I need to sleep for 12 hours or so

Today I went to Hafner's all day to finish up the wall murals before the grand opening tomorrow morning. I think because I have started feeling sick being up early has become really difficult. I guess I haven't given myself enough credit for getting 8 or more hours of sleep a night since I graduated. 6 hours reeeealllly isn't cutting it for me.

I started off the first half of the day in the men's restrooms. That about sums up the first half of my day. Working as quickly as I could, with the door propped open, quickly getting out as fast as possible as soon as someone came in. And boy, are some people oblivious to the girl painting the walls. I can't tell you how many times dudes come walking in, take off their coats (?), and THEN realize I'm there. So yeah, here is the finished product. Look at cute lil cartoon Chuck!:


Then I moved on to the women's room. Definitely a much more comfortable working environment haha, and here is the finished image in that one. Yay! Done before the ribbon cutting!


Afterwards I came home, grabbed a quick dinner, and headed to Jess' for practice. We're trying to get a really well-done acoustic set for our May 1st show, so we got together to get some new arrangement and cover ideas going. I think the show will be a lot of fun, and definitely a different show for everyone who has seen us before.

Tomorrow I get to sleep in! At least until 9ish, and then I'll probably go back to the store to work on some new sign ideas. Then I'm getting my hair cut, and going out with some friends for sushi. Hoping I feel better tomorrow!

sunflowers and self-proclaimed 'sick socks'

So today I did something I haven't in months - I got to work before (well, just about at) 8am. I won't lie, it was quite difficult, as I have gotten used to waking up around 8:30 and thinking that as a part-time worker I was still a productive morning person.

Anyways, I am now working on wall murals for the bathrooms at Hafners. I have completed 1 of 3 images today, a sunflower above the drinking fountains at the entryway to the restrooms. I have been told there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9am on Wednesday, so I need to get myself moving to finish up the men's and ladies' rooms. Which, by the way... will be a very awkward drawing/painting process, me being in mens and women's rooms for about 4 hours at a time and all.

Here she is:

And here's a closer one (though I will note I also made that 'RESTROOMS' sign. I am loving this job.)



Shortly I'm heading over to the studio to work on the three new preproduction tracks, and I'm hoping to get vocals done. I woke up this morning with kind of a scratchy throat, and after being at Hafner's all day (where it was oddly cold by the bathrooms), I am quite certain I will have a cold by the week's end. So, I'm trying to control it. With these awesomely awkward and thightastic socks I was given at SXSW by American Apparel:


Now, American Apparel and I have a love/hate relationship. Sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's trashy. I recently bought a dress from the website, got it in the mail to find it was literally a pillowcase with arm holes. Needless to say I sent it back, but still, let's focus on these socks. No I am not sure how you wear them, but I will tell you I have them on under sweatpants and I am LOVING LIFE. I can assure you beyond a reasonable doubt that I will never wear them in the capacity the model in the above picture is, but damn. These things are warm. And they were free, so thanks AA. Maybe we're even for the $12 I paid in shipping that I'll never get back from the pillowcase frock with rope ties.

These little guys are in stores now. I have been craving them for so long.



...Get pre-easter pumped. I know I am.

I think having Ben Gibbard's voice as my alarm clock every morning is the worst idea, like, ever. I either push 'snooze' and look forward to hearing it again until I cannot snooze any longer and it shuts off, or I listen to the entire song, and the alarm turns off. Either way, I don't get up. It makes me enjoy being in bed even more.

3.29.09

So, last night I had all intentions of going out to the Wescott Theatre and see what I believed to be a great show. Ra Ra Riot, Cut Off Your Hands (a very hyped up band at SXSW from New Zealand), and Passion Pit (though I later saw they weren't there...) oh! and our friend Adam's band, but right as I reached the ATM on my way into the city, I was told it was sold out. So that put the kabash on that idea rather quickly.

Instead I went out to Metro, a bar LITERALLY right across the street from the theatre. Kind of a bummer on 2 counts: 1 it being so freaking close to the venue, the marquee caught my eye every time I turned towards the door, and 2 the Metro used to be Planet 505. So weird. It's... really nice now. But I met up with a bunch of good friends from college, and a few Syracuse-ians and we reminisced about all the ridiculous shows we saw there growing up (um.. Fall Out Boy. to like 30 kids. And they weren't headlining. When it wasn't uncool to like them). But yeah, all around it was a wonderful night. And Woodchuck ciders are where it's at.

Your daily dose of randomness:



THIS IS REAL?!?!

SXSW wrap up and more

So, after much contemplation, I'm not sure if I am cut out to have a blog. I am the WORST 'blogger,' and I rarely update this thing. So hey, sorry. I will do my best to start getting it together. And by 'getting it together' I mean 'getting more random.' Enjoy.

So anyways, from the 17-23 I was in Austin TX for SXSW. This was my 3rd year at the conference, and once again it did anything but disappoint. I'll spare you all the tiny details, but the conference panels were both amazing and insightful, and as per usual the people that were there were nothing short of completely delightful.

FOR EXAMPLE: Kaleena, Jess and I busted our asses putting up posters every which way on 6th st and the convention center, and passers-by with more height than us would simply help us tape the posters up and then keep walking. So awesome. One dude started talking with us, asking us where we were from, and he said he was filming a Canadian documentary on indie bands and the state of Canadian music. At that we both asked if he knew who Mother Mother was, as they were on our top list of bands to see. Turns out he was interviewing them the next day, and asked if we would like to be the hosts. So... yeah, we obliged, and had the most amazing time (and made a really sweet friend in the process). But that's really just one example. I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Caws (Nada Surf) and Amanda Palmer, and see some bands I never heard of that blew me away (Mumford and Sons... seriously, go check them out. It's like Damien Rice meets the Dear Hunter or Good Old War or the Jayhawks. Whatever reference you like best).

