The Home Front

Oh Blogger, how I hath loved thee...

2010-06-29T23:58:00.003-04:00

But I believe our time is coming to an end.

But don't cry, you (very few) faithful viewers... for I will still be with you!

I'm just moving on to a different server, and this one will be updated a whole lot more.

So, I cordially invite you to hop over to www.kayleighgoldsworthy.com to catch the latest scoop on what's goin' on with me and my music (trust me... lots will be happening!)

Thanks and see you there!

-Kay

4.15

2010-04-15T08:17:00.004-04:00

our heater at the practice space... it's like our WALL-E.

(the space is seriously like 10 degrees colder than it is outside)

4.12

2010-04-13T00:00:00.002-04:00

first day at the new practice space... and look what we found!

4.11

2010-04-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

First bike ride of the season.

Away We Go

2010-03-13T10:19:00.003-05:00

Off to Rochester this weekend! And thus begins my week of glory...

The TSE cd is done. I have no more work left to do for

it. A huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, and next week, while I will be missing out on SXSW (this is the first year in 4 years I'm not going), I will be enjoying a week of dogsitting and movie-watching and reading and wine. I must s

ay that I am looking quite forward to it.

Also, a bunch of my friends are home from college/on spring break/moving back to NY this week, so I'm taking this opportunity to get to see them for a day or so, and then I have a PC party Sunday afternoon out there. Very very excited, and really couldn't start this week off any better.

I'm very excited about getting back into hobbies and things that I have had to put on the backburner while TSE was getting wrapped up. I have a solo cd to finish, an Elective ep to finish writing, and an oil sketch from over a year ago that needs to be attended to. I've also started reading again (yay!) and have finished one book already and started in on this one:

Follow up will be added eventually, but my taste for humor essays has only grown over the years, and this one is no exception.

Also, I'm finally getting into some new music again. After what feels like ages where I've ostracized myself from really listening or seeking out anything new (it's what tends to happen to me when I'm really focused on a music project), I am once again exploring what else is out there. Michael introduced me to Dessa, a female singer/rapper on Minneapolis label Doomtree. Her latest cd, 'Badly Broken Code' has just been added to my ipod for the ride.

Oh boy...

2010-03-09T19:53:00.006-05:00

So many things have happened over the past few weeks. I have so much catching up to do on this thing... Basically though I've decided I will just have to do short posts from here on out, and do longer ones when I have a bit more time. Basically since Valentine's Day I have had a birthday (rather uneventful, but still a very nice one), we've posted a few more TSE Tapes, I went to Toronto to be on set (and unknown to me and Michael at the time, in) Sarah Slean's latest music video directed by Elective-er CJ Wallis, I met CJ Wallis and we took some pictures, and "Ghosts" became a wrap. Unfortunately it isn't here on our release date, but what can an indie band do about that?

Last but definitely not least, TSE marched over to Halo this afternoon and got tattooed. I have what is the start of a nice little back piece goin on, and I dig it. Many thanks to King Ron and Halo. Want to catch up? Okay!

Birthday and TSE Tapes:

The Scarlet Ending Tapes: Two Girls One Birthday

"The Rose" video will be posted as soon as it's up!!

Elective pictures:

Click here for more!

Tattoo:

And... poutine!!

My life, in the movies

2010-02-14T20:51:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite hobbies lately has been to go to the movies. My friend Michaela and I have been trying to see as many Oscar-nominated movies as possible before the awards, and so far we're doing pretty alright. However, this weekend was a little bit of a break in order to allow for some solely for pleasure movies. And here you have it, 2 movies in 2 days.

Valentine's Day: Quite honestly, this movie was quite horrible in relation to the cast. It seemed as though it was a forced, cliche way of making a "Love Actually" romantic comedy. And the inside jokes!! So many were unnecessary, from Patrick Dempsey being a surgeon to Taylor Lautner's anti-taking off of shirt and Taylor Swift's 13 obsession. It was beyond tacky... and yet it was oddly satisfying. Everyone I was with pretty much hated it, but hey, let's take a step back. It's a romantic comedy. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but how many of these types of movies aren't predictable and somewhat stupid??

The Wolfman: Holy awesome. My family is a huge fan of the older monster movies, and this one definitely didn't disappoint. The whole cast did a phenomenal job, and I must applaud the makeup artists because they definitely took the older wolfman to heart and only used cgi when necessary... and boy was it intense.

So basically, go see The Wolfman. Rent Valentine's Day when it comes to a Redbox, that way it's only a dollar.

My life as a bachelor...

2010-02-03T22:52:00.002-05:00

So, for all of you who know me, no, I am not a bachelor. I am neither male, or single. But the amount of things on my 'to-do' lists these days has me most definitely living like one. I shant let you in on all the details (I'm not terribly disgusting by any means, I take care of myself for goodness sake!) but the stale smell of coffee in my room is telling me perhaps I'm not taking nearly as much care of myself as I could.

I've been neglecting this blog, or solely using it for promotional purposes for the band/my other endeavors, and I've decided I will try and get back into the swing of things with it. My random ramblings. Lucky you guys.

So yeah, night 4 of sleeping with no sheets on the bed except comforters. Why, you might ask? Well, its because Sunday started off incredibly well, and I did tons of laundry. By Sunday night, Monday was creeping upon me and I started losing it. The laundry is still (clean) in a basket in my basement. I keep telling myself to grab it and just finish the task, but alas, I remember this when it's time for bed and I'm just so not down with that notion. There's also a large mass of clothes in one corner of my room, tax papers scattered on my desk, and about half a dozen random coffee cups on my dresser. I will come around, I assure you.

This week (and last, and next) will pretty much be the demise of my sanity. Everything TSE will be wrapping up around Valentine's Day, and that means a whole lot needs to get done- finish all the last-minute tracking for the album, mixing, sending it out for mastering, getting it duplicated and pressed. That also means, album artwork needs to be decided and done, and we need a whole new batch of merch. I will be one very busy little lady. Pay no mind if I drift off into a daydream state when you talk to me. I also cannot take any responsibility for my lack of social life and complete absence of usual social conventions in conversation or otherwise. I will be awkward. Until this is over.

New TSE Tapes Up!!

2010-01-20T07:13:00.002-05:00

Hey guys!!

We have a new episode of 'The Scarlet Ending Tapes' online now, so pleaseeee go and check it out! The future of the show really depends on you guys, so the more views we get the better off we are. Thanks so much for your support!

The Scarlet Ending Tapes: A Call Back for a Callback

Oh! And before I forget, we also have our own page on Syracuse.com dedicated solely to our videos, you can check that out here. We do have a show coming up Sunday at Funk N Waffles in Syracuse, if you need any additional information get in touch!

Iron Cupcake January- Winter Warm-Up

2010-01-19T15:29:00.009-05:00

Tis a new year, and one of my resolutions is to do more 'fun' things and make my life a lot less stressful. Yes, cupcake baking is one of them. And yes, Iron Cupcake has started up again.

After a few months being on hiatus, IC has returned for January. This month's challenge however was not an ingredient but instead a theme-- anything you use to warm up during the winter. So, I thought to myself... what do I like to do in the winter to keep warm? Stay in bed, and then when I do get up, stay in my PJs. While in my PJs, I like to eat and decorate and be crafty. So, friends and anyone else out there reading my blog, I now present to you my creation: Easy 'stay in your bunny slippers' Bunny Slipper cupcakes!

The cake portion of this cupcake is a white cake and strawberry mixture, and I used a homemake cream cheese icing covered in coconut to make the 'slipper' type texture. Because of the intricacy and time involved in decorating these puppies, I thought to make the cake portion as simple as possible. All you need is a box cake mix (I used Betty Crocker' Supermoist White Cake) and substitute frozen strawberries for some of the water called for. The ears are simply mini marshmallows on toothpicks, frosted and rolled in coconut, the eyes are chocolate chips, and the noses are quartered starbursts :)

Cupcakes:
1 Box Betty Crocker Supermoist White Cake Mix
2/3 cup frozen strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease and flour the baking cups-- you will NOT be putting liners in them!!
3. Make the cake mix as directed-- combine the cake mix, egg whites, and vegetable oil
4. In a blender, combine 2/3 cup water with 2/3 cup frozen strawberries until thoroughly blended
5. Combine the strawberry mixture to the cake mix and beat until smooth. Pour the batter into each baking cup, filling it 2/3 full.
6. Bake 10-15 mins or until side begin to brown; let cool 10 minutes on a baking rack before removing from the pan.

Cream Cheese Icing:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer blend on low, slowly adding powdered sugar until the desired consistency of frosting is reached. Stop and scrape the sides every couple of minutes to ensure all the ingredients get mixed in!

Extras:
Shredded Coconut
Mini Marshmallows
Strawberry Starbursts
Chocolate Chips

1. Once the cupcakes are cool, take them out one by one and cut them in half.
2. Cut one of the halves in half, and discard the smallest part (I tried using them as the ears but it's not quite sturdy enough)

3. Lay the flat quarter of the cupcake perpendicular to your full half cupake-- TA DAA, there's your slipper!

4. frost the top and exposed round side of the half cupcake in icing, and then roll in coconut. Do the same for the edge of the quartered piece (no need to frost the whole thing, the pale pink of the cupcake looks great as the inside of the slipper!)
5. Put 6 mini marshmallows on 2 toothpicks (3 on each), roll in the frosting and coconut, and place in the half cupcake for the ears.
6. Using chocolate chips and starbursts (if the starbursts are too hard heat in the microwave for 15 seconds- unwrapped- to cut) to make the eyes and nose.

So there you have it! If you have a sweet tooth like me chances are you already have the majority of the ingredients in this recipe in your home, so you may not even have to leave your slippers to make them!

As usual, I am competing to win some AMAZING prizes from the Iron Cupcake World Sponsors:

Our Generous IronCupcake:Earth Prize Providers:
The Demy™ by Key Ingredient
Hello, Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson
Bella Cupcake Couture
Cupcake Stackers by Gourmac
The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! by Anne Byrne
Beautiful Baking Liners by Vestli House
Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Bakery & Cupcakey Supply

So please vote for my cupcake recipe once voting is announced (should be around the 28th). Keep checking back in, and hope you enjoy the recipe!!

Going Old School for a bit

2010-01-10T15:06:00.002-05:00

I do believe today is going to be the start of a very interesting few weeks. I've been so busy lately, running around between work and the studio, and now when I'm home I've been doing a lot of the design work for the new TSE site and merch and whatnot. That being said, my computer has been starting to act up quite frequently; it won't even read cds anymore.

Usually I'd think, "No problem, once I get all this design stuff finished, I'll bring it in to Best Buy and get it fixed." I bought the warranty when I got the computer, no worries. However... my warranty is up on February 3rd, and in my personal experience with Best Buy it takes up to a month to get my computer back, and I really cannot afford to get it back in March... I need it back asap. So... I'm going to be computerless, trying to finish up all my design work from my father's computer (thankfully he has photoshop too).

On top of that, Elective pretty much only works when I have my computer, and I have a Pampered Chef show coming up and I process all of my orders from my laptop. I'm doing my best to not freak out about not having my computer around, but it's tough. I transferred everything of value to me right now onto an external drive, but I feel a bit OCD constantly recopying to ensure I have the most up-to-date versions of all my files.

So, wish me luck. I'll be checking my email twice a day from the rent's desktop, and probably you'll be seeing me even less on this than you already to. Here's to hoping Best Buy makes a quick turnaround on my computer... I miss it already and I haven't even brought it in yet.

'The Scarlet Ending Tapes' Live now!

2010-01-06T07:05:00.002-05:00

The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com are starting up a new web reality series on TSE and being an original band from Syracuse. A new episode will be released every Wednesday, and the first one is out! Check it!! Woo!

The Scarlet Ending Tapes: Reality Show Premiere

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T15:45:00.003-05:00

And so, once again, I've fallen behind on this thing. Not sure if I can pick up from where I left off, so we'll just look forward. Tis the new year. And with that comes a fresh start, right? Sometimes it just feels like a continuation of the drag of December and all the other responsibilities and work it held, but phh, whatev. I was talking to my boyfriend on New Year's Eve, telling him how it truly didn't feel like the end of the year. Usually there is some excitement about what's to come, a sense of hopefulness, something that gives you butterflies. And, with all honesty, I'm not sure why I don't have that feeling with all the fantastic and big things that are in the works for the year.

Maybe I just needed to take a breath to let out all of 2009. It was a really trying and difficult year for myself and my family, full of tough situations, losing some people whom we were close to, an unending knot of business, and lots, lots, lots of hard work where the results were just a fleck of light in the distance. There's so much work going on around here, and yet no result. It was a tough concept to grasp, that the future would be the only one to see it. But, through all of that we land in January, 2010. The future. The light at the end of the tunnel is approaching. About f***ing time.

I've been asked quite a bit what my resolutions were for the new year, and I hadn't really even thought about it. After some consideration, I have decided on not necessarily a list of resolutions, but hopes for the coming months. I only have one 'resolution,' if you could call it that, and honestly it's there to keep me sane.

1. I hope that by the close of 2010 my future is on more certain grounds. If (when) the band starts to become busier and the album is out, the direction that goes will ultimately help me 'plan' out for what's next. Given, I understand that the band will lead to even more uncertainty in my future, at least I'm not tossing around part-time jobs and struggling to get healthcare.

2. I'd love to hone in on some of my hobbies a bit more. I've become completely consumed by the work I've been doing, and without allowing myself the opportunity to do other things I love to do I've become a bit spiteful. I would love to be painting again, I'd love to get back into yoga... and I will.

3. I will learn to say 'no.' It's not something I do or say often, as I often feel that things will only get done by my hand. I don't know why I need to play 'quality control' all the time, but it's becoming exhausting. I'm busting my ass constantly, and soon I know (well, it's already started) catching up with me. I need to allow myself less responsibility. I can't pull myself in so many different directions.

Top 20 Albums of the 2000s

2009-12-15T19:23:00.003-05:00

Okay, so a whole bunch of my friends have been sharing their lists of their top 20 albums of the past decade. Quite frankly, I have been dreading the thought of doing one for a number of reasons. First... 2000 was a long freaking time ago. Second... I listen to a lot of music. How could I possibly create a list that would accurately reflect my top albums of the past ten years, especially when obviously I am favoring my most recent acquisitions because that's how I roll.

So, on a car trip out to Rochester, I decided to put the old ipod on shuffle and see what sort of bells go off to old albums that I had on repeat for an extended period of time. That is how I decided to go about this, by the way... by how much I listened to said albums. Although I appreciate all the thought all my friends and all you other people put together your lists, let's face it, you want people to see your list and go 'wow, what a great cohesive 'cool' selection of cds,' when the fact of the matter is nothing you or I listened to in the year 2000 was cool. Well, some of it was. But some of it, probably some of your favorite songs at the time, just weren't.

Needless to say, here is my list. I couldn't possibly count down my favorite 20 in order, so here they are by release year:

Blink 182, "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" (2001)
I would be lying to myself and you all if I didn't include this album in my list... it's just one of those things. I loved Blink, and I remember when this album came out. I remember not being able to listen to it while mom was home. I remember loving it, and every time I hear it I remember when Warped Tour was really fun and not on a gravel parking lot. I remember playing a few songs off this album at Metal Night at the Knights of Columbus with my then cover band version of The Scarlet Ending. I also remember one of my best college friends Jim playing this album a lot at his house parties. There isn't a bad memory when I listen to this album... except maybe the cringing that automatically happens when I think about being in high school.

Taking Back Sunday, "Tell All Your Friends" (2002)
Once again, can't not include this one. And quite frankly I think you're being dishonest if you don't have this cd on your list and we've been friends for the past 5-7 years. Everyone loved TBS, it was the soundtrack to my high school years. All that wonderful Long Island poppunk kept flooding my discman and I couldn't get enough. This band writes some of the catchiest, sassiest songs and is definitely one of the defining albums of its genre. I love love love this album, and I don't care who knows it.

Death Cab For Cutie, "Transatlantacism" (2003)
This is quite possibly one of my favorite records of all time. I think I listened to this album solid for at least a year or two, and although I had been into Death Cab for some time by this point this album had me sold, and also was the cause of my unending love of Ben Gibbard. Anything that man does is magic. I was also fortunate enough to have seen them right after "Plans" came out, and seeing them play the title track live... best show I've ever been to. Period.

Damien Rice, "O" (2003)
This album is just plain beautiful with some of the most haunting and well-written songs I've ever heard.

Further Seems Forever, "How To Start a Fire" (2003)
You can say whatever the hell you want to about "The Moon is Down," but I'm not listening. I'm too busy thinking how awesome this album is. Jason Gleason's vocals mixed with the catchy hooks and driving choruses of this album still have me swooning. I know already I've developed a trend of crushing on dudes in the bands of my favorite albums, but this doesn't continue much more than these two albums. Wish I could have seen this band perform under this lineup, but damn. "Against My Better Judgement" and "On Legendary" get me every time. So f*cking good.

Metric, "Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?"
I missed the boat on this album and got into it a year or so later, but this got me on the Metric bandwagon hardcore and thus the Emily Haines post-Broken Social Scene bandwagon with her solo releases with The Soft Skeleton. This album is so incredibly well produced and catchy... I think the real trend here with my favorite albums is my obsession with catchy-ness. Like it or not there is some great thought put into something that you cannot manage to get out of your head. From the title track to slower jams like "Calculation Theme" this album rules.

Sarah Slean, "Day One" (2004)
It's hard not to put more of her stuff on this list but I'm trying to limit it to one album per artist. This was the initial draw to her for me, and with songs like "Lucky Me" and "California," I was sucked into her amazing songwriting and arranging, so from then on all her albums I came into contact with have been pretty much at par with this one. I think this album showed a really good perspective on her as a writer, though some of her other ones showed a bit more versatility with strings ("The Baronness Redecorates" and "Orphan Music") and mixing of different genres. Still, right up up there as one of my favorite albums of all time.

Stars, "Set Yourself on Fire" (2005)
I'm gonna go with it on this one, but this pick may simply have been because of "Your Ex-Lover is Dead." It is one of my favorite songs for a number of reasons, the lush instrumentation and also the painful simplicity of a subject that few musicians have ever conquered so directly in a song. It's absolutely beautiful, and this album complements it very well. "Ageless Beauty" and "Calendar Girl" are other favorites, though some songs on this album were a bit more forgettable than others.

The Dresden Dolls, "Yes, Virginia" (2006)
This was another band where I had to pick one of their cds to make the list, though I think more would have. The self-titled was the one that got me interested in the Dresden Dolls, but when "Yes, Virginia" came out they really had their shit together. What a great collection of songs with just the right amount of polish (a bit more than their self-titled), but still enough grit and attitude to show you who they really were. If you ever get the chance to see them, you should. Amanda's solo cd was great as well, but I still believe the sum is greater than the parts when it comes to these two.

The Weepies, "Say I Am You" (2006)
This is just a chill but incredibly well written collection of songs. From "The World Spins Madly On" to "Gotta Have You," it's a heartfelt album with some really great layering of harmonies and instruments. Plus their voices meld so well together, and she has such a unique and gorgeous voice.

Rocky Votolato, "Makers" (2006)
I believe every artist has their 'peak' album, and with Rocky, this is it. Poor thing, I wouldn't want to follow this album with anything else. It's (in my opinion) one of the few albums out there that are... perfect. Three words: the title track.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, "The Dust of Retreat" (2006)
Margot was one of those bands that I discovered via a 'happy accident.' I remember it clearly, I was in my dorm's laundry room, watching MTVU (do they still have that?) and I saw their live coverage of SXSW (a year before I started going), and a clip of them (no music). I thought... holy shit, what is that band with a bajillion instruments?! And two singers... I need to check them out. And so their band name sat in my cell phones 'notebook' for a month or so until I got around to it, and I'm pretty sure it was the greatest musical find I'd made in a long time. Seldom can I say I found a band without the help of trusted friends or music geeks, but this one was all mine. And with songs like "Skeleton Key" and "On a Freezing Chicago Street," it was on my current playlist for a long while. And my oh my, the quotes a college freshman girl could use as away messages with this album...

Justin Timberlake, "Future/Sex/Love/Sounds" (2006)
I don't think I'm alone in believing that this album was one of the most influential albums of its kind in this era. JT totally nailed it, from the melodies to vocal percussion to songwriting... there is really no way you can't at one point have loved every song on this album. Yes, I too am now sick and tired of half the songs, but we can only blame shitty radio for that. Now I have an ipod adapter and all is well with the world.

My Brightest Diamond, "Bring Me the Workhorse" (2006)
I became obsessed with this album when I only had the means to listen to it from the Asthmatic Kitty website. I'm truly suprised she didn't gain more recognition from this album and her follow-up ("A Thousand Shark's Teeth," also quite amazing). She has such a unique voice and interesting take on arrangement; if you can see her live I strongly recommend it. She's like a cute little alien in every sense from demeanor to outfit with a serious angst with her guitar.

The New Pornographers, "Challengers" (2007)
I think I listened to this album on repeat for a solid year. Had to give it up for a little while, but the title track...sonofabitch is it good. So catchy, and the arrangements are killer on this album.

Ingrid Michaelson, "Girls and Boys" (2007)
I fell in the hole along with everyone else. She has such an infectious voice and knack for writing catchy and simple lyrics. I'm usually a tough critic when it comes to the writing, but with some people less is more, and with her its just gorgeous.

