j e s s i s m u s i c

Ica Ica Er!

2009-06-05T00:56:00.003-04:00

Sometimes you leave the internets where everyone knows your name and go to one where only one person knows that name. Leaving the blogger world for fresher pastures elsewhere. Maybe you'll know where to find me ;)

Whiskey Bar

2009-06-04T01:09:00.006-04:00

I should know better by now. As the band I went to see finished, I debated about staying for the last band. As I saw the guy with the saxophone, I feared that it was going to be like DMB, but I've seen some awesome multi-instrumental bands in Brooklyn. However, this was Jersey and the 6 or 7 guys in their thirties should've definitely clued me into the fact that they were nothing but a DMB imitation band. I left before the third line of the song.

Fortunately, the banjo in 6 Day Bender was a wild card that enhanced the second half of their set. They debated about starting with that sound or adding it later and the banjo was almost as fantastic as the grizzly mountain men with thick curly hair.

Captain Peg Leg

2009-05-18T23:59:00.003-04:00

Tonight I fell for the third time this month. While the other two involved falling backwards and resulted in some bruising, I fell up the cement steps and have been bleeding for four hours. (And as much as I like self-portraits, this is one that you won't be seeing :) )

When did I take Kelly's spot as the clumsy one?

I'm Covered in Acrylics..

2009-05-12T22:06:00.003-04:00

and trailing paint throughout the house. I've given up on getting the paint off my body over the last few days, but at least it had been contained to me. Now it's all over the kitchen, living room, my new running shorts, and my macbook.

Painting should be finished this weekend, then its either another canvas or time for some serious scrubbing.

It was a Good Day

2009-05-10T22:23:00.005-04:00

The flowers are starting to bloom in the Park!

If I'm not trying to solve my problems in the pool, I'm often singing to myself (in my head, people), and Friday's song was Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day." Not sure if I was doing the clean or dirty version--and who the hell gave me the clean version in college? It wasn't until GTA San Andreas was playing at Paul's and I was rapping along using the clean version when he almost fell out of his seat. The song was at least right about the whole weekend--well the title of the song. I never really have to use my AK* in Connecticut or get to watch Yo! MTV Raps.

I'm exhausted and can hardly move, so here's a wrap-up:

-Swam, ran, wined on Friday

-Started massive painting project to cover Roses

-City on Saturday

-Massive humidity=sweaty, big haired Jessi

-Lunch with Randi, met her roomie and we people watched for hours on the West side

-Celebrity sighting!! Richard Kind from Spin City.

-Lost in the galleries in Chelsea. Jeff Bark's show at Charles Cowles brought me down, but I was soon lost amid the constant in and out through the exhibitions. Still hoping the inspiration lasts long enough to get some new stuff on my walls. (Picking photos for printing later this week--will need lots of opinions.)

-Dropped off the shirt that's been haunting me for the last week and had drinks with Perry in Hoboken, where the sun was actually out, watched it set and the sky turn that fantastic mix of colors that I love so much and almost makes me believe in something bigger than us.

-Woke up early to make a video for my mom, complete with call-in from my brother. Finally finished it and called her and Gams to wish them a Happy Mother's Day 6 1/2 hours away.

-Caught up with fake brother, Eric, for the fifth time this weekend. If we ever figure out our love lives, I don't know what we'll have to talk about.

-Lots of painting--updated one of our coffee tables, hung an old painting in the kitchen, changed the frame on a canvas and continued the Roses project--not sure if I like it yet, but I've got lots of layers to paint still.

-Super domestic day: moved our furniture, filled in some holes on the walls and even did some plumbing!

-Another day of running and swimming. Is it possible for my body to love and hate me so much at the same time?

-Capped it off with some Thai, calls with my favorite girls and am waiting for Jer to come home. Screw Jer. Bedtime here I come. Eh, that boy always comes home right when I'm ready to go to sleep. It's usually worth it, though.

Someone call me and get me out of bed to run at 7. Brownies to whoever actually does it anytime this week.

*Did I really just joke about having an AK? I've spent too much time with Republicans lately. I hate guns.

It's White House Correspondents Dinner Weekend!

2009-05-10T10:52:00.002-04:00

Ever since Colbert hosted, I always look forward to waking up the morning after white house correspondent's dinner to check out the videos. It brightens my morning news reading. (I've been hearing lots of jokes this weekend about the fact that I don't get out of bed until 8 am each morning. Now, if I still read actual newspapers, I would have to throw on the robe right away, sneak down the driveway hoping not to flash anyone, make some tea and sit on my back patio to read the papers, giving myself black hand. Instead, I fire up the internet, read the morning's stories and don't have to get out of bed until closer to 8:30.)

What I'd forgotten about was how funny Obama and McCain were at the Alfred E Smith Dinner in the fall. (Sidenote to all those ND protestors. The New York (Arch)Bishop honored both McCain and Obama in the fall. Quit protesting. I'm sick of it and will take your graduation tickets to listen to him. You might not be complaining if you had to sit through Dick Lugar's nuclear position statement as your commencement address.) While we used to get a few funny moments with W, Obama was eager to kick off the show before letting Wanda take over.

Not so Sunny, San Diego Photos

2009-05-06T22:19:00.005-04:00

I'm back from San Diego, have gone through my photos and finally removed the blur on all the photos from the bit of fuzz that invaded my camera body sometime in San Diego. After a few wonderfully hot and sunny days, the weather turned cloudy when Sis rolled into town. With no opportunity for a serious tan, she and I decided to turn each new beach and cliff into a bizarre photo shoot. The parents were ready to ground us at the point that we started doing weird senior photos--we are way too old to pass for high schoolers. Fortunately for me, Sis has no idea how to work a focus ring, so mine are too blurry to share.

Running family vacation joke: Dad ran a lighthouse in a past life; we're still trying to figure out which one it was. I insist that he pose in front of them on every trip.

Brenda is a 24 year old high school senior.

Scariest spot for lunch EVER, although quite the interesting view of Blacks Beach.

Fantastic Lineup at Last Night's Dark was the Night Benefit

2009-05-04T08:46:00.005-04:00

In terms of charity concerts, last night's show blew the socks off the Tibet benefit from a few months ago--it was just an incredible group of artists, plus the show kept moving at a good pace. But first things first, let's talk about the We Are the World moment that closes charity concerts. There might be nothing that leaves me so embarrassed for someone else as the final group closing song. I'm always throwing my head in my hands and muttering, is this really happening? Last night's version was the epitome of this. About 15 indie kids clustered on the corner of the stage with their acoustic guitars and decided to sing a Seeger song, as down the Street, another group of musicians was celebrating Pete Seeger's 90th birthday at MSG. They broke into an acoustic version of "This Land is Your Land." There was laughter throughout the crowd, while others tried to get into the moment and sing along. Then Sharon Jones returned to the stage, stopped the performance and broke into a rousing performance along with her Dap Kings. Best We Are the World fake-out ever.

I was psyched to see Bon Iver, The National and Feist, while Isaac couldn't wait to see My Brightest Diamond and The National, and other J Lau was up for the experience and the chance to check out some new bands. The show was awesome; there was often a huge smile on my face as different artists joined the bands--no one loves performing with everyone else as much as Justin Vernon--his guitar work on Blood Bank and a new song by The National had me ready to jump out of my seat, while his duet with Feist brought tears to my eyes. He was just as welcoming during his set as My Brightest Diamond joined them on Flume and The National joined for another song.

But nothing is as fantastic as finally getting to see David Byrne live, let alone have him perform 4 songs that he has never done live, bringing an awesome drum line on stage with him. After telling the guy sitting next to us that Byrne is responsible for my dancing as four year old me would imitate his videos as I watched intently on MTV, I was happy to hear him later say that he's still got his moves. Isaac fell in love with Dirty Projectors, although his heart already belongs to My Brightest Diamond. David Sitek won me over with his stage presence, the hand claps from his chorus, the fuzz from the bass, and the horns. You can't go wrong with hand claps and horns! And for a horn loving girl, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings blew me away and made the night for other J Lau.

It's Time to Get Rid of Luke's Ugly Roses

2009-05-03T14:36:00.003-04:00

Since Jeremy is moving out and taking his delightfully cheesy album covers and original nude art with him, it's time to paint over the Rose painting that Brown Guy left us. I haven't painted canvases in over a year, but I'm ready to break out the brushes to cover this monstrosity. It hangs in our crazily over-sized kitchen, which is bigger than some one bedrooms in New York, and we need something this large to break up the wall.

Would love some suggestions for color combinations. It's time to make my townhouse into a slightly more adult apartment.

Great. Now my hometown is known for having a panty thief

2009-05-02T17:39:00.002-04:00

It's official, I'm no longer from Ohio. Someone please construct a backstory for my first 18 years. Preferably somewhere fun on the east coast or somewhere exotic.

Kelly was texting me about this story last night, then I found the story online today. Fortunately, I have Nick from home keeping me posted on the gossipy details of my former hometown. :)

The Mood at BRUUUUUCE Had as Many Highs and Lows as a Drive Through the PA Countryside

2009-05-01T15:23:00.002-04:00

After a highly entertaing/successfull trip to see The Boss in Jersey last summer, we were looking forward to another fun trek, this time to Philly. Should've known this day would be different since the sand storms and rain from our last trip never surfaced. Who would've known that I'd someday hope for horrible weather as a sign of an awesome set list?

We snuck out of work early and made the trek to Philly, set up a very small tailgate with the customary one chair that no one ends up sitting in out of politeness. (Note to self: really need to get a grill and more chairs before the next one.) Great to see everyone at the show though and I think I'll be framing the photo...maybe after photoshopping a bluish sky into the background.

As for the show itself, Jody from Philly, put it best. It's really awesome if you're a die-hard Springsteen fan who has NEVER gotten to hear some of songs from the earlier albums or the more folky offerings of Nebraska. For those of us who love to dance (I seriously didn't get to do any white girl dancing), sing-a-long and yell BRUUUUUUCE. It wasn't as awesome. Jods also was right about the E Street Band being fantastic, as long as you didn't look at the TV screen and see Patti slowly strumming that blue guitar, causing a Pavlovian response* of immediate finger shaking in her direction.

Set List
Badlands
The Ties That Bind
Outlaw Pete
Spirit In The Night
Working On A Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Youngstown
Raise Your Hand
London Calling
Red Headed Woman
Thundercrack
Hungry Heart
The Promised Land
Streets Of Philadelphia
Kingdom Of Days
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born To Run

Hard Times
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Land Of Hope And Dreams
American Land
Kitty's Back

LOVE this kids sweatshirt and the hoodie zips up completely to cover his face with the skull bones. I thought it would be too creepy to ask him to do it again for the strange girl in a dress.

This as he questioned my skills of photography while I wasn't even looking in the lens. The Wachovia Center looks like the Gugg and he's quite blurry. COMEON! I'm the girl who wears a dress to concerts, of course, all my photos are golden.

This is how I like to picture these two.

Happy with a beer in hand.

*And let's not talk about any other Pavlovian responses. Thank you very much.

2 Reasons why I love Jeremy

2009-04-30T23:10:00.001-04:00

Reason One

Jeremy is packing up his room, which makes me sad and insistent on a guy hug* when I came home tonight. He found a mar on the floor and I told him that it had been there even when I had that room. His face perked up and he said, "Is that why all your friends think this is your room?" Good reasoning, but not true. They'd never been here when I lived in that room.

My friends have taken to randomly diving into bed with Jeremy after the holiday party the last two years. Our favorite blogebrity, Brett, dove in after heading to the bathroom two years ago. Fortunately, he was wearing a tuxedo and not in his skivvies. Unfortunately, Jer had been asleep for hours and did not want to snuggle. This year, Sam just decided to hang out with Jeremy until he told Sam, "I don't want to be inhospitable, but I'm going to bed dude." His response: "I don't want to go to a hospital either."

Jeremy accepts all of my crazy friends attempts to cuddle throughout the night. Evie locks her door whenever I have people stay over.

Reason Two

Jer loves mental torture. (See what happens when he steals our phones--sometimes good, sometimes bad.) Evie would not move her pile of random possessions and mail from the last four months, even though we were showing the apartment and needed to take photos of Jer's furniture. So he and I decided to give away whatever she obviously didn't need. Then a week later, he posted it to Craigslist:

Green couch and loveseat for sale. Somewhat worn from use - some small holes in the fabric, but otherwise in good condition. The large couch has a sleeper in it as well.

INCLUDED:
- Couch
- Loveseat
- Pillows
- Matching hassock/ottoman
- All my roommate's stuff that she's parked on the smaller couch if she doesn't move it before you pick it up.

Take away only - available mid-May. E-mail me and we'll work out the logistics.

Location: Stamford
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

*Jeremy is going to have to be ready for lots of random hugs over the next month, as I protest his departure, plus my usual I just need a guy hug cause my day sucked moments.

Obscure BNL reference on new NBC comedy

2009-04-30T21:42:00.005-04:00

They just said hair shirt on Parks and Rec! And the only other instance in which I hear hair shirt is on BNL's "What A Good Boy." And as much as we rip on BNL on the blog, I love that song.

