After waking up late and eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we made the rest of our drive to College Park, Maryland. It was short and sweet, and we had time before the show to check out a piano store and a used CD warehouse. The no-name CDs we purchased turned out to royally suck, but it was fun to hope.
College Perk coffee house reminded me a lot of 37 Main in Buford, GA - a haven for thirty-somethings still young at heart. We watched a lineup of acoustic acts pour their hearts out about relationships, politics, and pop songs. During the course of the evening we met a lot of really energetic people. This place was packed with music lovers, thats for sure. We got to play a long set, and I was able to invite Patrick up on stage to play one of his songs as a duet with me. The crowd seemed to love everything!
Afterwards, the three of us ordered the s'mores platter: a miniature flaming grill with marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. We even shared it with some Australians who'd never seen anything like it. Awesome. Next thing we knew, it was time to pack up and hit the road again.
We drove as far as we could that night, sleeping half the way and somehow landing at a Motel 6 in God-knows where and sharing a king sized bed. It wasn't half bad.
When morning hit, we took to the highway once again, passing through the beautiful rolling hills of Virginia on our way to Graffiti Music Hall in Arden, NC. We finally arrived, barely sane, and were allowed to play first! This was awesome 'cause Arden is only 3 hours from my home, which meant we'd be able to make it back to Flowery Branch that night.
After IHOP with our new friend Chris and his mom, we headed out on the home stretch of our journey. Conversations revolved around the supernatural, and we scared ourselves back into our home state. We were welcomed home by my pajama-clad mom, who fed us some croissants and sent us off to bed.
Despite the amount of time we'd spent on the road, the three of us stayed up till 5 AM watching scary videos on YouTube and reminiscing.
And here I am now, sitting in my bedroom. Patrick's dad came and got him a few hours ago and we said our goodbyes, as we always have and always must.
Post-Tour Anxiety/Depression Syndrome is a bitch, but I think I'll get over it.
So here's to long drives, eating Airborne like candy, IHOP in Hickory, "going to Nashville and cutting a record", 24, Mike Doyle, the impossible shower, whitecaps on the ocean, freezing cold, huge boots, layering, raspy voices, finally "seeing Connecticut," the G train, the A train, the L train, the million Starbucks in times square, video taping in the subways, walking 15 miles, playing for the bartender, Union Square, "regular slices", BAYSTON, losing our GPS, finding the best view of New York, laughing at everything, secrets, swank hotels, Cracker Barrel, granola, "huge fucking beds", being a princess, the sun in the appalachians, 0 meilen bis leer, The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon, cursing in Christian venues, orange juice parties, ghosts, love, and music.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
TOUR DIARY #3
We arrived in snowy Boston on the afternoon of Thursday, Dec 20, and met up with Patrick Canaday, who some of you might recognize from the production of tracks such as "What I Need." He's often referred to as "my guy up in Boston who mixes my tracks." It's always great to see old friends! We settled into his cozy apartment and jammed around on guitars for the next few hours, something which we hadn't really had the chance to do in a while. Hours passed, his girlfriend Angela joined the group, and we all went out for sushi before the show. Unfortunately, sans Garmin Sandiego, we got lost in Boston (RHYME). Through the snow, and the ice, and the crazy roads, and the crazy drivers, we had a little trouble seeing the street signs and reaching our destination, but we did finally make it in time to play the show.
The venue? TJ Scallywaggle's, a vegan pizza place with no stage and a small square footage. It was cool, though! We were somehow able to set up in a corner of the room (maybe...3.5' x 3.5'?) and get it done. Patrick opened the night with a few of his new songs plus Angela on the melodica. The audience demanded an encore, and a questionable older gentleman named "Skelly" loudly expressed his excitement.
AJ and I were up next (headliners?) and we played the usual, and even though the space was tight, we were still able to move about in a pretty normal way.
Afterwards, the owner presented us with a free pizza. We sang some pop songs, visited the basement, chatted with a squatter, and went on our merry way, back to Patrick's apartment, where we partied like rock stars and passed out on the futon. Fucking glamour.
The next morning, Patrick went to class while me and AJ deliberated on our next move, ultimately deciding to leave that day to get a head start and split up the 7 hour drive to College Park for Saturday's show. Patrick was more than happy to adhere to our schedule (did I mention he's riding back to Georgia with us?) and we departed from Boston around 3:30. Our duo had become a trio, and the adventures really began.