Sherwood, "A Different Light" (2007)
Welp, I don't care what anyone has to say about this choice. Although I outgrew a lot of poppunk from the year 2003 until now, I still love it when a great poppunk band comes out. Their first album was great, but this one is just... so freaking catchy. "Alive" and "Middle of the Night." Check it out. Then maybe you'll know why I love cruise control so that I can have dance parties every time I go on a drive.

Mother Mother, "O My <3">
...and I thought "Touch Up" was good. This band is so unique that it may take some time for them to grow on you, but when you do it's addicting. They became a fast favorite of mine and a highlight of the year was a) interviewing them for a Canadian music documentary, and b) getting to play a show with them out in Cortland. Great people, amazing music, and hey... they are all pretty easy on the eyes too. "Hayloft." The vid is pretty awesome too.

John Mayer, "Continuum" (2008)
I'd say this album was the soundtrack to my senior year. He's really got it together, and there's really not much more I can say. "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" is my jammmmm.

Taylor Swift, "Fearless" (2008)
Once again, go ahead and judge me. It won't stop me from singing "Love Story" at the top of my lungs in my cruiser though (yeah... swallow that whole sentence guys. I have a cruiser). Although not the hugest of fans of her previous work, I think this album is genius. The songwriting is fantastic for the most part, and seriously, these songs are all hits (or will be). "White Horse" blew me away, and "Forever and Always" has such a sweet beat to it. I am very interested to see what her next album will sound like though, as she is no longer a teenager and therefore may not really be able to relate to them while still being a relevant songwriter to her own age.

So, there you have it. It appears that 2006 was a really good year for my stereo. In terms of 2009 there are many albums peaking my interest from Lady Gaga to Good Old War, but only time will tell how they stand up against a decade. I would get into close calls but frankly there are too many to count. Twenty was truly hard enough.

I hope everyone has a great holiday and fantastic new year-- looking forward to a few albums of my own out in 2010, but other than that here's to another year of awesome music :)

Finally in the Christmas spirit!

2009-12-06T22:18:00.001-05:00

With the onset of the holiday, I've found that things have become increasingly stressful and difficult to handle simply on the fact that the holidays are coming. Upon realizing that I decided to pick a date where I would head to the mall and just get the whole thing done and over. I absolutely detest malls at this time of year (or at any time of the year), and so since I've sworn off Carousel Mall I decided to try Eastview Mall in Rochester (they have a Sephora and tons of other cute one-of-a-kind stores). Friday was my day, and as soon as I got out of work I stopped by the atm and off I went. Luckily for me I was definitely in the mood to shop, and found a ton of amazing things really quickly. Un-luckily for me my boyfriend was out of work and waiting for me to meet him at his place so that we could regroup, go to dinner, and go to a show that evening. Oh, and even MORE un-luckily for me, I finally found bf something that I figured would be a great gift for him, and they didn't have the correct gift at that mall... so... (gulp)... I had them hold it for me at Carousel. And they'd only hold it for 24 hours. We'll get to this later though.

So I went back to Michael's house, and we went to dogtown (Bernese Mountain dog is my go-to dog here, and I decided to try their vegetarian chili... not bad. Sweet potato fries still win though), and then went to Boulder Coffee where we met up with a bunch of friends to see Geoff Farina's newest band, Glorytellers. I will tell you that they are an incredible group of musicians, and that it was awesome getting to see Geoff live. I will also tell you that I have grown absolutely terrible at staying up past 11pm, even if I just had a cup of coffee. Needless to say after the show I went to bed promptly and the next day started a whole other journey.

Michael decided to head back to Syracuse with me and get a ride back with our friends that night, so he came with me to the mall, where I left him in the car and ordered him to close his eyes until I returned with the suitable exchanged gift (wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!) and then we headed to TSE practice. Cam came out from Rochester to play drums for us for this show, so we were so happy he could do it but he was only able to rehearse the day of the show. As per usual though, he was on point and rehearsal didn't last long at all. Ran back to the house, got ready, and headed for the show.

It was an absolute pleasure to share the stage with Thursday and Dillinger Escape Plan, and holy shit, dillinger was unbelievable. And super nice dudes too, helping us load out and having really great conversations and complementing us on our set (and obviously the compliments were given back tenfold). Also, having friends there that had never seen us play a live set before was a real honor, and I hope they had as much fun as we did up there.

Today was my much-needed catch up day. This week is going to be busy, but I'm confident now that I have everything all together so everything should go just swimmingly. First work Christmas party of the season is tomorrow, then a cooking show Tuesday, meeting with TSE's web designer on Wed, show with my mom Thur, and then the Another Breath/Achilles show on Saturday. Looking forward to it all!!

Iron Cupcake World Voting now OPEN

2009-11-30T07:13:00.004-05:00

Hey guys,

As you can see from a couple posts back, I have submitted an original recipe into this month's Iron Cupcake World competition! They opened voting this past weekend and it will be open until Friday, December 4th at noon. If you would be so kind, I'd love to have your vote! Just go to this link here, and on the right-hand side you will see kind of a voting bracket. Just click on 'The Home Front' and any other recipes you liked (you can pick up to three... or you can just vote for one haha), and then click vote! Just so that you remember, I am competing to win some fabulous cupcake prizes (because you know how obsessed I am with all things baking and cupcake-oriented):

And just in case you didn't see my post, my cupcake recipe is the Autumn Apple Hat Cupcake, which you can see in my previous blog entry.

Once again guys, thanks so much! Happy voting, and have a great week!!

Elective on citr radio today!

2009-11-29T13:16:00.004-05:00

Exciting news today, my side project with CJ Wallis, Elective, will be played/interviewed on Vancouver radio station citr radio between 3 and 5pm (6 and 8pm est) (101.9 fm)! I know a lot of you aren't located on the west coast (or in Canada), but even if you're not you can listen online by clicking on the icon above or by going to www.citr.ca/index.php/listen

This will really be a fun and interesting interview, especially considering CJ and I have never actually spoken to each other except through emails, and I have a real talent for being incredibly eloquent in interview setting, so make sure you listen!

Thanks guys!

"Ghosts" Underway!

2009-11-28T13:48:00.005-05:00

TSE has really had quite a year, and at the close of 2009 we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel for our upcoming album (now called "Ghosts" to be released on March 9th, 2010), and we couldn't be more excited about it. We have sort of re-started the project with drummer Will Noon (Straylight Run, Breaking Pangaea) with a rehearsal yesterday of all the tunes, and started recording today. We'll be with him for the next few days until the project is finished, and we really can't thank him enough for lending us his talent and time for the cd. Being back in the studio after a month-long tour has been really beneficial to the growth of the record in giving us a bit more insight on all the tunes, and we are now more than ready to give you guys the best album we possibly can.

(Will in the studio with us, recording "My Decay")

(Jess, Jim, Jon, and Leena (singing Jess' cello part) on "My Decay")

Now that we're all back on track with TSE and have gotten through the fog that is returning home from tour, you'll start seeing more blogs popping up. It's a personal goal of ours to ensure that you guys see our progress just as we do with the album (we really like keeping you all in the loop), from studio to practices to shows to all our other random shenanigans that come from being in a band with a bunch of very 'unique' people. Also, we really can't wait to show you photos from our Paul Williams photo shoot, and we promise we'll get on that as soon as we can (hope you're ready for us to unleash the awesome upon you).

Don't forget, we have our show with Thursday and Dillinger Escape Plan coming up on Saturday! Get your tickets at syracuseshows.com now!

Also, we never really got a chance to wish all of you a happy holiday this past week. To all of our friends and family near and far, especially to all the amazing people we met and people we didn't abroad serving our country, we are forever indebted to you all. Thank you for all you do, and hope to see you stateside once "Ghosts" is out and you all are home safe!

Iron Cupcake November! -- Apples

2009-11-22T20:35:00.003-05:00

Once again, after a brief hiatus with Iron Cupcake and lack of time on my end, I am back as an Iron Cupcake challenge baker!! This month's key ingredient was apples, and so while trying to think up a fun recipe I decided to try and incorporate all flavors that I feel are uniquely fall. Caramel apples are one of my favorite things about this time of year, and going hand in hand with that pumpkin is a seasonal flavor that not only adds color but a unique flavor to dishes of all kind. I wanted to do this in a fun way, and although there is some applesauce in the cupcake itself I wanted to try and include the fruit itself in a visually intriguing way (kind of looks like my cupcake is wearing a hat) that complemented the beautiful color of the pumpkin and golden topping of the caramel. So, without further adieu, meet my Autumn Apple Hat cupcakes!!

This month I am competing to win the following awesome prizes:

Voting will begin no later than Friday, November 27th at 8 p.m. at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com and will be open through Thursday, December 3 at 12 noon. I will be sure to post once the polls are open, please help me out and vote for my recipe!!

Thanks so much guys, and if you're at all interested in making them, here is the recipe!

Autumn Apple Hats:

½ tsp baking soda

2 tbsp apple sauce

4 tbsp butter, softened

1 cup pumpkin

Generous 1/2 cup raw brown sugar

Scant 1 ¼ cups self-rising flour

½ tsp ground cinnmon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 small apples

Approx 30 pieces caramel

1 tbsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the cupcake pan

2. Add baking soda to cup of pumpkin; stir until dissolved.

3. Put butter and brown sugar in a bowl and beat together, gradually beat in applesauce. Sift in flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

4. Add pumpkin mixture, and spoon mixture into cupcake pan

5. Core apples, and using a mandolin or other sharp knife slice the apples and place an apple slice on top of each cupcake.

6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until edges brown

7. Put cupcakes on a cookie rack lined with wax paper and allow to cool

8. In a double boiler, heat caramel and milk until completely melted, and spoon caramel over the top of the cupcakes.

Elective and TSE news

2009-11-19T22:31:00.002-05:00

As I'm sure a bunch of you saw, I am currently out of the closet with a side project called Elective with Vancouver filmmaker CJ Wallis. Some of you may remember him from a previous post I made about his amazing short film, 'Last Flowers,' starring (sigh) Sarah Slean. From the emails sent concerning the film, he decided to send over a few demos that had no vocals or lyrics to which I willingly obliged. Thus began the formation of the group we now call 'Elective,' and we just released our first single "The Stitch Up of Bloody Mary" last week. Click here to check it out! :)

In other news, E has moved back to her hometown after a great run overseas with The Scarlet Ending. We wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors, but in the meantime for us we are going to be in the studio NONSTOP for the next few months. Starting next week, we will be hitting up The Hollow pretty regularly for our release date of (drum roll please)...

MARCH 9TH!

Holy shit! We have a release date! And an album title! It's going to be called "Ghosts," and we're giddy as all hell about everything concerning it. Our website will be getting redone in preparation for it, a few new promo shots will be sneaking out every so often from wonderful photographer Paul Williams, and we'll be updating you as frequently as we can with video blogs and, well, just plain old blogs, so make sure you keep updated on our sites!

As far as non-music life goes, I'm working pretty heavily at Corso's, Hafner's, and PC. I'm super busy, but it's holiday season, so busy means money, and since I just got the cruiser money means presents for the family. Tonight I am having my first relaxing night in a few weeks at home, having a few friends over to watch some movies and drink some seasonal woodchuck (all smiles from this girl).

Also, I realize how annoying and pretentious I may sound by saying this, but gummi bears from Germany are the shit. I truly don't mean that in a snobby way, either. They just are. They're the best, and yeah, you can buy them in the states, and they're even the same brand, but they just aren't the same. When we went to Germany last year I bought like... ten huge bags of them and didn't return home with any. Luckily my friend Kim (from Germany) came out to visit a month ago and brought me some more... ughhh. So good. I need to get back there for the gummi bears, if nothing else (completely not serious by that, but I do need to get back there. And I will get gummi bears again while there).

Becoming an adult...

2009-11-09T22:26:00.002-05:00

...means having bills to pay. Because of this, I believe I am becoming an adult this week.

Between having a new job (I'm a cookie decorator at Corso's Cookies in Lakeland), needing to buy health insurance, buying a car, and needing to buy car insurance, all my wonderful saving that I've been busy with for the past 5 years has been successfully halved, and there is nothing I can do about it but relish in it.

I am really excited about the new job, and am so happy to be hired without prior professional experience as a baker/decorator. I'm hoping that this will open even more doors as time goes on, especially with how intricate their designs are, and how much the company is growing.

The car is a PT Cruiser. Picked her up this morning. For all you haters out there, all I can say is that I'm not driving a minivan anymore. So there.

I managed to have the fullest day possible without having adequate amount of food in my system as well. Because of work, my 8am bloodwork appointment was rescheduled for 3pm and with me needing to fast 12 hours beforehand, I pretty much ran on nothing from dinner until 3:30 this afternoon. From work I went to the lab where they had an issue with my appointment. Not unusual since I had to reschedule, but when the receptionist tried to tell me what happened and said," Well, it seems as though when you rescheduled, they went back a week and made your appointment for the 2nd. Today is the 9th, and since we can't go back in time, we just have to compensate for your being here now." I wasn't really sure whether to laugh at her witty sense of humor or question whether or not she knew exactly what she was saying since her tone was always sincere, so I just sat down and waited. From there, I ran a few errands, dropped the van off with my sister, and picked up the bruiser.

I've been really tired all day so I decided once again to skimp on my exercise regiment and instead eat chocolate and watch episodes of How I Met Your Mother while doing graphic design work for Hafner's. It's a good tradeoff, if you ask me.

Oh! And before I forget, I strongly urge you to check out my new side project with Vancouver filmmaker/composer CJ Wallis, Elective. I will be in the studio tomorrow finishing up vocal tracks for our first single, and we will be progressing as each of our main projects allow. He is wonderfully talented, and you can check out some of his film work here.

So, that's what tomorrow holds. A lot of new TSE news in the works, but once again I'm waiting to see how all of it pans out before parading it all over the wonderful world of internet. Work and studio. In the meantime, goodnight external hard drive, goodnight cell phone, goodnight ftp sites, goodnight laptop, goodnight awesome smelling candle, goodnight moon.

Ithaca Show!

2009-11-09T07:10:00.001-05:00

Hey guys,

I'm completely aware of my lack of updates, but as I'm sure you can all understand things have been going at an incredible pace and I'm doing the best I can just to be cognizant of everything going on. I promise and update as soon as I can get get a breath in, but until then here is a flyer for our upcoming show in Ithaca with some of Jon's friends from college (and well, they've become friends of ours along the way, but still). Hope you can make it!!

Sorry bout that...

2009-10-26T16:17:00.004-04:00

I know, I know. No blogging in a while. I'm sorry, it's just that since our miraculous return I feel as though every day is in fast-forward. So much cleaning to do, so much television to catch up on, so much new stuff in the works.

So basically, on the personal front, I have started a new 'side project' job with Pampered Chef (let me know if you want to host a cooking party!!), and have as well started looking around at bakeries around the area. With a few free months ahead of me I'm going to try and get in with the cooking world for as long as I can. Also I'll be working on the solo album and some other fun stuff that is in the works to be announced soonish.

On the band front, we're going into overdrive. The prime focus of the next few weeks is to finish up this album, and we have a few really sweet shows coming up in the mix. One of which is a really sweet private event on November 3rd (it's creepin up!). Apparently it is a private show that you can only win tickets through, so if I find out any info I will be sure to keep you all in the loop. We've got another one coming up in Fredonia on November 7th and a few more in the mix for later on in the coming month.

Oh, and more on the personal front. I am so stoked to be home for Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays, and I really love the fall in CNY, the colors are so amazing and I'm so glad I was able to catch a few more weeks of it. In an effort to try and figure out what I wanted to be for Halloween (I originally wanted so badly to be Lady Gaga a la MTV VMA's:

But decided I didn't have enough time to get it all together or sew it since I got home with only a week beforehand), I paroozed the Sunday paper and something in the target circular caught my eye. I pretty much immediately got in my car, and tada! My costume has been completed:

There is no need to judge me on the fact that it's a toddler costume. In fact, maybe I can make this work via the ridiculous 'sexy girl' costume cliche. So what if it's skin tight? So what if the feet land at my knees because it's a size 4T? With the grin I'll be wearing I don't think you'll notice. All you'll notice is that I have a T-Rex appendage sticking out of my stomach, and it's awesome.

Skipping ahead to Qatar

2009-10-18T09:28:00.003-04:00

Alright, so I know I’m out of order now, but hey, I’ve got internet and so I’m going to take advantage of telling you exactly what we’ve been up to.

Basically we did a short day and a half with one show in Bahrain, flew to Kuwait and spent 5 days, 5 nights (4 shows) in Kuwait; all of which I will tell you about very, very shortly. We really had a great time while out there and met some seriously awesome people.

Today, however, we flew out of Kuwait and into Qatar. We really didn’t have any idea of what the country would be like, and probably knew the least about this place of everywhere else we’d been travelling. Flying in you could see a ton of man-made islands (the middle east loves doing stuff like that – the palm islands in dubai and their up and coming world islands), and then a pretty decent-sized city. We flew over ornate hotels and bright blue swimming pools that screamed “Spring break Doha!” to me. We landed at a quaint airport and were immediately greeted by Erica and Julie after visas, the baggage claim, and customs.

I will note that it’s pretty rad you don’t have to take out your laptop when you go through security, even though it does kind of suck that you end up going through security like 3 times at every airport. But whatever, we’ve been really fortunate to have made great time on both sides of departing/arriving at our locations with all the baggage since UAE and Djibouti.

So, we loaded up everything into a truck and SUV and headed to the base where we got ourselves some serious comfort food. Mind you it was then about 1pm and most of us didn’t have breakfast (every country we travelled to thusfar had a really great currency exchange against the USD except Kuwait. Basically for every $4, it was one Kuwaiti dollar. Shit sucks when you want to buy a bottle of juice and it costs you 6.50). Pizza, nachos, veggie lo mein and quesadillas abound, we then trekked to our new temporary homes (kind of like the CLUs in Djibouti, but instead inside of a giant warehouse-y kind of thing), and then were met by two other guys from the base who were going to show us around the city.

This was huge for us because we never really got to see a whole lot of a lot of the places we’ve been on this tour. Either because of where we were, or our show schedules, we’d really only been able to see Dubai and now Qatar. We drove into the gold souk I believe, and did some shopping. One thing I must say, and it’s absolutely terrible, is that I am noticing my overt Americanism to compare the ‘real’ country to Disney World. Epcot more specifically. But when you’re walking down a cobblestone road without any cars while concrete buildings with ornate lighting fixtures and sticks and camels and donkeys are scattered about, it kind of feels like it’s not real. It also doesn’t help that there are gift shops everywhere, but it’s really been crazy to be really, truly experiencing all of this.

We found a few (bunch) of things we liked (the currency is now 1USD = 3.65 of theirs), and then one of the guys took us to a restaurant that he had been to and knew the owner well. It was absolutely gorgeous, and the owner sat us all down and gave us Arabian coffee (not quite the coffee you’re used to), and kind of some guidelines on manners and how to eat/drink the coffee (you eat a date, then drink the coffee as it’s not very sweet at all). Then we went upstairs and ate outside on the roof of the restaurant. It was absolutely surreal. There was a giant mosque in the background, and we head the call to prayer while we were eating (the Muslim religion has a call to prayer at several points during the day). We ate hummus, spicy potatoes, and pita bread until we couldn’t any longer, and when we were finished the owner gave us the tour of the rest of the restaurant. If I ever come back out to Qatar, I know I’ll be going there again. There is just so much that is fascinating about that culture, and such great food… it’s unbelievable. I know I’m using those words a lot but give me a break, I’m in the middle east.

After dinner we did some last minute shopping and then went out to their mall. I know you’re probably thinking we’re nuts for going to a mall while we’re out here, but it’s actually been our tour guide’s ideas. The malls out here are very similar and yet very different from the ones in the US. Sure, there are your average stores (but a little more wealthy out here—you’ll see a lot of designers and high-end boutiques), but they tend to outdo themselves with extra things like ice rinks and elaborate designs to the structure. It’s really cool to get to see. We got some gelato (sup awesome food), then headed back to base. We grabbed some internet and called it a night. We have a show tomorrow (and also they have some Hollywood people here including one of the women on nip/tuck which made me think of my junior year of college and how my roommates made me get into that show until it became a slightly horrifying addiction, but I think they’ll be proud of me that I remember her and her character… just not her name or her character name). So who knows, maybe we’ll get to meet them. If not, we’ll probably head back downtown and eat some more awesome food. But we do have a busy day of meet and greets and we’re all really stoked to be here.

Sunday

So today we got up and met up with Erica and Julie and grabbed some lunch. Along with us being on base, there are also what is referred to as 'Ambassadors from Hollywood,' and they were doing a meet and greet at the dining hall; they were Kelly Carlson (from Nip/Tuck), Greg Germann (from a whole bunch of stuff), DeAnna Pappas (from The Bachelor), D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights), and Vanessa Branch (Oribt gum girl). It was pretty awesome seeing them all out here, and they told us they wouldn't be able to make it to the show but would stop over during our soundcheck.

After lunch we met the commander of the base, and got a tour of the strykers. Basically strykers are like tanks... and we got to ride in them. We pretty much went on a joyride in these things, and the people telling us about them and showing us around do a TON and are really incredible individuals. I have pictures, I just need to grab them from Taryn and Jess soon.