That's right, I love it. I love it for the band they want to be. And the band they almost are. (And why have I been paraphrasing random lyrics and movie lines to fit my random conversations this week?)

It takes me back to a wonderfully nostalgic place. But then they wrote that monkey postcard song and I lost the love.

Thank you Kelly for sharing my embarrassment (with a little bit of secret love) over BNL.

Happy 100 Days!

2009-04-29T00:04:00.002-04:00

Yes, yes. We all know how much I love Obama. But today we're going to talk about my envy I have for one certain Bobcat.

The Blue posted a link to OU alum, Pete Souza's Flickr album of photos from the first three months of Obama's presidency. Such a fantastic job!

And I love how in love the Obamas are. It makes my day.

It's 11:27, wanna shotgun?

2009-04-28T23:37:00.002-04:00

I just finished making the last bit of tailgate food and was loading the trunk, when I tried to open the beer carton. A bottle girl, I didn't think anything of stabbing the case with my key. Soon enough, stream of beer right in the eye. Jer refused to come outside and shotgun with me, so it's fizzing out in the driveway.

Tomorrow we're off to Philly for Bruuuuuuce and our usual pre-show tailgate. Can't wait to drive through four states tomorrow for some Jersey rock. And yes, I completely feel like a 40 something girl from Jersey...with big hair, of course.

Jessi's Reading 4.23.9

2009-04-23T09:18:00.003-04:00

There are far too many tabs open on my computer and links that I've emailed myself so here we go:

This video has left me a little indecisive. 85% of me wants to fly Jody, Kelly and I to some weird island for one of my fitness vacations, 12% of me wonders how horribly callused this guys feet are, and 3% of me wants to apply to work for him on his Brazilian experience trips. You can read his philosophy at MovNat.

More video fun! Bill Moyers had David Simon, creator of The Wire, on his show earlier this week (be sure to check out both segments). I'm only on season two of the show, but love every interview, story and show I watch with him and his ideas on American society. The Blue also posted his HBO pitch proposal last week. I might dive into its 79 pages on my flight home but Isaac already checked it out and loved seeing which characters made it into the show, the various name changes and other nuances. (I'm trying to upload it, but email if you want it.)

Thanks to The Road and The New Yorker's various columns about the coming apocalypse, I got a kick out of Wired's story about some strange monument in Georgia with instructions on how to survive the post-apocalyptic world. And if you're not in the peach state and need some advice, this blog will get you through it.

Justin A. sent us this link to Bill O'Reilly's investigation into a strange thing called Nintendo...three years after it came out. Be sure to watch for the Nintendo help line guy's awesome hair-do.

Two things that I love? Footloose (well, when I was 7, at least) and now Gossip Girl. Rumor has it that Chace Crawford is going to be taking over Kevin Bacon's role!

I have been rambling on about my hatred of the USA Today newspaper to more and more people lately after my recent month of travel. I often wonder to myself if hotels think I need a dumbed down and colorful version of the news rather than the stories and news items I expect from a paper like the New York Times. I've been leaving the USA Today on the floor outside my door and racing to grab the Times or the Journal from the lobby before they disappear. Plus, there's my whole hippie/green guilt over all those wasted papers. Marriott is finally paying attention to all those wasted papers and is discontinuing the automatic paper drop service. You can still request a select newspaper of your choice to be dropped upon check-in. Not-so-fun fact: Marriott was the first hotel to automatically deliver newspapers to guests rooms. It started 25 years ago with a partnership with the USA Today and the Gannett Co.

Ellen and I discovered this site last Easter, where two friends post a different photo each day, side by side. The project ended recently, but I've looked at all of their photos (and then I started looking into their other projects and companies. It was a blend of creative jealousy and internet stalking all rolled into one.)

While this would've been timelier if I actually posted my reading catch-all around tax day, I still love the graphic design of this poster representation of how your tax dollars are divided.

Slate has been posting an ongoing series of a writer's journey through the grieving process following the loss of her mother.

Evie and Jeremy have been making fun of my recent desire to sell most of my belongings. If only I lived closer to this hotel which is asking regular people to suggest items for the hotel to buy from them in order to eclectically decorate its room prior to the grand opening.

While I'm also on a kick of trying to purge beer in my love in favor of gin and tonics, it's heartening to know that a UK pub is allowing customers to barter for a pint of beer.

Finally, The Atlantic had a post about the American class system.

Frequent Blog Contributor and Dear Friend Needs Our Help

2009-04-22T12:16:00.005-04:00

I'd only seen Chuck at the Super Bowl before Nick began his SAVE CHUCK campaign, but these kids were fans even before!

All, the letter below was sent to the chairman of NBC by our good friend Nick Brown. While he requested that I not post the letter, I told him my loyal readers would support the cause.

Ben Silverman

Co-Chairman

3000 W. Alameda

Admin Building

Burbank , CA 91523

Dear Mr. Silverman,

First, let me congratulate you on having one of the most enjoyable shows on television. My friends and I look forward to watching Chuck every week and have been quite pleased with the second season. By writing I’m hoping you will consider renewing Chuck for a third season.

You’ll probably receive thousands of letters from people claiming the show deserves a third season because of the quality writing or entertaining stories. Others might threaten to protest NBC programming in the event of cancellation. I would rather offer some help. I feel like Chuck has landed on the proverbial chopping block because of lack of understanding by the people selling the program.

While Chuck is not a ratings juggernaut, it speaks to a very lucrative audience (me). To validate this I ran syndicated data (see enclosed sheets). Based on the data we learn the following:

Chuck’s core audience is male with a high disposable income
Chuck’s core audience is 26% (Index 126) more likely than the general public to attend movies
Chuck’s core audience is tech savvy and tends to endorse products among their friends

To put this into perspective I included data for Chuck’s primary competition (House viewers). This is just a snapshot of what’s easily available but highlights just some of the ways Chuck should be positioned to marketers. Clearly there’s an angle to sell this show but requires a little creativity to reach its full potential. I hope you find this helpful.

Regards,

Nick Brown

29 years old, CT

If you’re also a fan feel free to send letters to Ben Silverman. You can also help by watching episodes on Hulu. Being unfamiliar with the show, Nick recommended that I watch the episode below. Reluctantly I watched and became an instant fan. Thinking about it, I haven’t been this satisfied by an hour of television since the debutante ball in the first season of Gossip Girl when Dan was accepted by Lily Van Der Woodsen.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/59175/chuck-chuck-versus-the-best-friend

Final Important Blog Post Before I Quit the Internet for a Few Days

2009-04-22T00:58:00.003-04:00

The Jody beat me big time on Infinite Jest. According to her last update, she was around page 400 and the plot was kicking in. Then I get a voicemail from her as I got down to the pool saying she'd finished. I thought this was a practical joke as I'm sitting on page 121.

She wins.

And we attribute this to her recent spate of lame, sober weekends at home. Plus, my magazine backlog that I finally cleared through. DFW and I are hanging out at the pool a bunch this week, but I still have to finish before the 4th of July weekend of brother's wedding and our trip to Falling Water, where we'll find some time to have book club discussion about the wonders of Infinite Jest.

In the Whale's Vagina

2009-04-22T00:12:00.004-04:00

Oh internets, you knew I couldn't stay away from you for too long! Thanks to a work demand, I fired up the internet in the hotel room tonight and have been checking email, but will be going off the grid again shortly.

Things to know:

-The weather is gorgeous. I'm developing a slight tan, although I'm going to be forced to wear halter dresses for a while to match my tan lines.

-Swimming in the ocean is a horrible idea. I got into my waist before running out and swearing that I couldn't feel my legs. Now I don't have to worry about swimming with the fishes, but I do have to get up super early to swim at the hotel before the kids invade the pool.

-Seeing Robby Schiller 7 years later is the same as seeing him every day in Stanford Hall. I haven't laughed that much with anyone except Favre in a very long time.

Field Trip! Jessi sees the Woodys & Goldens in Vegas

2009-04-20T11:56:00.004-04:00

While my weekend started with a horrible flight experience on Southwest, where the airline rep asked if I wanted to have the man behind me arrested once we landed, things certainly picked up once we left McCarren Airport.

The Woodys greeted me (oh yes, hives, shaking hands and all) at the airport and we headed to the Goldens, where I got to meet their two month old boy, then we headed out away from the tourists of the Strip.

Sunday kept us around the house except for a late brunch and my hiking adventure with Woody. Now it's onto sunny San Diego to find long-lost ND friends (Robby Schiller everybody!), lay on the beach, eat Mexican, and return to my favorite nude beach.

Easter Weekend with my Fake Future Husband, Eric

2009-04-16T23:55:00.000-04:00

Eric and I were super tourists this weekend

Eric and I had a fabulous weekend in the city, with a brief sojourn to the country to spend Saturday night. The boy took me into Times Square far more times than I like to go in a season, but that's my only complaint about the weekend.*

No, Jody, Eric did not propose, even though we already have a wedding registry. He's like my little brother, we can't be married, but you can buy us gifts! Besides my people live in different parts of the city from most of his people, leaving the UWS as our only mutually agreeable neighborhood.

These are Eric's people

Huajia would love the dogflowers

Our rickshaw driver needed a fancier bike

*There's another whole story about our disastrous trek to Newark, when the GPS turned on me and the tollbooth lady gave me a big lecture about breaking traffic law. Has she not seen my speeding ticket photo from Phoenix?

Come & Look at Both of Our Buildings!

2009-04-16T21:21:00.003-04:00

Remember when I went to Cleveland last month and couldn't believe what had come of the town? This video sums it up nicely...and with a catchy tune.

(I've watched it at least 14 times today (probably more) and could not stop singing it in my head throughout my swim.)

It's Another Easter in NYC

2009-04-09T23:38:00.003-04:00

We lost a lot of good men out there

I came back from Boston today, Easter is almost upon us (which means Weir is drinking a scotch in approximately 20 minutes), and Eric is flying in tomorrow for a weekend in the city (we'll miss you married friend and my two favorite Canadians).

Tony and I spent two Easter road trips together in college, where we learned that Jody would not have survived the winter or the civil war during a trip to Valley Forge and that Gabe likes to sleep and is better off chatting with my 4 year old cousin than manning up at the poker table with my relatives.

Enjoy the holiday everyone and we'll be back in a few days with far too many pictures from our weekend. If you're in the city, come join us for a drink and you'll probably get some dirt from Eric on me.

About those Milestones I set for myself...*

2009-04-08T01:40:00.001-04:00

40 Miles of Lent

I've only got 2 miles to go, yet I'm in Boston Wed/Thursday and picking Eric up on Friday for our weekend in the city and the country (that's CT for you non-fancy pants). Pack your speedo E, the JCC is open on Easter Sunday!

Infinite Jest

Jessi: Page 85

Jody: Page 300 something

If this is like the Sopranos contest, Jody is around the season 3 premiere and I'm on the fourth episode. Which means in Jody's world, the Feds are watching the big, Italians every move and Pussy is dead. Whereas in my world, Tony is having crazy dreams about Dr. Melfi, instead of the ducks.

*If any of you thought this was going to be some, oh god, I need to get married in 2 years 4 months and 17 days, you don't know me at all. (Also, I'm not good with this calendar math. I had the months off on the first go round :) )

Sometimes Jer is being good when he steals your cell phone and sometimes he isn't

2009-04-07T22:39:00.005-04:00

Jeremy is really good at being a supportive older brother. When my heart is broken or I'm just even a little sad, Jeremy will listen to me, give his interpretation of what's really going on and then steal my phone for a week if I shouldn't be talking to a certain boy for my own good.

Last night was not one of those nights.

Jer Jer and I went grocery shopping, he contemplated buying a Hungry Man frozen dinner for 8 minutes, but I wouldn't let him and we ordered my favorite Mexican, instead. Doctor Evie came home a few minutes after us, just as we were digging into the delicious ethnic goodness that is my three tacos al pastor with rice and beans. (Jer, on the other hand, went with the Jody approved beef burrito. )

Evie loves my Mexican, so she walks in the house, sees this, declares her hatred for us and slumps in her chair and whines about the awkwardness of someone with a crush on her at work.

Jer then decides to text this guy and ask him on a double date with us on Thursday, but Eves won't tell him the name. Meanwhile, I keep asking Jer if we can hold hands on our double-date--he finds this to be irrelevant. After Evie reads off a list of names, he manages to steal her phone and while he had a younger sister and knows just how to torment us, Evie is an only child and has no idea how to defend herself. He managed to get a quick text off to one of her coworkers, plus some steamier ones to me, but the twenty minutes of Evie aggravation were priceless. I've never seen someone so bad at defending herself.

my girl finally has her phone back

Who's With me for Cloud Cult on Thursday?

2009-04-07T10:41:00.003-04:00

My favorite and Jody's least favorite painting-on-stage band will be playing in Williamsburg on Thursday. I really wanted to catch them in New Haven on Wednesday, but I'm in Boston for the Celtics game and I didn't feel like heading up to Boston a day early to see them tonight. So Brooklyn it is! (As long as I make it back in time.)