Speaking of Good Old War, we will be playing a show with them on May 1st at the Sheldon Ballroom in Oswego. Tickets will be 5 bucks, door at 7:30 I believe. If you can make it out I would highly recommend it. We'll be doing a slightly different kind of set, and once you check out GOW you'll be just like me and want to see them :)

On the band front, we once again have a lot coming up. After SXSW it looks like we will once again be working with the wonderful Armed Forces Entertainment in performing for our troops. We will have more info for you as soon as I get some concrete dates and places. More announcements coming soon.

In the meantime, here's a picture of a really cute sheep. No reason. Happy Saturday.

...i just read that what i ate at dairy queen today made the top ten list of the worst foods for you in 2009.

thank you, internet.

3.14.09

I have to say, thusfar today has been a pretty good one. My best friend from home who is going to grad school in Maryland came back for the weekend, and we snagged her to run to the hill to see if we couldn't get our hands on those fabulous su shirts from the uconn game the other night. We had read in the paper that there was a window from 12-2 that the bookstore would be open, and when we arrived at 12:15 it was so crowded that we had a hard time finding the shirts. When we finally did, we realized it was nothing more than a large card table, with only small and maybe... 3 mediums (yay us, boo for all the dads out there). So needless to say, I changed in the car on the way back from the campus.

Then we headed to the mall for a quick shoe shopping trip... it was fun, a grand opening at a famous footwear where they give a 30 second shopping spree to someone every hour. You can pick up as many shoes as you want in that time period, and that to me sounded great. I didn't win, but I did get some new sandals for Texas, and I got a mint oreo blizzard. Things like that just make my day.

Afterwards I've just been hanging around the house, trying to pack and clean up the place before we leave on Tuesday. I've been working my butt off to try and get as many projects done for work as I can before I leave, so it's been kind of nonstop lately.

I also did something I've never done before as a musician, and I'm kind of pumped about it. After signing with Cherry Lane a few weeks ago I decided to follow one of their writers prompts and write a pop song for submission. I started it when I was in Nashville, and in about 3 days I had actually written one that I thought was worth recording. So literally the next day, I gathered up Kiel and Kaleena and we put the song together and I sent it out that night. It all happened so quickly I found myself listening to it the next day as if it were a dream, going "Wow, did I really do all this yesterday?" Music is something I always want to do no matter what happens with tse or anything else, but the prospect of being a songwriter; writing for people other than myself to sing, is something that I have always aspired to do. I love having the opportunity to try my hand at that, and I am so grateful and thankful and excited. It's definitely kind of fun to write pop songs, and I'm learning a lot from trying out different genres and such.

Tonight we're off to dinner with some old friends of the family, and then my night will be devoted to the game tonight. 6 overtimes thursday, 1 yesterday... let's just get it done without any tonight.

Let's go orange!

3.9.09

Holy crap, where does the time go.

I just got back home from Tennessee this afternoon, and all of a sudden I feel like I have been immediately sucked back into the daily grind... and I'm so not ready. So much work to do, so much writing to do, so much relaxing that needs to happen or else I'm going to be stressed all over again.

Oh yoga, I miss you already.

Pluses:
- A week in TN (yay!)
- getting to see Memphis, and AMAZING vegetarian Creole cookin'
- cupcakes in many cities
- boyfriend (!)
- anniversary
- getting a massage (holy wow... why haven't I done that before??)
- sunshine and warm weather

So, at least for the next 10 days or so I'm going to try and remain high on life from that little list right there. I love vacations, but at the same time I feel like having them so sporadically placed in time right now it's like going from one extreme to another. Trying to refocus a busy life when you suddenly have nothing to do and nowhere to be almost makes you over analyze and then you're... not refocused, you're actually more confused and stressed and everything just seems more daunting. Agh, oh well. < / rant >

Big week, I suppose. Practice tomorrow, show in Fredonia on Wednesday, show in Auburn Friday, and maybe some recording going on. Not tse stuff, just some project work perhaps. Then, SXSW Monday. Horray for structured days ahead, full of classes and panels and music! (oh school, how I miss thee...)

Pictures from the trip to come, maybe after some sleep...

3.1.09

So today Kaleena and I finally finished tracking the 4 song demo we will be taking with us to SXSW. It is a glorious day, and we finished right on the wire with it. The show was amazing last night, I don't necessarily believe it to be our personal best, but oftentimes I feel that way if the monitors aren't working in our favor (or working at all, in this case :) ). But man, every time I've played in Syracuse lately I feel more and more humbled by the amount of people who come out and support us, friends and 'newbies,' high school friends and college friends, high school acquaintances and college acquaintances, etc. You were wonderful. As was Lights and her band, they said they remembered meeting us when they played in Fredonia, and I half believe them. They were very kind, and the waffles were as always fantastic.

Also, a personal first at that show: I wore pants, and I was barefoot during the performance. Both things I suppose I could get used to. Not that I'm usually pantless at shows... you get the idea.

Leaving for Nashville tomorrow to spend a week with Michael. It should be great, the weather should be warming up (and should be well over what it is here any day), and we might take a trek to Memphis, and neither of us have ever been out there. I also might meet up with my cousins, and maybe even do a little songwriting work if that works out. Keeping those fingers crossed once again that I'll run into Taylor Swift and she'll want to be my friend, or that Nicole Kidman asks me out for coffee at some point.

I just found this on youtube today. This is one of my all time favorite songs, I think, and sung by most definitely one of my all-time favorite musicians. sigh.