I'm the exact same about the toilet paper.

1. How are you planning to spend the summer?

I guess I'll be trying to pay the bills. In addition, I'll be mixing an album, working on the record store, reading down my backlog of books, watching TV shows on DVD (Homicide seasons 1 and 2, The Prisoner, Smallville), hanging with Mr. Cooper, me and Julio down be the school yard.

2. What was your first summer job?

My first job was winter of 1993/1994 at Sam's Club. I was the cart boy.

3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go?

If I was going by myself, I'd go to Seattle to see Shelly, Stockholm to see the Gotas, or Bath to see Gavin. If I was going with the band, I'd go to Japan/Australia or Canada. If I was going with a travel mate, I'd love to go to just about anywhere, Hawaii, Badlands, Mexico, the Moon.

4. What was your worst vacation ever?

Some of my trip to Louisville a few years ago was kind of lame. Mostly I have a good time on vacation. My trip to NYC in 1997 was pretty terrible most of the time. We didn't have a place to stay and everyone was fighting.

5. What was your best vacation ever?

The first week of my trip to SF two years ago was muy excellente. That was probably the best. No job, beautiful weather, tons of fun. But, the adventure of the Belize/Guatamala trip has to rate up there, too. I'd do that trip again in a second.

Angie - Toilet paper is meant to hang over the roll. Anyone who makes it hang under, on purpose, is a goddamn idiot.

Last night's show was a winner. Our newer songs really show off what a great bass player Amy is. She got a lot of great compliments. I'm really happy for her. I was told I have the voice of an angel by two different women. And I think some weird drunk lady was trying to pick me up. I was horrified.

1. How are you planning to spend the summer [winter]?
working, swimming, taking photos, moving into a new house (yet to be bought)
2. What was your first summer job?
um, camp counselor, in fact, I had camp songs going through my head this morning
3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go?
Maine, Paris, New Zealand, any pretty beach
4. What was your worst vacation ever?
I went to New York with this guy - we'd been dating a while, but I wasn't sure how I felt. I told myself that I would decide on the trip. It didn't take the whole trip. By the time we got off the plane to arrive, I knew it was over. But seven uncomfortable days to go. And I got sick.
5. What was your best vacation ever?
I only seem to remember the last vacation I went on. So it was Chicago - lots of good food, four old friends to visit, fun bars, very excited about the photos I brought back from it.

Sorry for my long abscence. I've been thinking about all of you. It was nice to see the pictures up. Even if it was a year in the making, "I love it when a plan comes together." I'm trying to get my own website and the pillow room website up during the summer, we'll see how that goes. I'll let you know if I make any progress.

Also for the summer I'm trying to do an interesting presentation for my portfolio. I would like it to sort of look like the collections of musical works that were created before the printing press. A large ornate book (or in my case, a box) that had goldleaf pages for each piece, and lots of scroll work that depicted the text (for me text might be interpretted as context) of a piece or icons that represented some character of the composer. It's not so much that I want to venerate or elevate the work I've done as much as celebrate it as a corpus that I've worked hard on, and for the most part, am quite proud of. Since I'll have multiple media, Musical scores, Program notes, CD, video tape, maybe some film and possibly small models of shadow puppets and shadow puppet sets, not to mention paper mache musical objects, I'm trying to figure out a way of organizing a body of work in a way that's creative, fun, physical, tactile while at the same time concise, compact, and comprehensive. It's difficult, because I would rather be working on a new project rather than collecting arranging and editing things that have already been done.

I'm doing all this monotonous paperwork right now so that I might be able to walk away with a degree in a year. It's hard to imagine being done with school and when I say done, I mean DONE, as in getting a terminal degree in my field of study (Ph.D. in music composition). The fact that I might also be able to get another terminal degree in a different field of study (MFA in Digital Arts) boggles my mind. I think I've had enough school for a while. This last year will be studying for exams, writing a disseration and assisting with classes/building robots and organinzing JiB 2004. Then who knows what. It seems like I should be freaking out right about now.

Angie, as far as I can tell you really only have two color options for your room: Purple or Silver. Personally, I would save Silver for the bathroom. Which reminds me, everytime I put a new roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, like I did this morning I make sure it rolls the proper way just in case Zach unexpectedly stops by to visit. It's a bizarre sentiment but it's true.


I got in my answers to last Friday's five before this week's came out. shew.

1.My hair is naturally curly until it gets to a certain length, at which point it becomes naturally wavy

2.The natural color has gotten darker over the years, but not much. I've dyed it red, pink, purple and green on various occasions. It's been very short, but has never been very long.

3.Normally I sort of let it do it's things. Wash, straighten it out, it curls as it dries.

