Oy and Vey

Into every life some rain must fall -- but seriously, enough already!

My poor Boom has had some medical issues that have not been pleasant for him, the couch, or the vet. Another vet trip this morning has hopefully set him on the path to recovery (I'll spare you the details since the words 'anal' and 'fill' are prominent in the description).

I was awakened at 4 a.m. by some gosh awful pain under my left rib cage. After spending a good ten minutes waiting for my left arm to go numb and thinking about what I would leave in the note to my neighbor about Boom care when I drove myself to the hospital, I decided the culprit might be gas. I made a completely healthy and yummy dinner with chick peas, tomatoes, coriander seed, and turmeric, and had it on top of a wild rice/lentil pilaf. Tasty, fiberrific, and filling. Filling like at a gas station apparently. I'm seriously contemplating buying Bean-o.

My brother in law's car was stolen. Not my rain shower, but I still feel the dampness.

On Friday I have an "all hands" meeting at work. Now those of you outside the corporate world might think, "Hey! I don't mind some hands! I'll grab a piece of that!" But sadly, there is nothing touchy/feely about it. We sit, we watch innumerable slides, we nod (off), and then when we get back to our desks we are required to respond to an anonymous survey about the "all hands" meeting. I find it unbelievably hard not to be truthful in these surveys. Does anyone have a nice way to say "the meeting sucked ass?"


Tell all your single friends, better keep that umbrella handy.



XO, JamieSmitten

One More Year to Go.....

Dear sweet baby Jesus it is 10:00 p.m. and that idiot is STILL TALKING.

How could you people seriously vote him in for 8 years? You should be ashamed.

Too Creative for Words

No, not me -- I'm talking about Phil Hansen of Goodbye Art.


I can't remember how I stumbled on to his website, but I check it now and again to see what this incredibly creative person is doing.

Create a picture of Britney using chewed food?

Paint little paintings on top of other paintings on top of his stomach?

Make a cheese log (with a real log) for Christmas?

Carve an incredible portrait using just snow and a backlight?

Check it out -- there is VIDEO!

I love that Phil's art is fleeting. He creates and then he tears it down to make room for the next project. There is some life parallel here that I can't quite put my finger on.


Tell all your single friends to enjoy the beauty of the moment, because if they are lucky, there is another, different beautiful moment coming.


XO, JamieSmitten

Shuffleathon 2007 -- Wait, When?

Exactly. Shuffleathon 2007 took place last year. However, my experience was not as expected when I first signed up to participate. [For those who don't feel like backtracking to that link, I agreed to make a cd and send it off and then I would receive a cd compiled by a stranger. I was looking forward to going on a Blind Listen.]

So I deliberated, read through the blog of my assigned recipient, made cover art, and finally, thankfully, sent off my cd. It was received, but no review appeared, week after week. Finally, recipient Suburban Hen 'fessed up. She had listened to my cd and to her horror, found that all but one song reminded her of her ex-husband. [Clearly, her ex-husband has excellent musical taste. But that's neither here nor there.] I absolved her of her duty to review the cd and she probably tossed it in the nearest garbage can. Possibly as karmic payback for stirring up SH's memories of love gone wrong, I never received my cd. Shuffleathon steward SwissToni is most graciously stepping up to the plate and sending me something soon.

But in the meantime, I thought I'd tell you about MY cd. Since SH is from Australia, but currently living in the UK, I decided to stick to American bands. That really didn't narrow it down much, so I decided to stick to bands that I had seen in concert. Then, I just picked songs I love. Some of the artists have appeared on other Shuffleathon cds (and at least one specific track), but most are probably just popular with me and some guy in Australia. Not really a review, more of an explanation of why these songs made it on the cd.