We got stuck in traffic, listened to some incredible music, ate some fast food, and took a few wrong turns in New York City that turned out to be very right. And now I'm waking up in a hotel room in East Windsor, New Jersey. Fifteen minutes till check out. See you in Maryland!
"Maybe it's a good thing we got lost. We would've missed that view."
The venue? TJ Scallywaggle's, a vegan pizza place with no stage and a small square footage. It was cool, though! We were somehow able to set up in a corner of the room (maybe...3.5' x 3.5'?) and get it done. Patrick opened the night with a few of his new songs plus Angela on the melodica. The audience demanded an encore, and a questionable older gentleman named "Skelly" loudly expressed his excitement.
AJ and I were up next (headliners?) and we played the usual, and even though the space was tight, we were still able to move about in a pretty normal way.
Afterwards, the owner presented us with a free pizza. We sang some pop songs, visited the basement, chatted with a squatter, and went on our merry way, back to Patrick's apartment, where we partied like rock stars and passed out on the futon. Fucking glamour.
The next morning, Patrick went to class while me and AJ deliberated on our next move, ultimately deciding to leave that day to get a head start and split up the 7 hour drive to College Park for Saturday's show. Patrick was more than happy to adhere to our schedule (did I mention he's riding back to Georgia with us?) and we departed from Boston around 3:30. Our duo had become a trio, and the adventures really began.
We got stuck in traffic, listened to some incredible music, ate some fast food, and took a few wrong turns in New York City that turned out to be very right. And now I'm waking up in a hotel room in East Windsor, New Jersey. Fifteen minutes till check out. See you in Maryland!
"Maybe it's a good thing we got lost. We would've missed that view."
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
TOUR DIARY #2
*note, when I get home, I am going to add pictures to this probably.
WHOA
THE PAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN CRAZY! So, I'm going to try and recap it all!
Sunday 12/16:
We left Seamonster's house early and headed to Philadelphia. The drive was easy and we got in town around 5 or so. We met Chrissy and her friend Nora and ate candied squash and stew in their apartment, before heading out to do a couple touristy things. They both reminded me a lot of Athens. In fact, Philadelphia was a lot like Athens except bigger, and the houses were all connected! I walked into that apartment and it felt like I'd walked into a friend's house on Church street, or something!
Anyway, bro and I walked around downtown Philly and checked out the liberty bell, ate at a Burger King, and headed back to the show. UNFORTUNATELY, the address had been changed! We didn't figure this out until only hours before and were unable to make the necessary changes online to get the word out. The result: some of you missed the show. I'm so sorry about this. I swear I'll be back in Philadelphia and it won't happen again. Anyway, the show got switched to the ATM house. We basically played straight acoustic in a living room for a bunch of friends. It was a great atmosphere and we made some friends and heard some really nice music. We also reunited with our friend Darren Deicide, who we met this summer on our mini-tour up the midwest.
At 11:00 we got back in the car and headed to Guilford, CT, where we arrived at my friend Morgan's house at 3am after almost running out of gas and/or falling asleep at the wheel. We were greeted with warm couches and blankets and pillows, and awoke in the morning to coffee and eggs with cheese.
Monday 12/17:
Morgan's mom drove us to the train station in New Haven, where we boarded and headed into New York City! Neither of us had been here before, so it was quite an incredible trip. I can't possibly go through all the details, so here's a list of everything that happened that day:
- Got off the train and met up with our friend Joy
- Headed to Joy's apartment at Pratt
- Dropped off our stuff
- Headed back out with guitars to play at the Port Authority
- Met up with the wonderful Rosie Siman and her friend Sarah
- Set up and played our subway show at 4:00pm
- Ditched our guitars at Rosie's friend Marissa's place
- Went back to Joy's to put on our night clothes
- Met up with Rosie
- Ate dinner at S'Mac (specializes in mac n cheese)
- Went over to Terra, a blues bar Joy's friend Gabriel owns
- Got a free round of drinks
- Spilled a cosmo on my cell phone
- Interviewed some random New Yorkers
- Took a cab home
- Fell asleep like lightning
The show at The Port Authority was really fun. We were amplified, so it was kind of like we were playing a show for a million New Yorkers (KIND OF....) True, many of them were old semi-homeless guys who probably just wanted to do me...but we made some gas money which was nice! Dinner was delicious, S'Mac has the best Macaroni and Cheese you'll ever eat. And hanging out at Terra was the best. I kind of felt like Holden Caulfield. Getting home was great too. It was a long day and it was nice to sleep.