Why do the concert scheduling gods sometimes hate me so much? And how much cheaper would the painting be in Connecticut vs. Brooklyn? You know I'm right about this.

Cloud Cult - Hope

2009 Tour Dates

Banged up from the weekend

2009-04-05T22:07:00.003-04:00

Apparently, I should try to stay in the pool for most of my waking hours. Today I fell down half a flight of stairs, tripped on a rock while trail running before twisting my ankle a few miles later. The first incident left me shaking for a few minutes, while the later two were just typical clumsiness. Either way, I'm sore all over and will be inspecting the bruising later. I also dropped a champagne flute while catering last night, but I blame that on the rich woman who threw her coat and purse onto my left arm while I was serving drinks on a tray in my right.

And as for my non-waking hours, I haven't had a night terror in a few weeks, but I also can't find my way out of my bedroom in the middle of the night, because I think I'm still at the W, where there are no doors to the bathroom.

I need to stop traveling.

Is Hillary making some money on the side, like The Gambler?

2009-04-03T11:09:00.002-04:00

Tommy sent me this goodness from the Post:

Is it sex o'clock in London? That's what some reporters wondered after the White House accidentally listed a sex hot line as the call-in number for a NATO briefing with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and National Security Adviser Jim Jones. Instead of the secretary of state, a recorded female voice requested a credit-card number if the caller should "feel like getting nasty," Fox News reported.

Normally we ignore all reports from Fox News, but this gave us a giggle, which still sounds more like a sick wheeze.

Good Morning from Dallas

2009-04-02T08:36:00.005-04:00

The sun was blinding me from either side of my bed yesterday, as I tried reading The New Yorker in bed. And since my camera is always within reach, I snapped a photo of the reflection coming through the window into the mirror, temporarily blinding me in the eye.

(Side tangent: Can we have a hotel boycott of the USA Today? That really is the stupid person's newspaper and I feel like the hotel thinks less of me every time I open my door to one in the morning. I always hope to make it downstairs in time for the Times or the Journal on my way out the door.)

I'm flying back to New York this morning and can't wait to be back for two weeks (minus the trek to Boston) before I head west for some vacation.

Sometimes I get Remixes in the Mail

2009-04-01T16:28:00.007-04:00

I think Canada is going to yell at me for this. There was a day that he was going through my music collection in grad school and insisted that I delete Ghetto Superstar. I still love this song, no matter what my elitist friend in the great white north has to say! So imagine my delight when I get a remix from Don Diablo with MGMT's Kids and Ghetto Superstar. Love at first remixed sight.

Don Diablo - The Best Ghetto Kids are Yet to Come

A remix of Lykke Li's Little Bit arrived last week and while I still love the original song more, I figured I'd share this. And it makes a better argument for my ON playlist.

Lykke Li - Little Bit (Villains Remix)

Sorry-I'm out of bandwidth, email me if you want the file.

Jessi's Reading 4.1.9

2009-04-01T14:50:00.006-04:00

It's April Fools Day and this day drives me nuts. When the internet was new, it was cute when companies would pull an April Fools prank. Now it drives me nuts. This prank by ImprovEverywhere almost made me unsubscribe. I'm entranced by cemeteries and their memorials, but doing improv at a funeral? Thank god it was a prank, but I'm still raging inside about it.

Onto the type of comedy I can appreciate....A girls soccer coach in Massachusetts was asked to resign after his pre-season motivational email to the parents. "Second place trophies are nothing to be proud of as they serve only as a reminder that you missed your goal; their only useful purpose is as an inspiration to do that next set of reps." If I ever have a little Jessi, I want her to play for a coach like this and I'd look forward to every email throughout the season. As he rightly poked fun at the overtly PC world that we live in where everyone's a winner, his goal was to coach these girls and build their self-confidence, if anyone made it to the end of the email they'd see that. And the latest How I Met Your Mother was so timely, as Marshall begins coaching Lilly's kindergarten basketball team with his forceful determination to win, while she wants to sing pretty guitar songs about everyone being a winner. Go Green Death!

I'm overly excited for the Where the Wild Things Are movie. I loved the book as a kid, get excited every time Uncle Gregg wears his t-shirt and can't wait for this! Bonus: new version of the Arcade Fire song. It also reminded me of this piece in the Times last fall.

In one of our recent phone calls, FBF and I have been discussing our contentment with being single and not feeling the need to get married, even as we keep getting older. Instead of lining him up as one of my backups, I've just decided that we're going to travel together through the years and then retire together.* FBF's uncle has lived the glorious bachelor life in California for years and one of the tenets of this life style is that he must drive a black car. When I was car shopping, FBF kept reminding me of Uncle Kenny's phrase about if it's not black, send it back or something like that. However, the Governator has other plans as he's contemplating a ban on black cars as a way to fight carbon emissions.

My company pays one of the founder's wives to come in and teach us management training and one of her big things is how awful millennials are. For the last week I've been wanting to email her this piece from Slate. Thank you crazy Boomers for living beyond your means and causing the "real world to throw up all over us."

Jorge Columbo does amazing artwork on his iPhone app. I can't even draw stick figures and he can do this?

I still need to visit Portland and when I do, I'm going to check out this house...built like a tree house for adults.

*FBF doesn't realize how serious I am about this. It might start to sink in when I send him tickets to Peru to hike to Machu Picchu.

Dallas has been overtaken by Britney fans

2009-04-01T12:02:00.003-04:00

My Dallas adventures continued yesterday with a surprise visit from Nick Welsch, who was in Texas for business. Yay for facebook updates bringing it all together in an afternoon...if only Cutter could've driven down! Nick had to go onto Waco, so we were meeting in the lobby of the W at 6 to hit the nearby sushi place, but the lobby was overwhelmingly full of women with a lot of collagen, saline and other forms of plastic. Turns out those might've been the Pussy Cat Dolls. The sushi place was able to squeeze us in, but they were booked for the night due to the women of Dallas loving their Britney Spears. Everyone was out in their whoriest attire for Britney, Bitch. (I so wish I'd gotten a photo of the boyfriend and girlfriend wearing matching, "It's Britney, Bitch" homemade t-shirts. Instead I was too busy photographing Sudol with the schoolgirl Britneys.)

We ended up at another bar full of Britney fans on their way to the show. Haven't heard how the show was, nor have I had a Britney sighting. The girl was in my hotel at Super Bowl and now in Dallas, but I never spotted her, due to the back of house elevators!

Onto the photos...

i have a thing for hotel rooms with see-through showers. blame it on our trip to san diego, when the shower split the suite into the living room and bedroom. giving the person on the couch a full view of what was going on in the shower...at least that wall had a slightly gauzy finish.

Eric in front of the costumed Britney fans.

Love the saddle shoes!

Isaac & I Love Charity Benefit Concerts

2009-04-01T10:24:00.004-04:00

Isaac and I are heading to Dark was the Night at Radio City in the beginning of May. If you haven't checked out the AIDS charity comp, grab it and it was cheaper on Amazon when I bought, FYI. I jumped in bed last night when I saw that Bon Iver has been added to the bill, but it was too late to call anyone and cheer about it. My favorite Yeasayer track is at the bottom of this post, too--I LOVE singing this song on my drives.

We often talk about my fears of someday being too old for concerts (thankfully that wasn't on Ted's Murtaugh list), especially after meeting the 41 year old at a show. So someday, Isaac and I will have to switch from charity indie concerts to charity operas.

We hit the Tibet House Benefit a few months ago when I flew back into town from the Super Bowl. I guess I was too tired to say anything about it then, but I recently found the two new songs that The National played at the show and I cannot stop playing the first one, Runaway. It's at the bottom, too, but first a quick recap:

Isaac was stuck for a few hours on a train into the city that didn't have any power. He made it just in time for Phil Glass's performance.

The show kicked off with an extended prayer chat from the Monks, involving a male elephant call through horns to bless the dharma. The chant lasted longer than many in the audience expected and I heard many escaped giggles from the high seats. It took me back to Basil Davis's theology class where we sang an entire class and my row didn't know what to do about it. After the monks, Antibalas took the stage with a song about Obama, before Angelique joined them for a cover of Gimme Shelter. She remained on stage for a song, before Keb Mo joined her for Send me Someone to Love.

Next up was Patti Smith's Band with Glass's son, I believe. The adorable boys of Vampire Weekend then took the stage for a new song and M79, which Isaac was able to catch as he made his way to the nose bleed seats. Phil Glass's Facade was a beautiful piece that made Isaac's train troubles worth it.

The National then took the stage, playing two new songs. Runaway is absolutely beautiful and I was still replaying it in my head a week later on my flight to Phoenix. As feisty as I can be, I identified all too well with the passive aggressive style of the couple in the song. Their next song seemed to be filled with almost too man instruments at once, but as I continue to listen to it a month later, Stonewall Jackson, has grown on me.

A Tibetan artist next took the stage with a song about the miraculous possibilities of returning home. Patti Smith and her daughter were next and it was her daughter's first performance for the long-running benefit. Okay, I will say this...I kept thinking what a fantastic SNL skit it would be, with the daughter who is just trying to practice her piano lesson, while her poetic mother keeps finding lyrics to go along with it. Next up was Keb Mo who admitted to writing a corny song after the presidential election.

Steve Earle's performance was great--one that my dad would've really appreciated. He did an acoustic solo and just the simple sound of his boots stomping along with the music added so much. Patti Smith's band joined in on the chorus, providing a thunderous drumming. The PS Band remained onstage with a tribute to the plane crash 50 years ago with the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly. Chantilly Lace, Let's Go & Do It Again, Not Fade Away and Patti joined them for I'll be there.

And like all good benefits, it ended with a We are the World esque Sing-a-long. These things are great for their awkwardness if Tommy and I are simply watching on YouTube 20some years after its been recorded, but it was WAY too much for me to handle inside a concert venue. I kept muttering into Isaac's shoulder, oh god, I can't handle this. It's embarrassing. I'm embarrassed. Look at The National, hiding in the back corner, oh god, I want to give them a big glass of wine to make this all better. The Vampire Weekend kids obviously LOVED We Are the World, as they were front and center and could not get enough. And with a African-pop sound, you know they are just itching to write their charity tribute sing a long fest :)

The National - Runaway

Yeasayer - Tightrope

Sorry-I'm out of bandwidth. Email me if you're really interested in The National's live cut of Runaway or their live cut of Stonewall Jackson. And if you're into Tightrope, buy the album please. It's for a great charity!

Randomness from my travels

2009-03-31T11:39:00.009-04:00

The only nice view I found in Cleveland

These are my favorite heels and they're traveling the country with me.

I hate Orlando's airport and the fact that they tore the ceiling off the terminal and exposed all this dust didn't help.

Dinner with Hedo

This is what happens when you swim 3 miles outside after a winter at the JCC

The dad was rocking an FBI belt buckle. I am serious about this.

The Asian media was blocking our view of golfers putting and walking through from our table at the Bay Window.

Tiger Woods walks through the putting green after hole #9. We had to ask the asian media to get out of our way!

These are the best golf pants that I have ever seen.

Remember when Evie and I were the only people watching Swingtown? This girl looks just like her favorite character.

AG, everybody!!

My Sunday by the pool...

I laughed every time I walked by this couple. The guy looks like a guy I know that I'm not supposed to talk to anymore, but they can't keep us apart!

The new football stadium in Dallas.

And a Housewife I Shall Not Be

2009-03-31T11:14:00.006-04:00

I flew from Orlando to Dallas yesterday for my annual reunion with the OU ex-roomie, Eric. We headed out for some Mexican last night before returning home to a bottle of wine and phone calls with Nicole & Joe. Eric awoke at some ungodly hour for a breakfast meeting, while I continued to sleep for another few hours. I'm a firm believer in waking when the sun is out. Then I woke up to the hell that is housewifedom. I turned on the Today show around 8, caught up on the internet, talked to Woody and by 9 all I had left to do was shower. What on earth do housewives do all day? I'm already losing my mind and have looked in all of Eric's kitchen cupboards. Fortunately, my cab comes in twenty minutes and it's off to the W in downtown Dallas and some exploring with Stacey once she gets into town. Dinner tonight with even more OU people as Nick Welsch is in town!

Vote for Foot Play, Please...it's # 10

2009-03-31T09:51:00.003-04:00

One of the ND soccer players is finishing a documentary with a few others on their trip playing football (soccer) around the globe. Their travels are done, they're in the editing process, and are a finalist for $10,000 in Apple equipment from MelroseMAC. Head here, watch their trailer and vote...for #10, please.

Jessi's Reading: Infinite Jest

2009-03-27T15:49:00.001-04:00

Jody and I agreed to tackle Infinite Jest last week. I'd picked it up for jury duty, but then I was canceled for the day and it's been in my backseat, attracting weird comments from a few of my passengers. She is 60 pages into the book already, which means I have some serious catching up to do. With most books, this might seem like a tremendous lead; however, our book is 1079 glorious pages. It's a recession--we need to get our money's worth. This will be an epic battle to the finish, much like our attempt to beat each other through all of the prior seasons of The Sopranos before the final season began. She beat me and I am out to avenge my loss.

