get dui tonight you guys are responsible." what?! we're taking the hotel shuttle so we don't have to be responsible!

the show in dallas was pretty fun. we had a lot of friendly people around us which was awesome. when it was over i was a little bummed because i realized that i was going to have to go home the next day and resume my normal, boring life. it was totally worth all the money and time. in fact, in the middle of that trip i went ahead and booked another trip to see gomez play 2 nights at the fillmore in san francisco july 30 and 31. i've been wanting to see gomez at the fillmore for ages now. AND blind pilot is opening these shows. if you know me at all or have read my blog, you probably know that i really, really love blind pilot. and on top of all that, several of my great friends are going to be there so it was kind of a no-brainer. i can't wait!

thank you, gomez, for renewing the spark.

now, i will leave you with some pictures. all of my pictures are in this flickr set but here are a few of my favorites:

the setlists from all 3 nights

left to right stubb's-austin, warehouse live-houston, house of blues-dallas

olly playing his iphone during bone tired. ian and olly both play some sort of musical apps during this song, it's pretty fascinating to watch!

i would really love this picture if blackie was visible in it

ben playing an alarm clock at the end of natural reaction

i had to crop this one because some tall cougar was standing in front of me and her head got in the frame

i have lots of pictures of ben from this trip but i really love this one. it's a combo of the fact that i manged to catch ben belting it out, the warm lighting that compliments the color of the guitar and ben's shirt, and little tom in the background. i just love it!

ian during ruff stuff

meghan calls this one ben's sassy pose...hehe!

top five 6/7-13

artists:

david byrne and brian eno (10)

buddy (10)

brendan hines (10)

the helio sequence (8)

band of horses (8)

songs:

i didn't listen to anything more than once this week.

it's over already?

i'm home! it went by really fast but at the same time, i am totally exhausted and kind of glad to be relaxing in my own bed. i'll post a detailed blog with pictures at some point this weekend. i just wanted to make a quick post to let y'all know that i survived :)

top five 5/31-6/6

artists:

the helio sequence (13)

blind pilot (12)

passion pit (6)

andrew bird (4)

gomez (4)

songs:

matt&kim-daylight (4)

blind pilot-one red thread (3)

the helio sequence-can't say no (2)

andrew bird-masterfade (2)

gomez-las vegas dealer (1)

sort of halfway

i skipped passion pit on wednesday night. i wasn't feeling too hot so i decided i should stay home and sleep. helio sequence was great on thursday! my only complaint was that they didn't play for very long. i think they played right at an hour. boo. animal collective was terrible. i heard that some of their recent shows were pretty boring but i was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. ughhh, yeah, i should have saved my $25 and gotten another good night of sleep. it was seriously the most boring show i think i've ever seen. it seemed like it was just all very self indulgent on their part. they were scheduled to play for 2 hours but we left after an hour.

tomorrow starts the gomez adventure! i am pretty pumped but i would be a lot more excited if i felt better. i seem to have come down with a cold. yesterday and today were pretty awful but i'm crossing my fingers for some sort of miraculous recovery tonight. send healing vibes my way, please!

my "stuff i love" post will be postponed until later in the week. it very well could be about gomez. or puffs plus with lotion. i think i'm loving both equally right now.

this is pretty funny

i'm not really a fan of jimmy fallon or dave matthews but somehow, this really made me laugh. maybe it's because i like seeing people make fun of dave? i dunno. but either way, it's a good way to spend 3 minutes.

stuff i love 2

this is going to be a short one because i'm exhausted and super busy. 

have you tried this delightful snack? oh man, oh man...it's delicious. i don't really have much else to say other than that. cheetos puffs are superior to the crunchy ones. white cheddar is superior to that orange cheddar crap. so all in all, this product is heads and tails above other cheesy snacks. my ultimate favorite cheesy snack is smart food white cheddar popcorn but i appreciate these cheetos because they don't leave popcorn kernel crap in my teeth. pick up a bag next time you're at the store! 

this is why everyone hates ticketmaster

so i finally got around to buying a ticket for the gomez show in dallas (i know, i know...) and of course, the stupid house of blues is ticketed by ticketmaster. it's been quite a while since i've bought a ticketmaster ticket. this is goddamn ridiculous though. $7.85 is way too much for "convenience". and an order processing charge of $3.35...ughhh? but the real kicker is the charge for $2.70 to PRINT MY OWN TICKET. what the fuck??!!? i'm wasting my own ink (well actually my sister's because i'm staying at her house this week) to print my ticket and i still have to pay them for that? bullshit bullshit bullshit. so that $20 ticket ended up costing $34.55. that should be illegal. somebody contact obama about this shit! 

ADULT Tickets  Total Convenience Charge(s)	US $20.00 x 1  US $7.85 x 1
Additional Tax	US $0.65
Order Processing Charge	US $3.35
TicketFast®	US $2.70
TOTAL CHARGES	US $34.55

poster child

a few days ago i received a package of gomez posters. i had a few left over from sxsw as well so i think i had around 40. i woke up early before work yesterday to fill all them in with the necessary information to promote the show at stubb's next monday. i had intended to put some up last night before i met up with lori and kelley at side bar but that didn't happen. after deservedly sleeping in today, i decided it was time to get to work.

thanks to past postering adventures i knew that a small staple gun would be really helpful today so i headed to sears to find the cheapest one possible. i got a craftsman for $10. score! and totally worth it. i've always had a partner when hanging posters so i didn't quite know what to expect on a solo mission. i grabbed a reusable shopping bag and loaded it up with the posters, staple gun, and tape. i slung my camera bag on my shoulder and hit the pavement.

my first stop was stubb's. this fence has seen its fair share of posters as is evidenced by all these staples. crazy!

i made my way down red river and onto 6th. after i covered that area i decided to go to south congress. 

that last one is probably my favorite. the tickets are being sold via frontgate tickets and in the background you can see the frontgate offices. i love it! haha! 

it was 93 degrees this afternoon and i wore jeans like a dumbass. i was SO hot and sweaty! it wasn't terrible though and it went by pretty quickly. and, in case you're wondering, hanging posters alone isn't tough at all. i was grateful for that. i hope these posters help. i really want to see a big crowd at this show!