Tuesday 12/18:
- Woke up
- Ate breakfast at Mike's near Pratt
- Headed into Times Square, marveled at the millions of Starbucks
- Got a Chai Latte in a real New York Starbucks
- Met up with Rosie, checked out the company she works for, Translation, while AJ and Joy went skating in the park
- Joy went to work
- Took the train/walked to Chelsea to check out the Banksy exhibit
- Went back to Times Square, bought some touristy stuff
- Chilled with some of Rosie's coworkers O'Lunney's
- Left and went out for a sushi dinner at Azuki
- High-tailed it back to Marissa's apartment to grab our guitars
- Walked as fast as we could to Arlene's Grocery
- Played the show, met some friends
- Went to Union Square to try and meet up with Joy
- She got off late, so we busked (played for money) in Union Square
- Made 10 bucks for gas money in a half our. Score!
- Warmed up in a pizza place, ate a "regular slice"
- Watched Rosie yell at a homeless dude who tried to get our money
- Met up with Joy
- Took a cab home
- Fell asleep like lightning
The highlights of my day were definitely the show at Arlene's and seeing Translation. I don't know if you guys know this, but I have two passions in life: music and graphic design. If music doesn't work out, I'd like to work in an ad firm in the city. Seeing Translation made me more excited about that side of my life. I really hope I get to work somewhere like that someday. You know, if I'm not a rock star! Haha. Big dreams, big dreams...really though - either of those career directions would make me the happiest person on the planet.
Arlene's Grocery was great. I kind of felt like I was a character in Guitar Hero. Picture a grungy club in the city with a great sound system and a tough crowd. I loved it. By the end of the day though, I was pretty tired and almost losing my voice. But, someone told me I should keep singing too much 'cause they like the raspiness. Good to hear.
Wednesday 12/19
We woke up a little late, ate breakfast at the Pratt Coffee Shop, and boarded a train back to New Haven. We got here at 2pm, tired and a little cranky, and realized we'd forgotten our GPS in the city. It was a catastrophe, I cried and felt like a complete screw up. We had to MapQuest our way to The Space in Hamden. It told us to turn onto a one way street. We got lost. But hey! We eventually made it, and The Space was awesome. My sadness wore off as I got acclimated to the environment. Plus, Joy called and told me she found the GPS in her lingerie drawer and would overnight it to Boston so we'd have it for the rest of the tour. All hope was not lost! We played the show really well, and made a ton of new friends! I even met some people who went to the Savannah College of Art & Design in GA. Everyone is connected. Overall the turnout was awesome, and I love The Space! I sure hope I get to play there again. Happy Birthday Kevin Devine.
After the show we went to a real diner with Morgan and her friend Sarah - The Parthenon in Branford, CT. Eggs benedict. Tell me what you think about THAT. I fell asleep on the ride home, we saw a ton of deer, and I can't really type anymore because I should probably be sleeping. But the tour just keeps getting better and better. Tomorrow we head out to Boston!
WHOA
THE PAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN CRAZY! So, I'm going to try and recap it all!
Sunday 12/16:
We left Seamonster's house early and headed to Philadelphia. The drive was easy and we got in town around 5 or so. We met Chrissy and her friend Nora and ate candied squash and stew in their apartment, before heading out to do a couple touristy things. They both reminded me a lot of Athens. In fact, Philadelphia was a lot like Athens except bigger, and the houses were all connected! I walked into that apartment and it felt like I'd walked into a friend's house on Church street, or something!
Anyway, bro and I walked around downtown Philly and checked out the liberty bell, ate at a Burger King, and headed back to the show. UNFORTUNATELY, the address had been changed! We didn't figure this out until only hours before and were unable to make the necessary changes online to get the word out. The result: some of you missed the show. I'm so sorry about this. I swear I'll be back in Philadelphia and it won't happen again. Anyway, the show got switched to the ATM house. We basically played straight acoustic in a living room for a bunch of friends. It was a great atmosphere and we made some friends and heard some really nice music. We also reunited with our friend Darren Deicide, who we met this summer on our mini-tour up the midwest.
At 11:00 we got back in the car and headed to Guilford, CT, where we arrived at my friend Morgan's house at 3am after almost running out of gas and/or falling asleep at the wheel. We were greeted with warm couches and blankets and pillows, and awoke in the morning to coffee and eggs with cheese.