If you're not ready for Infinite Jest, check out some of DFW's short stories. Tim's been flying through them.

Oh and that big book curse...I have a tendency to take huge books on road trips. I detested I Am Charlotte Simmons, my book on my Vegas/Anaheim/Beverly Hills/Atlanta trip and still go on tirades whenever someone mentions. Then there was the time I took the Russian to Hawaii. So heavy! Fingers crossed that I kick the big book while traveling curse!

Goodbye Sickness, Hello Weekend of Relaxation in the Sun

2009-03-27T15:24:00.001-04:00

I'm back from the brink of Jessi Sickness. I treat sickness as a miserable few days and get on with it, while trying to gain any sympathy/attention from my family who are hours away. However, Jessi Sickness terrifies Jody:

no, sick jessi makes me sad and worried....i realize that makes me sound all kind and caring, but when you used to get sick in school, you would either end up getting body parts removed or have a cough for like 6 weeks.

The disease also reminded us of when Tony had to take care of me over Thanksgiving in college.

Anyway, I'm better now, I've switched hotels for the rest of the weekend, hit the spa and have been doing laps in the pool. The next few days are all about waunning (you know I'm not ready to run yet), swimming, watching golf at Bay Hill and reading Infinite Jest by the pool.

Sick in the South

2009-03-25T20:28:00.002-04:00

I left my house at six this morning to begin the trip south to Orlando and Dallas. I've been horribly sick since Monday night and thought I should probably wear a SARS mask. Here's what you need to know.

I drank two large green teas before even boarding the plane, which was a good indicator of continued liquid consumption throughout the day. I'm now at over a dozen large green teas and two quarts of OJ. Now that I'm back at the hotel, Gama says I can change those to hot toddys and screwdrivers. We love Gama.

I've showered 5 times today, plus the hour I spent doing laps in the warm pool at the spa. I feel slightly OCD.

The lady I met with today gave me a box of sanitary wipes as I left the restaurant. This has furthered my OCD as I wipe down everything I touch.

I sound like a tranny. It's bad enough to admit that, but when Woody emails me the voicemail I left him, I know it's really bad.

Tomorrow I return with hopefully a clearer head and better news...off to bed with the New Yorker. (okay, that's really multiple copies of The New Yorker. I'm always behind, but there's a great David Sedaris story about his book tour...yeah, the one that Jeff and I spent 6 1/2 hours at. Yikes!)

Thanks to Lent, This is How we Spend our Saturday Afternoons in Ohio

2009-03-22T12:59:00.011-04:00

It's been a busy five days in Ohio, as I went from Akron to Cleveland to Alliance to Columbus and back. I got to see most of my extended family, plus some of my favorite Bobcats. The ever elusive Married Friend even made an appearance! I headed to Columbus yesterday to see Weir & FBF for the day/night. Since Weir gave up alcohol for Lent, he was game for kicking the day off at FBF's kickball game with me, plus our dog-for-the-day, Justice. We were the picture of domesticity...or as close as Weir and I will ever be to domestic life.

FBF and I were on the lookout for any members of WAKA, who followed us around the streets of New Orleans with kickballs and mardi gras beads. Fortunately, we didn't find any of the guys who'd accosted Nicole a few years ago.

Thanks to FBF's OCD/ADD, we made multiple stops around Columbus all night--march madness, graduation and birthday parties, cover bands, but we never made it to the Princeton Club. When Weir was with us, FBF drank O'Douls and when he wasn't PBR was the drink of choice, plus some Sapporo in Tetsuro's honor--and yes, we called Japan last night, but only got to talk to his wife.

I'm boarding my flight in an hour and it's back to NY/CT for two days before my Orlando/Dallas trip!

Cleveland is Officially Dead

2009-03-19T23:52:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how horribly bleak it is in downtown Cleveland. The Renaissance and The Ritz are both attached to Tower City, what used to be a robust shopping center that battled with the Galleria, but neither had any solid stores to offer. I went roaming around a bit and even my sinister self was amazed that some restaurant was blaring "Cleveland Rocks" onto the sidewalks with not a happy soul in sight.

Married friend caught me up on the politics that are stunting any sort of growth or redevelopment. I'm used to the dismal feelings that accompany my annual trip to Detroit, but still can't get over this.

In happier news, I did get to see my family last night, before Steve and Jenn headed back to Purdue and Brenda and DJ head to Pittsburgh for the weekend. Tomorrow it's me, the parents, grandparents and the extended family in A-town, before I head onto Columbus to see my OU guys! I plan to be camera happy with Weir and FBF, so be prepared! Until then, here's the sibs and me.

It's Tournament Time!!

2009-03-19T10:16:00.002-04:00

These are my two favorite days of the year at work. Everyone grabs their seats around 11 for the day's games around the TV in the rec room and settles in for the rest of the day with laptops in hand. Unfortunately, I'm in Cleveland.

Nevertheless, there's the spread pool to focus on!! My current teams are Villanova, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, and Purdue.

And if I haven't already emailed it to you, check out Barack's bracket.

I'm off to explore downtown Cleveland with the hope that I'm not mugged before lunch with married friend in a few hours!!

It's time for another extended road trip!

2009-03-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

Two of my favorite guys from Vegas and Columbus

After nearly a month at home, I'm been ready to get travel again. I decided to stay in CT this weekend in order to clean, pack and catch up on my sleep. But as things tend to go with me, I was lucky to just get an hour of sleep Sunday morning and filled my weekend with things far more satisfying than a clean house and packed luggage.

So here's the big schedule:

O-H-I-O!

Of course it'll be great to see the family and my brother is even home, but I'm also filling the four days with plenty of Bobcats: The Warners, FBF,* Weir and maybe even some Favre. On an unfortunate note, I will be missing the Canadian's visit to NYC, which means I need to make it up to Toronto sometime soon.

Orlando

After two days back in New York, I'm heading down to my least favorite city in the U.S. As always I'll be cringing as I count the number of strollers and car seats being loaded onto the plane and thinking inappropriate things about the luggage compartment. Keri will be in town for Arnold Palmer and if I'm lucky I might even get to see my favorite Floridian, Nick I Like.*

Dallas

From Florida I go straight to Dallas for an evening with Eric, before Stacey gets into town the next night. Our days will then be filled with sushi and big Texas hair. Then it's back to Connecticut for the weekend.

Boston

Concert buddy Tom and I are heading up to Boston for an event, which means 6 hours in the car together. I can only imagine the things that will fly out of my mouth on that ride.

Easter in New York with Eric!

This one deserves an exclamation point and I haven't been so excited for a visitor since Woody came for 24 hours! Keri might be a little nervous after she joined us the last time Eric was in town with Nicole, Rich and Jeff, but it should be a blast. If my real brother won't visit at least my fake one will.

Vegas with the Woodys and the real Jason Golden

I have a week back in the office before this trip and will probably need the rest before the excitement of this trip and then it's straight onto SoCal.

San Diego

Yes, it's back to the town that brought you my first nude beach trip with my parents and the see through shower on vacation at the Hard Rock with my two girlfriends two years later. Hopefully there isn't a wildfire and we'll be there for a week, so this girl better come back with a tan. This time Brenda is joining us and the parents swear that we're not heading back to Black's Beach.

After that trip it's the end of April and we'll be heading down to Philly to see Bruuuuce, which means my sangria is coming out and that's a sure sign that summer is here.

*Okay, okay. The nicknames. When I lived with the Canadian, he would always yell at me for calling everyone by name. "Jessi, I don't know these people. Why do you keep calling them by name?" I no longer live with Rich and I no longer refer to the people in my life by their name. Everyone seems to have developed nicknames built from their story or when we're really bored, their city. Some of the nicknamed have even developed a cult like following, mostly followed by Jody, whose day was made with a visit with Woody in Vegas.

When the blog started the few characters that made it onto here were referred to by their nicknames. Then they started reading the blog. This still causes a panic in me when I realize that another friend of mine has found it and what if I were way too open earlier in the blog days. I emailed Jody that I'd have to explain the nicknames over the next few weeks, giving us both a chuckle, so here it is.

FBF, you have Jody to thank for your nickname. While some of our class thought we were secretly dating, Jody knew the truth and started calling you fake boyfriend. Fortunately for you, we like acronyms.

Nick I Like, you can blame Oyster. None of our friends could keep the two Nicks from Alliance straight until we started calling you guys, San Diego Nick and the Nick Jessi Liked--he still thinks our car rides were a lot racier than they were ;). Somewhere along the way your name was shortened to Nick I Like. And yes, this is still used in frequent conversation. It doesn't matter who utters your name, we all seem to like you :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-17T01:57:00.000-04:00

The best St. Patty's Day ever. If the luck of the Irish be upon you, you might see our shoulders later.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I have a brand new kelly green dress to wear today, client meeting be damned. No green beer for me though. I have some miles to log in the pool and bags to pack once I'm home.

This registry thing really is the gift that keeps on giving

2009-03-16T22:17:00.003-04:00

A few weeks back I was supposed to have jury duty, but that was canceled, so I instead chose to do some secret shopping. However, this one was unlike my usuals. I love a good story, but I'm a horrible liar and that day I would be signing up for not one but two bridal registries at different stores.

I was on the phone with a few friends before beginning this and trying to figure out which of my friends would be my future husbands for the day. I knew that I needed a real person from my life, so there'd at least be a bit in story that I could improvise from. Woody and I started eliminating our friends who might get married in the next few years and Jody kept laughing at the prospect of me picking someone who I might actually marry and then having to explain that I'm not psychotic and haven't had our wedding gifts picked out for years.

Knowing a safe bet when I see one, it was easy to pick our two friends who are unlikely to marry soon, if ever. I called Eric and said, "Hey we're gonna get married." "What'd you say?" "I'm just making a registry, it's okay." "Yeah, sure. Let's do it." Weir didn't pick up his phone and I just left a preemptive apology, told him I had a confession and to call me. He was only upset that we didn't register at a better place than Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I'd pretty much forgotten about the registry after the first week. My friends and I laughed over another strange thing I'd done and it was over in my mind. Then I came into the office to find a voicemail from the Stamford BB&B, the woman spoke in a concerned voice, "Hi Jessi. It's Cheryl in China. I was just looking at your registry and the wedding is coming up soon (on July 11). Give us a call and we'll make an appointment for your gift selection."

Funny, but nothing compared to the call that I got on Sunday from Eric.

"I have the best story, Jessi." His ex sent him a text asking "Are you and Jessi getting married?" With a text like that he had to call her back and she had to admit that she'd been googling him that afternoon. "I knew you guys were close, but getting married in October?"

My Two Fiancees at the Last OU Wedding

You have no idea the number of fashion foreplay calls that his outfit inspired before the wedding

Jessi's Reading 3.13

2009-03-13T09:28:00.000-04:00

Tommy loves all things Ricky Gervais and my work husband is really rubbing off on me.

I adore Slate and Metafilter and last week, my two favorite sites came together as Slate author Michael Agger reported on Ask Metafilter, where community members answer each other's questions. I don't regularly visit that portion of the site, but it's always interesting. One particular question, "What experience most shaped who you are?" is equal parts touching and heartbreaking. It took me three days to get through the 215 amazingly honest responses.

An article from The Economist attempts to answer what it is that draws us to music.

Instead of a typical store-opening party, Diesel drew on our voyeuristic tendencies with their themed window displays with famous people having a live dinner party. Five different parties were held at the new store on Fifth during Fashion week.

I've been drinking more than my usual share of wine lately and Evie always laughs as my bottles pile up by my door before going into the recycling. The Pend d'Preille Winery in Idaho is now selling its wine in refillable bottles. I love it when my favorite type of red decides to add a touch of green.

At least one artist is making more money in the face of the recession. Brooklyn artist, Matt Held, is busy painting Facebook profile shots, which are then available for purchase.

I have a love of typefaces, unfortunately, I'm limited on here by whatever blogger is willing to throw at me. Being somewhat nerdy, too, I loved this Periodic Table of Typefaces.

Sam's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-12T21:27:00.003-04:00

Click for list official participants & info on joining in!

Sam is the guy in the office who first wows you with his socks, slowly winning you over with everything else. Oh, and he's got an olive oil store that BRUUUUUCE likes to visit. We like his music collection so much that if the Jody lived any closer, we'd set them up. Here's what Sam likes to listen to over and over again:

Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)

Pearl Jam - V.S. (1993)

Bob Marley - Box Set Disc 2

(Sam can pick a box set, because I love him.)

God Street Wine - Bag (1994)

A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)

U2 - Achtung Baby (1990)

Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks (1975)

Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons

Phish - Rift (1993)

Ray Lamontagne - Trouble (2004)

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

Guns ‘N’ Roses - Lies (1990)

David Gray - White Ladder (1999)

My Dad's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-12T07:01:00.000-04:00

Click for list official participants & info on joining in!

