Christmas in Greensboro

I went to see my friends Aaron and Meghan in Greensboro tonight for their little Christmas dinner... very nice!  Ham, mashed potatoes, brownies, green beans.... yum!  Being that I haven't seen their apartment "proper" since they mover in, I brought over combination House-warming/Christmas gifts!  

I gave them one of the big dishcloth stars, as well as a kitchen towel.  I was very pleased with the towel -- kntted with Sugar n' Cream, as well as some recycled cotton sweater yarn, it made for a cute little towel!  I designed it with the "dimples" stitch from Vogues first stitchionary... kind of like an odd variation of "eye of partridge" and "linen" put together.  Made a very flat, dense fabric.  I'll have to make another, being that I failed to take a photo.

I had an epiphany today (don't worry, it didn't hurt) -- I'm making ALL the guys in my family hats.  The end.  No discussion, no fuss... that's what they're getting.  My oldest brother actually REQUESTED one.  He's like a living G.I. Joe.  I know, right?  Granted, he wants it in black or grey, but I'm more than willing to oblige.  My step-dad also wanted one that would keep him warm while he's doing his outside stuff.... whatever that may be.  (As a side note, did you know that a man on a motorcycle can carry a 15 foot ladder down the Interstate?  THAT's a funny story, and THAT's my step-dad.  But I digress...)  My older brother, while I'm sure he would rather receive a handle of whiskey, is getting a hat.  Tough.

I htink I'm gonna pull out the dusty Inovations knitting machine -- I simply have too many projects to finish.  If I take the train home, I'll be able to finish my handknit stuff before we celebrate post-Christmas Christmas, but I'm not about to handknit three or four 7-foot long stockinette stitch scarves if I can whip one out during an episode of Jeopardy.  

"Hand-Knitting four 7-foot long scarves as a last-minute Christmas gift is known as this... Coty?" "What is 'A waste of time?'"

"Correct!"

"Thanks, Alex.  I'll go with 'Ways to make the Holidays Hell' for $800..."

If I start soon enough, I can whip out some little wrist warmers to match.  I think I can.... I still need to finish my mom's poncho, and make stuff for little neices....

crap.

Oh well, 'tis the season, eh?

Christmas Knits (cont.)

So, I realized that, after naming my last entry as "Christmas Knits", I didn't mention anything I've knitted at all, much less for Christmas.  To rectify that situation, here we go!

First, let me say that it's funny how Christmas always sneaks up on me, even when I'm looking for it.  I kept thinking, "Coty, you need to cast-on for that hat," or "Why haven't you started that poncho already, for crying out loud???"  It's a little embarrassing when you get "called out" by yourself, especially when you were right all along.  So now I have an ungodly amount of projects to finish.  He he... such is the life...

Anyhow, I did find time to get some stuff done already.  As an appetizer, here are some little pretties for the Christmas tree!  

I found the pattern on knitsgifts.com, and absolutely love it!  I thought of embellishing with beads, which turned out MUCH better than I could have hoped!  They took me about an hour and a half start to finish, with frequent breaks.  VERY cute, VERY quick, and a VERY good stash-buster! 

I also made little stars from a pattern called "Knitted Stars" (very inventive).  These little guys only took about fifteen minutes a piece!  Knit on straight needles, they only have five rows.  Pretty cool!

Here they are:

There are plenty of other photos that I;ll post later, including an exclusive scarf of my own designing!  (That's called a teaser, kids)  Until next time, I'll be knitting.... and knitting.... and knitting....

Christmas Knits

So, it was brought to my immediate attention (thanks, knottykat and Rachel!) that I have been a slacker.  It's bad when one can't even take the time to update a blog once in what, three months?  Five?  No matter -- I'm back now (at least, for now) and I'm typing up some garbage.  Hope you like it.

First off, I'm getting a jump-start on one of my New Year's Resoluitions by starting this blog again.  It's good for peple to have routines, regimens, and rituals.  What's the difference between blogging everyday and running a mile everyday?  

Well, obviously a lot, but you get the point.

Furthermore, I am going to slant this blog to be more knitting related, rather than a potpouri of personal tripe.  You can't rave about something "off topic" if you don't have one to begin with, right?

Having said all of that, this will hopefully be the site for publishing my knitting designs, which will hopefully make me wildly rich and famous.  I'll be holding my breath, so if you don't want me to die just send me a check.  Or money order.  I take cash, too.

Here is my PhD Proposal

Yeah, so this is my proposed plan of study for the PhD in "Technology in Media and Society" track in the ATLAS program at UC Boulder.  Whoah.  That was a lot.  

Anyway, have fun!  he he.... how boring....

It is my purpose upon acceptance into the ATLAS PhD program to research the juxtaposition of aural and visual expression, and develop practical ways to connect the two using technology.  It is my goal to use this gained knowledge and experience to create a forum in which many different kinds of people can better understand analytical thought, global aesthetics, and themselves.

 

   For as long as I could remember, I have related music with color.  I have been around music and art for my entire life, so I just thought that this kind of connection was a normal part of thinking.  Whether I listened to a Mozart sonata or a Dave Brubeck tune, I always had the sensation of vivid, ever-changing streaming colors.  As I grew older, I recognized that there were several consistencies with my multi-sensory experience, and as I studied music in college, I discovered early on that I was an exception among my sphere of influence.  While this proved very helpful in aural skills classes (being that I could relate musical keys to specific colors), I wanted to know more!  Were there other people like me, and if so, did they have the same association ns as I did?  The more I researched on my own, the more I uncovered. 

   I know that it is common place for artists to be inspired by each other, despite the difference in medium.  It is my belief, however, that an artist is an artist, and that his medium is no more than an outward expression of the thought process that lies within.  For instance, some acrylic artists approach painting the same way that some composers and arrangers approach writing music.  This tells me that there is an underlying artistic language, and that if you can find the places where these genres of expression overlap, one can discover the essence of global aesthetics – a sort of Rosetta Stone for the arts, I suppose. 

   I also believe that these skills, while more pronounced in some individuals than in others, are present in everyone.  Everyone has a voice.  More specifically, then, it is my goal to use technology to research and develop a way to incorporate aural and visual expression together, in one interlinked platform.  Finding new ways to convey ideas and make connections is absolutely critical to the development of several types of people, and could aid in the research of autism, attention-deficit disorder, and countless other learning disabilities.  How do you teach something you can’t see?  I have been around vocal studios long enough to know that being able to convey a visual of the concept you are trying to teach is key.