Monday 12/17:
Morgan's mom drove us to the train station in New Haven, where we boarded and headed into New York City! Neither of us had been here before, so it was quite an incredible trip. I can't possibly go through all the details, so here's a list of everything that happened that day:
- Got off the train and met up with our friend Joy
- Headed to Joy's apartment at Pratt
- Dropped off our stuff
- Headed back out with guitars to play at the Port Authority
- Met up with the wonderful Rosie Siman and her friend Sarah
- Set up and played our subway show at 4:00pm
- Ditched our guitars at Rosie's friend Marissa's place
- Went back to Joy's to put on our night clothes
- Met up with Rosie
- Ate dinner at S'Mac (specializes in mac n cheese)
- Went over to Terra, a blues bar Joy's friend Gabriel owns
- Got a free round of drinks
- Spilled a cosmo on my cell phone
- Interviewed some random New Yorkers
- Took a cab home
- Fell asleep like lightning
The show at The Port Authority was really fun. We were amplified, so it was kind of like we were playing a show for a million New Yorkers (KIND OF....) True, many of them were old semi-homeless guys who probably just wanted to do me...but we made some gas money which was nice! Dinner was delicious, S'Mac has the best Macaroni and Cheese you'll ever eat. And hanging out at Terra was the best. I kind of felt like Holden Caulfield. Getting home was great too. It was a long day and it was nice to sleep.
Tuesday 12/18:
- Woke up
- Ate breakfast at Mike's near Pratt
- Headed into Times Square, marveled at the millions of Starbucks
- Got a Chai Latte in a real New York Starbucks
- Met up with Rosie, checked out the company she works for, Translation, while AJ and Joy went skating in the park
- Joy went to work
- Took the train/walked to Chelsea to check out the Banksy exhibit
- Went back to Times Square, bought some touristy stuff
- Chilled with some of Rosie's coworkers O'Lunney's
- Left and went out for a sushi dinner at Azuki
- High-tailed it back to Marissa's apartment to grab our guitars
- Walked as fast as we could to Arlene's Grocery
- Played the show, met some friends
- Went to Union Square to try and meet up with Joy
- She got off late, so we busked (played for money) in Union Square
- Made 10 bucks for gas money in a half our. Score!
- Warmed up in a pizza place, ate a "regular slice"
- Watched Rosie yell at a homeless dude who tried to get our money
- Met up with Joy
- Took a cab home
- Fell asleep like lightning
The highlights of my day were definitely the show at Arlene's and seeing Translation. I don't know if you guys know this, but I have two passions in life: music and graphic design. If music doesn't work out, I'd like to work in an ad firm in the city. Seeing Translation made me more excited about that side of my life. I really hope I get to work somewhere like that someday. You know, if I'm not a rock star! Haha. Big dreams, big dreams...really though - either of those career directions would make me the happiest person on the planet.
Arlene's Grocery was great. I kind of felt like I was a character in Guitar Hero. Picture a grungy club in the city with a great sound system and a tough crowd. I loved it. By the end of the day though, I was pretty tired and almost losing my voice. But, someone told me I should keep singing too much 'cause they like the raspiness. Good to hear.
Wednesday 12/19
We woke up a little late, ate breakfast at the Pratt Coffee Shop, and boarded a train back to New Haven. We got here at 2pm, tired and a little cranky, and realized we'd forgotten our GPS in the city. It was a catastrophe, I cried and felt like a complete screw up. We had to MapQuest our way to The Space in Hamden. It told us to turn onto a one way street. We got lost. But hey! We eventually made it, and The Space was awesome. My sadness wore off as I got acclimated to the environment. Plus, Joy called and told me she found the GPS in her lingerie drawer and would overnight it to Boston so we'd have it for the rest of the tour. All hope was not lost! We played the show really well, and made a ton of new friends! I even met some people who went to the Savannah College of Art & Design in GA. Everyone is connected. Overall the turnout was awesome, and I love The Space! I sure hope I get to play there again. Happy Birthday Kevin Devine.