My Dad gets full credit for my love and appreciation of music. After all, my mom only likes 7 songs and we're lucky if she remembers the title of two of them at once. Dad and I have been on a kick emailing each other random live clips from YouTube and discussing the latest U2 album. In between email chains, I asked Dad for his top albums. He's obviously fine-tuned the list over the years and sent me his top three, in order:

1. Derek & the Dominoes - Layla and Other Associated Love Songs (1970)

2. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)

3. The Allman Brothers - Live at the Fillmore East (1971)

(Thanks Dad!)

Chuck's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-12T04:51:00.002-04:00

Click for list official participants & info on joining in!

Chuck is more important than Nick in our research department, but his list doesn't hit the usual research guy stereotypes. It put a big smile on my face as he started talking about it earlier today. Here's Chuck's list:

Bobby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel (1988)

Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever (1989)

Van Halen – 1984 (1984)

TLC – Oooooohh...On the TLC Tip (1992)

Def Leopard – Hysteria (1987)

Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)

Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet (1986)

The Who – Who’s Next (1971)

Eminem - The Eminem Show (2002)

Nick Brown's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-12T03:26:00.001-04:00

Click for list official participants & info on joining in!

Nick had a lot of fun putting this list together, then I told him that Chuck's was better. This was followed by some pouting and hanging the phone up on me when I called. That should let you know how much fun he had putting this together for his heart to be so broken. Nick gets credit for realizing what the hot hip hop jams are months before I ever come around to him, thus prompting me to text him that he's right whenever I hear the song months later in an UES bar. Oh and he, too, gets points for being honest, not pretentious. Here's Nick's list:

This was actually pretty fun. The hardest thing was not including Bruce. I didn’t think greatest hits was acceptable and couldn’t choose one album. Other artists suffering from Springsteen’s disease include Journey, Billy Joel, Madonna, George Thorogood and Bob Seger. I feel like that needs to be mentioned.

No alias needed.

Nick’s Top 15:

1) Notorious BIG: Ready to Die (1994)

2) Nas: Illmatic (1994)

3) Bush: Sixteen Stone (1994)

4) Fugees: The Score (1996)

5) Third Eye Blind: Third Eye Blind (1997)

6) Notorious BIG: Life After Death (1997)

7) Goo Goo Dolls: Dizzy Up the Girl (1998)

8) Creed: Human Clay (1999)

9) Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory (1999)

10) Blink 182: Enema of the State (1999)

11) David Gray: White Ladder (2000)

12) The Killers: Hot Fuss (2004)

13) My Chemical Romance: Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004)

14) James Blunt: Back to Bedlam (2005)

15) The National: Boxer (2007)

Jody's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-12T01:51:00.000-04:00

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Jody is one of the blog's favorite correspondents. We (okay, she sends herself) send her to Bonnaroo, tell her what to listen to, then she and Lauren see an entirely different schedule. I blame her tendency to ignore her editors on reading too much Hunter S. Thompson. Nevertheless, we keep having her back and enjoy the concerts we see together even more. Here's Jody's short, but sweet, list:

The Band - Music from Big Pink (1968)

The Beatles - Sgt Pepper (1967)

DMB - Under the Table and Dreaming (1994)

U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

REM - Document (1987)

Chet Hardcastle's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-11T23:47:00.001-04:00

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Chet is the friend who you let drive because you completely trust his music selection, even if his car is a brilliant blue. And none of my friends like Stevie, as much as Chet...if only he knew that I used to draw portraits of Stevie on my best friend's wall as a child. Here's Chet's list:

Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

The Beatles – Revolver (1966)

The Shins – Oh, Inverted World (2001)

Binary Star – Masters of the Universe (2006)

Jimi Hendrix – Are you Experienced? (1967)

Pearl Jam – Versus (1993)

The Kinks - Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1 (1970)

Beck – Odelay (1996)

The Strokes – Is This It (2001)

George Harrison – All Things Must Pass (1970)

Phil's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-11T22:12:00.006-04:00

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Phil is our the smartest person I know, well after his wife, but she's not really part of my circle, so Phil wins! After looking at his list, Woody & I realized that if this were the only list of music left in the distant future, historians would think that music only existed for a 5 year period before dying, thus completely forgetting about that day music died 50 years ago. Here is Phil's list and again two points for honesty (PT feels like he'd be a Guster fan):

Led Zeppelin IV. Oh wait... that's what everyone says. I'm only voting for albums that I actually own or have owned. Sadly, I do not own Joshua Tree.

Seriously, though. Some of my favorite albums that I used to play way too often include:

Tool - Aenima (1996)

(This one probably is my favorite.)

Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)

Cake - Fashion Nugget (1996)

DMB - Under the Table and Dreaming (1994)

DMB - Crash (1996)

Pat McGee Band - Shine (2000)

Vertical Horizon - Live Stages (1997)

Brett's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-11T03:18:00.001-04:00

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Brett is our favorite blogebrity around these parts. He just seems to randomly appear in the oddest locations and usually has a good story to go with it. Brett is the guy who invites you to a torturously long game of RISK and you can't help but go, because he'll have a great beer selection, you both like cheese, his stories are insane and there's usually a good soundtrack to accompany the hours of nerdy high school board games ahead of you. I'm fully responsible for any work he didn't do today as my email last night took all his attention this morning. Here's Brett's alltime favorite albums:

Again, it is a conversation I have had many times in many topics… the most recent being movies with a buddy and a bartender in DC. I love the question, but my answer would skew each time you ask me. Of course, there are those albums that will never shake from this list…. But I think we all seek out new music and new albums with the half-hearted hope that the list will change. It’s all kind of bitter sweet I suppose.

I have a few rules or guidelines by which I am going to walk upon:

1) Must be a front-to-back listen nearly every time. You know what I am talking about, those albums that without hesitation make you shut off “shuffle all” on your iPod and go back to the first song to hear it all the way through. Great albums are like great songs, they need to be listened to in order so you can feel the up and downs. This is the same with movies, you should not be able to skip through an all time favorite movie… if it is on tv, and you skim by it… there goes an hour and a half of your time.

2) I am going to make sure to include multiple genres. I was not always into one type of music and I hope I never will be. Sure, there are cycles when I latch onto a genre, but hopefully that is always short lived.

3) I started to love music at a young age… and albums effected me, motivated me, shaped me, etc. my entire life. So if I am trying to carve out my all-time favorite albums… that to me means “throughout my life” … all “my” time.]

4) No particular order. It is just too damned hard

Anyway here goes nothing, first up are my unchangeable Top 8, the last two can slide around the charts a bit.

Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory (1991): I always liked hip hop growing up; the Chronic was one of my first cd’s I ever purchased… and I loved it dearly. When 36 Chambers came out, it shaped me. Sure it made me kind of aggressive, but it also got me into lyricism (and karate movies). But Tribe… Tribe turned me onto more than hip hop. Tribe turned me onto intellectual music, it turned me onto bee bop, soul, funk and most importantly opened the door for me into the world of Jazz. In my humble opinion, Q-Top and Phife Dog rival ANY duo in music. They complement each other SO well in SO many tracks it is almost scary; they pass off hit lines and switch in mid sentence, all the while having impeccable flow. And that is the word one must use to describe these guys isn’t it? Impeccable Flow. While Q-tip was always the bigger personality, it is no surprise that the breakup of Tribe was the really last stop in his career.. they needed each other to be that good, they were the two parts to one whole. While I love all of their albums… it was the early stuff that challenged me. The first three albums seemed to build momentum off of each other, but it will forever be “A Low End Theory” that holds rank in my heart. The first time I heard the album is one of those photographic moments in my life that I will never forget. I was 15, at boarding school and heading towards Holderness for an away hockey game. I had first heard a tribe song months before, but this was the first time I actually dug in…. I remember the first beat, I remember the first lyric, as each song progressed the album and the experience grew by leaps and bounds… it was a JOURNEY. This album more than any other was an eye opening experience for me about what Music could do to a person’s soul.

2) Beatles – Revolver (1966): Not much needs to be said, I did have to think long and hard which album I would include… I love Help!, Abbey, White Album, Sgts, Rubber Soul, etc… I love them all. In fact if I picked my top 5 favorite Beatles song, Revolver wouldn’t find a song in there. But there is no album I listen to more front to back in their portfolio… I love the variety of instruments and styles of music (Find me a more different transition than I’m Only Sleeping into Love You To into Here, There and Everywhere… I dare you) Yet while they differ in style, and inspiration… there is a underlying connection between each song that ties it all together. Its innocent, playful, gentle, and high as hell… I mean, literally… they were taking some seriously strong LSD… one major trip leading to the creation of that Yellow Submarine.

3) Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966): I always loved the story about how Sgt Peppers and Pet Sounds came to be. Apparently, Brian Wilson heard Rubber Soul and was so blown away by it all that it inspired him to write Pet Sounds. Then the Beatles sat down, listened to “Pet Sounds” and it inspired them to write Sgt Peppers. If there was ever an album that required you to listen to it in its entirety… it’s this one. No other album on this list demands to be respected as a whole that Pet Sounds.

4) Wilco – Being There (1996): I always get engulfed with anger when someone says they like “everything but country”. What the hell did country do to deserve that overused and deeply moronic phrase? Some of our best and most famous musicians were born from the belly of country. Johnny Cash, Elvis, Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams, Jerry lee, CCR, The Band, etc. It is part of American culture, it encapsulates rock, blues, bluegrass and so on. More importantly it gave birth to Alternative Country or Country-Rock… whatever you may call it. It paved the way for bands like Son Volt, Old 97’s, The Blood Oranges and of course, Wilco. “Being There” was Wilco’s eclectic jump from country rock to another hemisphere. It opens with Misunderstood and after those 6 minutes are up I knew something special was happening. To this day Wilco is my favorite current band, they have shifted and transformed several times. Their current formation, may very well be their best. All that said, this is the album that separated them from the field. Amazing album, I still listen to it weekly.

5) Nirvana - Nevermind (1991): This was hard… it was nearly a coin flip between Ten and Nevermind. In fact, when I started to write this paragraph, Pearl Jam TEN was the one I chose… but as I got to the end I had talked myself out of it. Both released in 1991 and at that time, Nevermind was just the more important, more significant album to my generation. I grew my hair, I bought a Fender Strat and (kinda) learned to play, I ripped all my jeans, wore flannel… heck I even burnt poppy seeds over a stove because someone told me that Kurt used to do the same (years later that actually scares the hell out of me). Nirvana and Nevermind was the first band/album to change me. It didn’t open my eyes to music the way that the Low End Theory did, but it changed the way I acted and that is a pretty damned powerful thing. Over the course of my life, music never would influence me again to change the way I dressed and ate and behaved. I have probably listened to Ten more times than Nevermind, but every time I decide to go back to it, it brings me back and evokes the same sort of feelings that it gave me 15 years ago. Seeing how much Grohl did in the aftermath, you can’t help but wonder.

6) Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959): The hipster choice here would probably be Sketches in Spain… it just seems that the anti-establishment trend that is now becoming a norm would think of KoB to be too obvious. The amazing thing that people don’t seem to realize is that both of these albums came out in the same year… two of the most legendary, innovative and inspirational jazz albums were put out within 12 months in 1959. What is even more amazing is he put out a third album that year, “Workin” and during these prime years was churning out at least 3 albums a year (6 in ‘55). When I really started to get into Jazz… it was this album, on vinyl, that kept me up till 3am on weekend nights. 5 songs, that is all it took to pull me under and suffocate you with bass and tone. If Nevermind lit a chaotic and energetic fireball into my body, Miles and Kind of Blue was able to extinguish the flame a bit. This album balanced me.

7) Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde (1966): I grew up with Dylan and the Stones… it was a nice thing, but as I got older I always wondered why my father was not listening to much of the other great stuff. He wasn’t a big Beatles guy. While he was at the perfect age for Bruce… my brother was the one in our family who wrapped his arms around Springsteen. For one reason or another he had his bands and that is what I ended up hearing driving around New England to hockey games growing up. Years later, even more so than the Stones, the one album I constantly find myself coming back to is Blonde on Blonde. The truth is my dad was more of a Highway 61 guy… but through the years this album just got me. In a weird way my love for Hip Hop aided my love for this album, the word play is fantastic… witty, beautiful, sensitive, romantic, fast, spiritual, if Dylan was African-American and grew up off of Queens Boulevard in the 70’s, he may have been IN A Tribe Called Quest. Lots of great twists and turns as you make your way through this album… never gets tired or boring, even with 14 songs totaling over 70 minutes.

8) Tom Waits – Nighthawks at the Diner (1975): Man, that voice can really pull you in. I stumbled across Waits a few times throughout my life, always liked him and never really took the time to get to know him. Then in 2003 I found a copy of a Nighthawks Vinyl on eBay and figured why not. I had really fallen for Jazz and thought that this was as good of a time as any to become more accustomed with what had created a cult following for nearly a quarter century. Needless to say the album floored me. Not only is it packed with its wit and humor, it has a underlying sense of serious soul. Its interesting really, because the lyrics are more Flight of the Conchords than Leonard Cohen, but it is within the music, within the piano riffs and background band where the soul of this album hibernates. It was such a different dynamic for me when I first heard it and still is to this day. Plus, the way he made the album is my dream concert… he invited 70 guests into a nightclub and just cut the album … all new songs. You can feel the energy in that room and it played homage to the guys life on the road in so many respects. He paints a picture of his life in LA during the mid-70’s as he works his way through the set.