After that we had our soundcheck,grabbed some dinner, and here I am. Full of pesto pasta and pineapple juice, I'll be heading back to my bunk shortly to clean up and get ready for the show. I should note that while in Kuwait I developed some sort of cold/allergy thing that they refer to as the 'Kuwait Crud.' As disgusting as that sounds, it's just sort of an allergy attack to getting used to all the particles in the air, and I have been voiceless for almost 5 days. Here's to hoping tonight's a bit better. I feel fine, just sound like a man. Oh well. Tomorrow we are off to another base, playing a show, then heading to Saudi right afterwards. Going to be a busy day!

Day 9-13 (Photos soon!)

2009-10-11T16:05:00.003-04:00

As expected, internet has been kind of intermittent throughout the tour so I'm probably going to have to update things a chunk at a time. I've been logging everything into a little notebook every evening so that I don't forget exactly what's been going on, and as I look back I'm finding that it's been a very good idea. So anyways, here you go:

Day 8 (Monday)- Djibouti

We got up at 6am to grab an early breakfast, and managed to catch the end of the
Vikings/Green Bay game (nothing like Monday night football on a Tuesday morning -- Go Vikings!!) and then met up with the people from the weapons and ammo department of the base at a shooting range in the middle of nowhere. There were 6 targets set up and surrounded by sand dunes, and with the assistance of someone for each of us, we were taught how to load, aim, and shoot both M-16s and 9mms. We each had our turn at a target and shot laying down on our stomachs and standing straight up. It was seriously an experience I never thought I would ever be able to do, and they let us keep the targets (I'm much better at the M-16 than the 9mm, but not really too great with either. I got one lucky shot dead center, way stoked on that). The people who work with the weapons are seriously incredible individuals, and the woman in charge could quite possibly be the strongest and most fierce and badass woman I have ever met.

From there we went to the flightline but found out our helicopter ride was canceled (bummed but understand-- we still got to watch it takeoff and tour another aircraft). Then we did some laundry (such and understated chore out here), got some food, and grabbed some internet for a bit before loading up and heading to the airport.

We sat on the bus for about 20 minutes before being told that our flight had been delayed from a 5pm departure to a 10pm departure (not good considering our connecting flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Bahrain left at 10pm), so we had to weigh some options. We waited on the bus for at least 4 hours, and after making a few phone calls to explore some possibilities, we decided upon taking the Ethiopian flight and being at the mercy of the airline to put us up to stay the night and catch the next flight to Bahrain (which was 24 hours later). Someone from the base agreed to go with us, too, to ensure that everything went well. Unfortunately that meant that we had to miss our first show, but luckily we were supposed to play that base twice so we're happy we still get to play there.

So now, fast-forward to landing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The airline set us up with a 4-star hotel, and we took the shuttle there shortly after landing. They managed to get all our musical equipment stored inside security so all we had to be responsible for was our personal luggage, which was a nice change. Upon landing at the MN international hotel, however, everything changed. We got our room assignments and headed up to our respective rooms. From there, we discovered a whole lot of creepy crawlies, dirty sheets, some sharpie artwork on end tables, even an electric plug to the hot water heater...in the shower. We all ended up back in the lobby with the same sentiment, and so Jess and the wonderful rep from the Djibouti base (Gizera is her name, but I don't know how to spell it! Either way she was a lifesaver!) tried to get ourselves a different hotel. However, it certainly didn't stop there. The staff were very rude, not refunding the rep's money (she paid in cash), and while they were calling up hotels from the front desk they were speaking another language and apparently lying to whomever they were speaking to, because the rep called them out on it and was getting quite upset. THEN a whole group of rowdy men with, like, 12 'ladies of the night,' came in and got into a rager with the other desk attendant. Meanwhile, the rest of us are all sitting in the lobby at 2:30am, freaking out inside. I personally thought we were going to shortly be witnesses to something ugly.

Ten minutes later I believe we gave up the fight to get a refund and the Hilton picked us up. As Aaron now says, "Every time I see a Hilton an angel gets their wings." It was wonderfulllll. And so we ordered some room service, took warm showers, and slept until 2pm the following day. And such ends one of the worst days in travel history. And don't really get me started on the flights to and from Ethiopia. I'm over it.

Day 9 (Tuesday) - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We slept until 2pm and then went and ate at the hotel restaurant. It's always odd dealing with foreign currency that seems so much higher than the dollar. For example, my lunch cost 136 Bir. Sounds like a lot, right? Nope, roughly 11 bucks. Kind of rules except for the fact that I don't have a calculator on me since my phone doesn't work. After that we pretty much just hung out and then grabbed some more food before leaving for the airport at 7pm. Everything from there went pretty well (minus the accidental non-stamp from customs the first time through), and then we were off to Bahrain at 10pm.

Day 10 (Wednesday) - Ethiopia and Bahrain

Contrary to what one might think, itineraries on this tour have been anything but reliable. The one lesson we've learned thusfar is to pretty much not expect anything. That or expect absolutely everything. Neither one is really great though in terms of planning. Our itinerary told us we would be arriving in Bahrain at 3:30am, so expect our surprise when we landed 2 hours earlier. Our POC obviously wasn't there yet, and the police and customs were pretty less than thrilled at 8 people with 45 pieces of excess baggage just kind of lingering. Finally we had our rep come to the airport, and we loaded up all of our things and went straight to a military airport. We had on our itinerary that we’d be heading to a ship, but we really didn’t know too much more than that. When we arrived at the airport around 3am, we were told we would be taking off to a ship at approximately 9am that was out in the middle of the ocean. We had briefly talked about carrier ships and how cool it would be to see one (we thought we’d be visiting a docked ship), but we were actually going to be flying onto one. For those of you who don’t know a lot about carrier ships, basically they have a very short runway. In order for planes to land they have to catch a wire on the runway that will drag them to a very abrupt and short stop. On the flip side of things, taking off is quite the opposite. You are launched into a catapult type thing, with tons of hydraulics, and you are basically shot into the sky. We were lucky enough to experience both, but I’ll get to all that later.

We hung out at the airport until it was time to takeoff, where we were asked to put on life vests and helmets called cranials that came equipped with goggles. Usually they don’t fly too far, but we were going to be in the air for a few hours. We were given all of the safety briefing and a coin from one of the pilots, and then we were up in the air. When it came time to land, they made sure we had all our equipment on, our 4-point seatbelts VERY tight, and when they started waving their arms you knew to brace yourself. The landing goes by so fast you really don’t have time to process it. I was sitting in one of only 2 window seats, and I didn’t see a damn thing. All I saw was sky, then all I saw was pavement. It was surreal and absolutely amazing.

We were immediately ushered off of the ship and to a small room where we met the captain (wow, such an honor, and already!) and then were taken on a tour of the flight line. Basically we got to stand and watch as flights came and left the ship… it was absolutely stunning. They go from so fast to stopped… or from stopped to, well, you get it. It was nuts. We went from there to the flight deck where we met a few other people aboard the ship, and they let us know a little bit about what they do. It was seriously an awesome feeling from start to finish aboard the ship. We could all sense their genuine interest and excitement about having us with them, and it was awesome. They truly let us become a part of their busy days and important jobs, from making calls over the radio to meet and greets that night where we took a bunch of pictures and signed a lot of autographs. It was really a great feeling, and everyone was so hospitable and warm. Oh, and did we mention we had a funboss?! Yeah. Her name was Therese, and she ruled. Her and David and Jason and Leon, who also helped us out and kind of were our ‘family’ while we stayed on the ship, took us to dinner and showed us around. We pretty much passed out around 10, and with our bunks being directly under the flightline I think that should tell you just how tired we were J

Day 12 (Fri) Aboard the USS Nimitz

We woke up at 8am, had some breakfast, and then started the day with a tour of the weapons department. We got to meet the people who make them, people who repair them, and people who watch over them. All pretty heavy jobs, and they were all awesome at explaining everything to us civilians who may otherwise not understand all the abbreviations and going-ons of their job. From there it was naptime (I think the rocking of the ship had something to do with that), and then lunchtime. We went straight from there to the hangar, where the stage had been built for the show. We got all of our equipment set up, and then (you guessed it) naptober part 2. We visited the ship store and got to catch up on a few things, then we grabbed some diner and got back to the hangar in time for Captain’s Call. After he spoke we took the stage for what could have been one of the coolest shows we’ve ever played. Not many bands can say they played a hangar of a ship looking out over the ocean and having over 2000 amazing people singing and dancing along. I think this was one of the most humbling and important shows we’ve ever played, because when people make signs that have our lyrics on them, or know the words to songs… it reinforces why we’re all doing this. It’s for that single moment. And trust me, when it comes to audiences, we couldn’t ask for a better group of people to play to than the heroes of America who are on deployment.

We signed autographs/guitars/Xboxes/ipods/shirts/hats (yeah… holy crap you guys are awesome) for over 2 hours, ran to the heads (bathrooms in Navy-speak), and had someone play us a song. It was amazing. We did an interview with some of the staff, packed up, got some midnight ice cream (yes!!), and then passed out. What an amazing day.

Day 13 (Sat) Leaving the USS Nimitz for Bahrain

We woke up at 8:30am to some of the staff bringing us our laundry (can I get an amen?), then Funboss wakeup call at 9, then people coming to pick up our bags at 9:15 (I have never done less in terms of transit this whole trip… it was so unnecessary on their end but boy do we appreciate it). We grabbed a quick breakfast and then went to the LSO platform (no, not the LFO platform. Though Aaron and I sang “Summer Girls” the entire time anyway). Basically we got to stand at the front of the runway and watch as the planes came in along with the staff that kind of guides and watches over them if anything should go wrong. What a rush it is being up there with these massive (small in relation to other planes, but still, it’s a plane) things shooting out hot, hot air, blowing you around while the ocean comes at you from every angle without any land in sight. They even made an announcement on the ship thanking us while we were down there.

We then went up one last time to say goodbye to the Captain and his staff, and to thank him for having us aboard. We were given out certificates making us honorary hookers (something to do with airplanes, though I told him my parents would be proud nonetheless), photos of us and the captain and the ship when we first arrived, a cd full of photos that were taken while we were aboard, and other amazing goodies that they packed up for us. I have to tell you, never in my life have I felt more like a rock star. And you won’t hear me say that often, because we’re all really just a bunch of kids who have a dream to play music, and were given the amazing opportunity to share what we love with all of you.

We then packed back on all the cranial/goggle/lifevest equipment, and were given a safety briefing once again. This time things were a bit different though, and having watched the planes take off days beforehand I knew what was happening and I was both excited and kind of nervous at the same time… you go realllllly fast. So anyways, once they staff were waving their hands, I braced myself, and before I knew it we were really, really high in the air. Extreme roller coaster. 0-200 in like 3 seconds. Holy never forget that feeling ever.

Oh and P.S. I have a lot of sorting to do so hopefully once we arrive in Kuwait I'll be able to go through them all and put them up! :)

Day 3-8

2009-10-04T08:53:00.007-04:00

Hey guys, long time no update. Sorry about that, but between keeping busy where we are and questionable internet access, I've been unable to get online for very long.

Basically for the first 4 days we were on a base in the Middle East where we spent a solid day and a half and had seriously the time of our lives. They showed us a demonstration in their K-9 unit, showed us around their flight line, and even got to be in a car on the runway going 200 km/hr underneath a plane while it landed. It was absolutely surreal, and seriously awesome. I'm quite certain it was one of the best experiences of my life. We met some really amazing people, and are already in touch with them post-leaving.

The show there went amazingly. We had a great crowd response, including someone who kept yelling for "More cowbell," and by our second set presented us with one signed by all the guys we spent the day with. Afterwards Jon and Aaron went back to a lounge with some of them and proudly can say that they kicked their asses in Halo... which is almost as sweet as watching 'Team America' with them, which we also did. We were really sad to leave, but on tours like this it's like we don't even have time to comprehend everything that's going on.

(mountainous Fujairah)

USO met us the day we left and drove us to Fujairah, where there is a small Navy base. We played at a classy/tacky hotel bar (that description pretty much fits the middle east in respect to their decor. over the top and yet in such bright colors it looks... less over the top). The show was a lot smaller as the base itself is smaller, but it was awesome for that exact reason. Being able to talk to everyone while we're playing is always a cool atmosphere, and they were a lot of fun (no alcohol restrictions will do that to you, I think). After we played a band by the name of 'Sugar Extract' took the stage when the night club opened. 3 skantily-clad women began singing such American hits as 'Single Ladies' and 'Umbrella' and you can bet your ass I have it on video. I just wish I had the means to edit it down (and the time), but once I do I'll post a few.

(Everyone on one of the boats)

The next day there the Navy took us out on their boats for a bit of a joy ride, which was pretty sweet. We had only met the guys briefly the night before at the show so it was fun to go out with them and spend an hour or so with them. We then drove to Dubai, stopping at a street market somewhere along the way and grabbing some goodies (the conversion of $ to Dirhams is 1:3.66, so we make out pretty well). We checked into our hotel, and decided to walk around. That lasted all of ten minutes though, as we had a bit of a 'Lost in Translation' moment, and the heat was pretty horrible. It's such a big city, and though we wanted to see more it just wasn't going to happen when I had a map in front of me and couldn't even identify where our hotel was when we were a block away. We went to the pool, showered and got dressed up a bit more than usual (with 100 degree weather and clothing restrictions usually being long pants and sleeves, I have learned to not really care what I look like when you leave because you start to sweat as soon as you leave buildings out here).

(Dubai not far from our hotel)

(how awesome is this money? it's got a goat on it!)

Ariel (USO volunteer and awesome dancer, as I found out from the Starlight Night Club) and her husband showed us around the Gold Souk, where we ate at this hole-in-the-wall tahli place that I really wouldn't have even wanted to walk past if they hadn't eaten there and told us it was safe. I'm a huge fan of learning about different cultures, but in an area where there is no potable drinking water and the streets are scattered with dogs, cats, and trash, I have learned to be picky. The place was great though, they served 4 small cups of different things (one had bananas, one had potatoes, one had lentils, and one was yellow... that's all I know), and kept giving you pita bread as you ate. It was all you can eat for 12D (about 3 bucks), and though it was spicier than hell, it was fantastic.

After that we went to the Dubai Mall, which is the biggest mall in the world and has an indoor ice rink, aquarium, water show bigger than that of the Bellagio... it's excessive to say the least, and not at all what you expect when you think of the Middle East. It is also located next to the tallest building in the world, so that was definitely a sight. We stayed for a bit then headed back for 3 hours of sleep before heading to the airport.

When we got there, a very interesting day began. We arrived at the Dubai airport 3 hours before our departure, and at the check-in gate we were told our excess baggage would cost $18,000 to get to Djibouti. This is by far more than we had budgeted for in our contract (an absurd to the nth degree), so we sat and waited for something to be sorted out. Finally something was (not entirely favorable but far less than the previous 18k), and we had to SPRINT through this airport to catch our next flight. It, just like the mall, was massive. And it looked like Disneyworld. And we had to go up an elevator, then down an escalator, then down a ramp to get to the gate. Make sense? Didn't think so.

We arrived in Ethiopia a few hours later, and let me tell you... it's weird. Really REALLY small airport, not really clean, and not a whole lot to do. We made the time pass as best we could, and then got on our Ethiopian Air flight to Djibouti, which was by far our most uncomfortable (Even though it was only an hour.. not looking forward to flying with them for 5 hours to Bahrain). When we finally arrived at the Djibouti airport (roughly the size of your average American home - very slight exaggeration), we were stuck outside, waiting to get into the building to get the relief of some air conditioning. When we finally got there, we walked in to discover that there wasn't any. To add to that, when we got to customs they wouldn't allow us in because we hadn't gotten a visa prior to arriving (we didn't know that hadn't been cleared up already), so we had to wait in line at the police office. Again another door, again more hopes of some ac, again being let down to discover it is just one more phase of stuffy. We had to pay out of pocket for the visas, then gather up all of our equipment from the only baggage claim they have there. The porters told us they would carry our things for $150 and wouldn't let us carry them ourselves. Finally they did and we met up with James, our guide for our visit, and we got everything loaded into a pickup truck and bus.

(this is how Djibouti looks when you drive the streets of it... no joke)

Already it's very easy to see the difference between UAE and Djibouti, and there is no gray area between the lowest of the low and highest of the high in wealth. There is trash strewn about everywhere, and unlike camels being treated as royalty almost in UAE (if you kill a camel you pay less than you would if you killed a human being), there are camels eating trash out of dumpsters on the side of the road. Dogs, cats, goats, you name it; they are the same as rats in NYC when you're here. We arrived at base not too long afterwards and were given a place to stay where we promptly showered and passed out.

(cheetah!)

The next day we met up with James for a few meetings and tours. The first was cancelled, but then we drove out to the cheetah refuge not far from the base. We got to see gazelles, hyenas, ostriches, turtles, and cheetahs that were either saved from poachers or people who thought they would make good pets. It was crazy to be in Africa seeing all these things, knowing that although it's very zoo-like in its appearance it's not far off from being a farm sanctuary somewhere in NY where you can see the goats and cows. After that James wanted to get some coffee, and I was pretty unsure of myself. Pretty much every time I eat from Dubai on I've felt like garbage, so eating somewhere in Djibouti really wasn't my idea of a good time. However, once we cleared a bridge in town it looked as though we crossed over from extreme poverty to Delray Beach, Florida. Exquisite buildings sat tall behind closed gates and flowering vines stretched from top to bottom. We had arrived at the 4-star hotel, the Kensington. It was absolutely stunning. You had to go through a guarded gate and security when you first arrived, but it honestly looked like a whole different world. It was crazy, and that caffeine was so necessary (I'm a coffee fiend; and I haven't gotten my adequate fix since I've been here).

After we returned we grabbed some lunch, had a bit of a break to use some internet, and then got ready for the show. We are doing 2 shows here, so we can (yay!) leave things set up. It went really well, and afterwards we met a bunch of great people, a few of which are from CNY. We also got the hook-up to go on a helicopter ride on Tuesday... so stoked.

Anyways, today we had our first tour get cancelled so I finally have some time to update with some pictures, sorry this is all so long. We depart Djibouti tomorrow for Bahrain. Again, no promises on the internet but I sure as hell hope the Ethiopian airlines flights are cleaner and nicer this time around. I stole a bunch of these pictures from Taryn, Jess' sister acting as manager on this tour, as my batteries are dead and she has a sweet camera :)

EDIT: We went out to visit the ammo shop, and got to do fun things like this:

Day 1-3

2009-09-29T22:40:00.002-04:00

Just posting to let all you wonderful people know we have arrived in the Middle East, are where we need to be, and that things are going great! (minus the jetlag, that is). The trip took roughly 14 hours from start to finish, I got to see the London airport (what a tease), and we got all 40 pieces of baggage in Abu Dhabi (which, as I'm sure you must realize, is, like, amazing).

We settled in on base around 10pm (2pm Syracuse time, now referred to as 'st'), grabbed some food (because we were starving.. forgot to mention to the airplane that we have vegetarians and vegans on board, since a travel agent set it all up all I'd eaten was pretty much bread and juice and snack mix), and then got to bed. Sure enough, 3.5 hours later I'm wide awake and it's 3:30am. But somehow I managed to think were only 7 hours ahead, and are meeting with our host at 7:30am for breakfast so I got up at what I thought was 7, now turning out to be 6. Oh well, that's why I'm updating.

We have a full day of being de-briefed, being shown around, and doing some things I'm way stoked on telling you all about after we do them because I'm not really sure I know what it is we're doing (but I do know we're chasing down a plane on a runway in a Camero going like 100mph). We have a show at 8pm tonight (noon st) and another possibly at 1am (5pm st), though we'll see if we can handle that. With a two-hour set that would mean that once again I am up 24 hours straight, and well, me no likey.

Alright, it's about a quarter to seven here, really balmy (and I hate using that word so know I mean business about it) as I sit outside and watch the sun shoot a mean glare into my computer screen, so I'm going to get going. I'll update when I can, it's looking like we're leaving this base for Dubai tomorrow but we have solid internet here so hopefully I will be able to post some pictures before I leave.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-09-27T21:16:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that tomorrow is the date we fly out and start the tour. It feels like months of preparation and hard work (oh yeah, it has been), and a ton of stressing out about paperwork and visas and passports and sound guys and equipment, and finally it is all over. So long as we get all our baggage checked (all 40 pieces), and it all arrives with us to Abu Dhabi, we'll be set.

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes, we'll be at the airport tomorrow at 5:30am and we'll be arriving at Abu Dhabi at 7:50 tomorrow evening... I think that'll be somewhere around 11:50 tomorrow night.

Hopefully we'll have internet while we're there so I can update this thing with some video and pictures. See you all on the flip side of the world!

One Week...

2009-09-20T20:43:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that we're leaving a week from tomorrow. The past few weeks have been very hectic, trying to sort through all the (literal) baggage, the flights, the show, etc. We are now even a bit more nervous after getting paperwork about the dress code. Looks like I'll be losing my nose ring (hopefully it won't heal up and I can put it in every night), and I'll need to grab myself a sweatband to cover my tattoo (women aren't allowed to have them in that part of the country). I'll also need to do some shopping, because it appears as though I will only be able to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts (hopefully it will be different on the bases because it's going to be very hot still).