After the show we went to a real diner with Morgan and her friend Sarah - The Parthenon in Branford, CT. Eggs benedict. Tell me what you think about THAT. I fell asleep on the ride home, we saw a ton of deer, and I can't really type anymore because I should probably be sleeping. But the tour just keeps getting better and better. Tomorrow we head out to Boston!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
TOUR DIARY #1
WINTER WONDERTOUR BLOG 1
I'm currently in the home of Seamonster, aka Todd, who we played with tonight at Volume CDs. He sounds SO similar to Neutral Milk Hotel, it's ridiculous. AND he has the most awesome house I've ever seen. He's got tons of stuff, but it's all perfect. There's a TV fireplace in the corner, a foosball table, and a framed photo of Kiefer Sutherland (in honor of 24) just to name a few things. Expect a tour on the video we're gonna make.
We got to Volume CDs today at around 6pm, right on time. We got a little held up in the morning at Cracker Barrel with Dylan Gilbert, but it's all good! Any time spent with Dylan is time well spent.
Speaking of him, our show last night in Hickory, NC at Tee & Coffee Co. was awesome! Hickory is a great town to start a tour off with. I love everyone who lives there! We played with two really great bands too: Dear Cavalier and Linus Van Pelt. And of course, we were followed by Dylan, who put on an amazing show, as usual. Afterwards, we all went out to IHOP and got an extremely long table - I think it's become a tradition! I met some great people who I can't wait to see again. We'll be back to Hickory soon!
Unfortunately, we soon realized that we had left our camera charger at Tee & Coffee Co. so we won't have any photos from the tour!!! At least not until we get ourselves some disposables. But, we will have lots of video footage.
Anyway, last night we stayed in Dylan Gilbert's house and finally got to see "where the magic happens" (as they say). We rolled in at 3am and were greeted by walls covered in pictures documenting the life of Dylan, courtesy of his parents, who were sleeping upstairs. When we woke up the next morning at 8:30 we took showers and got ready to hit the road, but not without first seeing Dylan's home studio in the basement. Imagine the coolest vintage one-room studio you could possibly imagine. There were more guitars in there than I could count. And I got to play his THEREMIN!! Holy god. That was fun.
Then it was Cracker Barrel time. A game of checkers, a long wait, an egg sandwich, and a ton of biscuits later, we hit the road for real. We had to make one Wal-Mart run halfway through the trip, but we successfully got in and out with no trouble. Thank god for the $0.97 travel aisle!
As said before, we got to Volume CDs at 6pm and set up to play the show. The crowd was minimal but ALL awesome people! We made some new friends and formed a conga line around the store (which was awkward but wonderful). Afterwards we hit up Taco Bell like demons, and followed our GPS (Garmin Sandiego) to Todd's house, where we watched two episodes of 24 with him and his roommates. We learned about Mike Doyle jokes (MIKE DOYLE: THE PERFECT STORM) and found out that Todd is not only a great musician, but a really talented cartoonist who draws for Nick magazine and has his own books!.
And, here I am now!
Tomorrow we head to Philadelphia to play at The Palindrome.
That's it. More tomorrow, or the next time I have internet!
I'm currently in the home of Seamonster, aka Todd, who we played with tonight at Volume CDs. He sounds SO similar to Neutral Milk Hotel, it's ridiculous. AND he has the most awesome house I've ever seen. He's got tons of stuff, but it's all perfect. There's a TV fireplace in the corner, a foosball table, and a framed photo of Kiefer Sutherland (in honor of 24) just to name a few things. Expect a tour on the video we're gonna make.
We got to Volume CDs today at around 6pm, right on time. We got a little held up in the morning at Cracker Barrel with Dylan Gilbert, but it's all good! Any time spent with Dylan is time well spent.
Speaking of him, our show last night in Hickory, NC at Tee & Coffee Co. was awesome! Hickory is a great town to start a tour off with. I love everyone who lives there! We played with two really great bands too: Dear Cavalier and Linus Van Pelt. And of course, we were followed by Dylan, who put on an amazing show, as usual. Afterwards, we all went out to IHOP and got an extremely long table - I think it's become a tradition! I met some great people who I can't wait to see again. We'll be back to Hickory soon!
Unfortunately, we soon realized that we had left our camera charger at Tee & Coffee Co. so we won't have any photos from the tour!!! At least not until we get ourselves some disposables. But, we will have lots of video footage.