9) Radiohead – Kid A (2000)

10) Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique (1989)

The Blue linked to this video from Blame Ringo

2009-03-11T01:36:00.000-04:00

We know how much I love The Blue. This is a constant theme that I shouldn't have to repeat.

Tonight, someone linked to this time lapse video of people crossing Abbey Road--the new music video from Blame Ringo. The band's story and attitude behind their new name is funny...check out the story on their website. Then watch the video, it made me smile, particularly as I imagine myself meeting my death in an attempt to perfectly recreate the album cover.

Woody's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-10T23:56:00.006-04:00

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Oh Woody. Remember that Paula Abdul song, Opposites Attract? That is so Woody and I. He's a crazy Republican, I'm an even crazier liberal independently registered Democrat supporting girl. He thrives on country and offered to be my Vegas cover band correspondent. I like cool indie covers. There is no one with whom I enjoy discussing our strong differences in opinion more than Woody and I love that he produced a list that is so far from what all my same musically minded friends would pick. Here's what Woody sent:

As a Texan at heart...I wish I had more country to give you, but alas, here is my list.

Pat Green - What I'm For (2009)

Garth Brooks - No Fences (1990)

Brooks and Dunn - Brand New Man (1991)

Only borderline "in" band I ever enjoyed...and saw in concert:

Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind (1997)

High school days spent listening to music that made my parents proud:

Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair (1985)

Forest Gump Soundtrack (1994)

Became a big fan of after seeing in concert:

Neil Diamond - Hot August Night (1972)

I'm not a big fan of female country artists, and as much as it kills my Republican heart:

Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces (1998)

(Editor's Note: Woody is so unpretentious with his music selection that he even threw a brand new album on there! I love it!!)

I am overly excited by Blurb + my ND photos

2009-03-10T21:58:00.005-04:00

While this photo is fantastic, it's not making the book...

For years I've wanted to put together my favorite ND campus photos and do a self-published book. Mostly because I love flipping through them and it was a great few days for Jody and I before graduation, as we raced around campus shooting photos. Back then our computer hard drives were so small that we had to swing by Kelly's to upload the memory cards and get back to it.

I continued taking photos when I went back to campus over the next two years and we've whittled the photo collection down to our top 70 or so. If I ever make it back to ND when the sun is actually out, I'll keep adding to the collection, but the South Bend skies are mostly grey.

I picked up Adobe Creative Suite this summer with the intention of working on the photo project. Instead, I designed a cook book for myself.

Then today I found blurb and my interest is piqued again. The software has been downloaded and it's my project for my upcoming four-six weeks mostly on the road. That and reading Infinite Jest. More on the road trips in the near future.

Isaac's Alltime Favorite Albums

2009-03-09T23:37:00.001-04:00

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Isaac is that kid that you've known for years, then one day you bond hard over your music collections, you still marvel over his love of hardcore rap, and he's suddenly become your favorite concert pal, especially because he knows where to take you for the best pizza, no matter what neighborhood you might find yourself. Here's his list, in no particular order:

Leonard Cohen - Various Positions (1985)

Dire Straits - Making Movies (1980)

Cream - Disraeli Gears (1967)

The Clash - Sandinista! (1980)

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)

The Decemberists - Her Majesty & the Decemberists (2003)

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)

Counting Crows - August & Everything After (1993)

The Velvet Underground & Nico - Self-titled (1967)

So SARAHSPY Declared this Alltime Favorite Albums Week

2009-03-09T22:10:00.004-04:00

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I love random declarations. After all, I did decide to trade zodiac signs with one of my good friends, because it just felt right to be a Leo, not a Virgo, and I was sick of always being drawn to Scorpios and Tauruses. Then I sent it to my address book to see what people would say.

So you can imagine that I was excited to see SARAHSPY's declaration that this was going to be Alltime Favorite Albums Week and she even made a fun little banner. My friends and I had some good emails about it and then I completely forgot until yesterday. So this week, I'll be pulling up the lists from my friends and trying to come up with my own lists. That's right, lists. There's the super early/formative years of my dad's vinyl and my first cassettes, the middle school years as I started to come into my own musical space and everything thereafter.

Feel free to join in the fun and add your comments after the posts. And if I can find our old documents from the days that we all picked our Top 25 songs of all time (Kevin Haney rule applies here: Only two songs from a single band, lest it be all Led Zep), I'll add that as a fun little bonus at week's end.

Happy listening! (Or maybe it's some moody listening that you're into...)

Things We Learned This Weekend

2009-03-09T13:36:00.002-04:00

1. I am too old for parties/festivities that attract the young 20s crowd. (I still love St. Patty's and am fighting the urge to fly to Chicago on Friday for a virtual recreation of my favorite St. Patty's EVER.)

2. Finding a man passed out at the bottom of a staircase with a broken nose, blood everywhere and completely unresponsive is still unsettling two days later. (However, Nick has told me that I'm a hero and that makes it a little better, although a medal would make it even better.)

3. My tendency to verbalize my inner monologue might result in a stranger fighting me one of these days. (I will win though.)

We're Celebrating Two of My Favorite Holidays this Weekend!

2009-03-05T23:07:00.005-05:00

While I don't expect anything to top St. Patty's 2008 in Chicago, I'm heading to that little town across the river for some Hoboken (Week Before) St. Patty's Day on Saturday. Hoboken tends to not disappoint, so as long as I can have some green beer, I'll be quite happy. Still debating about using my free flight and heading to Chicago before it expires next weekend...

My day is also going to be overrun by costume changes, most likely outside my car between events. After the green I have to look respectable (aka Dressy Jessi) for a birthday dinner that evening with drinks afterwards, then it's into my Texas clothes for the final round of Texas Independence Day 173 parties.

I saw Jeff again on Tuesday and he gave me an early surprise gift... the official koozie for the party! While it's not green, it'll be keeping my beer cool in Hoboken before the Texas party.

Daddy Hakola is coming to town, too. So even though Woody will be busy with his PhD comp and FBF is in training in California, the Bobcats will be well represented. Let's hope things are as great as last year...

My first musical love is on Colbert right now...

2009-03-03T00:00:00.003-05:00

sweet dreams of david byrne to me!

image from the monroe gallery

Jessi's 40 Miles of Lent!

2009-03-02T20:38:00.005-05:00

At least you can see the scary fish when they swim past you in Hawaii. Not so in the murky waters of the Long Island Sound.

When it comes to Lent, I am all about team competition. Woody, Weir and I gave up pizza during our second year of grad school, making us miserable to be around as the bars closed in Athens during those 40 days, but we made it through those dark days and our favorite bartender at Courtside kept the pizza ovens on an extra hour for us on Easter Saturday, so we could have our pizza as the clock struck midnight. This year Weir decided to give up alcohol, but that's one team that Woody and I weren't ready to join. I blame Texas Independence, St. Patty's and my love of Pinot Noir for this.

So instead, I'm holding myself to swimming 40 miles and running 40 miles (pending that my knees are still intact by the end of this--the bands seem to be holding them together as we begin). Yes, I know that this kinda excludes me from Sundays, since they aren't included in the day count, but let's be serious. I tried to get swim buddy on board, but he's Jewish :)

If the knees make it through this experience, I'm signing up for the triathlon that my neurologist keeps encouraging me to do. Swim buddy is at least willing to join me for that!

This will just have to fulfill my Nick Hornby Craving for a While

2009-03-01T23:13:00.002-05:00

Back when I was dating my male equivalent for all things music, literature and pop culture; I remember bemoaning the fact that Hornby decided to write a young adult novel instead of something for our reading level.

Well, we're still waiting for another novel from him, but he has put together his list of 40 influential books, plus a cautionary article about the fact that you really trust can't your friends' book recommendations. This from the man who brought us High Fidelity, whose very skeleton is comprised of top five lists.

FBF is Celebrity Stalking in California

2009-03-01T21:15:00.003-05:00

Jay and Whitney, not in the city!

FBF is one of my favorite travel companions and his celebrity spotting skills are a terrific added bonus! I was out last night on his first night in California and woke up to my phone beeping with text messages.

FBF was jogging and spotted Rivers Cuomo, shouted WEEZER and got a thumbs up from him. Then he spotted Eve with a blonde weave, but he did really well today when he spotted Jay and Whitney from The City at a pool in Santa Monica. Being the celebrity spotter that he is, he settled in right next to them (he claims it was the only open spot) and did some serious blackberry photography.

FBF has another six days in California, so we're looking forward to more text updates!

The Other Room + Barbuto

2009-02-28T13:32:00.004-05:00

I'm most at home in New York when I'm just roaming the streets, with no plan and open to any possibility. I was early for dinner on Wednesday and wandered up a few blocks until I found The Other Room on Perry St. It was soothingly dark, with interesting art on the walls, a great variety of beer and wine, and the bartender shared my musical taste and was great to talk to until my friend arrived and he slowly melted into the background, not before convincing me that it was time to take up snowboarding.

We were near Barbuto, so I changed my mind on dinner and decided we were going there. I've only known it in the summer, when there's a breeze moving through the restaurant and the sun still provides a nice warmth on the outdoor tables before it sets later in the meal. That night the restaurant had a strangely protective feeling, as we entered you could feel the warmth of the kitchen emanating towards our table, the lighting was just right, and the clear garage doors separated us from the dark of the neighborhood streets.

I had a fantastic evening as I always do with him, making it horribly bittersweet as we left the city for our own places.

Am I Freakishly Tall and No One Bothered to Tell Me?

2009-02-27T12:01:00.005-05:00

So we've been anxiously awaiting our staff photos from NBA All-Star, particularly this fabulous shot of The Muresans:

We are such a happy family.

However, as I look at the collection of photos, my co-workers look like little kid verisions of themselves (dare I say little people!), while I come a little too close for comfort to Gheorge's shoulders.

Have you all been keeping my freakish height a secret and focusing on my freakish strength instead?

One of my favorite photos!! I call this one Twin Towers (too soon? still?)

Me and the Chosen People

2009-02-27T08:19:00.003-05:00

Amazinglly, I'm much more flexible than the three year old me

I've hardly been to the JCC in the last six months, but jumped back into my old workouts this week. I was outed by my swim partner's friend as a non-Jew and he jokingly told me I had to swim in the last lane. They apparently don't like the sleeper Gentiles.

Last night was a good one, after complaining earlier in the week that I didn't have anything to work out in my head during my hour swims; I had plenty to think about last night and swam my fastest mile. Yoga was fantastic, too, although my body hadn't cooled down as I ran straight up from the pool and I was dripping with sweat (or cleansing my body as they say), even though our heater wasn't working to do hot room.

We practice Ashtanga yoga, which focuses on a constant flow, so there's no rests during the 90 minutes. My body couldn't have been happier; my joints were popping back into place throughout the routine as my body realigned and I melted into the floor at the end of the routine...now to finally get back to my previous levels of flexibility. Plus, there's the added benefit of being able to sleep after yoga, as I don't get home until ten thirty, unwind for a few hours and can easily fall asleep. That doesn't happen too often for me.

Absolutely Horrible Idea

2009-02-25T23:52:00.004-05:00

My Kicks were all the rage in Philly this weekend

2009-02-25T08:13:00.000-05:00

Occasionally I have to step back from my preferred role as Dressy Jessi and this weekend I pulled out my Espezials to get the job done right.

After a rather excited call from El while I was in Phoenix, I knew I had to head to Philly where my worlds were colliding that weekend. Not only did I get to finally meet two of El's closest people, but Jody's circle was going to be there and surprise, surprise, Weins was also invited to the same party. It was a great reason to jump in my car and head to the city of brotherly love.

We hit an indoor soccer game, where we made friends with a player who later came to the party to find us with some more players. Unfortunately, they took us to a club while I would've rather stayed with my bar-loving friends after we finally settled down from the karaoke. The hours with the team at least provided us with some foreign language filled entertainment. And somehow resurrected my French.

I should be banned from visiting Philly during daylight, lest I start pointing out where national treasures are hiding...damn that Nic Cage movie. Nevertheless, I did get a cool shot of City Hall.

The Cardinals at the Shubert Theater 2.20.9

2009-02-24T22:19:00.005-05:00

Last Friday Isaac and I ventured to New Haven for an evening of pizza (BAR = flat, neapolitan goodness) and Ryan Adams and The Cardinals.

I'd caught The Cardinals with Sam on Halloween at The Apollo and loved the show. The band is filled with very talented instrumentalists, who almost make their craft seem too easy, which might have led this New Haven columnist to describe it as a sense of boredom...or maybe that's why the band now does a joke of the day and entertaining musical ditties for the band introductions.