Disclaimer: May remind you of your ex

1. Seven Days by Cracker: One of my favorite bands. Luckily, living in Richmond allows me to see them in concert frequently. Although I did drive to Phoenix from Las Vegas to see them once (Alice Cooper's Town, Phoenix). It's a good opening song because it establishes that you are about to listen to an upbeat cd. Plus how can you top "there ain't nothing that you got/ that we don't need/ did I say that right?" And truly, I am waiting for the real thing.


2. Locket Love by The Ramones: Another one of my favorite bands. I saw them in concert three times and the second time (RPM, Toronto) was definitely when I lost hearing in my right ear. I stood against the barrier in front of a HUGE stack of speakers for the whole show and Dee Dee tossed me a guitar pick at the end. I think that was a decent trade for some hearing. I love all Ramones songs, but this one reminds me of my high school boyfriend who couldn't afford to buy me a locket, so he drew one for me instead.


3. What Did Love Ever Do To You? by Hank Williams III: Hank3 is amazing in concert. He performs his country songs in the first 2 sets, then comes back out with his punk/metal/psychobilly band AssJack and blows the roof off (Alley Katz, Richmond). This isn't my top favorite HW3 song, but since I don't know the Hen, I thought it best not to select one of his drinking/drugging songs. But this one is good too.


4. Wave of Mutilation by Pixies: This is the track that appeared on another Shuffleathon cd. I saw the Pixies tour last year (Constant Convocation Center, Norfolk) and was amazed how flawless they sounded. I've seen Frank Black solo and love The Catholics cds, but the Pixies together are incredible. One of the few songs on the cd where the lyrics don't mean anything in particular to me.


5. Every Monday by Marvelous3: Marvelous3 opening for Eve6 (some small club in Norfolk) was a crazy evening: autograph/kiss from Slug, nail polish discussion with Butch (we both wore Blue Metal), too many shots of Jägermeister, and some decorous upchucking out the window of the car as we sped home along the highway. More importantly, I got to hear this song live. "I shed 5 bitter tears into 5 bitter beers/ looked at my watch and said 'Where have the years gone?'" A good song for maudlin moments.


6. Miles Away by Goldfinger: I love me some ska -- I don't even care which wave. I danced my ass off when I saw Goldfinger in concert (Flood Zone, Richmond) and then we had a beer with the bass player after the show. He was weird, but the music was infectious fun. "How blind can I be?/ So when can I see you?/ Will it ever be?/ And how deep is my love?" I played this song a LOT while lusting after someone I could never have. Still makes me wistful -- in a loud way.


7. Baby I'm A Star by Prince: I still have the flowers that fell from the ceiling when Prince sang Purple Rain as his finale (Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto). The music, the innuendo, the sheer teeny tiny force that was Prince owning that stage, I'll never forget it. And quite frankly, I AM a star. I play this when I need to remind myself of that fact. "Take a picture, sweetie/ I ain't got time to wait."


8. Superhero Girl by Eve6: I wish I had been signed to a record company and then told to finish high school between albums. Sigh. Way more pop than most of my favorite bands, but an automatic choice for road trips. This particular song because, yes, I am in fact, "stupidly sarcastic."


9. Celebrity Skin by Hole: I love the train wreck that is Courtney Love. I saw her at a multi-band festival (RFK Stadium, D.C.) and she rocked me. Live Through This is a great album, but I selected Celebrity Skin because I don't think it gets played enough. "You want a part of me/ Well I'm not selling cheap."


10. Crush With Eyeliner by R.E.M.: I didn't see REM until the Monster tour (Capital Centre?, Landover) which ended up being my favorite album mostly because of this song. Seemed a natural segue after Courtney, since it was rumored that Michael Stipe wrote this about her. Obviously included here because not many songs admit "I am smitten."


11. She's A Rebel by Green Day: Their tour in support of American Idiot was truly powerful -- must have something to do with teeny tiny front men (Constant Convocation. Norfolk). Call them derivative or sellouts, they still play a good 2 minute song.


12. Captain Kelly's Kitchen by Dropkick Murphys: I saw DM in October (Toad's Place, Richmond) and was right up front with my fellow music lovers, elbows up in defense. You don't have to be from Boston, you just have to love a good jig.