Anyway, last night we stayed in Dylan Gilbert's house and finally got to see "where the magic happens" (as they say). We rolled in at 3am and were greeted by walls covered in pictures documenting the life of Dylan, courtesy of his parents, who were sleeping upstairs. When we woke up the next morning at 8:30 we took showers and got ready to hit the road, but not without first seeing Dylan's home studio in the basement. Imagine the coolest vintage one-room studio you could possibly imagine. There were more guitars in there than I could count. And I got to play his THEREMIN!! Holy god. That was fun.
Then it was Cracker Barrel time. A game of checkers, a long wait, an egg sandwich, and a ton of biscuits later, we hit the road for real. We had to make one Wal-Mart run halfway through the trip, but we successfully got in and out with no trouble. Thank god for the $0.97 travel aisle!
As said before, we got to Volume CDs at 6pm and set up to play the show. The crowd was minimal but ALL awesome people! We made some new friends and formed a conga line around the store (which was awkward but wonderful). Afterwards we hit up Taco Bell like demons, and followed our GPS (Garmin Sandiego) to Todd's house, where we watched two episodes of 24 with him and his roommates. We learned about Mike Doyle jokes (MIKE DOYLE: THE PERFECT STORM) and found out that Todd is not only a great musician, but a really talented cartoonist who draws for Nick magazine and has his own books!.
And, here I am now!
Tomorrow we head to Philadelphia to play at The Palindrome.
That's it. More tomorrow, or the next time I have internet!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Pancakes + Wireless Internet = Heaven
I'm in IHOP right now. Yeah, that's right. The INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES. With my COMPUTER. It seems that wireless internet is popping up everywhere, making it really easy for tech geeks like me to have fun anywhere, and giving regular people (like my friends) new places to get their study on.
Today was the best day of my life. The reason? My new Garmin Nuvi 200.
This thing kicks ass. I programmed it as soon I got in the car outside of Best Buy. It took all of 3 minutes to have up and running and ready to direct me back to my house. The display is nice and bright, and the voice is pretty damn loud, so I can hear it over my music. Okay, but the BEST PART IS it's got the ability to find places for me based on category!!
Say I was looking for food. And I wanted that food to be Barbeque. My Garmin will give me a list of all the barbeque places in the area, along with phone numbers! It does this for everything, and by everything I mean food, lodging, transit, banks, attractions, shopping, etc.
I'M IN LOVE.
Anyway, I better get back to this stack of pancakes. Here's a picture of Caroline's reaction to Chris March's departure from Project Runway.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Google Image Search
I've been pretty bored for the past 31 minutes. So I've been Googling my friends. Not many people's photos come up in the image search (except mine, ha!), so I've decided to post the most interesting photos I found!!
Sarah Colombo
Caroline Sumners
Jessica Lawson
Jonathan Post
Rosie Siman
Sarah Colombo
Caroline Sumners
Jessica Lawson
Jonathan Post
Rosie Siman
Monday, November 19, 2007
Becoming David Bowie
I don't know how long this has been out, but Target has a new line of mens clothing based on the style of David Bowie. All boys need to wear these clothes. This is awesome. "Regular Guys" shop at Target, therefore this could be the cure for the "Regular Guy" look.
David Bowie for everyone!!
David Bowie for everyone!!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Talk about a dream come true
I'm thinking this whole writer's strike won't be such a bad thing, seeing as Law & Order is suddenly playing nonstop on almost every channel.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Show us your tips
Have you ever been to a frat party?
I have.
My apartment in Athens is two blocks from Milledge Ave., aka Fraternity Row (I don't think anyone actually calls it that). So tonight, we ventured to the other side to visit some friends and partake in some perfectly legal debauchery.
Few events are depicted in movies as accurately as frat parties. But hey, they're kind of wonderful in their own way (if you consider an endless supply of Mr. Boston to be a wonderful thing).
This guy knows what I'm talking about.
We later moved on to an "Indie Rock" party, where more stereotypes were fulfilled. I overheard an argument in regards to the music on the iPod being changed without permission:
OH MY GOD! FUN!
I have.My apartment in Athens is two blocks from Milledge Ave., aka Fraternity Row (I don't think anyone actually calls it that). So tonight, we ventured to the other side to visit some friends and partake in some perfectly legal debauchery.
Few events are depicted in movies as accurately as frat parties. But hey, they're kind of wonderful in their own way (if you consider an endless supply of Mr. Boston to be a wonderful thing).
This guy knows what I'm talking about.We later moved on to an "Indie Rock" party, where more stereotypes were fulfilled. I overheard an argument in regards to the music on the iPod being changed without permission:
Angry Girl: "You can't just change the music! Your iPod sucks! What is that, a 20 gig? 30 gig?"