Other than all that I'm trying to start packing and cleaning and getting myself psyched on going over there. It's very easy to let all the craziness of traveling to the Middle East get to you and overshadow the great honor and privilege we have been given. It's sneaking up, so I'm hoping these next few days I can chill out :) I went to Rochester yesterday/today to get away with Michael and eat good food and watch movies and meet up with friends. All of which I did, all of which was awesome.

As for this week, tomorrow holds a flu shot for this girl, band practice 12-5, and a meeting at 7pm. Tuesday Michael heads up and starts rehearsing with us (he's in DC for a job interview!!) and Taryn (Jess' sister, going with us as our tour manager) comes up, and so from then until the end of the week our days will be filled with prepping. Going away party Saturday, the band (I missed the boat on this one) will be heading to NYC to see Sunny Day Real Estate on Sunday, and then Monday... well, you know.

Radio Interview and Show Tonight

2009-09-18T11:36:00.002-04:00

I will have to post on the past week once I get some time to settle down, because it has been pretty nonstop this week. With rehearsals every day lasting about 5 hours and studio time on top of it some days, it's been a pretty exhausting week but we are all very excited about it all.

Tonight we will be interviewed on 570 WSYR's Jim Reith radio show at 5:06pm (the show runs pretty on point, so tune in then!!) for some chatting with Jim about the tour and cd, and we will be doing an acoustic in-studio performance live on air.

Immediately following that we will be headed to the Lost Horizon for our Bon Voyage Party/Show. We go on around 10pm, there are bands before/after (I love how they do that there... who wants to see a headliner play at 1am?! They're thinking about the earlybirds, like myself. And I suppose Aaron, because I don't think he could stay awake long enough to play a set then). It's all ages, 7 bucks, and there is a bar. So come on out, say hello, and listen to some great music!!

Time to escape for a few days

2009-09-10T22:43:00.002-04:00

Welp, it's been great doing music every day for the past couple of days... but it's definitely time that I take a lil breaky-break. Pre-tour stress is getting to all of us, and trying to manage all of the equipment and excess baggage is quite a hefty chunk of the crazy. We're all getting really excited about Asia, and all of the songs are coming together quite nicely. I've spent a few days in the studio and I put together the strings for our newest song tonight.

But alas, I'm off to Brooklyn tomorrow until Tuesday morning. I need some time away with a good book and some sudoku puzzles. I'm staying with my friends out there and I intend on going to a barbeque, gallery showing, and having sweet hangouts.

Until then, I'll continue going crazier by the hour. I swear if it weren't for my dad and Jess helping out this tour wouldn't be happening; I am eternally grateful for my father stepping in as the 'home base tour manager' as he knows far more about sound equipment than I do, and I do not know what we'd be doing without his help. Er, wait... I do. I'd probably still be in Syracuse for all of October.

Tour Schedule!

2009-09-07T12:19:00.003-04:00

Oh, and I've forgotten to mention that we got the tentative schedule for the SW Asia tour. I'm not entirely sure where we'll be playing in any of these countries (and all the dates may change between now and then), but as I find out I'll be sure to post. If you have any friends/loved ones stationed out there send us a message if they may make it; we'd love to meet them.

Sept. 28: Depart
Sept. 29: UAE
Sept. 30: UAE
Oct. 1: UAE
Oct. 2: UAE
Oct. 3: Dijibouti
Oct. 4: Dijibouti
Oct. 5: Bahrain
Oct. 6: Bahrain
Oct. 7: Bahrain
Oct. 8: Bahrain
Oct. 9: Bahrain
Oct. 10: Bahrain
Oct. 11: Bahrain
Oct. 12: Qatar
Oct. 13: Qatar
Oct. 14: Qatar
Oct. 15: Qatar
Oct. 16: Qatar
Oct. 17: Kuwait
Oct. 18: Kuwait
Oct. 19: Kuwait
Oct. 20: Saudi Arabia
Oct. 21: Saudi Arabia
Oct. 22: Saudi Arabia
Oct. 23: Return

Photo Shoot and Studio

2009-09-07T11:15:00.005-04:00

(Here's a shot from the last shoot we did with Paul- a little preview if you will of what's to come :) )

We wrapped the album artwork photoshoot last night after another evening with Paul Williams. After the last shoot that we did with him a few weeks back we tweaked previous shots to get what we think is pretty rad artwork; front cover, back, and some et ceteras.

(Speaking of etc's... we played dress-up the dress mannequin.)

Matt, our webmaster, continued filming the shoot for a documentary he is creating on the entire experience surrounding our lives through this album to when we leave for SW Asia (from which Leena and I will continue with little Sanyo video cameras we bought for tour... I'll make sure to post everything I can if we get some internet while over there here, on our official site, and on our youtube page). But anyways, I'm pretty sure that his blooper reel will be longer than the actual documentary... we laughed, we (laughed until we) cried, we drank and got crazy... ask anyone who's had the opportunity to work with us, we're a special bunch. Mr. Big became involved. His music, that is. Their music, that is.

For some reason, the weather in Syracuse has been real weird lately. It feels borderline fall some days. Yesterday was one of those days. While dressed in formalwear, 50 degree weather can be a bit chilling, and although we got there around 3 the shoot didn't actually start happening until closer to 10. But, we treked through it. I played air guitar on my sister's leg. Paul captured that moment, among many others that I feel we will need to share with all of you at a future date. Overall it was a real success, and I'm very excited to start working on the artwork concept and layout, which I'll hopefully be putting together while overseas (having something to do that doesn't necessarily require internet will definitely be a good thing).

Today we're in the studio, and will be for the next couple of weeks. Our goal is to knock out as much work on the album as physically possible so that we have as little work to do once we return from Asia. E is recording some drums, Aaron will hopefully be putting some bass tracks down (he's the only one with a stricter day job for the next week and a half), and then the rest of us will come in whenever we have some free time during the days to put our parts down before our evening rehearsals.

As per usual, the facebook phenomenon 'Farmville' is capturing far more time from our band than is appropriate, causing us to break in practices so that people can harvest their crops. I didn't want to get involved as I've been trying to stay away from my computer as much as possible lately (to boost the productivity of other things in my life, and lately I've been wanting to read more), but they twisted my arm and now I'm stuck managing a farm on top of everything else... the responsibilities just keep on racking up.

Welp, I think that's enough dry humor for the day, I realized I didn't take any pictures from the shoot yesterday but I do have a behind-the-scenes one from last time that my sister grabbed on her phone of me doing my individual portrait. Hello, sassy knife-thrower:

(Can I tell you how scary it is to be known for being clumsy and having a knife that can cut a piece of paper in your hand while wearing 4-inch heels on a palette? Brought new meaning to the word 'dangerous')

Syracuse Show

2009-09-02T22:22:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, I just thought I would post the flyer for our upcoming show at the Lost Horizon on September 18th. It's our going-away show, and it's all ages, so if you can make it we'd surely all love to see you there!!

And P.S.

2009-09-02T09:50:00.002-04:00

I don't know why my blogs have been so long lately... I'm going to work on getting some more pictures in them. :)

Lazy/Productive is the way to be

2009-09-02T09:43:00.002-04:00

As I have explained in my previous post, this week is pretty much just dedicated to music. And I really couldn't be happier. My solo album has kind of stayed in the background for such a long time that I really didn't think I'd even get around to recording it until November or December, and yet here I am, procrastinating on getting dressed so that I can meet Kiel at the studio to record the drums for it!!

It's definitely taken a turn for the productive when I realized/remembered that he's leaving for LA on Friday morning. Super bummed because he's been a friend for a while, and someone who I've seen grow a lot as a person for as long as I've known him. I'm really looking forward to working with him again before he leaves.

The one thing about a solo album that I guess I didn't really think about until now is that... all the decisions are mine and mine alone. As awesome as that seems in theory, I never really realized all the choices that need to be made. There's no one else in this band but me, so there is no bass player, no drummer, no guitar player... and there may not be if I deem it what I want. It's all so confusing, I'm taking inspiration in the instrumentation from Rocky Votolato, Ben Gibbard's solo stuff, Good Old War, The Weepies, and Ingrid Michaelson in terms of figuring out what will sound good. Hopefully that'll all fall into place organically.

There's also the artwork portion of it. I'm thinking about doing some sort of mixed-media thing for it, but that's going to be a TON of work (though I'm kind of excited about it). There isn't going to be the whole jewel-case thing with inserts and stuff, I think I'm just going to package it all in a cardboard sleeve and put all the lyrics and etc stuff on the website (There will be an extension from The Scarlet Ending's website for mine and my sister's solo pages). So basically, I just have to come up with the design for the front and back of the cd, and the website. Still a lot of work, but pumped. Paul will be taking some test shots for it while he's here to do the 2nd half of the TSE photo shoot this weekend.

So much work to do, getting a brain ache from taking notes on all these songs! I'll update you as the progress of this album, tentatively titled "Burrower" comes along.

Back to Basics

2009-08-31T20:14:00.002-04:00

After what seems like a real hectic past few weeks (and a few big shows), we are kind of settling back into just having music going on. Although I have had to give up having more work (basically no paychecks from here until tour), I feel as though it's the best decision for us so that we are as productive as possible before we leave. It was pretty awesome getting up this morning, rehearsing for a bit, working out, and then going to practice. I love being able to spend that much time on music, and not being rushed with work. I know right now it's sort of a necessary evil, and yes, I will miss having an income, no matter how small, but I'll keep up with some graphic design work between now and then that should cover my minimal spending habits.

Kiel leaves for LA on Friday morning I believe, so tomorrow and Wednesday day I'll be in the studio with him so that he can put drum tracks down for my solo album. I've been working pretty slowly on it (not for any particular reason), but after realizing how soon he leaves, and knowing I'd like for him to play on it, it's kind of put me in fast-forward. I think that's a good thing also though, it'll be really nice to get that cd rolling, and even better for my publishing deal (I hope!) since it's a lot poppy-er than the TSE stuff that's on the upcoming album. Either way I'm excited about it, being able to write pop music and indie music and even dabbling in the electronic-type stuff is really keeping things refreshing constantly. It's awesome being surrounded by so much music.

We had an amazing rehearsal today, being an acoustic one for 3 hours then having the band join up for a few hours to work on one brand brand new song and a cover for the tour. It's days like today where we all really feel like it's coming together beautifully, and being this prepared and ready is going to make the tour so much less stressful.

So... yeah. Tomorrow it's gonna be sleep until 8:30, work out, catch up on some tv, get to the studio, rehearse at 4:30, and I'll probably do that again on Wednesday. Even though it's not the most financially stable job in the world, I am lucky to be able to do it.

Some introspection on shows

2009-08-30T17:22:00.003-04:00

This past week has really got me thinking a lot about the band, music, and really just playing shows in general. Being a local band with a small indie label, management and booking are not things that come easily; every contact you make, thought it may be a step in the right direction, seems sometimes to only be one tiny step. Kaleena and I (as well as our label) do a lot of legwork and networking at showcases like SXSW, and I sent out emails like a madman to people of interest. We have been fortunate enough to have just about everyone in the industry who has heard us tell us that they like it, would want a demo, etc, and when we tell them all the accomplishments we've made they seem impressed. But then, usually always comes the "Keep on doing what you're doing, because seems to be working." Now, that's all fine and dandy, and it's a nice little pat on the back to let us know that we're doing something right, but at some point and time that next step is what we'd like to attain, not just keep on doing what we're doing.

The only thing that I've learned so far from the music industry is this: it's all about being in the right place at the right time. If you are, it will only take 30 seconds, if that. That's how we got our overseas tour and our mtv licensing deal. They heard 30 seconds of our demo. Even I thought it was crazy, but it's how it is. And ever since something started happening for us, we view every person, every submission, every business card we hand out as a lottery. It's tough to win the lottery, but the more tickets you have (or in this case given out), the more likely you are to win. I also asked Matt Caws of Nada Surf what his best advice would be to an aspiring band with a small label would be, and his response was simply "Write a great fucking album." So I guess I've learned two things, the lottery thing and the album thing.

The Mother Mother show was a really great one for us not only because it was with one of our favorite bands, but because we actually succeeded in a sense to make it happen for ourselves. Kaleena and I met them all at SXSW (thanks to the wonderful Jason Sanders who we also met at the festival), and had the opportunity to interview them for his documentary on Canadian music. From then I kept in touch with Mother Mother's drummer, Ali, and every once and again would hear from him or send a message.

A couple of weeks ago, my sister noticed that they were playing Cortland, NY, and that by some stroke of fate their opener had dropped out. Immediately I sent an email to the venue, and shot Ali a message as well. The venue didn't respond to me before Ali, and he then gave me their manager's info and he and I sent her an email to make it happen. Sure enough, I heard back from their manager saying the venue would contact us, and bam- we're on the show.

I cannot even express how happy we were to be on the bill, not only because it was them but because we made it happen. The show was absolutely amazing, and all the guys in the band not only greeted us when we walked in but remembered our names (!!) and everything. Being such a small band without much 'manpower' behind it, it is so touching and means so so much to be remembered by musicians a little higher up on the ladder of success. They stayed for our whole set (and by the way, the crowd at this show was amazing for us... thank you so much!), and even mentioned during their set that they met us at sxsw and contacted us about being on the show, and that they were glad we got on. It was seriously a dream come true and a breath of fresh air to be treated that way by other musicians; it seems that even local bands don't give off that much respect to their peers.

On a slightly different note, a few friends of mine called me last minute to let me know of two extra tickets to see The Fray at the New York State Fair. I was at the studio at the time, so I had to run home pretty quick to get out there on time. On the way home, I was talking to my dad about them. We opened for The Fray a few years at the Balloonfest, and they were such amazing and sweet people. Isaac stayed for our whole set (even missing a radio interview to see us), and I broke a string during my set, and David (who was the guitar tech at the time) came to the front of the stage and offered me one of their guitars to use for the rest of it. We were absolutely starstruck; not only because it was a top 40 band that we liked and were sharing a bill with, but because of their kindness and humility... we were freshman in college at the time, we never once expected anything like that.

So anyways, my dad and I were chatting, because Our Lady Peace had to drop off due to a family emergency (hope everything is okay). He said, "It's too bad that you guys couldn't keep in touch with those guys. Maybe something could have worked out with them not having an opener." Which sparked a conversation where first off, I stated "They've played so many shows with so many bands since then, I highly doubt they even remember it," and then stemmed to a band of that level's ability to really keep in touch with smaller acts. At first, perhaps it's possible- we sent a few myspace messages back and forth with David for a short while afterwards, but then major labels kick in, managers kick in, booking agents kick in. Is a wall up from then? And then once you reach a level of success that they are at now, does the wall come back down? You'd think they'd be able to get whatever and whoever they'd like at shows. But if that's the case, is the waiting period before and after the wall is up or down short enough to keep up communication?

Oh, so many questions. And just as many nonanswers. So we went to the show (and had great seats, 25th row-- 3 rows into the incline of the grandstand so we were just above floor level), and sure enough a Syracuse band was the opener. I didn't catch their name and I'm not familiar with them, but it was a pretty awesome opportunity for them. I'm not jealous or envious, because either way it's a great thing for them, and whatever or whoever it is that got them that slot-- well they were in the right place at the right time.

So anyways, The Fray went on and were really quite good. They were about halfway through their set when Isaac stopped and said, "You know, one of the first shows we played out of our homestate was in Upstate New York. I think that was the last time we were here, it was at the Balloonfest 5 years ago. We sucked back then." My jaw just dropped. They remembered the show. My dad had 1 point, I had 0. I don't know why I thought for some reason once you get 'famous' your memory is depleted and shows just become a thing you do every day in a different city every day, but I still must think that the people that are a part of them must just all blur together. Isn't that just how we all are anyway? If you're a cashier at a store, or a movie ticket-taker, or a waitress, will you really truly remember anyone 5 years from now?

So, here I sit. On my couch, fresh from the second day of the fair. I'm full, feel like shit from all those sweet potato fries, and could really use and extra 8 hours of sleep considering I haven't slept all that much from the Mother Mother show Friday night since we got home around 4am. We have an album that we're working on, and it's our prime focus for the next couple of weeks. We all are so confident and passionate about it, that I think once it's out we'll get even more lottery tickets. And that's when we can really start pushing for management and booking, because up until this point we've gotten the interest, but don't have the physical goods to back it up. Soon we will though, and hopefully we can continue to make things change for us. Booking and management is really something that we need to help us get to that 'next level.' As much as I believe bigger labels can do things like that for you, it's teams like that that I really believe make the difference.

I truly believe that if we are ever lucky or blessed enough to attain a level of success that would cause us to be 'that' band for anyone else, we will make sure that they are given the respect and help that bands can give when they are in a position to do so. Similarly, I hope those bands know what it is that they did for us, and how much it really meant to us. It is experiences like the ones we had with Mother Mother, or like we did with The Fray 5 years ago that give bands like us hope, and make us feel like all isn't lost, because at one point and time they were there. The only difference is that at some point in time, they were in that right place.

Relaxing weekend before a long week

2009-08-23T22:29:00.002-04:00

I started pruning Christmas Trees out in Pompey this week with my sister, which is a really physically demanding job (though not so much as unloading trucks), but the sun really drains you out there! It's pretty relaxing just spending the day in an open field, listening to my ipod, breathing in the pine and enjoying summer breezes. The downside? Like I said, the heat, having sunburns in and on the back of your ears, the bugs, and the snakes (yep... snakes). But it's been great having a temporary job for the next couple of weeks, and so you really won't hear this girl complaining! :)

I went out to Rochester for the weekend to see the boyfriend (it's been 2 weeks since I've seen him!), and had a really great time. We went out to dinner with his family on Friday night, and on Saturday our friend and my other blogmate Casey came out and we went shopping, got some ice cream, and sat in a park, and grabbed some yummy mexican food before going to our friends' (Dasha) show at a coffee shop. It was a lot of fun to see a bunch of friends, even if the show started like 3 hours later than it was supposed to.

Today I met up with my friend Annie for some coffee at this amazing little coffee shop in Rochester (Starry Nites Cafe). This summer has really been good to me in regards to getting to know a few new people, even though it seems I rarely have time to really hang out (I'm trying to get better at that! But alas, my schedule is so difficult to plan things, even with the boy). After that I headed home and got really productive, doing some work for LaTresse so that I didn't have to cram it into this week, practicing, and getting a few odds and ends wrapped up.

This weeks is going to be NUTS. But I'm hoping it'll all go well, and will end up being far less stressful as it seems. We'll be working Mon-Thurs 8:30-2:30 at the tree farm, then having rehearsal 4:30-8ish or so. This week is starting our hardcore practice regiment, and then on Friday I have a meeting in the morning and then we have our Mother Mother show in Cortland that we are soooo so pumped for. My aunts and uncle from Long Island are also coming up this weekend to go to the show and the fair, and I'm really excited about seeing them. The only downside to this weekend is that my really good friend Paige who moved out to Maryland will be home (in Rochester) for the weekend, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to swing it :( We shall see!!

In the meantime I'm keeping things positive. It's going to be great getting a paycheck, and the show is going to be awesome.

My stay at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany

2009-08-17T20:58:00.001-04:00

The nicest place I've ever stayed would have to have been the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany.

We were on tour in Germany this past summer, and luckily enough for us we had not only a show here but a day off as well. It's in this amazing little town, and the location of the resort is right at the base of an Alp. There were gorgeous coffee shops and chocolate shops lining cobblestone streets, and we rented bicycles to drive through the town and through some farmland by the mountains. It was absolutely stunning. The rooms were spotless, roomy, and every morning the sun crept through the windows to such a breathtaking view that you had to pinch yourself. Living in Upstate New York, you don't see huge snowcap mountains very often in your backyard :)

New Show!

2009-08-17T14:04:00.002-04:00

Here is the flyer for the Mother Mother show on Friday, August 28 at Lucky's in Cortland.

Let me know if you'd like tickets, they are $10 in advance and $12 at the door!!

TSE Photo Shoot and Girl's Weekend!

2009-08-16T20:16:00.007-04:00

Holy no time this week! It's been a blur of so many random events, but busy has in this case been good- and productive.

Sunday evening our friend and incredibly gifted photographer Paul Williams came into town, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we pretty much did solid 14 hour days of prepping, test shots, and photos. And let me just say, they turned out AMAZING! Perhaps we'll leak a few in a little while, but in the meantime, here are some 'behind the scenes' photos that I or webmaster Matt managed to grab:

Aaron, Jon and I giving some 'tude to the camera

Our test shoot facility

E giving Butterscotch some love... he made a cameo in the shots!

Kaleena getting ready for her shots

Paul, Jess, and I setting up Jess' "stage"

On Wednesday one of my besties from Fredonia, Jonell, came up and got to see firsthand a bit of what was going on with the shoot. We grabbed China King (she really hadn't spent a lot of time in Syracuse and I had to introduce her to the most amazing vegetarian sesame chicken I have ever had), and 'hung out' even though I was super busy until we wrapped at about 12am.

