Update!

I should write in here more. I'm always nagging my friend Derek to update his blog everyday! He does a better job updating that I do!

Currently, I'm in Boston. I haven't been in Austin for long periods of time! I came back on Oct. 31st and stayed for almost a month- Nov. 22nd and then left for Thanksgiving break until Nov. 30th, then left for Nashville Dec. 2nd. Came back to Austin Dec. 10th, left for Boston December 15th.

The city is more tolerable, still haven't made any new friends. Still working on it. Luckily, work has consumed a lot of my time. In addition to working for Ben Kweller, I also work for an indie label based out of NYC/Philly called Viro Records. They have one artist who is based out of Austin, which is why I got hired! I'm the Operations Manager. Fun title.

More and more responsibilities are headed my way with Ben Kweller. It'll be a challenge to try to tackle all of these things and keep my sanity.

Back in ATX

So, after I left the flea situation got better and I ended up not having to move out..or being able to anyways.

This tour has been one of the best tours I've been on. Same people for the most part but different crew and almost no stress. It was nice. All tours should be like this one. I didn't really update this blog or the other one. Sorry for neglecting you blogs. I did manually write in my journal a lot though. It was really nice to be in some random place like Albuquerque, NM and be able to sit outside in the middle of the town, under a shady tree and just write and write.

Tour passed by really quick. Some highlights: Getting groped by the opener on the first night, by accident, while I was sleeping. The best meal of my lifeee in Albuquerque, NM. Lost my license and my credit card during a romp in Idaho. Photobooths in Orlando, FL. A visit to a strip club on a really REALLY drunk night in New Orleans (don't drink the hand grenades..they're lethal).

I go back out in the road mid-Feb. Hopefully, I get to stay out on the road and follow the guys to Australia, Europe and Japan. More adventures soon I hope.

wow

3 days before tour starts and i have a crapload to do on my to-do list.
INCLUDING MOVING.

step 1: get out of my lease
step 2: schedule movers
step 3: move

moving is hard on its own. put it in a day and i'm f'ed
i can't even move into the potential new place until sept. 25th! that's our first show so no way can i do that. i don't have a lot in my room...but the kitchen- there's a lot. my mom might come down to help me. but first, step 1.

i can't wait for my roommates anymore. if they don't get out of the lease soon, i'm moving my stuff into storage. it sucks because i don't know my touring schedule after this initial tour andddd i have two days to move in between coming back and our last show of this tour until i'm pretty much homeless.

blah... i can't explain the things swimming in my head right now. it is more complicated than me leaving or my roommates leaving or me moving.

I really want to make these

Ingredients

• 4 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
• 1 8-ounce package frozen spinach and artichoke dip, thawed
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces goat cheese, sliced
• 1/4 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
• Salt and pepper to season

Preparation

• 1
  Preheat grill to medium high heat (about 400˚F)
  
• 2
  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion slices in one tablespoon oil on medium-high heat until well caramelized and very tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
  
• 3
  Brush mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill stem-side down for about 5 minutes. Take off heat.
  
• 4
  Divide spinach artichoke dip equally among the four mushroom caps. Spread dip on grilled side of mushrooms. Top with caramelized onions, a couple slices of goat cheese, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese, and a sprinkle of thyme leaves.
  
• 5
  Put mushrooms back on grill and close lid so that the toppings heat and melt. Grill for about 10 minutes or until cheeses are melted and golden.

Recipe compliments of http://www.foodchannel.com/recipes/454-grilled-pizza-bella-

fleas part II

I can't say I've never felt this way before. As when I was subletting a super cheap LES apartment, my apartment was plagued with roaches! That was when I could not sleep without keeping one eye open. I was paranoid. I never cooked at home. I put towels under my door to keep any from coming in, and I made sure never to leave my room after 9PM. The person I subletted from never told me a thing! I visited during the day and there were no signs of this grossness.. and of course she spent her summer digging up bones and what not in Israel and was away from my anger! The only good thing that came out of it were my kick ass internships, being in NYC and the fact that it only took one extermination and the roaches were gone! Amazed! (and I didn't have to pay the bill)

My aunt was joking about how funny it was that I keep having bad luck with living situations..I couldn't really find the 'funny' part in the whole matter. Before we moved in our landlady did NOT mention anything about fleas! She didn't mention she exterminated the day before we moved in. we moved in on Saturday and didn't suspect a darn thing until Monday when I woke up with 4 bug bites on my legs! Everyday I had more and more and it wasn't until finally we figured out it was fleas! Already I was covered in flea bites all over my legs and it was then, that our landlady casually told us about the previous tenants who had brought in a stray dog..aldfjaljfa

That was 2 weeks ago. We're approaching week three..Let me tell you, it has been a hell hole! My friends Elizabeth and Eric offered from reprieve from the fleas and I was honestly glad they weren't too concerned about me tracking any to their brand new house. Fleas are a pain to get rid of! Here’s what we’ve done so far (at the landlord’s expense)

-Exterminated three time (although one of the ‘exterminations’ was really a flea bomb)
-Flea bombed twice! (three times if you count one of the ‘exterminations’)
-We had borax all over the floor in my entire house! It covered every square in. of my bedroom..we only lasted 3 days with it in our house.
-So then I vacuumed and mopped the entire house for our 2nd extermination/bomb.
-Now I use a hand spray with growth regulator, the landlady has hired someone to come and mop the floor and vacuum three times a week (I vacuum in between those days) and I’ve spread
-I’ve strategically placed diatomaceous earth in every corner/crack..quite hard considering our house was built in 1920 and we have ALL hardwood floors except for the bathroom.