13. Old Friend by Rancid: Minor cheat here -- I haven't seen Rancid live, but I have seen the Transplants (Patriot Center, Fairfax) and again, they kick ass. "Good morning heartache. You're like an old friend come to seem me again." Indeed. But who can lament lost love when you are dancing like a fool. Had I made this tape for someone I actually knew, I would likely have selected Tall Cans In The Air by the Transplants -- and let the fuck you's fall where they might.


14. Falling To Pieces by Faith No More: I have been wracking my brain trying to remember who opened for FNM when I saw them (Capital Centre, Landover), but am way too lazy to go downstairs and look for the box with the ticket stubs from decades past. Epic still gets played on the radio, but I haven't heard this one in ages. "Droplets of yes and no/In an ocean of maybe." Story of my life.


15. The One by Foo Fighters: Not on an FF album, I actually purchased the soundtrack to that crappy movie Orange County in order to have this song immediately after hearing it on the radio. I haven't heard this song live (Patriot Center, Fairfax), but it is one of my favorites and doesn't get any radio play. Reminds me of my last alcoholic and the impossibility of our relationship. "Something never meant to be/ Everything you meant to me/ Wake me when this punishment is done/ Those who try and get away/ From the one who gets away/ Someone's always someone else's one." Maybe you had to be there, but that pretty much sums up me and Ron.

In retrospect, most of these songs remind me of an ex or someone who would have been an ex if I had had my way. Poor Suburban Hen, I doomed her from the start.

Tell All Your Single Friends to "play me that song that makes it so tough, another nail in my heart"

XO, JamieSmitten

Am I The Only One

who sees those cranberry juice commercials with the two guys standing in the cranberry bog and wishes she grew cranberries for a living? It just looks so cheerful. As long as there aren't any fish in there. That would be bad.



Memo to self: explore cranberry careers.

Tell all your single friends, 2008 is the year of the new career!!

XO, JamieSmitten

What I Learned in 2007 (in no particular order)

• Dance. Somebody has to and it might as well be you.

• It doesn't matter how big the vet bill is. Boom is worth it.

• I couldn't space my blog entries evenly if my life depended upon it.

• Dizzy is not fun.
  


• I can't be responsible for it all. Step back, sit down, and let somebody else deal.

• Speeding is expensive. I should do it more infrequently and cautiously.

• Tim Gunn might be right. In more instances, I should try to "make it work."

• Sleep is important.

• There are some wonderfully unique people blogging -- Thanks, Wombat, Crankster, Firefly, Camel, Ahamos, Cygirl, March to the Sea, Nat Dickinson, Phil Hansen.

• Cafe Bustelo makes work more tolerable.

• Never buy anything from an adult toy party that you didn't actually see. Trust me, they CAN be too big. And too purple.




• 15 minutes on the elliptical will not kill me. Even worse news -- 48 minutes on the elliptical won't kill me.




• The 17th Street Farmer's Market ROCKS on Saturday morning. Come back summer!




• $10 earrings can make me smile for years.




• I enjoy writing, even if nobody reads it.




• Don't drink 6 beers, 1 shot of tequila, and 2 margarita pints, even if you are walking home. (If you do, be prepared to wake up on the couch, half-dressed, and liberally coated with sick.)



• I am not too old for all day music festivals.




• I have wonderful friends and I should tell them that more often.




• I get blushes (blog crushes) way, way, way too easily.




• Some people will just never understand me. Try not to work for these people.



• Some people will get me instantly. Stay close to these people.



• It ain't over even when the door is shut, the blinds are pulled, and the drinks are poured. Enjoy the peace while you have it.

• A good therapist is invaluable. Thanks, CT!

• A little optimism is o.k. 2008 is going to be THE YEAR.

Tell all your single friends, 365 more days of potential EVERYTHING await!

XO, JamieSmitten