The next day we loaded up the car, I ran a few (million) errands, and we made the trek up to Renssalaer Falls, NY (It's close to Canton) for her annual Girl's Weekend. All the women in her family get together on this specific weekend and drink wine, play dress up, hang out in the river, etc... it was amazing. I won't elaborate too much because I'm sure over the course of this week I'll get some photos that can do the talking for me :)

In addition to having that wonderful weekend away (with limited cell service, so it really was a 'vacation away') I got the most amazing email. By chance my sister realized that one of ours and our band's favorite band, Vancouver-natives Mother Mother, was playing a show in Cortland soon. From there, we discovered that the opening band had cancelled. I immediately contacted the venue, and the drummer who I had met at SXSW this year, and the day I left for the falls I was notified that we were going to be on the bill!! Agh!! So so so so so excited. It's on August 28, and I'll post more details as I get 'em. All I can tell you is that the past week has made me start thinking that things are turning themselves around, and I really am into it.

This week seems relatively uneventful, doing some work Mon-Fri, then heading out to Rochester to visit boyfriend. Looking forward to making some money (yay paychecks!) and hanging out with the fam :)

8.9.09

2009-08-09T20:32:00.001-04:00

Good times for a change
See, the luck I've had
Can make a good man
Turn bad

So please please please
Let me, let me, let me
Let me get what I want
This time

Tour Postponed, keeping busy

2009-08-07T08:59:00.002-04:00

I feel as though I go in spurts of being good at updating this thing, and then... not. I guess I've fallen into a bit of busy-ness that is keeping in me on my toes and away from the computer screen when it is that I can be.

What's been going on:

-Tour got postponed 30 days due to visa and other issues out of our control. Although a lot of people were bummed, I'm looking at this like everything happens for a reason and with the delay we can focus our efforts on finishing up our album and getting more prepared for everything ahead of us. We've been in the studio for a couple of days finishing the tracks we have drums for already and when E gets here next week we plan on having her record as much as she can so that we can get this thing finished already!

-Promo/cd photo shoot is coming up this week. So excited, but soo much planning. I need to get myself over to Home Depot to start buying supplies. And I wish that all the new clothes I ordered for the shoot would get to my house, I never even received a confirmation email or receipt, but they deducted the cash from my account... ugh. Get here.

-I feel as though I could write a book (very similar to the one I just finished reading called "A Working Stiff's Manifesto") on all the real random jobs I've taken since trying to become a full-time musician. In addition to mascot for health fairs (yep, I've been in a costume), maintenance worker, Christmas tree decorator, garden center employee, graphic designer, landscaper, and construction runner, I have also just been employed on a short stint as a house cleaner, pottery assistant, and I start my work as a Christmas tree pruner next week. I feel as though all these jobs are making me a lot stronger both physically and mentally, and whenever it is that I get a 'real' 40 hour a week or 'real' paying job, I'm going to be floored at how much money will be coming in. I've been used to not spending money from these jobs, I can't even imagine how easy saving money will be when money starts rolling in.

And a lot of other stuff. I did go and visit my old pottery teacher (who I'm helping get ready for the big Caz pottery fair) today, and she gave me a lot of inspiration to get back into art, and so I picked back up on one of my paintings and am feeling great about it. I also got a lot of latresse work done and so yesterday she gave me a haircut, color, and lowlights as a barter for some of the work! I'm trying desperately to see the good in everything, and I figure that things can only be so hard for so long... it's about time that things come around, and I think now that we can focus on all of this it will.

Today's plan is to help out Millie at the pottery shop from 10 until whenever she doesn't need me or until 4 when I run over to La Tresse and get her some of the design files. Michael is heading up tonight and we're going to go and see (500) days of summer this evening. I've been looking forward to seeing this movie for a long time :)

Iron Cupcake World Voting OPEN!

2009-07-30T13:58:00.003-04:00

Hey guys!!

I just wanted to quickly blog about the Iron Cupcake World competition for this month is now open! So pleaseee vote for my lemongrass cupcake (you can vote for my blog on the right hand side, as well as two other recipes should you so choose). I would really appreciate your support, so thank you in advance!!

The link is right here.

Frosted Mini Wheats is a cereal suitable for every meal

2009-07-26T22:54:00.001-04:00

Let's clear this topic up even further. I firmly believe that breakfast in general is a very flexible meal, and all foodstuffs that are under the 'breakfast umbrella' don't just make solid meal decisions for any time of the day, but great ones. On any random evening I choose to make an omelet, and for lunch a bowl of oatmeal will often suffice.

Frosted Mini-Wheats

Frosted Mini Wheats, however, are my most recent choice in favorite cereals that can undoubtedly be served for breakfast, brunch, or brinner (or bressert). Just think about how transcendent this cereal is; depending on milk-to-cereal ratios, it can be crunchy, firm but soft at the same time (an enigma), or incredibly mushy. It knows no cereal-eating enemy. It can work for everyone, and it works for me all the time.

Show Weekend!

2009-07-26T22:26:00.008-04:00

Welp, tse has been up to quite a bit over the past few days. First off, I'd like to introduce to you the wonderful Ms. Elisa Seda, who will be playing with us from now through the overseas tour. She has been up since Wednesday rehearsing like crazy for the Forsaken Generation show, and had an AMAZING hotel room that was 2 levels (with a spiral staircase):

So basically, in addition to the bottle of wine you see in the above picture, we've been providing her with some band bonding time. And by 'band bonding' time, we mean band dinners. Because as you all know, a band that eats together, stays together. In case you don't know us all very well, we all share a common enjoyment in eating and/or preparing food. So I made black bean sliders and Jon made some homemade guacamole during one of our all-day rehearsals.

And on Saturday, we went out to Thornden Park to partake in the all day Forsaken Generation show. The weather held up nicely (basically until the end of our set haha), but we managed to have wayyy too much fun over the course of the day, both at the park, where we decided sharpie mustaches were appropriate:

To our guitar center run, where Ollie's 25 cent machine provided a much more realistic and horrifyingly disgusting alternative:

We then all went out to China Road and got the most AMAZING vegetarian 'chicken' I have ever had (see, we really do love eating together), and headed back to the show. It was so cool getting to be a part of the cause, and the show itself was at a really cool location. I don't know if you've ever been around the Thornden Park area, but there's a huge stone ampitheatre and stage, and it's just a really amazing place to have a show. The set went really well (only had to cut 1 song due to rain), and from then on we had a record-setting load in to our vehicles as we escaped what ended up being a pretty heavy downfall.

Don't forget that if you missed us we're playing in Syracuse this coming Friday at Funk n Waffles with White Picket Fence and Oh The Story. Once I get a flyer and more details I'll post.

Michael came up for all this weekend's shenanigans as well, and I'm hoping to get out to Rochester a couple days this week. I know it still seems like such a long way away until tour, but I'll only have a couple free weekends from here on out (rehearsing about 40 hours a week starting August 1st) and I want to see him as much as possible. Other than that and a few job appointments I don't have anything else going on, and I figure this is the last 'week' that I can say that before we return from SW Asia. I'm getting more and more excited every day, and as long as we can get all the paperwork and equipment squared away I will be a very happy camper :)

Garage Sale-ing

2009-07-22T11:01:00.004-04:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything really substantial about my life, but I think I'm finally starting to get it together. I don't even remember what day it was (sad, isn't it?) but our yellow lab, Bently, had to get rushed to the dog vet after having another breathing attack. He was ten years old, but still keeping it together, and after a night in the hospital the family came to a very difficult decision that it was his time to go.

It was really hard for me, he was really my buddy and it's taken a lot out of me. The past year has been really crazy, and having to come to terms with life not always going the way you want it to on top of numerous trying times and tragedies it's been... really rough. I miss him so much.

It's been a really difficult summer for my family, but through everything we've been through it's a constant reminder how lucky and blessed we are to have everything that we do. My mom underwent a pretty serious surgery, and thank goodness everything went well and now she is better. Being diagnosed with a cancer (though operable) is really really emotionally straining on everyone involved, and having to go to wakes and funerals and just knowing other people who passed over the past few months from this terrible disease didn't make it any better.

But, onward and upward. I've been quoting so many cliches lately. When it rains it pours. Life goes on. Everything happens for a reason. Live every day like it's your last. All dogs go to heaven.

I'm sick of being sad, sick of being frustrated, and ready to get my running shoes on and start up the minivan. I've spent too long allowing all the bad things in life to control my feelings and actions. We're all still here, and every day is a gift.

That being said, I am trying to surround myself with friends and things that make me happy. I went downtown with my mom and sister yesterday, and I tried selling back a box of like 30 used cds (to which sound garden took 1... an unopened sevendust album. don't ask), and I got a whopping 5 bucks. But either way, I got season 2 of 30 rock, stopped by the chocolate store, and went to pasta's and got some bread and sauce for dinner.

That night I also spoke to NYC photographer Paul Williams, who took some AMAZING shots of the group at our Arlene's show, and he's going to be coming out for a week in August to shoot our album artwork. That means dresses and pictures and dressing up and he and I are heading all the concepts... I am so excited.

My family is having a garage sale this Friday and Saturday, and I've also been viewing that as an opportunity to get rid of things that I don't need or don't wish to be attached to anymore. It's oddly freeing, even if just to get rid of old cds, hoodies, etc. I have also decided to give up a hobby of mine, sewing, and I'm getting rid of all my old lace, fabrics, ribbons, etc. The DIY period of my life has come to an end, and I realized I have to pick and choose what I do in my free time. I have picked music first, and if I have time to get back into it, painting and drawing. Cooking will always be around, but I just don't have the time or space to devote to making dresses or bags or anything else anymore. I have a sweet sewing machine though, so if I ever change my mind the craft store isn't too far away :)

Oh, sigh. I need more happy. I need to feel like I'm enjoying the summer. And I don't think it's ever too late to start, so here I go.

What my ride needs is ... a ride.

2009-07-21T09:36:00.001-04:00

Let's see, what would make my car better?

PT Cruiser

... I think title and Registration in my own name would be a great start! That would just be grand... because if I had my own vehicle, it would just be the greatest ride I could ever dream of. I'd decorate it with pretty cupcake bumper stickers, it would smell amazing (as I'm not allowed to have air fresheners in my current vehicle), it would be clean all the time (I'm a neat freak when it comes to my car, but I can't clean the mini van all the time because of how much band stuff it accumulates in like a week), it would be all girlyyyy... ooooh it would be amazing. And someday, it will happen. I can promise you that. So, in a year or a few, watch out for that sassy lady driver in a pt cruiser or other small vehicle with a hatchback, with sweet air fresheners and bumper sticker art out the wazoo.

I'll read 'The Great Gatsby' one day

2009-07-21T09:30:00.001-04:00

Ever since graduating I've been telling myself that I will start to read more... and I have. To a degree. Maybe. Well, okay, so maybe reading half a book doesn't really count, but still, I'm readinggg. I'm just setting myself up to be able to tackle a whole one, all in the same time period. I think that's why I'm putting off reading "The Great Gatsby."

No real delay...it's sitting on my nightstand. I've been meaning to get around to it, but it's just been one of those things. I suppose one reason I haven't started it just yet is that I've been on a kick of finishing all the books I've BEEN reading for the past 3 years (I have a tendency to read like 5 books at a time and never really finish any of them). I've been told I'll enjoy this book, so maybe before the end of the summer it'll happen.

Iron Cupcake July!

2009-07-19T21:40:00.004-04:00

So, as everyone knows, I am in love with baking, and more specifically, baking and eating cupcakes. Through all of my online research for ideas and recipes, I stumbled upon Iron Cupcake World. Basically, similarly to the 'Iron Chef' television show, anyone who is interested can become a member, and once a month a new ingredient is introduced to which you need to create a cupcake including or showcasing that specific ingredient. Without any hesitation I immediately joined and got moving, after all, what isn't a good reason to bake and create cupcakes at least once a month? :)

The July ingredient was "herbs" so immediately I thought to use something refreshing and summery, and lemongrass was the first thing that came to my mind.

Lemongrass is most commonly used in Thai food, and from even more research I found that it is rarely used in making baked goods. Oh, and it’s really stringy, so after playing around with a few tries the best way to get some of the flavor of it was to boil it down in order to incorporate it into the recipe. I also added some lemon zest so that the lemon flavor would really 'pop' in the cupcake, and incorporated the rest of the lemongrass ‘juice’ that I created from the lemongrass into the icing so that the lightness of that herb would carry through.

I tend to bake a lot of vegan treats, so I am no stranger to substituting apple sauce for eggs and using earth balance or margarine for butter. And even though I am entertaining a group of non-vegans tonight, I wanted to have the sweetness of applesauce with the sourness of the lemon and lemongrass, so I did include an egg in there to fill the recipe out, but overall I think I prefer applesauce (and if you do decide to make this vegan, make sureeee you put enough baking powder in there!)

For the icing, I tend to go with a non-buttercream frosting so that it can last longer out of the fridge, and if you so choose to get crafty and decorate it will stiffen up nicely.

Lemongrass Cupcakes

1 stalk lemongrass

1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar

3 tbsp applesauce

4 tbsp butter, softened

1 lemon

1 egg

½ tsp baking powder

For the icing:

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 lb confectioner's sugar

lemon zest

Cut the stalk of lemongrass into 1-2” pieces, and boil on high for 5 minutes in 1 cup of water. Turn off heat and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, applesauce, and butter in a mixing bowl
Remove lemongrass stalks from the water and put 2 tbsp of the ‘lemongrass juice’ into the mixture
add zest of ½ a small lemon, 1 egg, baking powder, and mix until smooth
Add food coloring if you desire (I added a few drops because I tend to be overly-festive and love foods with bright colors)
cook on 375 for 15 minutes or until the tops begin to brown

For the icing:

Using a mixer, blend together 1 cup of vegetable shortening and 1 lb of confectioner's sugar
add 3 tbsp of the lemongrass 'juice' and lemon zest to taste

I got great reviews of this cupcake at the dinner party that I catered, and think that especially for summery get-togethers or parties, lemon is the way to go. I'm so glad I found Iron Cupcake, but that's not the end of it just yet -- I need your help!

Iron Cupcake holds votes for 5 days afters the baking period ends (the 24th of every month at 12 noon). And all of the bakers are competing for a really great prize pack:

Our July ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
A delicious treat from CIRCLEMONKEY http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335273
a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

So starting then, if I may be so bold, PLEASE click on the badge below and vote for my cupcake!! Tell your friends, and if you try out the recipe let me know what you think!!

Thanks guys!!

100th Post!

2009-07-15T22:35:00.003-04:00

The past 36 hours have been pretty crazy, and right now I am in desperate need of some sleep and I think as soon as I finish this up that's where I'll be headed. Yesterday morning I woke up at 4:45am to head out to Jess' to meet up before we left. It was Michael, Kaleena, Jess, and myself in his car on the way there. Us...and the trailer.

Now, I love New York City, but when you're with a car, and a trailer, and a few thousand dollars worth of musical equipment, it's pretty much like traveling to NYC with a small child. You can't leave it anywhere, you have to feed it (the parking meter) every two hours (which therefore means you can't go too far either), and be responsible for it 24 hours a day. Especially where we were, it was all metered parking, and if it was overnight it was at risk of being ticketed after 7am. Jess was amazing for dealing with the vehicle... no wonder why I get stressed out so much!

So we got into the city before noon, and Michael and I met up with Paul Williams at an organic macrobiotic restaurant (Souen). I got some really interesting (but tasty!) cornbread, cabbage salad, and veggie sushi. Then we went to a comic book store and went back to the venue.

We managed to get an early soundcheck, and then Leena and I headed back to the hotel to quickly get changed and not look like we'd been in a car since 6am, got back to the venue and got things ready.

Overall I don't think we could have asked for a better show. There was a line out the door right before we went on, we played an amazing set, the energy was amazing and the crowd was as well. There were so many friends, family members, and music people that it really blew my mind. The following hour was me saying "thank you" to everyone who came out, meeting new people that I didn't know who came out to see us, and loading up all our equipment.

Another 'thing' about nyc shows - when we play, it's almost like your graduation party, where you have your current best friends, your old best friends, your family friends, and your family all there to see you, and you're trying to figure out the best way to see everyone and not seem like a hermit and only talk to a few. That being said, I just walked to the back of the bar and yelled "WHO WANTS PIZZA?? WE'RE LEAVING IN 5, GET OUTSIDE!!" and thankfully, a crew of my friends from school, home, and otherwise came out and we had pizza and then went to a bar until they had to catch their trains. It was such an amazing night, and if you were there, I really cannot thank you enough for everything :)

Crazy Day!

2009-07-13T21:46:00.002-04:00

Today started off simple enough, or at least seemed like it was going to be. We met the guys at Carousel this morning to help Jon go shopping for the show tomorrow (gotta love it when guys go shopping for shows), and on the way home, we saw a family of ducks trying to cross the intersection of Taft and Buckley Road (really really busy streets). So, Jon jumped out of the car to help them across the street and 5 babies ended up falling into a storm sewer because they kind of freaked out. Immediately (thank goodness other people were paying attention), we parked the car close by and tried to get them out. Things weren't working, so Jon and Aaron went to a pool store conveniently right down the street, bought a few skimmers, and were back at it. I ran to Subway, explained my situation to the guy working, and he managed to give me a whole loaf of bread to try and lure them out (how awesome is that?!)

Unfortunately we still weren't able to get them out, despite 2 sheriffs RIGHT AT OUR STOP LIGHT (one of them was on their phone, so yanno, I can understand the lack of observation), so we went back to Jess' to practice, and Aaron called the city who later called them back asking which sewer because they were going to rescue them. So happy that they called us back, it really makes me upset when people just ignore what's going on around them.

So then Jess and I ran to the rental place to pick up a wireless device for my violin and arrange to pick up a drum kit for rehearsal at the end of the week. We got back, practiced, then ran out and rented a Uhaul trailer for the show. Then I came back to Jess', we ran the set again, loaded up and headed out.

Kaleena and I had to run a few more errands before we got home around 8pm (we started the day at 9am so it's been busy... and I had nothing to eat but some cake Jon brought over!), so now I'm exhausted and packing and waiting for Michael to get here because we're leaving at 6am tomorrow.

OOOh I am looking so forward to this show. I can't wait to see friends and family and anyone else and go to Red Bamboo... tomorrow will be wonderful.

That's funny

2009-07-12T10:55:00.001-04:00

When it comes to the question of what makes someone funny to me, I really think that a big part of that is the person's outward ability to be themselves no matter where they are. Being composed all of the time isn't necessarily the best way to be, and if you're out having a grand old time and other people can see that, chances are they will too. Laughter and happiness is contagious, and I think that being able to come out of your shell and being a little more outgoing is awesome. The best reference I've seen as of late is in the film "Away We Go," where Burt (John Krasinski) and his wife (Maya Rudoph) are in Phoenix visiting her sister. There's a scene where Burt is on his cell phone on a business call, steps away from the table on an outdoor patio, and puts on leg up on the edge of the patio (about a foot or two off the ground). For some reason, he starts to do lunges, not really intentionally doing anything to gather attention, but holy crap I couldn't stop laughing. My boyfriend even mentioned it to me after the movie, wondering why it was so funny. Being yourself and letting it shine through and just doing what you do is in my opinion the most amazing trait, and oftentimes will go hand in hand with making someone smile and/or laugh.

Weekend

2009-07-12T10:18:00.003-04:00

The past few days have been kind of busy for me, and oddly enough it wasn't really because of anything to do with the band. I have just been kind of getting myself back into the grind with having my computer back, and therefore having a lot of work to do for Hafner's and LaTresse.

Let's bring it back to Wednesday, first off. My mom had a dinner party for some members of her twins club (go ahead, laugh, it's okay), so naturally I offered to cater it. My list of 'foods to create' was just snacky kinds of things, no actual meal, but still, I wanted it to be interesting. So I made:

-roasted chick peas with ranch and garlic seasoning
-spinach and artichoke dip
-my mom made some taco cream cheese sort of wraps
-and we had a platter of hummus and crackers

I also made the dessert, but you'll find out what those were either later on today or tomorrow... you'll see why.

Surprisingly enough (none of the people there were veggie), everyone liked everything, and if you haven tried roasting chick peas ( I certainly hadn't before) DO IT. They're pretty awesome, and it's pretty minimal in terms of work. All you have to do is drain and strain a can of chick peas, pat them dry, and put them on a cookie sheet with some olive oil. Bake them at 350 for about 30 mins or until they get crunchy, and that's it! I chose to put some ranch dressing seasoning on it because of my recent obsession with snack mixes, but it's really all your call.

Thursday didn't really include too much 'new' stuff. I have taken on a part-time job with my dad's construction company as a runner to and from delivery companies and job sites. I actually really enjoy it, because it pretty much consists of a couple hours of a road trip by yourself along back country roads, where you can listen to whatever you want, or take great joy in the random street names and towns you pass thanks to my gps (I found a 'Doo' drive. AND it was in 'Suckersville.' I laughed for easily 10 minutes, and then thought about my level of immaturity and decided it was a good thing afterall). Then we had trivia night, and although the whole team didn't make it out a good amount of us did and we managed to place 3rd.

Friday I did some computer work, and then found out that Michael didn't have to work on Saturday (he got a job at a music store), so I decided to come out for the night so that we could hang out. I really enjoy that I have the ability to come out for a night to go on a date or just hang and then come back the next day... yay for not having a boyfriend 1000 miles away anymore! We went out to the Little theatre in Rochester and saw Woody Allen's "Whatever Works."

