"Turning an Ervin" Party

Certain people have their priorities right and know how to throw a party. On Friday, 'Hawk had a kegger at the Minnesota house in celebration of his 32nd birthday. Excellent party. A fair amount of people (dudes AND women) there, but not so crowded it was a hassle. Time seemed to go by very quickly for me, and I had two beers before the keg floated. A jar went around for donations and a beer run was made.

It was a straight up dance party...with lots of Motown and 60s souls on the playlist. I was still dancing at 4am, then abruptly left and drove home to pass out.

At one point in the evening, the fire dept showed up. Through the front door, I could see red and blue flashing, and I thought, "Oh, shit. The cops." But it was two firetrucks. Apparently, the ADT security system had gone off because between everyone smoking in the house and the fog machine, the air was not very clear and the nearest fire station was notified. When the firemen showed up, they did a quick walk through to make sure nothing was literally on fire. We had to open all the windows and the front door. They had a huge fan to provide some circulation. After several minutes, they were on their way, and the party resumed (although it never really stopped just because they were there. We were all still dancing in the front room) without the fog machine this time.

I was fairly hungover on Saturday, although my flu/cold seemed to have been over with. I guess I really did just need to kill it off with more booze. However, my car, my clothes, my hair, my bed sheets, my jacket and purse, were just permeated with cigarette smoke. I showered and shampooed my hair, but I could still smell smoke on me. I have my jacket and purse airing out in the garage. My sinuses are pretty pissed. I should probably use the neti-pot on them.

Went to Lemongrass with Karen before we went to the Turner's Hall on Gravios for a trivia event. I was soooo tired, but the evening was nice. We came in third place, which is awesome, except purse was only for first and second this time! The first two rounds were brutally hard, and I admit I felt defeated, like, "Oh, shit. This is going to be a rough outing." But then things turned around for us in the final eight rounds.

Matthew sent me a text. He was at a show and fubar and asked me if I was going to be coming to the show, too, and to bring him something to help him stay awake. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to the show. I know it was a fun time, but I have no problem with no going to it. Between the shows last weekend and the party on Friday, I'm content with the amount of fun that has been had.

And possible road trip again this coming weekend.

snow day

The answer is: This smug "white folks" anchor team in St. Louis overrode the broadcast of the Jeopardy tourney of champions for extended coverage of how much it's snowing. No shit, it's snowing?!?!

Question: What is News Channel 5 KSDK?

They are currently not broadcasting anything anyone who isn't blind doenst already know. They also sent a reporter and a photojournalist out in a car to take pictures and report back on conditions via a cellular phone. Good call, producers. Fine journalism there. I really enjoyed seeing that grainy, jumpy footage of spun-out cars. Probably just poor saps like myself who wanted to get home in time to watch Jeopardy!.

They did this last year, too: overrode the broadcast of the tourny when human remains were found in a cemetary in Affton. It was all just speculation and sensationalism.

Oh, MB just mentioned they are going to air it at 2:30am. Thanks, I'll be sure to set my alarm, jerks. Suck it News Channel 5. You leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Follow-ups

I have the plague. Hit it all a little too hard, I guess. Ol' girl can't hang. Instead of falling off the wagon, I caaaaaaanonballed right off. I probably just need some sleep.

I did work a full day today, which was a surprise only in that I almost didn't even go in this morning since I felt so awful when I woke up.

Top 3 cutest patient was in for a follow up. Haven't since him in a year, and I am going to remove him from my top 3 cutest patient list. His hair is long and I don't think it is a flattering look on him. Also, he seemed a little pudgy, which is fine, but I'm into studs and Adonises. This was the same patient I found his profile on an online dating site, and I imagine that if he did meet someone, then maybe he let it go a little. No es bueno.

No big deal to me either way, I actually felt kinda good seeing hiim not looking so good.

32nd birthday celebrations

Saturday was the 32nd anniversary of the day I slid out of my mom's vagina, screaming and covered in blood.