My evening was made as RA's harmonica broke into "Come Pick Me Up." They don't play it too often anymore, so I was hoping to hear it, but not convinced that it would happen. My other pre-show request, Everybody Knows, came early in the night...that song has stuck with me personally since I found Easy Tiger to get through a phase and it still rings true.

The other highlight of the evening was the continued banter of the band with the crowd. A rather large man in one of the Abe Lincoln boxes kept shouting murmurings to the band that no one could understand. And when he wasn't shouting he was playing some air guitar and head banging...not exactly that type of show dude. Then there was the overwhelming smell of pot or popcorn in the air that eventually had the band jokingly pull a flashlight on the main man up front.

RA chastised a heckler after the joke of the day, when the crowd would try to edge the band into quickly launching into a song as they retuned, we were reminded that we came for a rock show, not for the dancing girls and pyrotechnics--this is a recession afterall (he loves to reference the recession as much as I do!). Isaac mentioned that it seemed RA was having issues with his tuning/overall sound system earlier in the evening, but that didn't prepare us for what happened as they launched into La Cienega. His tuning was way off and he stepped away from the mic, screamed a few times towards the offstage area and then came back to reassure us that he was well-adjusted. The crowd encouraged him to keep playing and he joked about his non-craziness, asked us to step back to when he'd just finished yelling at the heckler and where we go again. The song ended up beautifully and it made me appreciate that he takes it so seriously that he ends up in crazy outbursts, but the result is so worth it.

The band played their long jam version of Goodnight Rose, which is what Sam and I walked into at the Apollo as we got there late. On Halloween, I'd said that that song was worth the admission and they didn't disappoint on Friday.

Fortunately, for my future love goals, RA seems to have found contentment with Mandy Moore, with whom he recently became engaged. No more need for me to try to save him, which means the "Everybody Knows" guy has my full attention once again.

Here's the set list and Come Pick Me Up...the video isn't great, but I could lay in bed for hours listening to that harmonica.

Set list
1. I See Monsters
2. Two
3. Everybody Knows
4. When the Stars Go Blue
5. Fix It
6. Let It Ride
7. Magick
8. Wonderwall
9. Come Pick Me Up
10. Grand Island (Neal Casal sings)
11. Meadowlake Street
12. Freeway to the Canyon (Neal Casal sings)
13. Oh My Sweet Carolina(Evening Joke)
14. Evergreen
15. The Rescue Blues
16. The Sun Also Sets
17. La Cienega Just Smiled
18. Natural Ghost
19. Goodnight Rose
20. Born Into a Light
(Carribean Queen...as they thought someone from the crowd might have muttered it and launched into a quick cover)21. A Kiss Before I Go
22. Easy Plateau
23. Bartering Lines

We have had a Wax Disaster Tonight Folks

2009-02-24T01:55:00.002-05:00

The Candle Gods were out to get me tonight...and they haven't come at me since my days in Athens. Back then I would light the large candle that I kept on top of my bedroom tv (dumb idea, I know) and of course I'd be distracted by something like Patrick Swayze's awesomeness in Roadhouse, the Canadian calling me in for some CSI or the boys quoting one of the official movies of our apartment. One day I was really distracted and the wax spilled down over the tv screen (they were convex in those days), along my favorite novels and all over the carpet.

Tonight I was laughing as I lit my Self Defense Candle and took below photo:

In case you're an idiot, we call it the Self Defense Candle as it's my favorite Ritz scent, but it broke in my luggage coming back in December. I did not let that deter me and have been firing it up. Should someone break into my room or Jeremy gets really mad at me for watching the finale of So You Think You Can Dance before he gets home, the jagged shards of glass will protect me.

Well, as much as I think Self Defense Candle looks out for me, tonight, the wax spilt all over the frame with the Canadian and I to the point that it's stuck to my large bookcase, then down onto my favorite photo of the pier at Santa Monica and all over my Notre Dame photo album (the later years). I think the Canadian secretly wished this upon me, after my rather giddy international phone call today.

Sometimes Google Search Results Make Me Giggle

2009-02-23T22:09:00.004-05:00

If you didn't know already, I love watching how people end up at the blog. I'm now used to the usuals and know where all my friends work as a result...however, my favorite part is seeing how people end up here from google search results. Once someone googled "vampire dominatrix" plus some neighborhood in new york and it brought them to an article where I called my Crazy Asian Roommate, Dawn the Dominatrix.

After the Super Bowl, I posted video of the Best Crotch Shot EVER after Bruuuuuuuuce aimed hard for the camera as he slid across the stage. Since then I've been getting all sorts of traffic anytime people google a name I've written about plus crotch. It's amazing how often people google celebrities' crotches. Usually I find it strange. Except for when someone googled "Jason Bateman crotch" and I just said to myself, "ooooo, someone in Tennessee loves Jason Bateman more than me!!"

Isn't he just delicious?

Damn Packing/Unpacking!

2009-02-20T14:05:00.005-05:00

That's my luggage pile as things have spilled onto the floor between my last two trips. While I'd love to travel with 7 pairs of shoes, I know that a sensible traveler only packs 4 pairs per piece of luggage.

I'm racing to start my laundry to have clean clothes for Philly this weekend, but am heading out in an hour for some pizza in New Haven and the Ryan Adams show.

Happy weekend everybody!!

Tonight at the Bell House - Benjy Feree

2009-02-20T11:20:00.003-05:00

I love the Bell House and I've had "Fear" stuck in my head since the beginning of the year. But as is typical with my travel schedule I won't be able to make it tonight.

Benjy Feree released his concept album, "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Bobby Dee Bobby Dee" earlier this month and is touring the east coast (plus Ohio!) in support of it.

Benjy grew up a huge fan of Peter Pan and wrote a musical eulogy to Bobby Driscoll after learning the sad story of his life following his career as a child actor:

Once Disney’s golden boy of cinema, Driscoll was fired from Disney after the making of Peter Pan for the unforgivable crime of hitting puberty and developing acne. No longer cute and profitable, he struggled to find work and fell into a life-long battle with drugs until, ultimately, dying homeless and broke in a Manhattan, tenement in 1968 at the age of 31. With police unable to identify his body, the Academy Award winner ended up in an unmarked pauper’s grave on New York’s Hart Island.

And on that uplifting note, check out the Bell House tonight and get there earlier to enjoy their drink specials between 5 & 7 and the cozy couches.

Benjy Feree - Fear

NBA All-Star Weekend

2009-02-19T10:49:00.001-05:00

I am finally home and don't have any travel scheduled until Florida in 5 weeks, so I'm looking forward to catching up on the east coast.

I definitely needed FBF with me on this trip, as we had about 12 large guys with lots of bling on my flight back last night, but I could not identify them and my texts to him were not helping matters. I sat with one guy who got a sext from what I imagine to be a groupie as soon as we landed, judging from the photo she sent him.

Luckily for those of you at work, my photos are a bit more g-rated. Hammer still has some of the photos, but here are some of my current favorites...you'll still have to wait for my favorite family shot

Paul Pierce, Jessi Lauer, & Tony Parker

Well-lit beer, white wayfarers, and Stacey Brown

My second-favorite family shot of the day. Uncle Terry Porter, Scottie and the boys. (I think I participated in Terry's final practice in Phoenix, as he was fired after these two ran our clinic Sunday morning.)

Lisa saw me taking the previous photo and came running forward, yelling, "I'll be the nanny!!" There are definitely NBA Player Association alerts going out to keep your kids away from the girl with large hair and her asian accomplice. I love it, anyway.

Manu stopped by with flowers and his championship trophy to say hi to Stacey.

Bill Russell & I during our Chalk Talk. He has a fantastic laugh and told me that I had the best smile in the Western Hemisphere...well, that was back in the green room after this awkward, please don't yell at me while we take our photo smile.

The 2009 NBA All-Star Game

Napster & I in our suite

DiLillo was heading back to the courtside seats and came running back in, insisting that I get my photo with this guy. I knew it had to be an American Idol, as nothing excites DD as much as that show. It was!

Spike Lee was really loving that top hat. Luda went without one.

They call him Stiff-Arm McCain for a reason. The best was watching him go down his side of the courtside seats to kiss Maria Shriver, then say goodbye to Eva Longoria, Luda, Nate Dog, Spike Lee and That Guy From Scrubs.

Jesse Jackson & Maria Shriver's Leopard Coalition

Dave and I after the game

Dave, me and Napster after the game

Worst bus ride EVER. These drunkards squeezed on the bus and decided to sit on each other. For the next thirty minutes I alternated from declaring this the worst bus ride ever and reminding myself that it was too late call a certain person in Jersey who hates people sitting on each other as much as I do.

The rest of the current photos are on my facebook link

Desert Botanical Garden + Chihuly Exhibit

2009-02-18T22:15:00.004-05:00

Even though I get to go to a lot of cool places, I don't always get to see that much of the surrounding area, so I was really excited to hit the Desert Botanical Garden with one of the executives' wives on Monday to see the Dale Chihuly exhibit. I've been amazed by his stuff since my first trip to Vegas when we walked through the Bellagio and I gave myself a stiff neck as we walked through the lobby. Luckily, the lady that I went with to the garden was into photography, too, so she didn't mind my frequent stops to take photos.

Chihuly exhibit = check

Botanical garden = half check...I've been so close to going to the Brooklyn one so many times, but looking at a bunch of cacti wasn't the same thing as I imagine they have in Brooklyn. So that is still technically on my list :)

And if you want to read more about glass blowing, I learned a lot from the book, The City of Falling Angels. It didn't live up to Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, but it was still an enjoyable read. Since I've already done my trip to Savannah to explore the sights of Midnight, I think a trip to Venice is in order!

Valentine's Day Prank

2009-02-18T12:05:00.005-05:00

We've learned that you have to get in good with the bellmen if you want to pull any pranks on the road. I stayed back at the hotel with Lisa & Chantelle on Saturday/Valentine's Day, while everyone else went to All-Star Saturday Night. We split into two teams with the bellmen and decided to meet back at Andy's room to leave him a little Valentine's Day surprise.

Other things we've learned. If you travel with your stuffed animal of 17 years, Fat Face, you should always hide it, lest the cleaning ladies, bellmen or your coworkers find it. Hanging a lifesize Luol Deng in my room is a nice attempt at retribution, but doesn't come close to this.

Oh did I tell you that last week was a very fat week for my friends and I?

2009-02-17T11:39:00.000-05:00

I flew back from Super Bowl that Tuesday after 5 days of over-eating. Normal people eat three times a day or when I'm home long enough to buy groceries, I like the big lunch with four other small meals throughout the day. But when you're entertaining corporate guests, you feed them 5-6 large meals a day. This is not good for anyone, particularly my favorite pair of jeans.

So we all fly back from an event making serious dates with the pool/running trail/gym and life is supposed to get back to normal and your jeans like you again.

Last week was not one of those weeks.

The NBA invited Andy and I to join them in their suite for the Knicks-Celtics game. When seats finally opened up near the end of the second quarter, Andy and I broke them within 4 minutes.

I got home that night and found this website. I don't eat like that so it made me feel not that fat, even with all the seat breaking.

I headed into the city with Evie the next day for some fun with Keri before heading to Brooklyn to see Beirut.

After dropping Evie in the 80s, I headed to Keri's and spotted this license plate.

Traffic was horrible along 2nd so it took me a while to get to Keri, but when I did, her jeans split as she got in the car. We did not let us deter us, as we drove back around the block to her apartment, grabbed new jeans and headed into the East Village and ended up at this yummy Italian place for drinks and dinner.

Good, fat times all around.

Oh, and if you need some fat inspiration, check out this list of the top burger joints in the New York area. Justin A will probably beat me to eating at all of them, but Burgers, Shakes and Fries will always be my favorite.

Just wait until you see these photos...

2009-02-14T22:31:00.003-05:00

Hello from the cold desert of Phoenix!

If there's one thing (okay, I like a lot of things) that I like, it's random photos with celebrities...and last night was a fantastic night for it. And in reverse Jessi & Ellen love football players parents, I was watching over one of the player's kids like his babysitter/fake mother.

We had Tony and Paul, plus some international legends, Dikembe, Felipe, Eddie, Detlef and my favorite giant, Gheorge.

Nothing excites those of us in Phoenix like some solid photos with Gheorge...unfortunately, I haven't been the main photographer so you'll just have to wait for those.

So maybe we should move to Canada afterall!

2009-02-12T10:00:00.004-05:00

My Canadian is going to love that headline. I was going to email him Fareed Zakaria's piece on why Canada is smart and thriving in this global economic downslide, but that felt like admiting defeat on the whose country is better contest. I don't want to let him gloat aboot it.

While I contemplated marrying the Canadian to get him a green card--I would have, I just don't think he took me seriously or maybe he was afraid that I'm make him take my last name or continue to cook lots of spicy foods; it turns out that you just have to attain a qualifying score on your Canadian worker visa pass to remain permanently in their country. Why is it so easy to get in there, but so hard to get in here? My liberal media didn't have to convince me of how irrational our visa practices are after seeing everything my Indian ex-roommate had to go through to stay, plus how hard it was on the Canadian to even contemplate getting a US job.