   While I was researching synesthesia, I stumbled across one of my favorite composers for piano – Alexander Scriabin.  He designed the “clavier à lumières”, or color organ.  The concept for the instrument was that it was to be played like an organ, but rather than sound it would display different colors according to the appropriate key that was being struck.  Although he included the instrument in a few of his scores, it was never realized.

   I realize that simply associating a color with a note and constructing an instrument that displays fancy lights is little more than a scene from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”  I propose to venture much deeper into this project, and actually formulate a set-up that analyzes the musical material being input, and display a visual that conveys that.  For instance, if a C major chord is struck, rather than displaying a C color, an E color, and a G color, a C Major color would be displayed.  If the chord is struck loudly, perhaps the color would be very saturated and vibrant, while if it was struck less loudly, it would be a more muted tone. 

   Several other synesthetic composers and musicians have described their list of color-note associations, and I noticed that there were many similarities between their lists and my own.  Furthermore, the incorporation of texture was present in nearly every famous synesthesiate.  My plan for implementing this program would be as follows:

·         Research sound/color frequencies in the electro-magnetic spectrum and determine if there exists a link

·         Conduct aural/visual association tests on several control groups to uncover similarities in associations, thus discovering an underlying universal aesthetic consciousness

·         Develop musical tonalities and give them a visual/”chromatic” identity, both with color and texture

·         Work with computer technicians to create a program that displays an intricately developed visual product based on the musical input

·         Use MIDI technology to interpret chordal or tonal musical inputs to be relayed through the program, thus “translating” the aural input into a related visual product

   It is said that humans depend on sight more than any other sense.  I strongly feel, then, that thoroughly understanding the correlations between the senses is especially important to those who experience some kind of sensory loss.  I worked closely with an individual who had a hearing-impaired daughter.  She received a cochlear implant when she was five years old (which is unusually late), and it was absolutely fascinating to watch her development!  She was such a bright child – and it was remarkable to watch her journey from total silence and hand signals to hearing sounds and responding vocally!  Studying music helps with the development of pattern recognition, creative thought, and analytical thinking, just to name a few things.  By using this technology, one could get the intellectual benefits of heard sound “visually”, or vice versa. 

   Whether for the research of the existence of global aesthetics, for skills development in blind, deaf, autistic, or autistic individuals, or for a more realized expression of an artistic “vision”, I feel that this is definitely a field of study that needs to be looked into further.  I also feel that there is no other program existing in one single educational department that satisfies my research and development needs, and that the ATLAS program at the University of Colorado at Boulder is particularly adept at fulfilling all of my aspirations in having this project actualized. 

 

I propose that my course of study include (but not be limited to) the following “approved arts, media, and entrepreneurship” courses:

ATLS 7000       (1)        ATLAS PhD Seminar

ARTS 5540      (3)        Generative Art.

ARTS 5126      (3)        Digital Art 2

ARTS 5176      (3)        New Directions in Digital Art

COMM 6010  (3)        Communication Research and Theory

COMM 6030  (3)        Qualitative Research Methods

CSCI 5229      (3)        Computer Graphics

CSCI 6838      (3)        User Interface Design

JOUR 6051     (3)        Visual Communication

MUSC 5081    (3)        Applications in Music Technology

MUSC 5121    (3)        Advanced Topics in Music Technology

 

I also wish to work with the following faculty members:

·         Michael Theodore, Music

·         Mark Amerika, Art and Art History

·         Leysia Palen, Computer Science

·         Bud Coleman, Theater and Dance

 

   Upon completion of this program, it is my plan to become an established professor and an active member of the research world.  I hope to teach interdisciplinary studies specialized in the arts, aided by technology.  I also strive to further my knowledge of how humans interact, interpret, and express with regards to the senses.  I feel that there exists a global language of aesthetics, and that by learning how to translate this, one can better understand and communicate with others and better understand himself.

 

 

   Like I briefly described above, I have always approached my life in an interdisciplinary way.  I was constantly immersing myself in new cultures, arts, experiences, people, and ideas.  From art, music, and theater, to French, German, and Russian language study, to synthetic division and trigonometry, I have always believed in a multi-faceted view of life.  I believe that I am a perfect fit for your department of study, being that I am very self-motivated, passionate, detail-oriented, multi-tasking, and have always had a thirst to dig deeper and understand better.  In most of my classes up to this point, I have always felt cheated and slighted.  Just when I wanted to dive in deeper, we had to get out of the pool, so to speak.  I long to be in a place where I can explore topics with little or no limitation!  I want to place myself among like-minded people who strive for something greater than the small-town, Alabama mentality I grew up with. 

   I have worked with MIDI technology, and as Music Director with several professional theater companies have incorporated fully sequenced productions with live on-stage musicals.  It was so invigorating to me to be able to teach music to so many different people, relating it in so many different ways, incorporating musical nuances according to staging and choreography, and eventually constructing a full-length musical production using MIDI technology with all the pizzazz of a professional Broadway orchestra!  The whole multi-faceted experience helped me to realize that my passion cannot be contained to just one disciple, to just one area.  My strength is not in my art, music, theater experience, or computer knowledge – it is in the combination of all these areas.  It is my hope that, upon completion of this PhD program, I can be an effective educator, researcher, and communicator that spans the genres of music, art, theater, psychology, computer-aided production, and education.  This is why the ATLAS program is right for me, and this is why I am right for the ATLAS program.

My Day Off

This one goes out to all my Catholic friends -- Rachel -- so, have fun!

Actually, the Music Director job that I got is a show based on the music of Tom Lehrer.  It should be hilarious!  It's called "Tomfollery", and will be at the Kennedy Theater located in the Progress Energy Center in downtown Raleigh during the month of October.  I haven't seen the score yet, but I'm sure it's going to be easy enough.

Having mentioned that, I'm kind of behind on a few other projects -- I need to FINISH that kid's cabled sweater I was commissioned to knit.  Of course it wasn't a big deal a month ago, and it's still not late, but it definitely needs to be done SOON!  I just haven't felt like knitting in so long.  It's really tragic, I know.  Hey, it's Thursday!  Maybe I'll finally get up to my knitting group tonight... Hmm.... we'll see!