Now, I can't say I was disappointed with the film by any means because I do enjoy Woody Allen films, but I don't really believe it was his best. I've heard from some people that it would have been a better casting decision to have Woody Allen play the character portrayed by Larry David, and though I agree to some extent I also have a case for believing that the character was very uniquely Larry David. The overall acting was a bit sub-par to me, but I do think this has something to do with my common criticism of his work that the scripts would be much better served as a stage play. I did enjoy it, it was oddly reminiscent of "Manhattan," but our choices for the evening were this or "Food, Inc." and although I truly want to see the latter, we opted for a more upbeat one.

The Little theatre could very well become my favorite place in Rochester. It is absolutely amazing in my opinion (though I see to fall in love with any indie theatre), but the fact that it's an old warehouse-turned theatre is just so wonderful. Agh, I love it. Will return several more times.

Saturday ended up being pretty rainy, but lucky for us the rain seemed to stop as soon as we entered the Corn Hill area for the Corn Hill Arts fest. This was the underlying reason I wanted to go to Rochester this weekend, so I was so happy that we could make it, and that the weather was in our favor. Basically it's a festival lining the streets of this really unique and older homes area of Rochester right on the edge of the city, with hundereds upon hundereds of artisans, painters, potters, jewelery makers, etc. It is so much fun, and especially because I will be missing out on the NY State Fair this year I have to indulge myself in as many of these as I can.

When I returned home around 5:30 that afternoon, my dad and sister were getting ready to go on an organized ghost hunt of the Rolling Hills Sanitarium outside of Rochester, so I wished them luck and they actually didn't return home until 8am today. I'll have to find out how all of that went. My mom and I, choosing not to see any 'shadow people,' spent the evening shopping, after which she bought me a variety pack of Woodchuck Cider (go team), and we went home and watched the first half of season 1 of "Samantha Who?" Ah, the wonderful things that happen when evenings turn into "Girls Night In's."

Believe it or not, I haven't seen 'The Big Lebowski'

2009-07-11T18:17:00.001-04:00

So, a movie that people give me a hard time for not having seen... I'd say this would have to be the big one. That and 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.'

There really isn't any reason why I haven't seen it, and sure, I'll watch it if anyone else is down. I am pretty big on movies, so I guess it is all just a matter of time.

Friday Five

2009-07-10T12:07:00.003-04:00

I am new to this whole 'Friday Five' thing, but it seems like a lot of fun after I've read a few of Rachel's entries. And plus, I'm totally a sucker for all those internet surveys you say you hate but really, you love. Probably because along with them comes a love of procrastination, which I am engaged in as I type this. So, without further adieu, here are my Friday Five:

Where can you go for a really good bagel, and how do you like yours?
oooh, Tim Horton's 7 grain (or 9 grain...I can't remember. There's just a lot of grains in them). We had a TiHo's right by my college, and sadly I haven't been to one since. They are amazing, and slap some strawberry cream cheese on it and you have yourself dessert that can count as any meal.
What is your favorite style of doughnut?
I'm not huge on doughnuts, but every once in a while I crave the ones with cinnamon sugar on them. Thanks, Volver. I watched that movie and really only took away from it that I need more of those in my life.
What’s your favorite flavor of Lifesavers?
I haven't had Lifesavers in FOREVER. But I think maybe the red ones? Or the green...
What O-shaped breakfast cereals do you like?
Cheerios seem to be the go-to O-shaped cereal; though Oh's are pretty great if you want to have your daily recommended intake of sugar for the week before 10am.
How do you feel about onion rings, and where can you get some good ones?
I feel great about them; I just don't feel great after them. I have strayed away from overly greasy food over the past few years, but Quaker Steak and Lube has some pretty amazing ones that I seem to be a glutton for punishment for.

I don't get electricity.

2009-07-10T11:54:00.001-04:00

There are a lot of things that I don't understand, but like most everyone these days I will just go along with my every day life relatively ungrateful for these little luxuries until I really stop to think about it. But I think one that has crossed my mind fairly often is...

Electric Light Patents

How. Electricity. Works.

Whenever someone asks me this question, my response is always "You turn a light switch from the off position to the on position, usually in an upwards motion." Then ta-da! You can see in an otherwise dark room.

When I was younger I absolutely loved physics, but I think more than the concepts themselves I was drawn into it because it is a science that can be proved with math, not trusting that those little electrons and protons that you can't see are truly moving around and can predictably bond themselves into patterns ("obviously this will work because there is a double-bond between this molecule and this molecule, making it stick together FOREVER"...what??). Therefore, chemistry wasn't my forte. At all. And yeah, physics deals with a lot of those little guys, but it's moreso just using them as constants or accepted principles than actually analyzing them.

I've been told over and over again how a light switch, blender, air conditioner, and dust buster works, but alas, it is a concept I cannot grasp.

So, thank you all you national grid/niagara mohawk people for figuring everything out for me, I really appreciate everything except your monthly bills.

Ranting

2009-07-06T13:52:00.002-04:00

Welp, as per usual, I get into a rut where I forget to keep on updating this thing. It certainly hasn't helped that I don't have my laptop back yet, so I'm just going to list off a few things that I have been up to/have been on my mind.

- Not having a laptop totally sucks, but it's doing wonders for my book-reading goals of the summer.

- Got to see "Away We Go" with Michael; surprisingly enough it was at Carousel Mall. It was amazing. You should see it... and it was a lot funnier than I anticipated, which was also a huge plus.
- Baking. Doing a lot of it, as many of my friends know I gained the nickname of "Izzy" from Grey's since I go on cooking binges when I get stressed out. Orange cupcakes with lemon icing, anyone?
- Lost majorly in trivia night this past week. Where did my team go?? We need our brains back!
- Great rehearsal with Cam for the NYC show... it's going to be amazing, and I hope you can go if you're in the general area. If not, I suggest road trips! :)
- Got to see some pretty amazing fireworks in Penfield this weekend. And a cover band that actually covered Lady Gaga and The Black-Eyed Peas. Whoa.
- Found a cute little cupcake bakery in Webster, NY. Got a red velvet cupcake, and Michael got a chocolate cupcake with a hammer on it. She made gender-specific cupcakes. Love it.
- The second I get back I start to get stressed; so much work with this tour, and shuffling around people, and planning! I need yoga again. Or less junk food surrounding me on a daily basis. Or more bike rides.

...on that note, I think I'm going to get on my bike.

It's been a blur

2009-07-01T11:20:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty weird day. I had a lot to do (especially errands so that all of this AFE work gets done quickly and doesn't stress me out too much), including go to the drug store, get additional passport photos (I need to get an extension on my passport to be allowed into Saudi Arabia), go to the grocery store for the parents, get an oil change, and try and find 30 rock season 2 for a reasonable price. I succeeded in everything but the latter, though I know I can get it for a nice price on amazon, and I intend on doing that right before I leave for Asia so that I have a few hours of shows that I can watch if I need some 'alone' time or if there aren't any televisions, though I don't anticipate staying in my room while out there.

The weather has been crazy lately, though I do love storms and honestly the rain doesn't bother me when it's warm out. Other than making sure my cell phone is safe from water (killed a couple of phones that way), I really don't mind it.

Later on last night Kaleena and I went to the retirement party for our 7th grade gen. ed. music teacher, Mr. Simiele. He was one of the most influential teachers I have ever had, and was one of the driving inspirations to my sister and myself to pursue music after high school. Every year, he WROTE his own musical, and had the middle school perform it. In 1999 (7th grade for me), we both had a lead in his show, and he wrote a song for just Kaleena and I to perform in the play. We were asked by the 6th grade teacher (another wonderful music teacher, Mrs. Gerber), to come to the party and suprise him by performing it again. It's crazy to think it was over ten years ago since we performed the song last, and it was so nerve-wracking!! He and his family were sitting at a table right in front of us, and he just listened with his eyes closed and a huge smile on his face. He even cried! It was such a touching moment, and just as thankful as he was that we were there, we were just as grateful for the opportunity.

We also found out that no one is going to be replacing him next year, which means Mrs. Gerber is going to be stuck with 2 years of general ed. That is simply too much for one person to handle, and there may not be a musical for the middle school anymore because it is too much work to do. I think it's a travesty, especially in our school district, because the level of the music department in Baldwinsville has always been highly regarded. Not to mention all of the studies that have proven that a good knowledge in music helps kids excel in other areas. It's just wrong that we are going to be cutting a teacher, especially at a level where it is a formative year for kids to develop an interest in music and the opportunities that creativity can provide. Seeing a teacher write and produce a new play year after year inspired me back in the 6th grade, and it still does. That kind of effect on kids is contagious, and without someone cultivating that we may be losing a lot more than we think.

I spoke with the remaining teachers at Baldwinsville and told them that whatever steps may be needed to help with the cause of finding an additional teacher I would take (not like there's a shortage of them, I know at least a dozen music ed graduates looking for a job). It really sucks, the state of the economy right now, but I really think that cutting something like this would be far worse.

Oh, and in case you need another reminder...

2009-06-29T22:31:00.002-04:00

Our friends at the absolutely wonderful music blog, Knox Road, have posted a cordial invitation to you and yours to join us at the one and only Arlene's Grocery in New York City on Tuesday, July 14th, at 8pm. You can view the article here :)

In Memory

2009-06-29T22:12:00.004-04:00

Today was the funeral for a very good friend of the family, Dave DiMarco. He was an absolutely amazing man, who left us (as well as a loving wife and two daughters, both under the age of ten) all too soon. He was one of the most supportive, caring, and generous men I have ever met, and supported our music from the very beginning. I think one of our first shows was a dinner party held in his backyard, where we were the 'hired entertainment.' He was so kind and proud of Kaleena and I, with everything we did. He wished us well on our first trip abroad, even sending us some extra spending money to "buy a nice pair of leider hosen" in Germany. He was the person I called when I had to deal with my shitty landlords losing our housekeys for 3 months without telling us. He certainly gave me sound advice... and the landlords certainly were upset with me for sending a letter certified to their house so that there was a paper trail of this little mishap. But those are really just the tip of the iceberg, and a few things that make me smile when I think about him. The fact was, he was always there; he always loved to solve problems, and always loved to enable people to do what it was they truly wanted. He wasn't just the owner of the company my dad worked for; he was part-owner of the studio as well as the record label. He never gave up on us, and I will never forget him. Today was a really rough day for the family, and I'm sure the next few weeks and months will still hold constant reminders that he is no longer with us. There is never really much more you can say when something like this happens, but as I'm sure he knows so many people thought so incredibly highly of him, including me, and he will truly be missed.

Can't keep it a secret much longer...

2009-06-28T15:52:00.003-04:00

...if it's already out on the internet.

Agh! I was just informed that the Armed Forces Entertainment official site has listed our upcoming tour of Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia August 23 through September 16, and so now I do believe it is safe to start blurting it out in every facet of the internet world that I possibly can!

We are absolutely so incredibly excited about this opportunity. Playing for the great men and women of the Armed Forces in Germany and Greenland last summer was so much fun, and such an honor. Not to mention the idea of going out to Southwest Asia and experiencing another culture to the fullest for 24 days.

You know what else this means? Send my regards to Boys II Men, MC Hammer, saltwater taffy, and caramel apples, for I won't be making it to the New York State Fair this year. Or just freeze the last two for me, in all honesty I could do without the first half.

Last Flowers

2009-06-28T10:25:00.004-04:00

I want to take a few minutes to blog about this absolutely amazing short film by Vancouver director CJ Wallis titled "Last Flowers." I stumbled upon the trailer (click here to view it) while doing a random youtube search, to find that the cast included one of my very favorite singer/songwriters, Sarah Slean. The trailer really intrigued me, and so I contacted Wallis and as well visited his site to see some of his other work (If you get the chance, check out his short film 'Circumference' as well) to see if the film would be coming out 'in these parts' anytime soon.

Lucky me, he got back to me promptly with dates in the states for the viewing of this film, and unlucky me was told it wouldn't be playing anywhere near me unless I wanted to make the trek to Tennessee or Alabama this summer (I wish). However, yesterday I got a message from him and was honored to recieve the means to view the un-color corrected and temp version of the film, and let me tell you, I would start your cars and head south now if I were you. This twenty minute film has the punch of an epic, and stays with you long after the final moments.

It is a film about an aspiring novelist who works for a funeral home, and attends a funeral for one of his client's families. He befriends the family, and one daughter in particular who shares with him a life lesson so heavy and painful, but still so inspiring and beautiful that you're not sure whether to smile, cry, gasp, or yell at the screen (I believe my response was all of the above).

Especially with everything that's been going on in my life right now, I found this short film especially relevant, though I think that this is one of those films where you probably will always find that is the case. If you check out some of Wallis' other work you'll see that he has a true knack for tackling very sobering material with great ease and fluidity, while also creating bonds with the reader and character that seem stronger than they would logically seem from the short length of the film. Visually and cinematically he is absolutely wonderful, choosing interesting angles for shots and overall a wonderful presentation for the films.

I won't say too much more, as I don't want to give anything away, but I highly recommend this film to everyone. I am not certain as to when the U.S. will be able to view the finished product other than traveling to film festivals in the south, I will keep you posted if any opportunities are available. Here are a few additional pictures from the film that you can view from their flickr account:

No computer... again

2009-06-28T10:19:00.002-04:00

So, the past few days have been super busy, and I've been really excited that I've gotten a lot more work to do for Hafner's and La Tresse, but all of a sudden my computer cord stopped charging my battery. Thinking it must have just been the ac adapter (though still pretty pissed), I argued with ebay for a while (not on pricing or anything, just on the fact that I am paypal illiterate), got myself a few unknown charges to SEVERAL credit cards (wtf?), and finally had my dad buy me the one I needed on his account.

Sure enough, it arrived yesterday, only for me to plug it in and find that it still won't charge my computer. And what's worse, is that it will charge Kaleena's, and we have the same model. UGHHH. So this means that I will go back to Best Buy today (it's only been about 3 months since my computer broke before, and I was without it for almost a month and a half), and I AM SO NOT IN THE MOOD TO DO THIS AGAIN. So, for now, it's mom's desktop...

In other news, the band has been practicing a lottt lately, trying out some new drummers, and getting good vibes from a lot of them. It's down to the wire though, because deadlines are fast approaching and I smell another international tour ahead in our near future... more details to come by next week :)

my life as a starving artist...

2009-06-23T17:05:00.003-04:00

I think that what I'm doing right now (trying to pull off the whole 'full-time band' thing) is such an amazing opportunity, and yet it can be so difficult sometimes. It's like your job is to be creative on a daily basis, where if you're not doing something with the band you should be writing songs, like it's just 'something we do'... which it is, but lately with everything going on it's been SOOOO HARD to channel that creative part of my mind. My best songs always seem to get written in about a half hour, on some random night, like the melody and harmonies and lyrics just fall from the sky and into my lap. I wish I could control that, that would be rad and I'd probably have made some pretty sweet songs :)

The other side of this is that, being an unknown band (right now!), we're struggling to figure out the steps we have to take to bring us up to that theoried 'next step.' That step, by the way, is what everyone in the industry will tell you is what you want to attain. They may like your stuff, but they'll just tell you to keep it up and wait for the next step... I know it'll come, but goodness gracious, I wish it would quicken it's pace. Given, our album isn't out yet, and I know that when it is good things will happen... even if just for ourselves. We all truly believe in every song on this album, and think it has great potential, and every night we practice we have so many ideas about our live show, songs, interludes, etc to make us an all around better band, and make people like you all (or ten) come and see us and enjoy the experience.

Gah. This is all stemming from the fact that I have writer's block. And I hate it. At least I've been able to keep busy making banana pudding with nilla wafers and black bean soup for my mom. Both so far have been a success, though the soup tastes- and even smells - salty. Hmm.

Sigh of Relief

2009-06-22T21:41:00.002-04:00

So, today was my mom's surgery, and we've all been pretty anxious to have this day come and go. Thankfully, it all went well, and they said the procedure went fine. My dad was there since 6am, and Kaleena and I went there once she got put into her own room at 4pm, and stayed until visiting hours were over. She was in such high spirits, and looked great. She should be coming home tomorrow, so I hope to surprise her with making loads of soft foods (but not bland... I'm going to put my cooking skills to the test here) and watch lots of movies with her. She should be out of work 4-6 weeks so it will be a long recovery for her, though she'll probably fight to make it shorter :) Thanks to all of our friends and family who have been there for us!!

Don't listen to these songs alone with me, or I may embarass myself...

2009-06-22T21:39:00.001-04:00

Oh, the songs that make me tear up. Some have a good reason, some don't, and some are pretty self-explanatory if you give them a listen. I highly recommend all these songs, they are really quite amazing in their own right.

Your Ex-Lover Is Dead by Stars

I think this is one of my all-time favorite songs, because the lyrics are so incredibly simple, but they're so heartfelt and honest. It so accurately tells a story that not a whole lot of songs are really about, and does it with such emotion in the singing and phrasing that it just gets me every time. Plus, you couldn't imagine a more beautiful arrangement with all the instruments, and the video evokes an 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' type of feeling, which only adds to my reasons.

Never Is A Promise by Fiona Apple

Damn. I haven't really listened to this song in years, because I o.d'd a few years ago after going through a rough time, but this song... damn.

Love Story by Taylor Swift

Dude, it's beyond me as to why this song makes me cry. There are other songs that do the same on this album, but this one for some reason really gets to me. Maybe it's because I think the song is just really perfectly written, and I wish I could write a pop song like that too. And maybe because I've always heard it at times when I've been sad, like leaving Nashville, and so from then on I listen to it and think about that place again.

I should probably do a little elaboration...

2009-06-21T22:56:00.002-04:00

I just finished up that last blog and realized I didn't really do any sort of description of my tattoo and why I got it. Basically, it's Joan of Arc's signature. I managed to find (and research to make sure it really is hers!) it a few years ago, and I automatically thought that it would make a good tattoo for me.

I've always been fascinated by her story, and although I'm not preachy or huge into the church (I view religion as a personal thing, and don't feel that I need to share my beliefs with other people to justify what I believe or try and get people to share my beliefs). The bottom line for me is that I think you should be a good person; you should lead a good life and no matter what you believe, who you believe in (or not), you will be rewarded for doing so.

So anyways; over the past year I've gone through a lot of changes and life isn't working out in the ways that I really thought it would (does it ever?), having a constant reminder of such an amazing (and yes, it ends tragically) story and life is inspiring to me. I've always been drawn to her, even from a young age...and not for any particular reason. When a few people asked me "Why hers?" I feel like I may not give a great response ("Because I really admire her"), but it's more of a feeling towards her, her story, and what she means to me in my own life. Plus, it's not like it's a real legible or familiar signature, so I don't really have to worry about people making assumptions about who or what it is... it's just for me.

And, while I'm on another blogging kick, I thought I'd plug this book I'm reading (and thoroughly enjoying). It's called "A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember" By Iain Levison. I've always been a fan of non-fiction/essays/pop culture analysis, and his attitude and tone of this book drew me in immediately. The story is about his difficulty trying to find a job in his field (a degree in English), and how he manages to go from job to job, from fish cutter, to waiter... it's hilarious. And oddly empowering. I know everyone at some point goes through what I'm going through, but it's always nice having the reinforcement that it's the truth. And you get through it, get out of it, and move on to bigger and better things. Plus, it's real short, so good for the short attention span! (ahem... me).

Oh, summer.

2009-06-21T22:23:00.005-04:00

Alright, well as it seems I've been slacking in the blog department, I'm going to just have to sum up my week in a sort of list-recap. So, here goes:

Monday:
- Michael came out, and the band had a rehearsal. The hunt for a drummer continues, but in the meantime we had the drum tracks put on an ipod and we hooked it up to the PA system. It's pretty rad to have the tracks when we rehearse. We call it RoboCam.

Tuesday:
- Michael and I went out and met up with his friend Trevor at Strong Hearts, then I finally got to check out the new location of Sound Garden (it's been a while since I've been out there! And it's so big... I'm going to have to learn my way around.)
- I should also note that on our way out of Sound Garden we were standing next to a car in the parking lot with a woman and two small children in the back seats. She had purchased a cd, and was opening the wrapping with a serrated switchblade. Oh, Syracuse. You never cease to amaze me.
- On the way home, I thought I would check out the Halo on Marshall Street with this tattoo design I'd been carrying around in my purse for a while. I've always wanted to get it, and I just recently decided (in the wake of being broke, no job... what better idea than to drop some cash on a tattoo, right?) that I didn't know what I was waiting for. I really don't spend a lot of money on 'things' and I made sure that I would be able to have cash to spend time with friends and travel, and since I probably won't be getting a car any time soon (since I don't have a job anymore), I wanted to do this. So I walked in, talked to them, and set up an appointment for that night. It really wasn't bad at all, and getting it on my wrist really was only painful when he went over the tendons. But yeah, I fared very well :)

Wednesday:
- More band practice! And meetings... we have some awesome stuff coming up but I won't tell until it's all finalized :)

Thursday:
- My mom and sister took Bently to the vet, and once again he had a mild attack with his LP (larynx issues), so hopefully he will make it through this summer even though I know it's been getting hard for him. He's getting older, but I do love that dog so much.
- Had to go to a wake for a friend of the family's; it's always so difficult to go through times like that and their family has been in our thoughts and prayers.
- Trivia night at Edgewater. Team Pratt gained a few new members, and our 'no-cheating' strategy is leading us nowhere near number 1. But, beer is still only a buck, and I managed to get quite tipsy for not so much money at all. I'm such a lightweight, but I think that's a good thing for my wallet these days. Plus, I really needed that time with friends, and I look forward to it every week, especially since we usually practice on Wednesday so I can'd do sushi night anymore :(

Friday:
- Did some 'business' following up on some band emails and phone calls, then went out to Rochester.
- Michael and I went to Darien Lake to see No Doubt and Paramore :)
Notes:
- I have always been a fan of roller coasters, but this place really didn't impress me anymore. I hadn't been there in a long time, but the Viper was pretty darn boring. And half of the rides weren't even working.
- The Predator (wooden coaster)... you can kiss my bruised ass. I will never ride you ever, ever again. You hurt.
- The Mind Eraser. You must ride this one in the front seats to get the full effect. This ride made going to the park worthwhile.
- The concert was AMAZING. Paramore was phenomenal, and seeing No Doubt was something I've wanted to do since... 5th grade. And thankfully they only played 4 songs off "Rock Steady," one of them being the only tolerable song on the album ("Running"). Lawn seats were just fine by me, other than the sing-a-long style of all the tweens that were there to see Paramore (and you could tell... there were like 100 mini Hayley's).