Hopefully this will all be over in 2 weeks. I am leaving for tour for over a month! Quite scary. I never had to worry about someone breaking in and stealing my stuff, or my car..or FLEAS or having to move when I return if the fleas are still here. Now I do. Instead of school I'm tackling THREE BANDS on tour AT THE SAME TIME! It is crazy. I'll keep you posted on my tour blog.

And, I'm going to try to advertise this blog and my other one. They both get good hits considering I haven't put the link up anywhere.

In other news, I'm going to a meetup tomorrow for The Geek Girls of Austin..umm it is going to be great! We're going to prob talk about Macs and Sci-fi and video-gaming. I don't play video games but I studied it in school...haha close enough. Umm..you know..what geek girls talk about. It'll be great! I hope I find a friend who'll watch Sarah Connor Chronicles with me haha. On Monday after work, I'm going to try to go to a Filmmaker's meet up. I'm trying hard to be proactive with the whole friend making thing.

stuck in a rut

it has been harder than expected to find some inspiration in this city. i try to save money while exploring my new city, but it is hard. in college i would hop on a train, a plane or bus and just say 'see ya later' and be in chicago or new york or philadelphia, alone and without a plan. but happy.

i went to do my laundry 4 miles away from my house when there's a laundromat around the corner. i want to see all the things here and try to find the things i miss... here, but it has been hard. i've seen friends living in this city once since i moved here and it's now it's really starting to sink in how much my absence has affected friendships that were once strong. it's hard to make friends when there's nothing to propel me out of this stillness, this rut. i need to join a club or do something to get out of this antisocial rut. the people i thought would be supporting me in this city- aren't and i haven't had the push i need to be out there in the city.

a part of me feels really empowered to be in a city by myself, like i used to be. it's like starting over and i love starting over, but a part of me is as unhappy as ever. i haven't had the chance to settle into my new house due to the flea problem and i'm stuck in my room making lists of what i want to do and trying to check it off. for example. here is what i have planned on my day off:

wake up and make falafels
vaccuum the entire house
go to sno beach on 34th & guad because i have been craving sno cones since i left san antonio
go take a peak into Sugar Mama's Bakery (cuz i love bakeries..in NYC I had one maybe 6 blocks away that had the best pistachio cupcakes)
go grocery shopping in a grocery farther from my house so i have an excuse to look around

i've found little neighborhoods and areas that i like and i found my first shortcut ever! working drains me and i usually cop out at the end of work and come straight home and be a bum. i am nothing like the person my roommates interviewed. trying to work on that on my days off but i feel like this city is meant to be explored with friends. the reason why i love crammed cities like cambridge and nyc is because there are always so many people walking around and bumping into you, that you don't feel alone even if you are. here, being alone, sitting alone, eating alone becomes more apparent than ever.

this is the end of emo mai.

september is a busy month

you can click on it haha
keeping track of three bands now..

bleck!

fleas are horrible! they make me feel sooo unsanitary! these past two weeks have been hell. i always think i made the wrong choice by moving here. a.) i could have lived further away from campus and b.) picked a roommate i would have hit it off with and would have had to do minimal amounts of work on. c.) my roommates and i are just not hitting it off. i tend to believe i hit it off with all kinds of people and this time, it is like pulling teeth..i should have known considering it felt like that when i went to look at the place. i was just swayed by the size of the house and the fact that these students didn't have any pets.

now i'm living amoungst hundreds and thousands of fleas. we found out, what our landlady calls "exterminator" is actually a set of flea bombs.. so far she has 'exterminated' twice and we flea bombed twice. not to mention we've covered every nook and cranny with borax and vaccummed everyday. the fact that we still have a pest problem is well...a problem!!!! it's only been two weeks but my whole body is covered with flea bites (54 in total). GROSS I KNOW. i am constantly itchy and scratching and paranoid. i can't even pee in peace.

the only thing my roommates and i talk about are fleas. we don't do anything together. we have no living room b/c we don't have furniture in there because we don't want fleas on our future furniture! so they're on one end of the house and i'm on the other. things work out great that way since they are friends w/ each other and what not but i thought that the living room would be the place that would connect us all. there is no connecting since we have no couch! we don't even have guests over b/c of this flea problem.

again..blech. ugghhhhhhh. i am hoping and praying this works. i don't want to start the house hunt over again and i think about the past a lot so i know i'll always be thinking about the 'what if' stuff. i do always think about the tiny apartment i could have share w/ an awesome roommate but it was her cat that got in the way :-( could i have made an exception? blah.. who knows now. too late. i am trying hard to make this place work but this isn't helping AT ALL.