I also need to finish my socks I've been working on.  Damn, the more I think about it, the more unfinished knit projects I have!  That's ridiculous.  I have a scarf in MALABRIGO that I started for me, was going to give to someone special, then that someone special dumped me, so now it's for me again.  But hell, it's malabrigo!  I'm just glad that I didn't gift it yet!  That would have made me SOOOOOO mad!  Mmm.... my own malabrigo scarf!  Now I can't wait!  AND, it's a brand new design!  Simple, contemporary, and all mine!  It's knit on the bias, but there's a stripe going up the middle.  So, think of a charcoal grey scarf with a chartreuse/lemon grass green stripe running up the middle -- but the stitches go diagonally!  Pretty cool, I must say.  I'll post the pattern if anyone is interested.  (btw, how does one sell patterns?  I would like to get into knit design, and maybe make a little $ on the side.  I know it's not much, but that would be cool!)

Oh yeah, and I also need to email a bunch of teachers at UC Boulder to see about this Ph. D. program... I really need their input in selecting courses and applying!  I simply must get into that program!  The deadline is December, but I plan on having my stuff in sometime in August.  Ugh.... transcripts, resume, letters of recommendation.... it's so much!  But it'll all be worth it if I can get in and get a teaching/research assistant job!  

Until then, though, it's just work work work work work.  If anyone has any excess money lying around, that would be GREAT!

Crazy Hair!

I have crazy hair now!  Long story short, I wanted/needed something new and dramatic in my life, that wasn't too new and dramatic!  I went to Salon Blu after a particularly abysmal day at work -- Chauna can work wonders!  She totally made my hair do freaking awesome things...

Here are some pictures!

  

As you can imagine, the photos simply don't do it justice -- imagine shades of mango, gold, and lemon blending into each other... on top of my head.  That's pretty much what it is.  Oh, and FREAKING AWESOME.

Other than getting amazing haircuts, I've just been working.  I got a Music Director job with a professional theater in downtown Raleigh -- short-term, but paying none-the-less.  ::yawn::

I love wine.  Especially after a long day of work.  Have I mentioned lately that I really couldn't live without my wine?

I Wanna Be A Doctor

I have a plan.  I finally have a plan!  Soooo......

I went to Colorado on Thursday.  I miss it!  It's so freaking cool -- I got to chill with Lauren all week!  Let's see...

It all started because of Troopers.  She flew me out to see them in Cheyenne before the big Drums Along the Rockies show in Denver.  It really was great to be around drum corps again -- just to be around that energy, that excitement... it was really amazing!  I mean, I did that.  I have been there, and it's really remarkable to look back where you were, and see how far you've come.

It was kind of weird to see a lot of people I knew, though!  At the show in Denver, I saw folks from JSU, previous marching involvements... awkward stuff!  he he...

Anyway, let me say that I am SOOOOOO proud of the Troopers!  Their performance was REMARKABLE -- it was absolutely inspiring!  Amazing.  The score was total bullshit, though.  It infuriates me to see how far the drum corps has come, how much that administration, those alumni, and countless supporters have given and sacrificed JUST to keep them going.  They have come so far, and defied the entire DCI universe.  The Troopers, one of DCI's founding corps, was supposed to be dead.  They survived, and came back with gusto.

And after all that, they still get shit scores.  Just because they're the Troopers.  In an age where a successful show is full of gimmicks and poly-tonal musical shit, it's refreshing to actually have an musical, approachable show that anyone can get into.  It was artistic, beautiful, entertaining, and full of energy -- the same could not be said about MOST of the other shows.  And yet, they scored much lower than they should.  It's outrageous.  But on the up side, if they can over-turn DCI's decision for their existence, then they can also turn over the YEA bullshit that is permeating the activity.  It'll happen -- they just need support.

Wow, that was unexpected...

So then I went into Boulder.  I LOVE Boulder!  I got to explore the campus and check out their music department.  My intention was to check into the Graduate College for Music.  That proved to be unfruitful -- until...

...I checked out the Atlas program.  It's an interdisciplinary program with an emphasis in technology.  Since its inception a few years ago, they have been combining technology with such programs as social studies, law, education, art, theater, dance, and yes... music.  It's pretty sweet!  They have all kinds of performance spaces, technological resources, and research opportunities.  

On top of all that, because its such a new program, they're allowing their new students to bypass the Masters Degree and jump straight to Ph. D. work.  That's right -- with my B.A. in music, I can earn a Ph. D. in about four years.  Tell me THAT'S not kick ass!  

That pretty much has me stoked!  The idea that I can be a "doctor" before I'm thirty... that I could get a job as a professor or a multi-aesthetic technical coordinator... sounds pretty cool!  That, and it could be mostly (if not completely) funded by fellowships, AND get a T.A. or R.A. position!

So that's my plan, that's my goal -- I will be in Colorado by this time next year working on my Ph. D.

I can do that.

Feeling Good...

I officially started my part-time job today -- it's actually pretty fun!  At first, I thought it was just going to be telemarketing.  I mean, basically it is... but here's the big difference:  I'm calling previous patrons of the Broadway South Series, so they're not just cold calls.  I mean, all I do is call them and tell them about the season, trying to get them in season tickets.  Not bad for nearly as much per hour as I already make!  That, and I get commission too...

Which is nice, because today I made a $850 sale!  Very excited about that...

Other than that, not too much has changed.  Going to Alabama tomorrow for the 4th of July.  It'll be nice to see family and friends, and hopefully catch-up on some music writing and knitting.  I have too many projects going right now!  At least now I'll be able to save up some more money.  I finally am feeling better about my situation.  Life is grand!

Ow, My Knitting Hurts!

That's right, I'm movin' out.  Well, I'm actually already moved out.  Now I'm officially homeless.  Awesome!  Anyway -- 

My knitting hurts.  I haven't knitted for SEVERAL days because of the move.  Just haven't had the time and energy.  ::sigh:: I'll be fine soon, knitting speaking.  Other than that, though, I'm great!

I have my first day of training tomorrow for a sales position with Broadway South in Downtown Raleigh.  I hope this part-time job works out -- if so, I can get more money to afford my living expenses, and get free Broadway tickets in the process!  It seems pretty straight-forward... just call folks up and ask them if they want to come back to see the shows this season.  The pay is ok, but I also work on commission, so I can make a substantial little check if I work it right.  But then, when don't I?

Starbucks is still happening, and I may have a potential someone...  Should find out more in the next few days/weeks!  It's funny how things work out, and how life takes you down little paths that you didn't think you'd go down.  So far, it seems pretty good!  My artistic endeavors are admired, and it seems like I might actually be intelligently pursued!  Nice... that, and they're not on a different continent, or even in a different time zone!  

More to come later!

I hate looking for apartments. Ugh.