4.It would be shorter, because I get a little hot right now, and possible have colored streaks in it. Some purples, some reds, maybe some blues and yellows

5.Not really, I used to think having to go to the barber at the order of my parents was always a hair disaster. Somehow, I managed to survive.

I was convinced that if I logged on and sat here for a minute I could think of something to write. No dice.

I listened to some Louis Prima on the way to work today - it always put me in a good mood (like early Michael Jackson).
So I stared the new Harry Potter book - no spoilers, but does anyone else think he's pretty whiny in this one? Is it a teenage thing? I'm only 200 pages in, hope it gets better.

Shelly - I think I took the one's you mean. Counting down from the top, I took: 1, 9, 14, 18, 21, 22. Which I guess is a lot. The cat man is a poster we have in our living room of a photo john took of Evan.

This may sound silly - but the smell of Aveda reminds me of an evil ex. So I don't like to use any of their products. I did pick up some coconut smelling stuff called manipulator. I'm excited about that.

Thanks, Upma. I'll look for it.

Zach - of course you're right. Just goes to show that sometimes I don't recognize my own head. Speaking of hair, one of my goals for the summer is to grow out my bangs. I've been saying this for about 16 years, but then always cut them back cause I hate the growing out stages. I will do this! I pledge to my hair. No more bangs (for now).
My hair
child - red and wavy, older - long, brown and straight, older than that - brown and short, now - red/brown, short to medium, slightly wavy
I'm fairly consistent. I like it the days it flips up and parts on the side. Don't when it gets frizziefied (can anyone reccommend a good de-frize product?)

Steph - I'm pretty sure that photo is of you. You and I were the only ones on that roll. I gave it a red tint to match the "S" and to bring out the natural red of the photo.

The other "S" is, of course, for Shelly.

Upma - I think there's another photo of your's in the lot, but it didn't really come out. So, I didn't use it.

Upma's hair is hot when she wears it down. But, she never wears it down and won't listen when you tell her how hot it is.

Hair:
1. My hair is very wavy. It looks okay short and okay long, but like crap when its somewhere in the middle.
2. Reddish when I was born, blond when I was a yout, dirty brown these days. Dyed red a few times.
3. Normally, I cut my own hair with a number four-guard hair trimmer. That keeps it pretty short. Eventually though, I get tired of that and start thinking about how wicked Jesus hair looks and start shooting for that. Usually, I get to about chin length, then shave it again.
4. Just to shoulder length, like my friend Vic Blue. Vic looks kind of like Tarzan these days. I'd likely wear it two pigtails style. But, I'd probably get sick of it really quick.
5. Had a mullet. Had that stupid, awful skater boy bowl cut look that kids were doing in my area in 1992.

I could probably zip the photos and sent them to whoever wants to see them all, untouched. I'm sure why anyone would want to do that though.

ZACH!!! thank you! thank you! thank you! i think these turned out awesome. i feel proud of us, or something. who did #18? and #21? i think i figured out most of the others.

1. naturally wavy. naturally short. long hair affects my personality adversely. it makes me feel meek and timid.
2. bald for an unnaturally long time as a toddler, really blonde curly baby hair, to long hair, to more reddish blonde and less curly in various pigtails and pony tails and braids, bizarre extreme curliness onset at pueberty, to short hair in 9th grade, to long hair in 12th grade, to short hair of many colors in college (platinum, various natural and unnatural shades of yellow, red, and orange as well as pink, green, violet & blue), to long undyed hair post college, to comfortably short now
3. medium short, usually washed, but usually not brushed. rarely any product. ocassionally barettes. frequently hats with ridiculous flowers or feathers
4. i am currently pretty satisfied with my hair though i'd take a bit more of the curl i'm convinced i chemically blasted out of my hair with years of constant bleaching
5. turned pink & green once in a chemical mishap but i kind of liked it. for the 6th grade year book picture my mom curling ironed and hair sprayed my hair into tall 80s stiff ness. this is the only time ever it was this way, and it was recorded for posterity. when handing out my picture the teacher said "looks like the zit brigade hit the sixth grade this year" ugh

Z - thank you so much for all the hard work with the photo project. It looks great - but I think the image you have my "s" by isn't mine, Upma - is it yours?
I love seeing everyone elses. So cool!

Here's the photo project. I changed some of the photos. Some color enhancements and cropping and so on. I hope you like this. This is most of the photos. The ones I left out shouldn't be missed. It actually has turned out better than I thought it would. Enjoy.

Okay, the photos. I'll work on that when I get home tonight.

I changed the font because Upma was such a pest about it.

New colors. Not very summer-y, but looks nice nonetheless. I'll publish a Zach update soon. Not today, though.