wow!

it's been a while since i last wrote..quick update:

1.) i'm officially moved and in austin
2.) two days after I (we) moved, roommates and i discover there are a crapload of fleas biting the crap out of us and then find out our landlady KNEW about it! just a day before we moved in (20 days after we were ORIGINALLY supposed to), she tried to exterminate them and two days later they showed up again....sneaky.
3.) homesick
4.) temping at UT's bookstore. i kinda like it..oddly. it is 8:30-5:30 on most days but it's fun..reminds me of what i already do..but in a bookstore haha.
5.) seeing everybody buying books makes me want to buy textbooks toooooo...i wrote some of the ones i want to read already.. ;)

street team is underway.

i'm moving!!

see you in austin!!
gotta do my part to keep austin weird.

Food Stamp Diet

About a year ago, when I was living in NYC and literally eating ramen noodles for days and days at a time I came upon this great article via The Gothamist called The (Organic) Thrifty Food Plan Challenge. Basically, it was inspiration from the USDA's Thrifty Food Plan (I'll provide link later) about how to provide healthy meals (mostly for children) on three types of budgets: liberal, moderate, low-cost. The last being more along the lines of food stamp aided budgets.

Honestly, I was pretty intrigued and I tracked Rebecca's progress in her challenge to eat organically on a budget of 320.80/mo for TWO adults. Her budget and inspiration also came from a recent article of the time about a few Congressmen who tried to live on the budget laid out by the USDA found below. The twist is that their budget was $21, the avg. amount of money given out by foodstamps per person/week :

Click for larger size.

So anyways, everyone who tried to do this seemed to succeed, and while sometimes difficult it is very doable. I found three blogs who fully documented everything they did and I really want to try this for several different reasons. It's a peek into how the other half lives and everyday struggles to put food on the table for a family (this will be slightly easier because I am just one person). Secondly, it will help me budget AND find ways to eat healthier. Now that I'm on my own it will be easier for me to try this. It will enable me to learn how to make inexpensive staples into something tasty. I will be forced to plan ahead and at times improvise.

Money is tight everywhere. Me, especially, but also with my parents. My mom was forced into early retirement because the land her washateria is on was sold and her landlord is not building another washateria. I don't want to ask for her help financially anymore, especially when I'm 22 and totally capable of living on my own financially by just learning how to budget and live within my means.

This will be tough because out of everything, I'm pretty liberal with grocery expenses..gotta stop that.. Wish me luck!

I'm obsessed with the Olympics!

Who isn't?! I really am not a big fan of Michael Phelps but what I've watched over these few days have truly amazed me..so did the Jamaican guy who just ran 100m faster than it takes me to walk from my room to my mom's room!

I've never been as intrigued with the Olympics as I have been this year. It started with the Opening Ceremony and I watched so many exciting sports! I never watch sports!! I watched fencing, beach volleyball, waterpolo, ping-pong(!!!), swimming, track&field, rowing, diving, synchronized diving, basketball, and softball. There are a few others I'm sure I missed, but they were all exciting. It was really great to here the stories about some of the Olympians, and what they had to endure to get to where they were. So many touching stories and stories of showmanship. So many amazing stories, I love a good comeback and there were a lot of them in this year's Olympics.

Weee! I also liked how two Vietnamese ladies played some intense ping-pong for the US Team.

Donating a Kidney v. 2.0

Well, after much discussion among the family, my cousin and my aunt decided to turn down my kidney. I can't say I was completely shocked, but I was. My aunt and I have had a really turbulent relationship in recent years due to some conflicting social viewpoints. It was really stupid but we both hold long grudges. I got over it a long time ago, but she never has. A part of me would like to believe that the reason why she's not letting me donate is out of concern, but the other part of me believes it is her stubbornness that is not allowing her to accept anything from me- even at the risk of her own child's health.

*Sigh*

P.S. I'm still unemployed but here's my blog for when I'm not unemployed.

another reason to love Milo

Donating a Kidney

Today my mom was on the phone with my Aunt and she was telling my mom about one of my cousins who is about to have surgery for dialysis. He's been having kidney problems for awhile and the only other potential family donor ended up having diabetes and couldn't donate. I chimed in that I would donate if it would help me loose weight. It started out as a joke but then I totally believed it would be the right thing to do. I believe we share the same blood type, and my Aunt told me if I was serious that my other Aunt would legitimately fly me down to Belgium to have surgery. That made my heart skip a beat because I really am scared about surgeries, but it made me think more so I started researching online.

The last surgery I had was December 1999 I think. It was for my ankle surgery and it was the worst time of my life!! So much pain..it made me afraid of everything and here I am contemplating another major surgery. However, now the pain would be worth something- to save my cousin's life. I am not afraid of death because Kidney donation is really low risk but I'm afraid of the prodding and the pain and the long recovery time..I have to start working in October. I think I can do it if I take it easy since that is a VERY SELFISH reason to not save my cousin's life. I know my Aunt would pay my rent and she would even pay me for the time I'd have to miss work, if I had to miss work, but I surely don't want to. I think it'll be okay.. it is just MAJOR surgery and I'm afraid for selfish reasons you know.