I hate looking for apartments.  I really do.  I mean, its nice going to look at them, but it's just so much pressure.  And decision-making.  For crying out loud, it takes me ten minutes to decide what I want to drink with my dinner, so you can imagine how nervous I get about signing on to a year-long lease for where I sleep every night!  It sucks.

We have a couple of options as of yet -- There is a nice townhouse in Apex down the street from the coffee shop (where I am currently blogging) that is about $650/month.  That's not that bad, but I would really like to see if there's something else out there.  Most of the other places are just apartments, and even then they're super-nice and super-expensive.

Either that, or it's the uber-affordable apartment that smells of the stench of death.  Seriously.  I mean, if your biggest housing selling points are fresh carpet and newly painted walls (blood stains?) and a cop station that stays occupied 24/7, perhaps it's not the safest place to live.  That, and it stunk.  Sooooooooo bad.

Anyway, I'm sure something will show itself to us.  In three days.  When our lease runs out.  ::sigh::

I hate looking for apartments.

Let Me Borrow That Top

I wanna borrow that top.  I love this video -- sooo good!  (So funny!)  I want to go as Kelly for Halloween!  Charlie and Steph are going to go as supporting characters.  I know that it's silly to be planning that so far in advance, but I need to find all my costume pieces.  It's gonna be tough to find a pleather vest/jacket thing, man stockings, and big-foot glamour shoes (not to mention a stringy valley girl blonde wig)!  

Oh well... any ideas?

Looking for a place...

This will be incredibly brief -- just for the sake of keeping up with my "blog", if that's what the kids are calling it now...

Yeah, I'm lookin' for a VERY affordable place that isn't as ghetto as the spot we looked at today.  I think we can work something out, which is nice.  ::sigh::  

Whatever happened to "easy come, easy go?"  Hard come, easy go, is more life it.

Oh well, there's always that spot under the Highway 55 overpass.  No Wi-Fi, but I suppose I can deal with that.

Pick Yourself Up

I took today's title from  Diana Krall cover, "Pick Yourself Up".  It's basically about being a master of your own emotions, being in control of your own destiny, and not taking shit off of anyone.  I really like it.  "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again."

Thankfully, though, I can save all my work on my computer, so I don't have to start all over again on my composition!  Now, THAT sucks.  

[note to knitters:  imagine knitting the body, sleeves, and half of the yoke on a cashmere sweater, and then 'Fluffy' decides it's his chew toy in the middle of the night.  That's what it's like to lose a composition due to 'technical difficulties'.  Not that that's happened to me before...]  

I have most of the first movement finished, with only a little space of a few pages in the middle that are incomplete.  The beginning was the most laborious thing to write out, but everything after that has really gone smoothly.  I hope Lauren can convince this chick to play timpani, especially since I already wrote in a part!  I mean, it just needed it.  The parts are pretty crazy, and writing for drum set is a challenge all its own!  At least this is a learning experience...

It's really making me reconsider my grad school plans.  I love the Denver area, and it could be rather "affordable" to move out there, granted I get a good job!  I very well may go into music, or writing, of all things.  I did place second in a short story competition... he he... there's a story there....

Oh hell, I'll be a bitch and allude to it here... They say that living well is the best revenge, don't they?  I couldn't agree more.  First, I submit a story for the writing competition on a whim and place higher than the person whose purpose in life was to write short stories, then I get to go to Drums Along the Rockies when the only person on the entire planet who would give his eye-teeth to be there is stuck in another country.  ::sigh::  I suppose life is like that sometimes.  He he.  I win.

I get to indulge in some "Instant Pleasure" tonight -- no, not that kind (call me... ;-o )... I'm having a very nice dinner!  Oh, of course I came up with the recipe... "Girl, you ain't heard?"

According to a previous co-worker of mine, it's "white people chicken".  I prefer to call it Chicken Imperial.  Heard of it?  Yeah, thats right... I made it up.  I'll bet you didn't know that, now did ya?

Here's what I do --

• Get some chicken breasts.  He he, breasts.  Make sure they're not frozen solid.  He he, cold breasts.  Heh.  ::sigh::
• Wrap them up in plastic wrap and find a sturdy surface.  That's right, put your breasts on something hard.  (I swear, I didn't plan this -- it's total stream-of-consciousness)
• Beat violently.  Definitely want to beat your breasts with something hard, as well.  But not so hard and heavy that you can't easily handle it (ok, now I'm planning this...)
• Pound out into little "chicken crepes", and set aside.
• In a pan -- spinach, cheese (feta, parmesan, gruyere, whatever ya like), herbs (once again, whatever.  Basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme... wait a minute...), olive oil, pepper.  Make it happen.
• Bring this crap to a nice melty yum-ness, and set aside briefly.
• In a casserole dish, lay out your breasts.  He he.  Never gets old.
• Spoon some yum-ness on top of the breasts and fold over to make little yummy breast pockets.  Secure with toothpicks.

I'm going to take a break here to emphasize something -- DO NOT FORGET WHERE YOU PUT YOUR TOOTHPICKS.  You will need to remove them ALL before you start eating.  Imagine getting a splinter in the fleshy part under your tongue... you don't want that.

• Ok... so if you have yum-ness left over, spoon some on top.  Also, sprinkle lots more cheese on top.  It just makes it better.
• Add a little butter, water, and/or broth to the dish -- just enough to barely cover the bottom of the dish.  Maybe a quarter inch deep.  Not soup, but not a coating either.  
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake (at 350 degrees, I guess) for a while.  15, 20 minutes maybe.  Not really sure... just make sure you don't die from pink breasts.  He he.

That's about it -- Oh, and don't forget to remove ALL the toothpicks!!!  Seriously...

If you want a quick, equally delicious side to go with it, cut up some zucchini, squash, roma tomatoes, avocado, garlic, and perhaps an onion.  Sear in a pan with some olive oil and fresh herbs and spices.  Soooo good....  

Oh, and if you want a great, easy appetizer, get a bowl of olive oil.  Pepper to the extreme.  Add Italian spices.  Mix well.  (It's best if this can sit for a while... the longer, the better.  The flavors get all interspersed... sooooo good.)  Break off chunks of Italian/French bread and dip.  Enjoy.

And of course....

Serve with wine.  Lots of wine.  Makes everything better!  Have I ever told you how much I enjoy my wine?  Really, I do..... 

My Creativity Gland is Swollen!!!!

After hours and hours of writing music (and not as much as I would like to show for it), I am taking a break.  Wow... it's really a lot of fun, but my brain is a little zapped for the time being.  I actually took a nap today.  Well, I really should say that a nap took me.  I had little choice in the matter.  That's what I get for staying up until the birds start chirping.  It's a good tired, though -- the tired of accomplishment -- the tired of I did something today that mattered...