So now if The Great Layoff 2009 hits me, maybe I'll head to the great white north and for once it won't be for my usual reasons. And I secretly love their accents.

The Local Municipalities are Out to Get Me

2009-02-11T10:30:00.004-05:00

Last week was a bad week to open mail in my house. In Florida we had been talking about my last trip to Phoenix, where I saw a bright flash of light on my way to the airport around 4 in the morning. Turns out they have a speeding photo enforcement zone that no one bothered to tell me about. Two of my friends had seen the bright flash of light when they were in Phoenix, one had gotten a ticket and the other is still hiding from the law.

So what did I get in the mail the day after coming back from Florida? This:

That is not the image of a girl that's speeding, that's the image of someone who's either extremely bored with driving or is just trying to stay awake at 4:31 am on her way to the airport after a three city, ten day trip with very little sleep. And when she did sleep that sleep was interrupted by horrible panic attacks.

The ticket gave everyone a good laugh around the office, but still not worth the $181.42 they are trying to extract from me. Has anyone driven with my dad? There's no way we have an ounce of the will to speed in us...but then again, my mother has an extreme lead foot. Just don't tell the Arizona courts that.

Then we come to Monday, the day before I left for Phoenix. I came home to a jury summons for next Thursday. So while I'd taken vacation for the three remaining days of next week after my return, I will instead be sitting in a court waiting to do my civic duty. I'm hoping to get my hands on Infinite Jest and will begin that during my long day(s) in the courthouse. It's time to return to reading, I've given myself enough time to heal after the Russian, with minor Vonnegut treats along the way.

Jessi's Reading 2.5.9

2009-02-05T21:24:00.003-05:00

Hey there. I had lots of lots of windows opened to keep reading while I was on the road, then I had some computer problems...here's what I remembered and some that have been in my inbox forever.

The Anti-Theft Lunch Bag - I immediately wanted to send this to the row upon reading, particularly because there's a certain person in our office who is guaranteed to be the first to get to free food and if any food goes missing, everyone assumes it was her. One of our favorite things to do is to set some leftover food in the kitchen, send a company email about the cake or sweets or brussel sprouts and watch her come running. If you've got one of those in your office, grab these painted sandwich bags that make it look like your food is moldy.

I adore everything this graphic designer/illustrator does for NYT. His nostalgia for New York continues from his new post in Berlin with I LEGO N.Y. And be sure to check out his previous posts too. The subway one still tugs at my heart each time I look at it.

Jody will tell you that I'm a Rough Tough Jessi, but even I'm not sure if I could handle England's Tough Guy Challenge. Jeremy--get the barbed wire course ready in the backyard for me!

This is mostly a note for myself to check out the Pop International Gallery on my next NYC walkabout. It's currently hosting a beautifully lit collection of Marilyn Monroe photos.

Kelly and I like expensive clothing and accessories. Fortunately, I'm usually too sick to my stomach to actually purchase the items which end up back on the rack. Kelly, however, was lucky enough to get her favorite pair of shoes this winter. This article on an Alexander McQueen purchase brought back all those feelings of love, coupled with anxiety, that come about on a fantastic shopping trip. I just need Kelly to visit so that we can get another bag at Bag! I could care less about jewelry, but a nice purse (without any of those damn logos) will make my season.

The NYC Peeler Man Has Passed

2009-02-03T10:21:00.002-05:00

I only saw him once, but he made my early morning stroll through the farmer's market at Union Square on a magically calm fall morning. As soon as I saw the headline, I knew that it was him.

Super Bowl XLIII Photos

2009-02-03T07:56:00.009-05:00

We had a blast at Super Bowl XLIII and our expectations for the tailgate were highly exceeded...this tailgate is a lot better than the one I'm used to at the Pro Bowl. Here's some of my favorite photos from before the game. More photos are up at facebook (public link for those friends of mine who still refuse to be on the book).

We were excited with this spotting as we first got into the tailgate...little did we know what was to come later in the day.

Oh goodness. I was overly excited to get a photo with Tom Colicchio. I have a huge crush on him.

This is when I went into full-on paparazzi mode, shooting through a fence. But I'd spotted Jody's tv boyfriend Dwight/Rainn Wilson and couldn't help myself!

Our Velocity guys!

Tom and I

Stacey Brown and I

Inside the stadium

Bruuuuuuce!

Back to New York for a busy week

2009-02-03T07:20:00.004-05:00

I'm packing my bags, waiting for room service and am almost ready to head back to CT/New York for a busy, busy week before leaving for Phoenix. Fingers crossed that there are not many families on my flight back. The New York to Orlando flight always has me laughing as I'm reminded of Jeff's explanation that children belong in the luggage compartment during a flight. Since I'm the one who flies a lot, I like to occasionally throw that out to my seat companions when I a loud one is near us. Most people recoil in horror, but some of them lock eyes with me in solidarity.

Tonight we're heading to the 19th Annual Tibet House Benefit curated by Phil Glass. I bought tickets as soon as I got the morning email from The National, but am looking forward to seeing some of the other artists and it'll be my first trip to Carnegie Hall. I'm taking Isaac tonight and we're both excited to get back home and check this out tonight.

I thought I'd have a little bit of time to relax this weekend, but I'm going to the Knicks/Celtics game on Friday night to catch up with everyone before heading to All-Star, then I have tickets to see Beirut at BAM as part of the Sounds Like Brooklyn music festival. I was dreaming last night of a new venue in Brooklyn and am still bummed that I'm missing a few of the festival shows while I'm in Phoenix next week. I need my quarterly dose of The Loom and I'm still wanting to see Motel Motel.

I Missed the Crotch Shot

2009-02-02T21:29:00.003-05:00

When we got back from the game, Lindsay couldn't stop laughing every time she talked about Bruce sliding and hitting the camera man with his crotch. I just watched it three times and keep smiling. Like she said, the best part is the look on his face as he looks to the camera man afterwards...time to watch again.

IMMEDIATE UPDATE: OH MY GOD--IT GETS BETTER!!

Let me clarify that I love The Boss, but this is just fantastic and has me in giggles...possibly delirious giggles from the lack of sleep in Florida this week :)

I'm a sleepy girl, but still excited by what i like to call "football in florida"

2009-01-31T01:14:00.007-05:00

what a long day in orlando, so long that i'm going to write in all lower case and we haven't even gotten close to sunday yet! my body aches so much that i can't wait to get a massage when i'm home, even though i went on an indefinite hiatus after that incident in hawaii, which i am currently laughing about all by myself in my hotel room. and why i share that story is beyond me. also, why i answer the phone in the middle of the night and pretend that i've been awake all along is something that i don't get. its even better when your friend who calls just laughs at you and yells lauer go back to sleep, i deny that i was ever asleep and then chat for twenty minutes in delirious jess voice.

okay, i'm rambly. things are good down here, even with the body aches and lack of sleep-i'd be ready to embrace my insomnia if i had someone to keep me company like back at nd when i'd roam campus at all hours, wishing for sleep.

onto today's celebrity sightings! i'm sharing a floor with jessica simpson and michael phelps (who are not in the same suite). haven't seen romo yet, but matt ryan is here and his girlfriend has fantastic legs, which i almost told her. howie long is here, too. we're still trying to figure out who the humongous man in the blue ferrari might be.

and if you're wondering what the boss might play on sunday, rumor has it that dress included tenth avenue, btr, working on a dream, and glory days. we'll see how good my sources are on sunday.

i'm diving into bed for a few hours...

Celebrity Sighting! I've Only Got Eyes for Archie

2009-01-30T06:24:00.003-05:00

Peyton or Eli? I don't really care, there's only one blue-eyed Manning that makes my heart beat faster. We were walking through the hotel to dinner last night and completely blew past Eli and wife in the elevators without realizing who they were. Of the nine of us, only one picked them out and everyone still questioned her, but coming back from dinner our paths crossed again and this time Archie was with them! I spotted that man from a few football fields away in the cavernous hallways connecting the Ritz and the JW.

I get really excited when I see Archie, in person or on TV and this all dates back to grad school when we were working in New Orleans (pre-Katrina, but with plenty of hurricanes consumed by the group). We held an event at the Super Dome and Archie was our celebrity that night. While Amy and I kept running in and out of the tunnel in an attempt to produce the perfect photo, Mr. Manning was coming through. We started chatting with him, took a photo and asked him to run through the tunnel with us. "Ladies, these knees haven't run in 20 years," he tells us. "Okay," I said, "we'll just fast walk then."

The New Orleans weather gave me some serious Monica hair.

So I'm Going to Miss LOST Tonight...

2009-01-28T23:37:00.005-05:00

Hey--if you're my friend and not an anonymous stranger on the blog, DO NOT RUIN LOST FOR ME. I won't be back in my house until next Wednesday, so please no spoilers. There is a good chance of me hiding and watching in my hotel room late, late at night when I should get a few precious hours of sleep. I didn't even get to read Doc Jensen until last Sunday night--a sin, I know!

While I've given up on Kate ever having a solid love story on or off the island, I have nothing but love for Penny and Des(mond). Ebele and I were emailing over the last week and I couldn't help but watch the constant again as we discussed our LOST loves. I'm a sap (shhh! don't tell anyone) and it makes me think of the constant in my life, although with my luck he has no idea and I'd be lost to some wrinkle in time ;)

Watch and if you aren't touched, you have a heart of stone, just like my little sister.

I Need FBF Down Here for Celebrity Identification

2009-01-28T08:11:00.005-05:00

Can you pick this guy out of a crowd? I can't.

Yesterday when we were checking into the hotel, a bunch of tall dudes in practice gear rolled through the lobby. I said, well those must be basketball players and just as I was spotting the Pacers on their uniform, Mike spotted Hibbert walking by and beat me to the realization of who these guys were. Since then, we've seen a lot of large guys, who must be football players.

I am awful at this celebrity spotting. FBF is just the opposite. Whenever we traveled together, he was always finding random celebrities, all the way down to the D-list. Only FBF would know what Elliott from ET looks like 20+ years later while we're out in L.A. or know that a former player from the Pistons in the 70s was eating a few tables from us at an airport Chili's. Then there's the night we were out and Ja Rule was a table away from us. When a fight broke out, FBF was convinced it was going to be a gun fight and threw me up against a wall and wouldn't let me out from behind him. Maybe his celebrity spotting and making friends with the paparazzi on that trip went too far as he jumped to conclusions over a little fist fight. Either way, I wish he were here.

(To this day it still makes me smile that FBF's most noble/honorable moment came at a club in L.A., as he likes to remind me that he was willing to take a bullet for me.)

That's a lot of Butter!

2009-01-27T23:20:00.006-05:00

A certain relative of mine might have a tendency to buy things in bulk. This created a fantastic game for Jody in college as we would play guess how many boxes of cereal, rolls of gift wrap, laundry detergent would be in the house at once. Then when I was home from grad school, I opened the fridge to find this. The photo has been passed around among my friends and I was reminded of it at William Eggleston's photography exhibit at The Whitney a few weeks ago. He had some fun fridge photos, but none with as much butter as my mother!

If you're afraid of turning into a butter hoarder or maybe like me you developed a slight addiction to the Scottish peanut butter you found abroad and brought jar upon jar home, this chart will clue you in as to when it's time to toss it. Those perishables go bad much sooner than you'd expect! I keep telling my mom to print it out for her fridge right next to the adorable kid photos of me.

It's Time for Another Road Trip!

2009-01-27T00:31:00.001-05:00

The Shannon

Hey there...it's after midnight and my bag is nowhere near being packed, but that's okay, because in 8 hours I'll be on a plane heading south for the week. Sure, it's to Orlando, one of my least favorite cities (See PGA Show trip with Tommy), but it's horribly cold up north and I need to get out of here.

While I'm still not sleeping, I'm at least mentally refreshed after a weekend with some of my favorite college friends in CT & Hoboken. It was fantastic being with the three of them and something that I was in desperate need of...they're like home to me, minus that whole boring state of Ohio thing. After the world's worst buck hunter experience, I redeemed myself at darts...possibly with a little too much celebration. (Kelly, if the wall hadn't been there, I would've had a trip to rival the best of yours.)

I'll be back in a week and hope to accomplish the following things in Florida:

-Gain any sort of color on my ghostly body

-Wake up super early to swim a few mornings in the outdoor pool

-Reunite with Boom Boom, who I haven't seen since Pro Bowl '07. Let's just say he enjoyed me a little more than Jeff Garcia, which isn't saying much :)

Where's your hand Boomer? Oh there it is, on my hip.

Boom Boom is good, but Romo is better.

Next Tuesday I'm flying back in the afternoon for a few hours of roaming around the city, before hitting the Tibet House Benefit at Carnegie Hall. And best of all, The National are performing so I'll get to see them again before they hit the studio. Plus, this is my first trip to Carnegie. I am such a transplant.

The National - Gospel (live at BAM)

(This song as the second encore made my night at BAM last February. It's all I wanted to hear and after they did the usual encore, I didn't think it would happen, but the music gods were looking down on me that weekend.)