Any tips advice? You know where to find me.

these are hard times...

looking for a job is rough.
i need a part-time job(s). living paycheck to paycheck has never been as stressful because now i actually have rent, utilities, groceries, gas to pay for. the list goes on and on.

here's the live blog of an unemployed 22 year-old.

Wed.
9:40AM: Wake Up
9:50AM: Turn on TV to Food Network
10AM: Find Little House on the Prairie on the Hallmark channel..watch it and reminisce about the good 'ol days
10:30AM: Cry about how good the episode is
10:45AM: Go on Myspace, facebook, read blogs and find recipes, check e-mail
12:10PM: Decide to be productive with my life and go swimming in the pool. Exercise
12:41PM: Looks like it is going to rain so I head inside to shower
1:12PM: IM Francesca about my job dilemma
1:30PM: Call Boys&Girl Club lady back
1:40PM: Freak out to Fran about 1 yr. committment
1:50PM: Blog about it.

Personal Enrichment

Mid-way through our walk yesterday my Aunt started to tell me a story about a study that Berkeley did with a group of students back in the 70s or 80s or something. It was about a job they had posted to a group of college students to dig a ditch. About a hundred or so students had showed up to dig this ditch for $7 an hour, a big sum of money back then. They spent all morning digging this ditch and after they came back from their lunch break, they were told they had to fill the ditch back up with soil. They asked “Why?!” and the Supervisor said, “ Don’t ask questions, just do it.” So they did. Before they left the Supervisor told them they’d be doing the exact same thing tomorrow, but they’d get a raise of $12 dollars. The next morning only 60% of the students came back and did the exact same thing. After lunch they were told to fill the ditch back up with dirt. They asked “Why?” and the Supervisor told them “Don’t ask questions, just do it.” So they did. Before they left the Supervisor told them they’d be doing the exact same thing tomorrow, but they’d get a raise of $16 dollars an hour. The next morning only 50% of the remaining students came back and did the exact same thing. After lunch they were told to fill the ditch back up with dirt. They asked “Why?” and the Supervisor told them “Don’t ask questions, just do it.” So they did. Before they left the Supervisor told them they’d be doing the exact same thing tomorrow, but they’d get a raise of $21 dollars an hour.

So..well you get the point, every day the sum of money got bigger but the number of students decreased. Basically, the moral of the story is that the students weren’t feeling fulfilled with this job, so even though they made a lot of money they felt as though what they were doing was meaningless and eventually quit. The story really resonated with me because that’s what this summer job is for me. I’ve only been here for 3 weeks and everyday I pretty much dread coming to work. I thought my Aunt didn’t understand what I was feeling but after this story I’m starting to feel like she might. She basically told a co-worker that I was lazy to get that co-worker to stop giving me tasks (I stayed at work ‘til 8:30PM once)..umm I guess her heart was in the right place, but I’m not lazy. When I’m working I try to put 110% of my energy to whatever I’m doing. I may not like it but I’m doing it. Yes, I am a different generation from my Aunt and co-workers. I don’t want to work this job, not because of the tasks I’m given, but because it doesn’t give me any personal enrichment. I work for free sometimes doing consulting work and running this street team and planning our marketing campaigns…even though it is free, I still do it because I want to. Because I like it. I don’t want an office job because I don’t belong at one. Not because I don’t have a work ethic. I may not like to wake up at 6:30AM but I wouldn’t mind doing it if it meant I was doing something I wanted to do. Why should I settle for a job just because it pays more than my current job? Like many of my other family members, my Aunt doesn’t think that my work with music is a real job or should be considered a real job just because they don’t know anyone else who does it. It would probably be easier for them if I was a musician and touring but I’m a girl, touring with musicians and selling shirts. They think that’s all I do, but it isn’t and it’s not what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life. I’ve found a team who I think values me. I hope they value me. And it is hard to find that.

Sometimes what my Aunt says contradicts how she treats my work..for example, during the same walk she was chastising a co-worker who just became a Managing Partner for talking down to some of the Legal Staff. She had said that they want to treat the Attorneys above all the other employers, but that’s not how things should be run. This true. She was saying how she used to make everyone, including the Mail girl feel really important because they are important to the overall team and the rest of her co-workers who were higher-up attorneys didn’t feel the same way. I wish she could apply that feeling to someone like a family member. I may be at the bottom of the ladder in a lot of people’s eyes but oh, well. I get to see the world and get paid to do it. I meet interesting people every day. I get to work for one of the most talented and knowledgeable musicians I know.

I’m happy and I’ve come to terms that I won’t make above $30,000 any time soon. Sad? Yes, but money is just something to buy material things with and I don’t need anything else but a roof over my head and friends.

iphone 3g

since i'm an adult and have responsibilities such as work, i'm reading about the iphone 3g and the madness that is today. Quite interesting. Read it here.