As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

So a few handfuls of cheese puffs and thousands of sixteenth-notes later, here I am.  Playing on the internet.  Yay!  I love the internet... so ripe and juicy.

(speaking of ripe and juicy, "Peel Me a Grape")

I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself.  I'm glad.  I need for someone to peel me a grape.  You wanna cheer me?  Cashmere me....  >;)  I'm so excited about July -- I'll be going home for the 4th, then heading out to the Denver area for a while after that!  Drums Along the Rockies will be a lot of fun, and I get to see all my Troopers friends (well, except for my most recent Troopers "friend"... he he...).  It's sort of a business trip, though -- I'm checking out CU, because I have always loved that area.  Lauren is going to show me around out there.  I know that I'm Back, because my plans change everyday.  That's how I know that I'm back to being me.  

The more I think about it, it sounds really inviting to move out to Colorado... I really want to get some kind of good paying job -- pencil-pushing, or computer-based... doesn't really matter.  I need to pay my bills, ya know?  It is good, though, that I'm getting paid to write music!  That's at least a step in the right direction!

::sigh::  music, music, music, music.... I have written until my mind is completely drained... lol... I don't even remember how to spell corectly!  Ah... case in point...

I tell you what, though... it's really funny how people can be there for you, way after you thought you'd never really talk to them!  First Lauren contacts me out of the blue, then Brant was able to hook me up with Sibelius 4 over the internet.  I swear, if I was a tenth as smart as that guy...

Well, the "skeeters" are starting to find me now.  I have to sit on a little bench in downtown Apex across the street from the Common Grounds coffee shop so I can piggyback their internet signal.  I don't mind, though -- it's a beautiful night!  

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go ice down my creativity gland.  I think some cold beer will do the trick.

I'm BACK!!!!

So, I am glad to say that I am finally back.  It took a bit, but I am BACK!  These are just the kinds of things that happen when you're a 20-something... I love you, Jamie Cullum!  (btw, if you don't have the album "Twentysomething" by Jamie Cullum, get it!)

Aaron was right.  He always is when I'm dealing with crazy shit, and I am too when he is.  That's just how we work.  He knew that as soon as the cosmos dealt me their worst, then it would just work out.  It would just say, "Ok, he's had enough shit for a while.  Let's make his destiny line up again."

Thanks, Aaron, and thanks Cosmos!  I learned my lesson, and God has granted me some good news.

Great news.

For one, my long-lost friend from Troopers Lauren contacted me... she's sending me $$$ for the music that I wrote for her last summer.  That's awesome.. and, she wants me to write for her again THIS summer, which means I have lots of creative work to do!  It's soooo nice to be back...

Furthermore, Drums Along the Rockies is a huge Drum Corps event happening in Denver in mid-July, and she's getting me a plane ticket to go.  So excited!  I get to write her music, hear it in rehearsal, and check out Grad school at CU Boulder, all in one feel swoop!  Life is turning out rather well, which is WELL appreciated!

I am very excited about the show, actually -- the opener starts with 37 measures of pit solo, very ADVANCED solo, might I add, which means I get to have a hay-day writing it out!  I love this kind of creative work... I have fun, and get money for it!  I still have lots of bills to pay, but this will definitely help out.  

Other than that, life is going on as planned.  I'm working at the Crappe Frappe dishing out "frozen cappuccinos" to the ignorant masses and hanging with beloved friends.  Knitting is still happening, and I am planning on picking up my guitar with regular frequency.  It's gonna be ok!

Thanks to everyone who had me in their thoughts and prayers, and everyone who got me wined/liquored up.  Have I mentioned lately that I enjoy the shit out of my wine?

I should be cooking up those awesome feta-burgers tonight... as soon as Charlie and Steph get home, I'll con them into chillin' 'round the grill!  Oh, and I bought the new Diana Krall jazz album today -- also a must!

You stay classy, San Diego!

Squatting in Apex

I never thought that squatting could be so comfortable!  I freaking love Apex... I know I've only been here for about 3.2 hot counts, but it's really fun!  Where I'm situated, it's very quaint -- a block away from historic downtown.  It's also (as I found out tonight) only about a mile and a half away from a huge shopping district, so all of my creature comforts are there!

But alas, not everything can be perfect.  I have SOOOOO many unfinished projects and soooooo much yarn, it's ridiculous.  I mean, in the sense that I should be ridiculed.  Publicly.  They (whoever "they" are, probably poor, hungry children and elderly) should tie me to a pole and lash me with my own stash yarn.  It's that bad -- and I would deserve every bit of the humiliation.  For real, yo.

But since no one has found me out yet, I figured, hell -- why not just add more wood to the fire?  errr... yarn to the... ok, I fail at being witty.  

::get to the point, Coty!  For the love of all things holy!::

So, I went to a JoAnn's for the first time today.  That was dangerous for all involved.  I escaped without serious injury to my wallet, but it managed to nick me pretty damn good.  "It's a deep burn!"  I finally got a hold of the Stitchionary (vol. 1), along with some yarn I needed to finish one of my UFOs.  I was nearly out, when I started seeing red.  At first I thought I was having a stroke, but upon closer inspection, it was just a sale.  A really GOOD sale.  Then I thought I was having a stroke again.

The clouds parted, the angels started singing, and Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray had fought it out to each of their long-awaited, bloody deaths.  I was in Heaven.

I know all of you out there, well, both of you out there, who know me know that I'm pretty much a yarn whore.  That will never change.  I get just as excited about Malabrigo as I do over $1.50 Midnight Mohair from a Big Lots bargain bin (Oh yeah, baby!  I got 10 of those suckers!  Eat it!  Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!)

This mythical land of JoAnn's was everything I thought it would be and soooooo much more!  They had... for a mere $5.... 840 yards of fine (sport weight, maybe?) boucle, gradual-color change yarn!  So sexy... I bought two.  And here's the kicker -- guess what colorway?

Brown and turquoise.  Incredible, I know?!?!?!?

Not that I need any more yarn, but now I have something else to start.  I'm tempted to make something lacey... perhaps... lace?  Would that look good in a boucle yarn, albeit a fine boucle?  I don't know!  Looks like I'll have to swatch!  (yesssssss....)