I had also been off work for the week leading up to Saturday, and had debated taking a trip. There were several cities I considered. Austin, because I have never been there, and there were several shows I was interested in seeing. PDX: I've been there before. JJ said he would meet me there for joint bday celebrations, and there were also a few shows I was interested in seeing in PDX. MPLS for NC&TBDB live band karaoke. Chicago for the usual.

I ended up doing none of those things and instead, Matthew and I took a road trip to Normal to see Masked Intruder and Humanoids at Firehouse. I hung out at my folks' house with the dog on Saturday afternoon, and drove into the city to pick up Matthew at a bar in The Patch around 7pm and we high-tailed it to NRML. Drive was uneventful and with hardly any traffic. We had great conversation and listened to some old mix tapes through the aux hookup.

Made it to Firehouse and Humanoids were already on and performing their last few songs!! One of the local openers hadn't shown, so they were first. There was, at least, quite a lot of people in the club even this early in the night. I found David Wiffleballs down by the front with Daren and some other buds. Matthew came in several minutes later and came to the front with us to see the last song.

Then two awful local bands; we all just hung out by the merch table in the back.

Masked Intruder was last, and the place went nutzoid. Blackout Mask was in attendance! The pit was pretty rough with drunk college kids going wild. Lots of pushing. I stayed near the back of it and sang along. Set was great, but the sound in that venue is just awful. The speakers are blown out as fuck. It really is a shame.


Crowd/room shot:


















I had a great time at the show, though. I have been sober for several months, for no specific reasons, and was undecided if I was going to partake at the show. I decided that, yes, I was going to partake and made the choice of Hamm's, the cheapest offering in the house. It was delicious. I really do love cheap ass beer. I had a total of five or six and was nowhere near as drunk as I figured I would have been. Had a nice buzz, though.

STL buds at the merch table:



















Lars lookin' jacked as fuck! Push-ups, Y'all!:



The bands had three comped rooms and Dave invited Matt and I to swing by and party/stay. There was three room between like 17 people, and I ended up just getting my own room. It was only $35. Plus, after another hour hanging out at the hotel, I was ready to lay down and rest and just enjoy some quiet time alone. I fell asleep right away, the heater offering some nice warm air and white noise.

Two hours later, there was a knock on my door and Pat had Matthew with him. Matthew was incredibly BOMBED (oh yeah, he did like 4 shots of whisky right before we left the bar, and this was in addition to the 14 beers consumed that day/night plus some pills). He was bouncing off the walls like a pinball, and pretty much just passed out face first onto the bed. At one point during the night, I just stared at him for what seemed like a lifetime, waiting to see his chest rise/fall. He was breathing so shallowly.

He was incredibly warm next to me. He does not snore, or twitch or move around a lot in his sleep and is one of the few people I have encountered in my life who I sincerely enjoy sharing a bed with.

He was still kinda drunk the next morning, but we still banged out for a solid 90minutes before the housekeeping people knocked on the door that it was check-out time. I nearly drowned him at one point, and we joked about this...me leaving his naked, dead body at the hotel. The police finding my DNA everywhere, not to mention my name on the room registry.

We went to the venue where people were meeting up for pizza buffet before heading to STL. He stayed for pizza, I went across the street to get vegan breakfast. A delicious tofu scramble and vegan pancake. Matthew joined me for a coffee, and we drove home with Velvet Underground playing. Both of us were pretty wrecked, and we just wanted something chill. He was wearing the blackout mask in the car and teasing the truckers. After a bit, we could tell they were all on their CB radios about us, because they seemed to expect us when we passed them.

Blackout Mask is allowed to smoke in the car:













Got back to STL in time for Matthew to brush his teeth, wash his face, and change his shirt before I dropped him off at work. Oh, we did fuck one more time before work. Real quick, but satisfying none the less.