Anyways, things are working out slowly but surely.
I'm working an 8 to 5. Trust me, it sucks. 'Business casual,' I never knew what that meant until now and it sucks! Overall, things in Dallas are boring. Here's to finding another city I do not like.

Got to experience my first Warped Tour..umm never again! It was great to be able to see Kristy and Derek and Shelley again, as well as meet Artie. And I finally got to watch Relient K and see DK in action! w00t.

I really want the new iphone..but I need to SAVE for a.) ipod (mine fell out of my belt clip and into the ocean); b.) rent; and c.) emergencies.

the end.

...

no matter what, i know i'll be okay.

blah

this is a sad and confusing time within my family. not my immediate family, thank goodness.. but it is sad to think there's a giant rift going on in your family and you are helpless to change things.

in other news, my mom is going on a cruise at the end of aug. with some of her girlfriends. i'm going to use that time to re-train my dad so that he's more appreciative of my mom. haha.

so much to do before i move to dallas (for the summer). and a little hesitant..since the person i'm staying with is one of the parties involved in this tiff (luckily, not with me hopefully). still planning on moving to austin in january/feb. i am starting to worry i won't have a job in sept. because the budget is tight and we just added a new band member. if not, how will i be able to ask for a raise or save up for a place? i'm really trying hard to move towards financial independence and that's kinda impossible without a job. people say it'll be easier once i move to austin to find jobs but how would i move to austin without money to pay rent? i wouldn't be able to do that on my own. i've been out of school for almost a month and both my parents have asked about grad school..ahh. all these uncertainties are leading to even more uncertainties and i can't plan anything when i don't know anything..

i would have had a ton of jobs to pick from if i had moved to boston or nyc..but i took a chance for austin and the people that i worked with for the past two years, hoping that all my work would have turned into something but it has backfired so far.

ulcer.

someone wanted to comment? k..well i just enabled comments.

summer reading list

chronicles of narnia (books 1-7!!) (just finished 1 today)
gonna try to get my hands on the rest of the vonnegut collection..there's about 4 i haven't read yet
Danny, the Champion of the World- Roald Dahl

umm there's more but that's all i checked out at the library so far..I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy (author of No Country for Old Men)..I definitely need to see the movie when it comes out this fall..I bought the book two years ago for tour and NEVER read it..didn't have time apparently and when I started it, it took me 2 days to finish..it took me one to finish 'The Magician's Nephew' from the Chronicles of Narnia. I used to be such as avid reader..I'd go through 3 books a week or it would take like 2-4 weeks if it was a classic like Dostoevsky. I've read soo many classics. I read them all before I got to 8th grade, scary enough and if there were some things I didn't understand I'd read analysis online..you know..cheat..except I wasn't cheating since i wasn't for a class. I went to Barnes & Noble and they have a classics section and I couldn't pick any out because I read all of them, there are a few I'd love to re-read since I've graduated college now and would probably understand it better, but more in the mood to read Chronicles of Narnia haha. I haven't read allll the classics in the world, duh. There are some that I started but never finished like Siddartha, mainly because it bored me to sleep but I bet if I reread it now, it would mean so much more..

the end of my rant..I'll update my book list, promise.

4 year plans change

i don't have new years resolutions..i have 4 years plans. it started when i traveled to the UK by myself when i turned 18..and since then i've kept up a running list of things i want to have accomplished every 4 years.. being a bum has made me think about what i really want to accomplish in the next four to five years. and it came to me..

my family has all owned businesses. my aunts and uncles and mom have all owned restaurants in the past and one of my aunts still does in Belgium. my other aunt randomly decided to open a chocolate store in Vietnam, which has proven to be a really successful venture.

nobody really understood why i wanted to do this music, vagabond kind of thing but when i told them i wanted to open up a coffee shop it all made sense haha. i'm really considering this!! i've thought about it on and off since i was 12 and even have a notebook of it..it started out as a non-profit skate park/rec center for underprivileged kids and now, realistically i want to have a really amazing coffee shop because i love going to really amazing coffee shops.

i want it to have great food and vegan and veggie treats as well as some homemade gelato, ohh and amazing coffee and italian cream soda. i want to sell homemade crafts and foods from local vendors and make it a place where everyone wants to be. my brother's a chef! i'm going to brainstorm a menu with him and my aunts. my cousin is opening up a coffee shop in vietnam so after this last leg of tour, if i can't jump on any other tours i'm going to vietnam to study the trade. haha

don't worry! this isn't something out of the blue and i'm not jumping on this thing tomorrow! i'm giving myself five or six years to save up and then my parents are going to help me take out a loan..i'm going to try to prepare myself and slowly inch towards that goal and planning things out... gotta put my business minor to use!! but, i thought anyone reading this would be interested in knowing, firsthand!

i plan on exploring a LOT of coffee shops on this next tour..if you have any you want to recommend me let me knoow

it is pretty amazing to have a 'plan' after all this. i don't expect to be merching for the rest of my life and i never wanted to work for a label and i felt lost. there are so many wants in my life, i want to accomplish them all before i work another 70hrs a week. i want to do a little bit of everything but i've always wanted this and i'd be really happy to put blood, sweat, and tears into something to call my own. it is a relief to know that i have something to work towards :)