Saturday:
- Hung out with Michael in a rainy Rochester. Finally got to see "Snatch."
- Great Northern Pizza Kitchen = Ravioli Pizza = YES. We just got one of these places in Fayetteville (in the Target Plaza)

- Got to see Chris, Annie, and Tommy. And their puppy, Daisy. It was awesome getting to see them all again, such good people.

Sunday:
- Back in Syracuse, cooked my dad a good Father's Day Meal, got to go on a nice long bike ride and prepare for the week ahead of me. My mom goes in for surgery tomorrow, and will be there until Tuesday. Then we have some rehearsals and a couple drummer auditions. Also I hope to be getting some work done for Hafner's and La Tresse.

New Band Stuff!

2009-06-11T17:03:00.003-04:00

Super excited about what's going on in the next few days; our new website is going live at midnight tonight (www.thescarletending.com), and we are going to be streaming a new demo on it! It will also be available on Knox Road (www.knoxroad.com), a music blog out of New York City. For those of you that have been at recent shows, the track is called "Exactly What You Want." Hope you all enjoy it!

Also, at the Westcott Theater's Bayside show this Saturday, there will be a silent auction to benefit the Shaun Luu Horrorfest. There you will be able to bid on our newest cd that is yet to be released, as well as a ticket to the cd release show! It goes to a very worthwhile cause, so please go and bid!

In addition to all that stuff going on, we have a HUGE show in NYC on Tuesday, July 14th at Arlene's Grocery. I have never in my life begged friends, family, and everyone else to come out to a show, but I am choosing this to be my exception. I formally request EVERYBODY who can make it out to please, please be there for this - it is very, very important to us!! It's at 8pm, $8, and 21 and over only. The flyer is right here, feel free to print it out if you're in that general vacinity- I will love you forever for it:

We have been practicing a ton and finishing up the preproduction over the past few weeks, and I managed to somehow make laundry a dangerous task. I slammed my middle finter (of my left hand) in the door, and really haven't been able to feel it since it happened on... Saturday? So yeah, that's been rather un-fun. But I'm hoping I'll be able to play my instruments again soon.

I also went to Rochester to see Michael for a couple of days, and got to meet up with my friends Anna (who I lived with my senior year of school), and Jimmy (who's also in a full-time band). I've been so happy for him and the success his band has been having (Polar Bear Club). They've been touring what appears to be non-stop, and are getting a ton of exposure. Also, we passed by their indie theater, The Little. It makes me so bummed that we really don't have one around here. The closest is the Manlius Art Cinema, which is about 45 minutes away from me. I really want to see The Brothers Bloom, and Away We Go, both of which are playing or will be playing at The Little. I will definitely be going to see one or both of them next time I'm out there. Oh, I miss the Opera House.

Trivia Night tonight! Our team managed to win last time, so I'm really excited about tonight... it's so nice getting out and getting together with friends, bummed that more of them can't make it tonight. And also bummed that this is the only time over the past few weeks I have been able to go out; band practice is taking over a lot of my sushi nights, and between going back and forth to Rochester it's always nice to have one night where you know what's going on.

Don't say 'Floppy' around me

2009-06-04T10:48:00.003-04:00

If you know me, you know I have three without a doubt words you shouldn't use around me unless you want me to squeak out one of those disgusting cough-gags.

Floppy
...anything using that word (besides a hat) cannot be good.

Crusty
The only thing that i good crusty is pie crust. And even then, don't use that word as a descriptor.

Moist
...combine all three of those words in a sentence and try not to gag. I dare you.

'Lovely' sounds so sweet

2009-06-04T10:48:00.001-04:00

I think I have more words that I like that I haven't mentioned, but I really enjoy words that sound classy. I long to live in the world where ladies wore pretty dresses every day and went to the 'theatre' and were called 'lovely' by their handsome gents, and call the play 'delightful'.

lovely
It's just a pretty word, and I like the way it rolls off the tongue. Same with 'delightful.'

theatre
I love still spelling words in their older form (or...canadian form, like colour, grey, etc). Just makes them look classier, but theatre I still pretty much spell like this all the time.

tennessee
mississippi, commitment, beginning... I love words that have double letters. Tennessee and Mississippi win though, they're like the jackpot of double letter words.

I'm in love.

2009-06-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

...I want you.

Spitting should be a crime

2009-06-03T16:21:00.001-04:00

I really think that spitting should maybe not be considered a crime, but be considered publicly offensive. I'd love to see some guy get a ticket for loogie-ing on the sidewalk.

Thou Shalt Not Spit

Spitting. Anywhere. Public, or in your home if people are disturbed by it. Even worse, when people audibly "prepare" for the spit.

I don't even know where I left off.

2009-05-26T20:54:00.003-04:00

It's definitely been a while since I've updated this, and I'm really not even sure how to fill in on everything that's happened since I got back from Nashville. The drive back was pretty much flawless, nothing of real importance happened and in terms of how much stuff there was in that car I'm viewing that as a great thing. Plus, we got to eat lunch in Cincinatti at this place called Melt where I got a Seitan cheesesteak sandwich with Michael's friend from Fredonia. Then when we got into NY I got dinner with one of my best friends Jonell at the Fredonia Taco Bell, which left me with that familiar feeling of stomach ache from the number of times I ate at that Taco Bell.

From there it's really been a whirlwind of working (Memorial Day weekend is the busiest time for Hafner's), practicing, recording, and repeating all of those things. I got to go visit Michael after work yesterday, and then left this afternoon to come back for practice. I really love the fact that he's closer right now, so that even if I have to only go down there for 24 hours, I can. And I can see him once a week. Which totally beats once every 2 months.

It's looking like I'll be working tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday, and practicing in between. Sushi night tomorrow, and Emily's birthday BBQ Sunday. And hopefully boyfriend again on Sunday! :)

I'm most certainly trying to just make the best of my situation, I've accepted at this point in time there is very little I have control over, so I'm just trying to smile in the face of everything else and just trying to be content and happy over what it is that I can do for myself. Like walks, visiting goat farms, car rides with npr, being hugged, and sleeping. Sleep is awesome.

2009-05-14T14:01:00.001-04:00

Road text #3: just ate at melt in cincinnati. Had a Seitan philly cheesesteak. I said no to cupcakes too, be proud. Rochester here we come!

2009-05-14T09:21:00.001-04:00

road text #2: kentucy! Its been raining heavily since we left, but it looks like its starting to clear up.

2009-05-14T08:51:00.001-04:00

Text blog #1 from the drive: on the road a bit late, eta guess from me: 10:30. Michael: 10:00. I dont wanna leave!!

Time to say goodbye for a little while...

2009-05-13T23:52:00.002-04:00

So today was our last day in Nashville. We really didn't do too much because we had to pack up the apartment and run some errands, but we did go on a few nice walks. We went down to Hillsboro Village this morning so that Michael could close out his bank account (so I went to Fido and got my coffee), and then we walked back later just to go back to the area. The walk there from his apartment (if you don't go down the main road) is absolutely gorgeous; it borders the University and this church convention center-ish place (we're not too entirely sure what it is), and then eventually you walk through Peabody College. It is SO nice. I'm going to miss this place terribly.

Later on, it was a free-for-all in Michael's kitchen. We had pasta and meatballs and broccoli, leaving only a jar of salsa in the fridge and a couple of yogurts for the morning (go us!) I always kid with him that he just has a thing for carbs, and sure enough our snacks for the ride tomorrow consist of what was left over in his cabinets: cheez-its, oyster crackers, and tortilla chips. Gotta love it.

Oh! And before I forget, we went back to Gigi's one last time, and they had this cupcake that I have always been wishing they'd have on the times I'm visiting and never do. It's called the Sugar Mama or something like that, it's basically a caramel cake with caramel icing with caramel and sugar babies on top. Overload, you may think... but I assure you it was just 100% awesome. It may be a good thing we're heading back to NY tomorrow though, because I have been eating far too many amazing cupcakes. I will be visiting the treadmill often once I return, though we do an awful lot of walking around here.

After dinner we went on one last walk around Music Row. I think the place is even more amazing after dark, with all the studios lit up beautifully, and really the place is quite dead at night. No one around, a few people walking their dogs... I keep reminding myself to take mental pictures of this place. Aghh I'm really going to miss it here.

But I promised myself that I will be back, and I will. Only next time, I'll be working here. Hopefully as a songwriter and artist. I really needed this time here, kind of a kick in the rear if you will, since being out of school. I ended up in a pretty nasty funk for a good while, and I think this is exactly what I needed to get me out. And I already have my list of potential 'reach' apartments, though I will be holding out for the wonderful top floor two-level loft apartments at the Adelicia. One day.

So, tomorrow we depart at 6am. We plan on doing it all in one shot, meeting up with Michael's friend from the English Department in Fredonia who is doing grad work now at the University of Miami in Ohio for lunch. It'll be about 4 hours into the drive, leaving 8 to go, so hopefully we can make a nice stop in Cleveland or Erie along the way, and then finish off the drive to Rochester.

I'm going to go catch up on an episode of 30 rock, then hit the hay. I always hate the day before a move though, empty apartments and rooms can be so lonely feeling. Still, I give Michael serious props for fitting his whole life - and me - in a Camry. I will photograph this feat. It's blue ribbon worthy.

Well, I definitely showed off my feminine side today...

2009-05-12T23:32:00.002-04:00

In an effort to continue on with our 'list of things to do while still in Nashville,' Michael and I decided to go to Radnor Lake. We've never been, but it sounded really nice; we're both pretty outdoors-ey and we've visited a few state parks together. So we decided to grab a nice sandwich and have a picnic (and I grabbed a morning cup of coffee). We intended from there to drive out to Historic Franklin, just to see the town and all the cute shops, so I donned my comfiest sundress and flip flops, and headed out with my camera.

Little did we know, Radnor Lake really is just a park with hiking trails. So here I am, walking dirt paths (that were soggy from the week of rain Nashville has gotten over the past few days) in gold sequin flip flops, a sundress, a clutch, and a coffee in my hands. I felt like the most ridiculous person on the world, while women dressed in their power-walking best strode past me, and men with their walking sticks just kind of stared in disbelief that someone dressed this way were even out before noon. I am very aware that there are many a 'super sweet 16' kind of girl in this area of TN, but... definitely not me. If I had my sneakers on I would have loved to keep going all day, but of course, after a cup of coffee and about an hour of hiking I really had to pee. With no bathroom in sight and just more trails, I totally thought it was going to be yet another adventure to just hide behind a nice tree or something, but finally we found somewhere. I really enjoyed the park, it was absolutely gorgeous; once I get my laptop back online I'll post a bunch of pictures to illustrate my trip.

After looping the lake and eating, we headed to Franklin. Neither of us had been there before either, and Michael got some 'scenic route' directions so we could drive through Brentwood on the way. Basically those areas are where a TON of country artists live, and the houses we passed were beyond huge and ridiculous. To further make my point, the gargoyles bordering the gates to the driveways of these houses were beyond huge and ridiculous. And just to add to the whole feeling of the afternoon, we listened to Paramore. Hope you understand the need to do so.

Franklin overall was a really cute town. Not too too much to do, as we are normal (lower)middle-class individuals who just graduated and have yet to find a steady job and most of the cute boutiques have cotton tank tops priced at $250 or above, but we still did a lot of window shopping. Michael found a nice bookstore, and I found 2 (yes, 2) cupcake bakeries. Within walking distance of each other. Naturally, we purchased one of each and had our way with them.

The one we got from Ivey Cake was Lemon, I don't remember what it was called but all of the cupcakes here had these amazingly sassy and girly names. So funny. I'll have to check out the website and go into detail about the place, but it was great. The other, from the Curious Gourmet Cupcake Bakery, was absolutely massive. We got a 'worms and dirt' one, with chocolate cake and green frosting (with oreo cookies and a gummy worm). I think our overall thoughts were that the chocolate cake from Curious Gourmet was the most amazing cake we've ever had. Thank goodness we walked all that way before we got to Franklin, because they didn't last 15 minutes.

We went back downtown on our way back to the apartment to check out a few more shops that weren't open the last time we were down there, and then relaxed for a bit. Because it was such a beautiful day, we decided to get falafel from Bellvue (where Michael lived last year), and then head to Love Hill one last time before the move. Basically, for all of you who don't know Nashville too well, Love Hill is a small plot of land on the top of a hill in a residential area. A lot of people don't know about it, but you can see the entire Nashville skyline from the top, and on the other side you can see the sunset over the hills and countryside. It's really an amazing view.

Every time I've been down here we take a picture from the top of the hill, and sadly this time my camera's batteries died. So bummed, but we still had a really nice dinner, and then went back to the apartment before going on a short walk around Music Row. We found out that SESAC had a Grammy Party going on down the street, with live music and such (though I don't understand the timing entirely), and although I didn't know of any of the groups performing, I just love how this place is about live music. You couldn't get into the party without an invitation, but you could see the stage from the street.

Overall, it was another great day. Tomorrow we run some errands (returning the cable box, closing bank accounts, etc), and pack up Cameron (Michael's Camry has a name). I hope to walk around Hillsboro one more time, and take some more pictures if my rechargeable batteries can make it one more day (I didn't realize they can die...like die die). Aggghhh I'm not ready to give this place up yet!!

I have internet! For the moment!

2009-05-11T17:51:00.005-04:00

Today, I will fill you in on a bit more of my time in Nashville, as well as our objectives for the rest of our time here. Things will be a bit sporadic, but stay with me.

First off, Michael had to go to the Post Office this morning to pick up the graduation present I sent to him (only showed up... a few days late), so I tagged along because it was in Hillsboro Village. I think that this area of Nashville is my all time favorite location in the whole city, full of cute shops, a coffee shop, and just a nice, artsy feel. It is also the outdoor location to this music video:

So anyways, I went with and stopped by Fido (the coffee shop there) to get some caffeine in the old veins. The place is called Fido because I believe it used to be a pet shop, and they kept the neon sign on the outside of the store and everything. It's a sweet place, and friends of Michael's have seen Ben Folds there, and when I took Leena and Shane I was informed one of Big and Rich's 'posse' was there, but I didn't recognize him so I don't think it counts. Regardless, I got a white chocolate raspberry latte (called a pink poodle), and while I was waiting the guy next to me struck up a conversation about Vanderbilt Football (...to which I just played along with, I have no idea what he was talking about, but hey, everyone here is just so nice I can hardly stand it). Once he left, the guy behind the counter looked at me, smiled, and responded "I'm just guessing, but I don't think you are too big a follower of football, are you?" I must say, I really enjoy how happy people out here are, on a daily basis. It took quite a while to get my drink, but when it was served by the guy behind the counter I found he gave me a larger size and since I requested no whipped cream, there was LATTE ART in it's place. Way to make my day, I've always been wanting to go somewhere where that was done.

I guess there was a line at the Post Office, so I went and did some shopping at Pangaea. I really love that store, it's a bit high-end but I vowed to myself I would get something there during this visit so I did, and when I returned Michael was all set. We came back to the apartment, went downtown for a bit, just going to the shops and such, and then came back and made lunch. Then we went for a walk down to the Nashville Clothing Company (another place I love), walked around, and made a few more stops along the way. Now we're back at the apt, hanging out for a bit, making dinner here, and then I think going to the Flying Saucer with a few of Michael's friends. At 9pm there is a free show at the Mercy Lounge with the Mean Tambourines, a local band that Michael turned me on to, so I think we're going to check that out as well.

Okay, so the list. This is what we're working with:

Food:
1. The Loveless Cafe (check, ate their Saturday with his family)
2. The Pancake Pantry (check)
3. Gigi's Cupcakes (check... will be re-checked again on Wednesday)
4. Fido (check)
5. Las Paletas (check)
6. Frank's Greek Food (sounds sketchy... tastes delicious)
7. Mellow Mushroom (optional, but it's reliable and awesome)
8. Pie In The Sky (just for dessert)
9. The Frothy Monkey (coffeeshop... sounds interesting)

Places/Shops:
1. Radner Lake (I think we'll be going tomorrow)
2. Hillsboro Village (check)
3. Elliston Place (I want a milkshake at a diner down there)
4. Katy K's Ranch Dressing (It's a western shop.. but wow, what a name)
5. Downtown (check)
6. FireFinch - Hillsboro (check)
7. Pangaea - Hillsboro (check)
8. Nashville Clothing Company - West End (check)

So we're doing pretty well, I must say.

Oh, and here's some work from Duy Huynh that we saw in that gallery:

I was unfamiliar with his work prior to seeing it listed online at the gallery, but I'm so happy that we went out to it.

Nashville... I don't want to leave you.

2009-05-10T23:16:00.002-04:00

I know I really haven't been keeping up with updates lately, and I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I haven't had internet since Thursday. I wrote up a little something to post about the SUNY Canton show in the Detroit airport only to find that the internet connection failed, and from then once I got to Nashville my computer once again won't work in Michael's apartment.

The past 3 days have really been a whirlwind; I got in Thursday afternoon and met Michael at the airport, went to an English get-together for a bit at Vanderbilt, and then went to pick up his oldest brother, Steven, from the airport. From there we went to Las Paletas (we didn't waste any time crossing of things on our list of things to see before we left), which is an AMAZING specialty popsicle shop. I got a plum one, and it still had the skin in it... it was listerally like someone just ground up a dozen plums and froze it on a stick. Soooo good. His parents and middle brother Chris arrived later in the evening, so we met them for dinner and then showed them around downtown a bit. I didn't realize how much I've learned about this city, and I'm pretty impressed that I really do kind of know my way around.

Friday was Michael's graduation. It was a very interesting setup, everyone went into the basketball stadium (it was supposed to be outside but there were some severe weather warnings), and we sat and listened to the chancellor for an hour and a half or so, and then we split up for the various graduation ceremonies (undergrads stayed, certain schools went to different places). Michael's was the Masters and Ph.D graduation, and although awesome to see, it was definitely a 5 hour ordeal. I'm so proud of him though, and as I've visited throughout the couple of years he's been here I've gotten to know and meet just about everyone in his class (there are only 6 of them), and his professors, and they seem like amazing people. We went to the Pancake Pantry after that (cross that off), and relaxed/did some walking around before we went out for a fancy dinner that night. We intended on showing them the Pedestrian bridge downtown where you can see the whole skyline, but thunder and lighting kind of cancelled that one.

Saturday is kind of a blur, just a lot of tourist-ing for his family, going to all the 'spots' in Nashville, and then going to a party at one of his friend's houses who graduated from the fiction side of the program. Coincidentally her and her husband are moving to Ithaca in the coming weeks so that her husband can finish up his Ph.D work at Cornell, so they won't be too far. I also got to speak with Michael's main professor and his wife, and by talking to these people it's no wonder why he enjoyed his time here. The area itself is so inspiring, but to have people that share that same desire to create and be inspired by everything around them is very refreshing, and you don't see too much of that in Syracuse.

Today his family left and we kind of regrouped and figured out a list of everything we want to see and do. We went out to East Nashville early to see this amazing art gallery featuring artist Duy Huynh. His work is absolutely amazing, and going there was one of those experiences where you just want to run home and start painting again. We also went out to Opry Mills for a bit (I wanted to check out the mall... I know, that's kind of lame, but it was rather cloudy so it put a damper on enjoying the outdoors). After that we grabbed some groceries and called it a night. It's definitely been an exhausting weekend, so we're taking it easy. We have a very busy few days ahead of us before the big drive back on Thursday.

We went out for a short walk around 9pm, and I wanted to walk past this studio that I knew Taylor Swift had recorded a few songs at for her new album ("Breathe" I am certain was recorded there, not sure of any others). I absolutely love this city with all my heart, but it was almost discouraging, facing this gigantic building with wrought-iron fences and call buttons to get in. It's wrong to say I want this (to make it as a musician), more than anything I've ever wanted, because I've really never wanted anything else. I grew up playing music, I've sang and played music since I learned to talk. I'm trying to turn that into a driving force to write more, to submit to every person on a list of possible clients for Cherry Lane, to keep writing, both for tse and for myself, pop or indie or country or anything. It's become an ache that I just... need. I feel like I need this city for it too. I need to walk past those big buildings with their congratulatory banners for Keith Urban and Taylor Swift and other songwriters and artists, and I need to see myself being one of them one day. It's just so hard, being so small. I'm hoping to take that back with me, because I don't know when I'll be coming back here. I think already this visit has been boot camp for my creativity. Michael's professors kept saying to him, "If it's one thing you do, just don't stop writing." He's trying to get his manuscript published, but with all of that going on, they just don't want him to stop. I feel like that message, from his peers and professors to all the buildings that border this tiny apartment has been drilled into my skull and I know that it's the same for me.