I went home and chilled out for a few hours. Didn't really feel like eating, and even though I was dead tired, I couldn't fall asleep. There was a show at Cicero's, and I planned on leaving for it at 9pm. At 830, I drank 3 cups of mint tea, ate an Adderall, brushed and flossed, and changed my shirt. Matthew texted me that he was getting out of work early and asked if I could pick him up. So I swung by his work and we headed to Delmar. Oh, I also gave him an Adderall, for which he was very thankful.

Venue was fucking packed. Missed the two openers which was the plan. Saw Humanoids, then Intruders again. Totally solid sets. Lots of people going bonkers. Myself included. More friends in attendance (of course) than in NRML, and it was so nice to see everyone out having a great time! And on a Sunday to boot! I had three beers at the bar, but I wasn't really affected by them. The Adderall kicked in about 45 minutes after I ate it, and I was feeling alert, focused, awake. Was def speeding balls by the time the show started. The room was already hot, and I was pretty sweaty.

After the show, I hung out at the venue for a bit, Kristen complimented me on my toned, bad ass arms, then I went to Lemmon's. Two people were there, Wilson was one of them. I sat by him and we talked for about thirty minutes before other people started showing up. Matthew and Do What had to drive Evening Bird home from Cicero's because he was so gone. Puking and shit. Which, that is what 'Hawk does. He pukes. All the time. He was starting his "birthday week" that night at the show and hit it a little too hard, I guess.

Stayed at Lemmon's talking with friends, mostly 'Officer Bradford' until 2am then went home. The effects of the Adderall were starting to wear off, and I was getting tired. Came home, cleaned up, and fell asleep easily and slept until morning.

Am off work today, too. Tomorrow I start back up, first time in ten days. I'm not looking forward to it, but I know once I get there and get back into the normal routine, I will be pleased.

All said and done, as excellent party weekend with excellent friends. 'Hawk is having a rager on this Friday, too, so I'll just keep plowing through this mess.

Valentine's Day

My parents sent me a hilarious Valentine's Day Card. On the outside was a cartoon girl and the text "To the daughter who really does have it all" On the inside: "ALL over!" with a drawing of a messy room, including a bowl of popcorn on the bed!

I had to run some errands this morning and in general was not up for a trip to Chicago, even though I had a diner date/bar date with Booker. He's retired from sex anyway. I have tix for a show at Beat Kitchen in a few weeks and will just wait until then to go up. Besides, this seemed to be a bad weekend for friends being available for hang outs.

Plus, there is a show at Firehouse is Normal on Saturday night and a lot of STL pals are driving up, so that will be sweet. It's also my birthday that day.

This is incredibly funny to me:

Patron Saint

My brother has been sentenced to the workhouse, and he starts tomorrow.

Tonight he called my dad to tell him that he put my dad's name on the list so that if my dad wanted to come visit, he could.

Hahahahaha!

I love my brother, but he deserves what he has coming to him. He deserves to be in jail, and he needs some one to kick his butt into gear. All the rehab attempts have been useless, my parents have spent tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers fees to keep him out of jail, and he keeps falling into the same cycle of addiction. This picture is from the last time I saw him. He stole the $200 cash I received as a gift from my grandmas.

Totally related: We were not raised Catholic, but I have been turning toward certain Catholic saints, and in this case, specifically Saint Maximilian Kolbe, patron saint of drug addicts.

I kindly ask you, loyal reader, to please call on St. Maximilian Kolbe as well. For the sake of my brother and for the sake of drug addicts everywhere and the people who are affected by their disease.

I'm not dead, yet.

I kind of totally love this song/performance.

shorts recap

On Saturday night Karen and I met up at the Tivoli for shorts showcase. They were running both short animation and short fiction as separate programs, but back to back.

The EmCees were William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, who won the Oscar last year.