-mai

the coolest dog ever

HE TOUCHED ME.

at this point my mind was numb. i don't know where my hand was but i wish it was where i wish it were right now.

i'm published

hanson

I sprained my ankle before The Walk...the one mile walk that turned out to be more like 4 miles uphill because Zac led us the wrong way...
I need to go to the doctor because my ankle just randomly rolls. And by randomly rolling I mean I'll just be standing there and my ankle gives out and I tumble to the ground. It isn't fun.
My ankle is all bruised and a tad swollen and sore but I don't think anything is broken (hallelujah).
I came tumbling down with my Canon and my Diana and it was reflex to just hold my hands up instead of try to catch my fall haha. They were saved, my ankle was not.

Hanson was amazing. I went with some pretty cool people. I also learned that I haven't gone to many shows at all comparatively.
I lost my jacket and a fanson made the effort to get it back to me!! It was amazing. Hanson fans are either really nice or really scary. And by scary I mean they will bite you and punch you in the face.

I met Zac. I actually got really excited when I touched him. That never happens.
Funny how Hanson is the ultimate reason how I know Ben's music, started listening to 'indie', wanted to be in the music industry, and am the weird person I am today. All Hanson fans have the same story though. Which is why I need to make a documentary about them ASAP.

Here's to randomness

Today for dinner I made roasted butternut squash with roasted onions, garlic, pine nuts and orzo and a salad with a tofu based chocolate and peanut butter tart for dessert (but that's still in the freezer).

We ate it before i had a chance to take photos haa

food

zach is funny

check out his set on his flickr about foods that take on the same shape as its container

raisins

ACL

the one year i actually want to go and we're probably will be on tour *sad face

Foo Fighters*
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Beck*
Manu Chao*
John Fogerty
David Byrne*
The Raconteurs*
The Mars Volta*
Gnarls Barkley
Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band*
N.E.R.D.*
Erykah Badu
Robert Earl Keen
Patty Griffin
Tegan & Sara
Iron & Wine*
G. Love & Special Sauce
Neko Case*
Band Of Horses*
The Swell Season
Silversun Pickups*
Gogol Bordello
Gillian Welch
Eli Young Band
The Black Keys
Against Me!*
Jakob Dylan And The Gold Mountain Rebels
Okkervil River
Galactic
Kevin Fowler
Sharon Jones And The Dap Kings
Hot Chip*
Vampire Weekend*
Slightly Stoopid
Duffy Alejandro Escovedo
Roky Erikson
Yonder Mountain String Band
Spiritualized
Flyleaf
Drive-By Truckers
Ingrid Michaelson
Stars*
Jose Gonzalez*
CSS*
Del The Funky Homosapien
Man Man*
Jamie Lidell
MGMT*
What Made Milwaukee Famous*
Jenny Lewis*
M. Ward*
Asleep At The Wheel
Mason Jennings*
Heartless Bastards*
Antibalas
The Nachito Herrera All-Stars
Shooter Jennings
Xavier Rudd
Yeasayer*
Octopus Project*
Joe Bonamassa
The Kills*
White Denim*
Louis XIV*
Delta Spirit*
Mates Of State*
Nicole Atkins & The Sea
Electric Touch
Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears*
Black Door Slam
Tristan Prettyman
The Strange Boys
Ryan Bingham
Scott Biram
Freddy Jones
Colour Revolt
Five Times August
Langhorne Slim*
Sybris
Eli "Paper Boy" Reed And The True Loves
Bavu Blakes And The Extra Plairs
AA Bondy
Christopher Denny
Mike Farris
The Lee Boys
South Austin Jug Band
American Bang
Bobby Bare, Jr.
Massacoustics
Belleville Outfit
We Go To 11
Band Of Heathens
City And Colour***
Sunny Sweeney
Elizabeth Wills
Autamata
Bonnie Bishop
Ben Solee
Ben Cylus
The Concert Supremes
River City Christionettes
Shields Of Faith
The Jones Family Singers
Nakia And His Southern Cousins
Brotherly Luv
The Hensley Ensemble
School Of Rock
Jambo
Q Brothers
Buck Howdy With BB
Uncle Rock
Big Don
Mr. Ray
The Jimmies

this happened this last year

but i needed to show it..cuz it is unbelievable

the death of me

Do I have nothing good left to say
Do I need whiskey to start fueling my complaints
People love to drink their troubles away
sometimes I feel that I'd be better off that way

'Cause maybe then I could sleep at night
I wouldn't lie awake until the morning light
This is something that I'll never control
My nerves will be the death of me, I know

So here's to living life miserable
And here's to all the lovely stories that I've told
Maybe drinking wine will validate my sorrow
Every man needs a muse and mine could be the bottle

Maybe then I could sleep at night
I wouldn't lie awake until the morning light
This is something that I'll never control
My nerves will be the death of me, i know

Finally I could hope for a better day
No longer holding on to all the things that cloud my mind
Maybe then the weight of the world wouldn't seem so heavy
But then again, I'll probably always feel this way

At least i know I'll never sleep at night
I'll always lie awake until the morning light
This is something that I'll never control
My nerves will be the death of me, I know
-City&Colour

the entire album is beautiful.