But before I do that, I need to finish my "Ostrich Scarf".  It's almost done, but I have to work on it in places where the shiny fuzzies don't move in.  And damage deposit or not, once those fuzzies attach to the couch, they aren't easily evicted.  Oh, and I also have to start making a test pattern!  I've never been a test knitter before, but undoubtedly everyone who is a test knitter was not a test knitter once upon a time.  I, however, have never made anything for chirren.  Especially not a chirren's sweater.  With cables.  Oh dear...

At least I'll get a yarn credit when it's completed.  So I can get more yarn and start more projects to further piss off the Socialist Karma Fairy.  My unabashed days are numbered -- 

Screw women and children, I'm living on borrowed time.  If you don't hear from me for days at a time, check the local craft store.  I'll be the one being publicly chastised.  Feel free to beat me with my own cheap acrylic (or your own, if you've got some) but please, no fun fur.

I beg you.

I'm a loser.

So, I knew it was bound to happen.  I knew that I was going to slack off sooner or later (more sooner than later!).  But alas, I'm here!  I know, I'm a loser, but hey... you're the one reading my blog!  Ha!  Revenge!  Oh.... 

Anyway... I am SOOOO dead.  I mean, not literally or even figuratively... yet.  My SockWars assassin sent my death socks on Monday, so they should probably be here tomorrow.  I kind of stopped working on mine -- not gonna lie.  I mean, what's the point, right?  Besides... it's pretty sneaky to hand over such a lacking project, especially when I'm using the recycled yarn that I am!  It's not exactly easy to knit with, let me tell you!  Lovely yarn, but it just didn't work well with the pattern, either.  Oh well, at least I'll have my socks, even if they are pink and purple.  All's fair in love and war, right?

Speaking of socks, I'm currently wearing another pair of hand-knit socks!  I finished them today on our way back from Richmond.  That was quite a trip!  We left on Monday afternoon with the intention of getting to the hotel early and drinking a lot.  You know, when you really put your mind to something...

Three bottles of tequilla later --

Yeah.  It was just about that wild.  I don't remember going to sleep, but I sure as hell remember waking up!  It was AWFUL!!!!  I thought I was dying!

we did go to Carytown in Richmond, though!  That's where the Yarn Lounge is, a little fantastic yarn shop!  I got as a souvenir a skein of Malabrigo lace-weight yarn... sooooo sexy!  It is amazingly soft!  I think I'll make some socks from it, as soon as I can come up with a pattern!

So, tonight was the last night that Susan will be working at the Siren's Lounge, my favorite little Durham hangout.  It's a very open place, with some interesting, swanky people.  Susan is my favorite bartender, being that her witty sarcasm is completely unique to someone who hails from Jersey!  So cute, so funny.  Oh, and Aussie Jane was there!  I just love her -- found out that she's working at the UN!!!  I knew she had moved to NYC and lived in Chelsea, but that's so intense!  I can't wait to visit!

Let's see... finished socks, fought with tub drain, hung-out with friends at lounge... it's been quite a day!

It's gonna be a long ride...

"'Cause I, I didn't ask for this -- this pretty mess we're in..."

I finished my blanket!  I did!  I did it today... and I couldn't be happier!  Oh, you have no freaking idea what I'm talking about.  Bonnie and Brandie paid me to make a blanket for Bonnie's mother for her birthday.  That's great, especially because I'm eternally in the land of broke.  They bought this fluffy acrylic stuff in cream and dusty rose pink.  Ughhh.  Anywho, I thought I could knit this sucker up in a week.  Two weeks tops.  Hell, my big blue monstrosity only took a week, and it's huge!  

Then again, that was knit triple and quadruple stranded on US 35 needles.  The Pepto-pink blanket was single stranded on US 17s.  Big difference.  

In all fairness, though, I still need to weave in the ends.  It looks REALLY good, though!  It's classically simple -- stripes knitted on the bias with a garter stitch border, my personal specialty.  I have yet to give it to them, but at least now I'll get some more cash! 

Too bad I won't see it -- I need to get gas, an oil change, and make a round trip to Alabama this weekend.  I'm not really looking forward to it.  I mean, it'll be good to take stuff home, and get to see Mom on Mother's Day, but that's going to suck having to drive that far in two consecutive days.  Ughh.....

I finished a dishcloth tonight.  Our Sunday morning knitting group is sponsoring a family with Habitat for Humanity.  I needed to test out the new cotton yarn that I ganked from A.C. Moore (red, white, and blue variegated cotton) for $2 a pound!  I think I'm gonna make my nieces something for this summer... that should be nice.

I'm actually the "team captain" for part of the Habitat project -- I designed and organized that making of a blanket for the family's 16 year-old son.  Well, it's not even started yet, but at least it's all planned out.  Ha ha!  I'm a knit designer now!  And apparently a test knitter -- I got hooked up with this yarn company (can't remember which one right now) and they are sending me yarn as we speak.  I'm supposed to test-knit a child's cable sweater.  Not too bad, right?  We'll see!  I really just want the $50 in yarn.  Hey, you do what you do!  Indentured servitude?  Probably.

Knit night at the Tobacco Campus went really well tonight!  Katherine, Rebecca, Maloy, Maya, and (gasp!) Chris showed up!  That's right, we had two guys tonight!  That's one THIRD, for those of you who passed notes during "fractions".  Knitting by the waterfall, sushi, then beers in the comfy couch alcove... it really couldn't get any better!  Soooo much fun...

Glad I got it in now.  Here's the deal for the brief future -- 7:45am call tomorrow morning.  Not looking forward to that.  Then I close at Starbucks.  Whooo hooO!  Let's see... pack, clean, do show, pack, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, chill with family, snatch passport, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, get home, close at Starbucks.  Laundry.  Pack.  Go to Richmond. Show, show, show, show.  Come back.  Unpack.  Clean, move rooms, do show, organize, do show, pack, go to Germany.  *Drink.*  Repeat until desired drunk.  

Not my room, but it might as well be.  Actually, this may be a little neater.

I just look around here, and Im SOOO overwhelmed!  Where to begin?  Maybe after I get a lot of this extra shit out of my room, I'll feel better about getting it together.  Hell.

And so, there is knitting.  It is creating order from madness, something from nothing, magic from mundane.  I love it.  What would I do without it?  I need to do some recuperating knitting, then I'll work on old projects.  But for now, I need something really selfish to work on to and from Winston Salem tomorrow.  Socks?  Hmm... I think so!

Sexy socks completed!

I finished my uber-sexy socks today!  They are pretty much the most fantastic things EVER!  Sooooo pleased... I mean, the world is just such a happier place when you're wearing brand new socks, especially when you made them yourself!  Now, onto the next pair!  Wait... I should finish that blanket first!  Damn...  Oh well...