This place is so awe-inspiring that it will get you, both down and up to where you don't know whether to smile or cry or do both. All I know is a smile hasn't left my face since I got off the airplane.

Oh, and one more thing!!

2009-05-03T15:14:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, I forgot one thing...
It came to our attention that "The Way We Used To Be" was played on MTV's "Making the Band 4." I'm not an avid watcher of that program, but if any of you are and you are familiar with our music, or think you know what episode it was on, we would really appreciate a tip-off. We have absolutely no idea what date it originally aired, when in the episode, or where to look for it. My mother has been resting after a minor surgery, and tried to start watching all of the available episodes online, and hasn't come up with any luck. If anyone knows, please get in touch, we would really appreciate it! We are super excited at another placement, but we just wish we could find it! Thanks!!

Got 5 bucks? It can literally feed you for a week.

2009-05-03T15:13:00.001-04:00

I haven't updated in a while, so here, to bombard you with more random plinky-ness, is some useless knowledge about me and my poor eating habits whilst at college. I'm not there anymore, but it's not to say I won't make this fantastic dish every so often once I move out on my own once again.

Prepping up stir-fry brown rice with broccoli

Brown rice with frozen broccoli. Throw some butter and fresh garlic, maybe sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on it... it's practically a gourmet dish. Only not. Not at all.

The Old Stomping Grounds

2009-05-03T14:39:00.002-04:00

So, first and foremost I quickly want to touch on how AMAZING our show was with Good Old War in SUNY Oswego on Friday. Everything about it was perfect; the venue (Sheldon Ballroom) was absolutely gorgeous, complete with chandeliers and high ceilings and a great stage, and Good Old War was phenomenal. If you aren't aware of them yet, you need to become familiar. They're going on tour with The Gaslight Anthem starting May 5th, and then joining up with Straylight Run shortly thereafter. What a great show, and everyone that came out had the nicest things to say to us, and even GOW was so incredibly kind and amazing to us. Huge, huge thanks to Jazz (coincidentally Jonell's twin sister) for setting it all up. Even the flier... ugh, original artwork, you kill me every time:

This weekend is Fredonia's spring concert (Fredfest), and Kaleena's boyfriend is running the whole thing, so we decided to head out and see all the alumni and friends that will be in town. Kaleena was in charge of the concert last year, and we have both been members of the student group that puts it on every year, so this was our first Fredfest that didn't include any stress whatsoever (and we also played the festival twice over the past 4 years). O.A.R was headlining, and they sold 5,600 tickets, which is HUGE at our school. Overall the concert was a huge success, and I'm so happy for Shane and Spectrum for making the whole thing run pretty flawlessly (at least that's how it appeared). I also met up with a few friends throughout the day, and it was awesome getting to see so many people again after a year of being away from Fredonia.

Two things about this weekend though:

1) It really isn't the same place I remember... at all. I remember coming out for the winter concert, and still feeling an emotional connection to the college, the dorm halls, my old house, etc. But this time, I almost got a pit in my stomach. There's definitely a lot of ghosts in this place, and I think the only reason I enjoyed and loved and even hated this place was because of the people that I had around me, and without them it's just a desolate college town with a severe alcohol addiction. and

2), building off of that addiction, I think Kaleena put it best when she tried to drive downtown last night, calling me and saying "Seriously... it's like a zombie apocalypse of drunk people. They're in the roads, they're everywhere. And there are no parking spaces." What a mess the place was. Driving to and from Jonell's was absolutely terrifying, you actually felt the need to drive slow when there were people walking on the sidewalk because you weren't sure if they were planning on doing a mad rush across the street at that given moment. I actually had to stop on a busy road for a dude looking UPWARDS crossing the street. Forget looking both ways, he wasn't even looking ahead of him. We did manage to get a lot of great drunken feedback, however. Someone came up to me and Jonell, just gave us this big high-five "you guys ROCK!" (at least he was a positive, happy drunk), and I also had quite a few people come up to me "KALEEEEENAAAAAA I'VE MISSED YOU HOW ARE YOU DOING?!" To which I put on my best smile and responded and played along with it (It happens. And there's no point in explaining to someone who is drunk that you're not the person they think you are because that will just confuse them and then inevitably lead to the 20 minute apology when all I want to do is get the heck out of the bar I'm in). But alas, I managed to find some amazing people I didn't think I'd see, some old friends I was hoping I'd run into, and luckily, no one I didn't particularly want to see.

I'll be in Freddy until tomorrow, and I'm staying with one of my bests Jonell at her place in Dunkirk; it's a little far from downtown Fredonia so we had every intention of either going downtown for an hour or so, or going to the grocery store, picking up some bulk candy, and going to blockbuster (I love her; we are such 'stay-in' people. It's awesome). We amazingly did it all, and I managed to snag 2 movies for 9 bucks (Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day). Right now I'm sitting on the couch which she works on a couple self portraits she has due for her drawing class, and Atticus is keeping me company :)

This week is going to be crazy for me, as I return home tomorrow, record, work Tuesday, record, have a great show in SUNY Canton on Wednesday, and then head out to Nashville on Thursday morning. It's going to be busy, but I am so happy. With all the recording and the slow pace of progress in the studio, shows are basically necessary to keep our morale up. They absolutely make everything we're doing worth it. Seeing everyone in Fredonia ask us how we're doing, and telling us they're following us online... you guys are amazing. And again, to everyone who came out on Friday, and to anyone who plans on coming out Wednesday, we love you. Really.

tupper...where?

2009-04-27T23:13:00.001-04:00

Tupperware

I'd have to say the most useless thing in my house would have to be the giant box of tupperware that I have waiting around under my bed for the day I move out of my parent's house. I'm not sure when I acquired it, or how I did for that matter. I believe at some point while I was in high school my mom pushed this giant box of what must be hundreds of small plastic containers of all sizes under my bed, and 5 years later (I went to college for 4 years and it remained untouched with the exception of maybe 3 that I took with me) it still resides back there, next to my sega genesis. Which I should take out sometime soon, now that I think about it. The Lion King and Aladdin totally ruled. But yeah... a ton of tupperware. On the glorious day I become a true adult, off to face the world in whatever small apartment it is that I can afford, I will come prepared with sealed compartments and lids for all sorts of perishable goods. And who knows, whenever that moment comes, I can see myself finding it and forgetting about even having that many tupperware. It will be a great moment.

Dogtown. I want to go to there.

2009-04-25T13:35:00.001-04:00

Well, due to the fact that I am a recent college graduate and 'starving artist,' most of the restaurants that I go out to eat at (if I do go out to eat) are pretty darn inexpensive. And, if you know me at all, you know I love food, so I really could name off about ten different places between Syracuse (Stronghearts), Rochester, Fredonia (dude I'd hit up good old Erie Dining Hall any day of the week), NYC (Red Bamboo), Nashville (Mellow Mushroom), and Memphis (Deja Vu Creole). But this place is just fun. I know when I go to Rochester when the boy is living out there we tend to frequent it all too much (is that really a bad thing?). If you're in the mood for some comfort food in a unique way, check out Dogtown.

I was just giving directions to this place to my sister and Aaron since they're heading out to Rochester, so it's been on my mind. One of the only places I know of to serve the famous Rochester 'garbage plate' (mac salad, fries, coleslaw, burgers, hash browns, hot dogs, etc all in the same plate, layered on each other) for vegetarians and vegans. Given I rarely do the garbage plate (so much grease!), all of their specialty hot dogs are named after specific breeds of dogs, and they are SO GOOD. I usually get a bernese mountain dog (a veggie dog with mushrooms, swiss cheese and spicy mustard) and their sweet potato fries (which are absolutely amazing). Their prices are relatively inexpensive, you would without a doubt spend less than ten bucks to fill yourself up. The overall feel of the place is pretty nice, very small but friendly, and with a lot of pictures of dogs around. The perfect place to go out to eat on a random afternoon or evening.

When you can't find the words yourself...

2009-04-25T00:07:00.000-04:00

A Color of the Sky

by Tony Hoagland

Windy today and I feel less than brilliant,

driving over the hills from work.

There are the dark parts on the road

when you pass through clumps of wood

and the bright spots where you have a view of the ocean,

but that doesn’t make the road an allegory.

I should call Marie and apologize

for being so boring at dinner last night,

but can I really promise not to be that way again?

And anyway, I’d rather watch the trees, tossing

in what certainly looks like sexual arousal.

Otherwise it’s spring, and everything looks frail;

the sky is baby blue, and the just-unfurling leaves

are full of infant chlorophyll,

the very tint of inexperience.

Last summer’s song is making a comeback on the radio,

and on the highway overpass,

the only metaphysical vandal in America has written

MEMORY LOVES TIME

in big black spraypaint letters,

which makes us wonder if Time loves Memory back.

Last night I dreamed of X again.

She’s like a stain on my subconscious sheets.

Years ago she penetrated me

but though I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed,

I never got her out,

but now I’m glad.

What I thought was an end turned out to be a middle.

What I thought was a brick wall turned out to be a tunnel.

What I thought was an injustice

turned out to be a color of the sky.

Outside the youth center, between the liquor store

and the police station,

a little dogwood tree is losing its mind;

overflowing with blossomfoam,

like a sudsy mug of beer;

like a bride ripping off her clothes,

dropping snow white petals to the ground in clouds,

so Nature’s wastefulness seems quietly obscene.

It’s been doing that all week:

making beauty,

and throwing it away,

and making more.

Off to bed.

Be nice, darn it!

2009-04-24T13:10:00.001-04:00

I think it's funny that this was a prompt, because this whole situation has been on my mind a lot lately. Not in extreme amounts - but it still just kind of rubs me the wrong way. I definitely feed off of other people's vibes, so here you have it, my pet peeve of offensiveness.

When friends don't act like friends
One of the biggest things that I've realized since moving back to Syracuse is how important true friends are. That being said, I've also realized that I expect and anticipate that my friends (new, old, or otherwise) will treat me the way that I treat them. I've found that it isn't necessarily fair to assume, but still, I think common decency is severely underrated these days. There is nothing more off-putting to me than to feel like you don't really connect with people, especially people who you think are your friends. Even moreso, I truly believe that in order to have friends you need to be one. When I meet new people in a group of friends and get really hot and cold vibes from them, especially in the wake of me proactively trying to be their friend, it really only makes me feel like I deserve better. I don't view that in a pretentious or arrogant way on my behalf, just that everyone deserves to be treated fairly by their friends. I'm really the kind of person that will find someone I don't know, introduce myself to them, and then talk with them for a while; I like making people feel like they belong somewhere. If I'm trying to be your friend - key word here trying - maybe things just aren't working out. My best friends are the ones that I didn't have to exert any effort to feel wanted.

TGI...T?

2009-04-23T20:42:00.002-04:00

So lately I've felt as though I've been in a giant fog of work, sleep, repeat. I haven't really established a real 'schedule' at work, I just kind of go in in the morning, and leave when I'm done. So it's made for a few long days, and I really don't mind it at all. I just realize after doing it for 5 days, that I'm exhausted. Especially when something usually follows work directly, and I don't get home until it's past my bedtime.

But it's all fine and dandy, because we're recording, things are moving along, and I have cuteoverload.com or fmlife to make me smile on command. Seriously, how could you not forget about being tired if you see this guy?

I've also been doing a lot of writing lately, which I'm totally pumped about. I just wish I had more time to do it. But I definitely have been productive on the drive to and from work. Most of my ideas come to me when I rarely expect it, and so it really should come as no surprise to me that I need to keep paper and a pen on me at all times.

Also, we have those shows coming up, and our friend Cam from Gonculator will be playing drums with us for them. We'll be practicing with him this weekend, and we're all really excited about that too. We really respect him as a drummer, and he's a really awesome guy.

And finally! Warm weather is coming! Especially after today... 40 something degrees and absolutely shitty. Oh, New York. Tomorrow it should be super warm, which makes me look forward to the weekend.

I think we may be heading out of the studio shortly, so that means Grey's Anatomy, and then bed for this lady.

Feeling kind of out of the circle lately with some people, I think I just miss having some best friends around here. It's hard feeling like you belong somewhere where you're constantly trying to figure out just where that is.

Until then, my future dog:

2009-04-21T22:04:00.001-04:00

...I'm realizing I say "really" a lot. We'll work on that, starting tomorrow.

oh my.

2009-04-21T22:00:00.003-04:00

I am so exhausted lately, but I really haven't updated in a while. I really have just been working, and when I'm not working I have been putting some violin tracks down on Gonculator's upcoming cd, which is amazing. I'm pretty darn happy to be doing it, too.

Needless to say today I worked, then went straight to the studio, then came home and baked two cupcake cakes for my mother's weekend convention that she has (and is leaving for tomorrow). I really could use a few extra hours. But we have two really awesome shows coming up, and I go back to Nashville in a little over 2 weeks, so I'm constantly looking forward and thinking that soon we'll be playing out again, and then I'll be on vacation :)

Love Hill in Nashville, TN

2009-04-19T21:55:00.001-04:00

I think one of my all-time favorite places outdoors would be Love Hill in Nashville, TN. I am a big outdoorsy kind of person, but in terms of just being outside and taking everything in, this place really makes me happy.

Just about every time I visit Nashville, Michael and I always try and spend some time at Love Hill. It isn't an incredibly well-known part of Nashville, but it's basically a small plot of land at the top of a residential development where you can see the entire Nashville skyline at eye-level. It's an amazingggg view, and we've tried many times to catch a sunset out there, but we're always about 5 minutes too late. Regardless, there is nothing like that place, and there are never too many people around. Hopefully we'll have a nice picnic there in a few weeks when I'm down there again.

Oh, for three more hours

2009-04-16T07:56:00.001-04:00

With an extra three hours, I would most definitely split them evenly between getting more time to write and sleeping. You can never get enough sleep, and when I don't get my 8 hours I certainly feel it in the morning (cough, like today).

Does anybody else think those match.com ads are awkward?

2009-04-15T17:46:00.003-04:00

...they almost make me feel self-conscious. Like I'm being watched. By that dude who's pretending to be looking at you through a webcam.

Anyways, my day has been CRAZY today. I feel like I've fit too much into one day, and yet I haven't really accomplished all that much. I went to work this morning to find that I wouldn't be in the office and would instead be working outside putting plants out and watering them (and I didn't really dress the part considering I had other errands to run today). But I did get a heads up I would be out there right before I was leaving, so I managed to wear those fantastic AA socks I mentioned in a previous blog, only to be reminded after work that I didn't bring a change of socks. So yep, they're still on.

I worked until 1, ran across the street to a dr. appointment (I changed doctors; I need to have a 'meet and greet,' then a nurse appointment, THEN a physical... all on three separate appointments. Oh well, at least it's close to work), then I made my way to Fayetteville to get a violin bow rehaired. I made my appointment with them at 3 because they close at 5 and I wanted to make sure they had enough time to do it. So, in the meantime I decided I'd go shopping, because I had nothing better to do and I want to get a new dress for Michael's graduation. Now, if any of you know me well, I am not really a shopping kind of girl. I like having a plan of action, a list of stores I need to go to, and then get it over with as soon as possible. This was not the case today, as I had to wait for my bow to be done... so I took the Shoppingtown Mall by storm. And let me tell you, it's a pretty sketchy and desolate place with not a whole lot of options. I actually found a nice one though, only to discover they don't have it in my size, which creates a whole different conflict: that I would need to go to Carousel to find out they have it in my size. Which... is much, much worse. I avoid that mall like the plague. Unless I'm going to see a movie, in which case i love it because of the awesome seats.

So yeah, I'm random at the moment because I've just downed a large coffee at panera, waiting for Jon and Tim to get out here for sushi! I'm bumming that I guess a lot of other people couldn't make it out tonight, but I figured I'd still head out because I was here anyways. So yeah, this is me wasting time before I can eat some good dinner. I went to... all the stores in this vacinity as well. No luck. Many thanks to Panera for wonderful coffee and free wifi. And also to my GPS, which I have successfully mounted to my windshield and just looks marvelous. I shall never be lost again.

Oh, to be in Germany

2009-04-14T14:31:00.001-04:00

Over this past summer, my band and I were asked to do a tour of military bases through Armed Forces Entertainment. We were scheduled to play at Baumholder, Manheim, the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, Grafenwoehr, and Spangdahlem. With only 1 day off. It was pretty much a dream vacation, and I was just looking through some pictures I took the other day. First off, to be able to play for military personnel and their families was a huge honor, and we made so many friends and still keep in touch with many of them. But besides that, it was our first trip to Europe, and we traveled to and from everywhere in a tour bus with the most amazing driver who allowed us to make as many stops in as many places as we wanted.

The architecture, the history, the castles, everything. It was such an amazing experience, and the only down side (if you could call it that) was that we only had one day in every town we stayed in, and with playing a show every night we really only got about 2 hours of sightseeing a day at best. We did, however, have one day in Garmish, and it was easily the most amazing day of vacationing I have ever had. We all got up early to walk into the town, and we shopped, took in the sights, and got an amazing lunch at the coffeeshop. Then we rented bikes from the hotel we were staying at and rode through the Alps. It was nothing short of a dream day.

I hope to go back there again with a couple of weeks to do nothing but sight see. And I will most definitely spend more than 4 months trying to learn German before I go back.

Getting stresseddddd

2009-04-13T10:56:00.002-04:00

Okay okay okay. So I know that I don't work full time, and I know that I'm doing the thing where I'm "in a band," but I am just going to throw out there that it so doesn't mean that I'm not incredibly busy and stressed. As a matter of fact, because of how uncertain one's future can be being in a band, I'd say I have quite a fair amount of stress to deal with on a regular basis.

I've been going nuts sending out as many emails as I can to follow up with people I met from SXSW, and I must say so far I've had a few responses, but I'm not really expecting to hear back from many for a while. Timing is very difficult when sending emails out to people, and I know that many of them had an influx of messages sent after the festival, so I thought I'd wait it out for a bit and see where that landed me. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

We are also working on another tour with Armed Forces Entertainment to head out to Southwest Asia in Septemberish, and there is a TON of paperwork associated with that. I'm so excited about it though, and we love touring with them and having the opportunity to play for the troops. Just with all those little 'bumps' in the road lately, trying to get everything in order is just that much harder at the moment.

We're heading back into the studio tonight, and thankfully I'm about over being sick (I think) to the point where I can sing again. Yay! Gonculator will be in the studio from Wednesday to Wednesday the following week so we're really trying to wrap up these preproduction tracks before then. Then we'll be PRACTICING for our May 1st and 6th shows, and gearing up for what's ahead with AFE. In the meantime I hope to be working the rest of the week, and I'll be heading out to Fayetteville on Wednesday to get my violin bow rehaired (and maybe get some sushi if everyone's still planning on it?).

Now, onto the treadmill to Gossip Girl my troubles away.

Oh, and I got this sent to me in an email from my boyfriend:

I'd like to thank him for providing the comic relief to my girlyness and stress. I don't know why this made me laugh as hard as it did, but there you go.

Putting it all out there

2009-04-09T23:11:00.003-04:00

Well, a whole lot has happened over the past week. I happily discovered Plinky though, so that has aided in me skirting a lot of issues and just posting fun blog prompts on the web :)

Kaleena and I have been down with some seasonal cold that's going around, so unfortunately we haven't really been able to do a whole lot of recording. And, as I'm sure some of you know, we are currently sans drummer for the next lil bit (though don't worry, we have all our bases covered and have made a lot of headway. Our album will still be out as soon as physically possible, and we'll still be performing with a drummer). Basically we've been really busy trying to work around a few bumps in the road, but there's nowhere to go but up, so that's what we're trying to do. It's Aaron's birthday today, and we'll be recording tomorrow so hopefully that will be a fun birthday-ish hang; hopefully he's feeling better as well.

It's been a pretty interesting span of time to say the least, and I guess a lot of it is just more 'growing up' lessons. Between all the internal stuff that's been going on, realizing I've been out of school almost a year already (!!), and just trying to further analyze myself and where I'm going the old noggin has been real cloudy. Totally no fun. But, like I said, we have a lot to look forward to, and although at this point I'm kind of getting used to things not working out I'm trying to become more of an optimist. Things can only not go your way for so long, right? Here's to having things change next week, pretty pretty please.

In the meantime, I've been doing more work at Hafner's (more grateful than ever that I have such an awesome job), and have been really trying to just focus on this release. It needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon. I'm so confident in the music and the band as we stand, and I feel so strongly that we can do some pretty awesome things. We just need a few more pieces to fall into place. It's so hard not having that control that you did when you were at school; being able to want to get things done, and then do them yourself. But, this isn't a college town anymore, it's the real world. This is me putting on my big girl pants and staring the world in the face all sassy-like.

Until then, it's just me and a whole lot of pieces, but every day I think I do my best at shuffling them around to see where and when they might come together. Oh, and until then, I'm sick of cliches and promises. Now I'm done being angsty. Let the Plinkys commence once again.

A haiku about Twilight

2009-04-09T12:09:00.001-04:00

awkward vampire love

he called her 'spider monkey'

rather watch paint dry