It sounds like the Boston trip is a good mix of trash-talking and event going. Here's to all the creative juices flowing around these parts.
Below are the highlights from my birthday weekend:
-proclaiming myself the birthday princess and celebrating for four days straight (that's less of a highlight and more of an outline)
-getting a digital camera (camera geek joy all the way)
-going to a slumber party bachelorette party (though losing at scrabble at said party, but laughing at all the slumber party age photos we were required to bring, ah, the 80s, so many bad hair and clothing choices)
-playing hooky from work to go to a movie matinee (so decadent for a working girl)
-reading all your posts and catching up on what everyone has been doing lately

Carolyn is interning at the Flarhety this year. She isn't showing anything, but she's assisting with the operations of the seminar. She just finished a week and a half residency at the Experimental Television Center in Owega, NY where Nam Jun Paick and others fooled around with video and created a little machine called the "wobulizer". My girlfriend is on top of her game.

I hope to be on top of my game again soon, which hopefully means more posts.

I spent an hour making a piano sympathetically vibrate with itself today. That was fun.

June in Buffalo was a success.
I'm in Poughkeepsie right now, hanging out with friends while Carolyn attends an International Film Seminar
I'll be here until Friday or Saturday. Poughkeepsie is a cheap 2 hour train ride from NYC if any one is up for a rendezvous.
I know there's some kids in Boston right now. I wonder if I can make it there.
I've got some new recordings of pieces that are pretty good, also putting together a portfolio of my work from the last four years if anyone is interested in a CD.

Maybe soon I'll have time to post a dream too.

Today I went hiking in FDRs backyard, and ended up on the banks of the Hudson.

Not too shaby.

I've never had a long distance crush or relationship - so I'm no help there. I say, give it a try, but be realistic about what you want and expect.
So the smell of burned tofu filled my apartment last night. Sometimes I wonder why I bother new cooking experiments.

Ooh, Thank you, Kanui - I got the magazines in the mail today.
So are you moving to New York?

Wow - when did the Blogger entry format change
Mike - that's pretty cool

That would make me very happy!

I updated my photo website tonight - check it out, there are NEW photos from my Chicago trip and whatnot.

news from the weekend:
I can do freestyle now for at least two lengths of the pool before horking up water and thrashing around.
By the time I got to the Farmer's Market, it seemed like there was nothing but yellow squash left. Squash does not excite me (well, unless it's friendlied up with olive oil and spices, but even so, squash, squish, squosh). Cooking folks - anything fun to do with squash? I'm holding out for the Texas summer peaches, strawberries and tomatoes.
I found out an ex of mine is getting married. I can't imagine him being ready to be married.In fact, I was eating air for a few moments when I heard the news, but best of luck to them.
I competed in a walk-off. To Michael Jackson's Beat It. Have you see Zoolander? Well, it wasn't nearly as funny, but I worked in some crazy kicking moves and led with my hips. This of course all took place in my friends apartment with an audience of three, but still was a lot of fun.
Red wine and dorritos - not as absurb a combination as you might think.

1:03 PM. Proofed one page of ad copy before lunch. Now, I'm trying to decide whether or not reading my book would be more or less appropriate than spinning my chair and humming.

I've managed to get hooked up with some good temp work. Carson-Dellosa makes books and other products for classrooms. I'm a proofreader in the ad department. I like it very much, and hope that something fulltime might come up in the future. My only complant is that it gets very slow sometimes. I've been here two hours and twenty minutes and haven't done anything work related. I proofed some of the new Slave and wrote some emails and did the geek test (23.4%).

Went to a very lovely wedding this weekend. It was about half family (cool family) and half Greensboro posse. We had a good time. Tons of vegan food, music, lots of people I don't get to see everyday. Made me want to get married. Ladies? Quote of the day goes to Benji filthy-ass Shirley as usual: (toasting with a microphone) "In the words of Motley Crue, 'May all your ups and downs be in bed.'"

Other than work very little of interest is happening here. I do four things: work, watch Buffy/Angel episodes (2002/2003 season for each - wrapup coming soon), read (A Case of Conscience by James Blish and the Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches) and work on band stuff. I'm so excited about the Dawn Chorus album that I can barely stand it. We have to record the vocals, then start mixing. After that I'll try to get copies to everyone I know. There's a chance that the Dirty Version might reform this fall, too. Krystal has some new songs that I great.

I've been using some of my down time at work to write these weird little stories about a monkey and puppy. I'll post some soon.

I have two new favorite magazines. Guava - http://www.guavamag.com - a new travel magazine and Ready-Made http://www.readymademag.com - a crafty zine - this month's cover article -how to grow a couch.