Other than knitting, not too much has been going on.  Working, chilling out, and just being on the internet.  John got back from Munich today, so I (naturally) was ecstatic when I heard from him!  Apparently, Munich is going to be home sometime soon.  I'm ok with that!  His photos looked absolutely beautiful, and I can't argue with the bier!  In four days, he drank FOURTEEN liters of bier.  I say bier instead of beer, namely because it's 14% alcohol and actually tastes good.  Oh dear, bier!

I can't wait to go... thirteen more days!  :)

I'm planning a three-some

Slipping on my first sock for the first time really out me in the mood.  So, let me just say this....  I LOVE MY SOCK(s)!  I am starting my second sock, but the first one turned out perfectly.  So nice!  The color is pleasant, the fit is grand, and it is just what I wanted!  If I could kiss Ann Norling, I probably still wouldn't want to, but I'd definitely thank her for making such a grand and adaptable sock pattern!  

I'm planning on posting the hot photos from my three-some.  That's right, me and my two socks.  I mean, who doesn't love great socks?  I guess right now I'm a homo-socksual... I can't wait to be a bi-socksual!  He he...  

Here's a super socksy... errr.... sexy pose of me and my fly gal -- I made the socks to match her outfit.  We're gettin' freaky, breakin' it down.  Oh yeah, girl, that's right...  >;)

Oh yeah...

Ugly Socks, 2 -- Coty, 0

I spent most of my waking hours today knitting.  Surprise, surprise.  I did mail a letter, which was on my To-Do list... other than that -- selfish me time.  It was most enjoyable, needless to say!

Starbucks was my first stop (shocking), so I took out my sock and went to town.  (By the way, I knit because I enjoy it.  There are all kinds of other reasons, but "because it's fun" is Numero Uno on the list.  It's a bit stupid to ask, "Is that any fun?" to someone participating in a hobby such as this.  Am I being paid to do it?  Am I being held at gunpoint?  If the answer to both of those questions is "no", then you're probably an idiot.)

I met up with a couple of friends from my Sunday morning Broad Street Cafe knitting group to knit at a bar in the American Tobacco Campus.  Aside from a few assholes who were unnecessarily up in our grill, it was pretty fun.  Nice atmosphere, nice couches, nice work on the socks.  Oh, and Cafe Zen has a great selection of affordable sushi in the evening, just so you know.  Three rolls for $7.50?  Oh yeah...

Anywho, our friend is opening a yarn shop on 9th street, and we (like a gaggle of prospective bride's maids) were helping her plan and brainstorm for the store!  Very exciting stuff.  I wish I was going to be around long enough to utilize said shop.  Oh well...

As  the night bore on and the beer flowed, I came to the realization that my sock was too big.  Damn.  HOWEVER, I could modify the pattern to make it an ankle sock instead of the longer variety, and it would fit fine.  I would have to really depart from the pattern, though.

As I began to labor over these intricate footsies, I heard a snap.  Shit.  One of my size 2 needles had snapped in half.  A respectable feat (no pun intended, I swear).  No worries, I thought... I have an extra needle.

Snap.

Fuck.

So now, I need some more needles so I can finish my sock.  Maybe I'll invest in metal ones this time...

Socks!

I'm knitting socks.  I never thought it would happen, especially because I can buy socks for around fifty cents a pair.  And here I am, knitting a pair of socks.  Ugly ones, at that.  Thousands of stitches.  Time, effort, and money... for ugly socks.  What is wrong with me?  It's like the people who have a kid who is a little shit in every sense of the word.  They go through hell, only to wish, want, and eventually have another one.  Or three.  WHY???

I don't know, but they're freaking great.  Socks, not kids.  Kids are pretty good with lots of homemade gravy, but a bit too fatty for my taste.  No, socks.  

I'm looking at my dyed yarn, and it's a sad sight.  It really is pathetic.  The colors were supposed to be magenta and ebony, not dingy tan and dingy pinkish tan.  Oh well...

At least I heard from UNLV today.  All the time that I had been talking to those fools out there, I felt like I was crazy.  I finally got them all talking to each other, and today I got a call from Dave Loeb (the director of Jazz studies), basically saying that he was gonna get his bitches in line.  Nice.  

Seriously though... they had offered me $16,000 in Federal Loans, but still hadn't told me if I could go to their school.  WTF, mate?  Maybe I'll know something definite this week, so I won't just be lilting around in educational purgatory.

::  Why I Hate "Dukies"  ::

Can I ask you something, you imaginary people out there "reading" my blog (except for you, Rachel!  Holla...)?  Why is it that Duke students are retarded?  I mean, is there a particular reason for this?  I live in Durham, and I know it's not the water.  Is this trait consistent with other "Ivy-esque" league schools?  There are soooo many reasons, but here's my most recent one.

Today was free ice cream cone day at Ben and Jerry's (I love those homo-loving, tree-hugging, left-winged liberals!) .  By the way, all my music is themed, and if you get vanilla ice cream at B & J's... you're wrong.  You just are.  

Anyway, I wanted some ice cream.  I love ice cream.  I realize that many other people like it, too, but I didn't realize what a hot commodity it was.  Granted, Ben and Jerry's is to ice cream what Starbucks is to coffee.  High-end, but it shouldn't surprise me that stupid people abound there, too (see previous post).  Here's my beef -- the line was winding around the building to get free ice cream.  It was moving quickly, but there was still a significant wait.  

Women and children?  Heck no.  College students.  Dukies.  Ughhh...  Don't judge me yet -- I love college students.  I was one.  In fact, I aspire to be one again.  If I could be one for the rest of my life, I think I would.  There is one major difference, though -- I don't drive a Beemer.  "Hey brah, don't spill that free ice cream on the inside of my BMW... my mom would be soooo pissed!"

These little credit card granolas were cycling through the damned ice cream parlor three and four times like they hadn't eaten in days.  I felt like I was in Russia.  Sure, everyone likes ice cream, but these miserable little swamp donkeys could charge enough ice cream to fill an Escalade and not give it a second thought.  

You know, maybe I am being too hard on those annoying little shits.  Sure, mama and pops pay $35,512 a year for them to go to Duke, provide them with a credit card for emergencies (1,200 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, a new iPhone, and an emergency trip to Cancun count, right?), and understand that a 'C' average is ok... it is unreasonable to expect them to buy their own ice cream ANY OTHER DAY OF THE FUCKING WEEK.  