I finally am starting to use Last.fm again..since I am starting to use itunes again!

bo-day-gah

i saw this at a film festival last night

oh ya know..

visit these sites please:


http://soshinyandnew.blogspot.com

http://derekjkern.tumblr.com/

http://www.amaterialworld.net/

the end.

oh wait..

P.S.
ode to Ben Kweller

cost of sxsw

badge: $500
flight(s): boston to houston($164.99), houston to austin($126), austin to boston($250)
hotel first night- March 11: $50, shared w/ Loretta
dinner- March 11: $6
March 12-March 17 meals: $24.75
March 12-March 17 drinks: $5
hotel: $0..thanks Fran!!
transportation: $74

$1074.74 because my mom paid for my flight from htx to atx. w00t

meeting hanson..
priceless duh

i'm tired

but it was fun.

sxsw

is gonna be great..
free

every day

i'd say..

my camera collection is pretty complete now








i don't need anything else..
but why do i keep wanting to buy?! uggh
ha

oneday i'll own one of these:

i miss..

turkish delight! here you have..mint, pistachio and coconut. yum

here is what i've been making for dinner/snacks recently..in case you didn't realize i am procrastinating again.

a casserole



a cookie cake for my suitemate's 22nd.


and some scones at 11:45PM..i'm too lazy to rotate the 11:45PM photo. too bad.
anyways, the scones came out flat and a lil dry but still delishhhhhhhhhh
we put them in the oven too long. now we know. they were Craisin scones.

the end.

Hi, How Are You?

I'm ashamed to admit that I've never listened to Daniel Johnston's music. I've only heard of this legend..I watched this today (instead of study for exams)

and wow..amazing on every level

I really can't wait to get my hands on everything he's ever made

midterms weeeekk

Notes to self/Random ramblings

1. More Vitamins
2. More leafy greens
3. EXAM ON THURSDAY
4. Documentary research
5. Watch movies
6. Return movies on Tuesday
7. I wish my last name was Jolie-Pitt..uggh adopt meeee
8. Study Vietnamese
9. vegan
10. crap.
    

film is hard

and expensive..but worth it.

Contribute!

To the Mai Huynh 2008 Meet Hanson Tour fund.
paypal: taytay1516@yahoo.com
checks/cash/mo: 175 Forest St. #2339, Waltham, MA 02452

You think I'm kidding?
I'm broke as a joke.

We Are Scientists

Monchhichis. Fun times. Also..creepy

Somehow I deleted my original post about WAS. Anyways, nearly 4 months after Michael Trapper left the band, I'm finding out about it. And I'm quite distraught! Keith has a weird emo haircut..Chris doesn't even look the same..he kind looks cute! They have a new drummer and 2 additional members! Last time I saw them there were only 3 on stage. Man..changes. I hate them! But I can't help but admit they sound really really good.

HAHA

sometimes you just need this at 2AM
or..when you're like procrastinating

first watch this:

Now watch this:

i lovee the response! so much so i had to post it right after i saw it today..so yah..thank goodness i was awake long enough for Jimmy Kimmel today. haha

academy awards

there are no real surprises in the night. except for Gary Busey during E!'s Pre-Oscar show..he was such a trainwreck i had to change the channel.

this is gary busey..(opps, i put up a pic of nick nolte by mistake)


anyways..

my fave movie of the year...so glad it won...everything!

i thought

cate blanchett should have won best supporting actress

but so stoked that marion cottilard won best leading role

for her work as Edith Piaf...she did it sooo well..trust me, if you haven't seen this movie go see it.
the best memories i had in HS involved old Edith Piaf vinyls..

i still need to go see the following:

• Lars and the Real Girl
• Eastern Promises
  
• The Savages
• Away from Her
• Atonement
• Gone Baby Gone
• and ALL the documentaries!

the end!
oh wait!
p.s.

this week i'm going to go buy this book


i love john sellers.

mecca

SXSW is fast approaching. i just got my password to create my sxsw calendar and trust me...i'm starting RIGHT NOW!

bye

THIS KID IS FIVE

london eye

i took this with my camera phone.

not bad

boo

so today i found out that beer that i thought was a new belgian beer is actually from CANADA. whatttt?
da;jfa;jd;ajf;djafa
i was lied to!
haha
and nooo i didn't get the bottle so that's why i trusted the bartender. boo him. and boo me. oh well it was still great and now i have to spread the word to my friends that it was all a lieeeeeee.
pssh..
pshhh.

it is kinda like finding out that Fosters isn't really Australian. Oh well, I like belgian beer, canadian beer, australian beer..like i said, all kinds.

i miss bruxelles..and my balcony.
and my family..and their food.
taken by Derek J. Kern

it made my heart melt

i got flowers last night!! yayyy
my suitemate and i have a really thoughtful guy friend, Calvin, and he trekked through the snow to bring them to us. awwww

brrr...

right now it feels like 8 degrees F (and it is super sunny and mid day)
later tonight i will be reminded what 1 degrees F feels like.
somehow, i'm not looking foward to that at all.

hmm

grammy's. i'm watching them so far so good.

anyways this is what me and my friends do during grammy time:

TexanlostNBoston: what are you listening to?