Overall, I enjoyed the showcase, and I thought all the films were deserving. Interestingly enough, none of the films relied on dialog, which Karen and I discussed this at the end of the showcase. She would like dialog, but a large part of the appeal of the genre for me is that dialog isn't necessary. She made the argument that since "The Artist" won last year, now does everyone need to make their film silent. But no dialog in animation is nothing new.

And the program went as follows:

1. Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare': Excellent as expected from the Simpson's team. No dialog, but several jokes on posters/signs in the background. I remember the "Ayn Rand School for Tots" from a Treehouse of Horror episode or something a long time ago. The story was cute and fun, and there was a unified gasp from everyone in the big theater at a plot point near the end. Executed perfectly as expected from seasoned vets, but I don't think the academy will let Simpson's win.

2. Adam and Dog. At 16 minutes, this was too long, and it seemed to drag on. I appreciate that it was all cels and that a person actually painted all those pictures and exposed each one. I also appreciated the details in the man, such as the hair on the back of his hands, and also the exclusion of details, as in his swinging junk. Some of the walking movements were a little wonky, but again, this definitely did not have the smoothing aid of a computer. The sound was superb! Especially the wind sequences and leaves rustling. I was expected a credit from a film school at the end, but that wasn't the case, which surprised me. It just had a student film/thesis feel to it to me. I also had a problem that the Eve character who showed up with full perky breasts and long reddish hair.

3. Fresh Guac: Cute and creative, but not a winner. Clocking in a two minutes, it also had a student film feel to it. It was exectued well, and I enjoyed the creative inclusion of the "ingredients" such as Monolopy houses and colored die of various sizes, pool balls, Christmas lights, golf balls, and Trivial Pursuit pies. But again, student film feel, maybe trying out a few different in camera techniques.

4. Head Over Heels: Loved this. And this is my vote for the win. Perfect length of story but didn't feel rushed or sluggish. And I liked the story, too.

5. Paperman: Allegedly, this one seems to have the buzz about it that it will be the winner. I personally have a problem with Disney. I do not like the look of their artwork: Big doe-eyed characters, perfect-figure females. I was drawn into the story initially, but then I was just kind of put-off when then paper planes were dancing cutely behind the man and finally leading him and the girl to each other.

The showcase concluded with a few honorable mentions:

6. Dripped: It was from France, and in my opinion, was one of the best one of the night! I don't know why it wasn't nominated. I liked the artwork, the storyline, and the flying sequences and the general depressed feeling I could identify with in the main character. The premise is an art thief eats the paintings and turns into them/gets powers from them. When he has eaten all the famous paintings he has stolen, he tries to paint his own and ends up puking (hahaha!)

7. The Gruffalo's Child: I was a bit worried when I learned this one clocked in at 27 minutes, but those 27 minutes went by in a flash. All-star voice cast, excellently executed, smooth animation. Awesome sequences and sound with the snow/blizzard and the ice breaking on the lake. A cute story, to boot. I laughed out loud several times. Not sure why this one wasn't nominated as well.

8. I have a feeling there was another honorable mention that I am failing to recall/include.

I kind of had a headache by the end of the showcase, probably because I ate so much popcorn and was incredibly salted up. I passed on staying for the short fiction showcase, which was the right choice as I had a bitchin' migraine by the time I got home.

I might go back later in the week to check out of the short fiction showcase.

production plummet!

Productivity levels hit an all time low this week!

New season on Dallas started on TNT.
Justified on FX (Raylen is my boooooooy!)
New series The Americans on FX. I was a bit unsure about Felicity in a leading spy role, but she was bad-ass!

I did go to boxing twice and managed to avoid the flu (knock wood) that has sidelined two of my co-workers.

Extra shakes, extra vitamins, plenty of sleep, and hand washing, of course!

Unrelated: Not to toot my own horn, but this wedding I shot for Karen's sister looks and sounds great! It will be a nice momento for their family. Working on this and executing it so well have been quite a self-esteem booster. Or maybe I mean confirmer? ;)