Since they're all so concerned about going "green" and living off of the land... can I just kill them and roast them on a spit right in the middle of Duke Gardens?  I'd share!  I have never seen a breed of idiot so willing to self-exterminate.  Who else would walk in the middle of a busy street, telegraphing to the seediest part of Durham, "Hey!  I'm a rich, stupid Duke student with lots of money and no one would miss me if I disappeared, because I'm a complete and total dick-trickling chode bubble!"

Put that in your lacrosse racket and throw it.

Day dreams

So... when was the last time that you had a day dream?  In thinking about it, it has been a very long time for me!  That makes me really sad, actually.  I mean, I don't understand logarithms, the Amendments, mitosis, or my 12s times-tables past 8 because of day dreams.  Now that I'm in situations where I'm washing dishes and making lattes for the masses for hours on end, I don't dream.  Go figure.

I've come to this conclusion because in trying to remember how the latter part of my day went, I can only remember bits and pieces.  Nothing really substantial.  Much in the same way that you kind of remember dreams, or don't remember them at all -- just passing from one day to the next.  Is that what it means to be an adult, to never dream ever again?  If so, I'm getting my crayons out RIGHT NOW for some serious regressive therapy!  

But seriously... I'm 24 years old.  That's nearly a quarter of a century!  I know it's not really all that old when you think about it, but there is definitely no going back.  I have a fantastic person who loves me -- the absolute LOVE of my life!  I couldn't be happier!  And yet... sometimes it seems like just when things are approaching perfection, something goes terribly out of whack.  I suppose that's just how life works.  

I'll fly away, I know it.  I've already begun.

Sunday morning knitting

Even though I stayed up way later than I was supposed to, I still managed to make it to my Sunday morning knitting meet-up.  Durham String Thing meets at the Broad Street Cafe from 10am to whenever on Sundays, and I definitely haven't been the best about waking in time.  I was there (with a shower, mind you!) by 11am, so I figured that was better than naught.  

Unclogging a clogged drain, by the way, can be facilitated with the use of dish detergent.  Found that out.

Anyway, the biased blanket I'm making for Bonnie and Brandie (well, for Bonnie's mother, actually) is nearly completed.  Thank God and Johnny Long for that!  If I never have to see the color "dusty rose" again, it would be too soon.  But seriously, I feel like there's so much for me to do, and so little time!  A lot of it is silly little selfish things, like recording songs, painting, practicing guitar, flute, cello, violin, and finishing my other seven knitting projects, but there's other stuff, too...

If UNLV doesn't let me know something this upcoming week, I am seriously going to go Clark Griswald on their asses and just show up.  There you go, Vegas -- you have been warned!

::  why stupid people shouldn't go to Starbucks  ::

Granted, there are so very many reasons why I have discovered that there are entirely too many stupid people going to Starbucks (I will fill you in in due time, trust!), but here's the most recent.  But first, let's try something.

Look around you.  What do you see?  Perhaps a table, maybe a chair.  There might be a window, and it could be raining.  Do you notice it?  Is the sun shining?  If it IS raining, did you roll the windows up in your car?  Have the police taken down the crime scene tape yet?  Wait, thats just at my house...

Ok, kids... the word of the day is -- AWARENESS.

Charlie was mopping the cafe area in the store yesterday, and he wanted to make sure that no one got in his wa....I mean, got hurt... so he barricaded that part of the cafe with chairs.  It was rather impenetrable.  An attractive, smart looking young woman approached the barricade, then asked Charley, "Oh, can I get back there?  I just didn't know if they had stacked those chairs up for a reason."

Firstly, "they".  WHO is they?  There's only one person.  Secondly (and most importantly), why else would he have stacked the chairs up?  For no reason at all?  Really?  I mean, really?  If you need that badly to use a non-sequitur to hide your shame and social abashment, pick something that MIGHT make sense.

Of course, this was following the episode of some woman asking another woman standing by the restroom door, "Is someone in that bathroom?"

"Yes."

"Oh... are you waiting on the bathroom?"

"...yes."

"Hmm... is anyone in that bathroom?"

"ummm... no, that one's out of order." as she pints to the sign that says 'Out of Order'.

I knew we were expecting too much when we wrote the signs in English instead of pictograms.

Coty w/a T arrives!

Ich bin hier!  Wilkommen zu mir!  

Anyway, I'm starting this "blog" (as the kids are calling it nowadays) with the hopes that I'll autobiograph my life.  I've never been effective at keeping a diary, journal, or any other kind of regular update.  I'm rather sure that this will be the same, but let's give it the ol' college try.

I have eaten more sushi in the past week than I have my entire life, and it's a beautiful thing!  Let me tell you, having good sushi on a buffet is probably as close to heaven as I'll get this week.  Apparently, there are several exquisite Asian restaurants nearby -- of course, I'd have to find that out when I have less than a month in this area.  Oh well...

I taught Marissa and Kristy to knit today.  So rewarding... you know, in another, more business-oriented life, I would love to own a yarn store.  I would have to know math, though.  I have a degree in music, after all -- I only had to know how to count to four.  

Speaking of which, I have yet to hear from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) officially.  Not that I need to make plans or anything, but I do have to move in about a month or so.  I really do hope that they offer me lots and lots of money to attend... that's not too much to ask, is it?  

I have a list of songs to record whenever I can get the chance.  I've had plenty of time lately, but my voice hasn't cooperated.  Even with plenty of sleep, minimal alcohol, and no cigarettes, my voice decides to be a diva now.  Way to go, trachea.  Bitch.

:: moment of "whhhaaaa???" ::

So... Steel Blue.  Ever heard of it?  Rather hilarious, really.  It's this lesbian bar close to my house.  I kept seeing it on the way home for work, the little lights all lit up, the chain-link fence, the "steel blue" colored warehouse of a building, but wen I would drive by during the daytime, it was gone.  Unless I have my own personal David Copperfield, there's no way that sucker could have just up and moved overnight.  All I could see that vaguely resembled the spot was am auto repair and body shop.  I know, I know... was my sub-conscience being clever?  I kept trying to find this little dive, just for kicks (and to prove that I wasn't nuts), but just couldn't find it.  Finally, I pulled in one evening to get a closer look, and lo and behold, it was the same damned place!  Tune-ups by day, throw-downs by night.

One week later, I stopped laughing.  I mean, it's just perfect.  So convenient.  It's like putting a martini bar and dance club in a Pier 1 Imports.  They go together like sequins and drag shows.  Just saying...