FRIEND: this french group called Outlines

TexanlostNBoston: ahah! i bought their album on napster thinking they were 'The Outlines' from california

FRIEND: hahah

FRIEND: what did you think of it?

FRIEND: hey i have a question for you that maybe you'd know

TexanlostNBoston: haha k. and i liked them. they're so little

FRIEND: the song nic's groove by foreign exchange

FRIEND: is that beat original or sampled from something and if so what

TexanlostNBoston: mm..i don't know. i thought it was original

TexanlostNBoston: i can go ask around

FRIEND: yeah i've been searching the internet and can't find any indication its sampled so i think its original too

FRIEND: have any new music suggestions for me to look into?

TexanlostNBoston: wat are you in the mood for?

FRIEND: hmmm

FRIEND: i've been in a hop hop mood, but i'd also be up for more instrumental hip hop

FRIEND: i was downloading some new prefuse 73 earlier

FRIEND: (new for me)

TexanlostNBoston: hmm..hip hop. not my forte. tim fite is about as hip hop as i get these days

FRIEND: ok then what are you listening to currently

TexanlostNBoston: hmm..the new nada surf. manchester orchestra. vampire weekend. MGMT

TexanlostNBoston: a new band from iceland called MUM

TexanlostNBoston: you'd like MUM i think

TexanlostNBoston: it is portishead/sigur rosish

FRIEND: nice

FRIEND: ok it says they have albums from 1998...not so new :P

TexanlostNBoston: haha pssh well new to meeeeee

TexanlostNBoston: they're just getting recognition over in europe for their newest album

then we proceed to do this

FRIEND: www.myspace.com/toemusic

TexanlostNBoston: http://www.myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi

TexanlostNBoston: http://www.myspace.com/imfrombarcelona

TexanlostNBoston: http://www.myspace.com/futurekingsofspain <--dublin.

FRIEND: www.myspace.com/karateband

FRIEND:: www.myspace.com/pinback

TexanlostNBoston:: http://www.myspace.com/aeroplanepageant

TexanlostNBoston: http://www.myspace.com/bandofhorses

FRIEND: www.myspace.com/oneamradiomusic.com

TexanlostNBoston: http://www.myspace.com/thewhigs

nerds...copy. there's some little commentary and ohhs and ahhs about the music we're recommending each other but it is unimportant. go listen to those if you haven't already.

hard

+


is pretty damn hard.
40 days.

how it should be..sha sha

if you can't read the text it says :

ALL AGES+ MERCH SIGNING+ MAI+ TRIO= HOW IT SHOULD BE!!!

...sha sha

---
amazing!

SXSW

the most amazing festival you'll ever attend.

and the initial line-up is posted!!
there's already too many bands to count!

eeeeepp

there are already 72 bands i want to see and i only skimmed the list

aww

sometimes it is just great to have moments.
i love friends

bonnaroo

Pearl Jam Metallica Jack Johnson Kanye West Robert Plant and Alison Krauss featuring T-Bone Burnett Phil Lesh & Friends My Morning Jacket The Allman Brothers Band The Raconteurs Willie Nelson Death Cab for Cutie B.B. King Sigur Ros Levon Helm and the Ramble on the Road Ben Folds O.A.R. The Bluegrass Allstars Featuring Luke Bulla, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela fleck, Edgar Meyer & Brya M.I.A. Umphrey's McGee Iron & Wine Yonder Mountain String Band The Swell Season Talib Kweli Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi's Soul Stew Revival Gogol Bordello Broken Social Scene Robert Randolph's Revival Rilo Kiley Mastodon Lupe Fiasco Against Me! Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings Pat Green Ozomatli Tegan & Sara Solomon Burke Drive-By Truckers !!! The Avett Brothers Israel Vibration Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck Aimee Mann Ladytron The Fiery Furnaces Orchestra Baobab Ghostland Observatory Jose Gonzalez Dark Star Orchestra Minus the Bear Donavon Frankenreiter Lez Zeppelin State Radio Battles Jakob Dylan Two Gallants The Sword Vampire Weekend Little Feat Nicole Atkins The Felice Brothers Mason Jennings MGMT The Lee Boys Black Kids Serena Ryder Steel Train Grupo Fantasma Back Door Slam

Bonnaroo Late Night Chat About with David Cross Janeane Garofalo Zach Galifianakis Jim Norton Brian Posehn Mike Birbiglia John Mulaney Michelle Buteau

"The four-day camping and music festival will be held from June 12-15, 2008 on our beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee.....Tickets to the 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival will go on sale next Saturday, February 16, at Noon Eastern time through Bonnaroo.com."

thanks to brooklynvegan for this