OH MY GOD! FUN!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Visiting THE LAB
Today Caroline took me and Sarah Colombo to THE LAB!
THE LAB is where Caroline counts flies for school. She feeds them, then they mate, then they give birth, then she collects virgins, and they mate some more! And the process repeats! All for the sake of curing Diabetes and/or inventing a diet pill. Go UGA!
The following are some highlights of the experience:
This room was so very very cold! This is where Caroline gets the flies (I think).
"I could snow in here!" - Sarah Colombo
Hazardous materials are a must in any good LAB...
...as are jack-o-lanterns.
Look at this beaker! Look at this lab coat!
This is the carbon dioxide machine. It knocks the flies out so Caroline can collect the virgins. If a person breathed it in they might go to sleep. Forever.
Here's Caroline doing something really scientific: looking through a microscope!
A close-up shot of Caroline collecting virgins. There weren't any.
Overall, I'd say it was a good day at THE LAB. The flies are safe in an incubator (which is the opposite of a freezer, apparently) ready to mate again so Caroline can count them.
p.s. today I found out that Lexie Grey teaches my art history class.
THE LAB is where Caroline counts flies for school. She feeds them, then they mate, then they give birth, then she collects virgins, and they mate some more! And the process repeats! All for the sake of curing Diabetes and/or inventing a diet pill. Go UGA!
The following are some highlights of the experience:
This room was so very very cold! This is where Caroline gets the flies (I think).
"I could snow in here!" - Sarah Colombo
Hazardous materials are a must in any good LAB...
...as are jack-o-lanterns.
Look at this beaker! Look at this lab coat!
This is the carbon dioxide machine. It knocks the flies out so Caroline can collect the virgins. If a person breathed it in they might go to sleep. Forever.
Here's Caroline doing something really scientific: looking through a microscope!
A close-up shot of Caroline collecting virgins. There weren't any.Overall, I'd say it was a good day at THE LAB. The flies are safe in an incubator (which is the opposite of a freezer, apparently) ready to mate again so Caroline can count them.
p.s. today I found out that Lexie Grey teaches my art history class.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Helvetica and the backpack of my dreams
Hey! Guess who has decided to blog more? I'll give you a hint: It's me. Speaking of me, check this shit out:
This is me posing in front of the Helvetica poster at Athens Cine.
So what's Helvetica? It's a font. It's also a movie about a font. Er, TYPEFACE, rather, as I've learned to say instead (thanks to my Graphic Design Friends).
I loved it. It was great. I think that the other ten people in the theatre would agree. It's just so amazing to me how so much can be said about such a simple thing. Helvetica is air. We need to breathe. We need air to breathe. Therefore, we need Helvetica. I love Helvetica, for the record. Three cheers for this!
Anyway, these awesome bags by Freitag were featured in the movie. They're made out of old truck tarps. I want this backpack so badly. If only I had $244.45.
This is me posing in front of the Helvetica poster at Athens Cine.
So what's Helvetica? It's a font. It's also a movie about a font. Er, TYPEFACE, rather, as I've learned to say instead (thanks to my Graphic Design Friends).
I loved it. It was great. I think that the other ten people in the theatre would agree. It's just so amazing to me how so much can be said about such a simple thing. Helvetica is air. We need to breathe. We need air to breathe. Therefore, we need Helvetica. I love Helvetica, for the record. Three cheers for this!
Anyway, these awesome bags by Freitag were featured in the movie. They're made out of old truck tarps. I want this backpack so badly. If only I had $244.45.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Discovering new music with Last.fm and Pandora
I love music. I love finding new music. This week I found not one but TWO websites to help with that.
The first is Last.fm. I've been using this website for a while, but I just discovered it's full potential. Last.fm is a social networking site based solely around music. You can download a program called iScrobbler that will "scrobble", or log, everything you listen to. Last.fm creates a list of your top artists, and will show you other users who have musical tastes similar to yours.
What I didn't know they also had was internet radio. I don't know how I missed it, but instead of just downloading the iScrobbler program, you can just download the official Last.fm program, which combines the iScrobbler with a radio. It's as simple as putting in an artist you like, and a station will be created with similar types of music. You can also choose to listen to a station created based on all the music you've listened to, or the station of a friend. Don't like a song? Skip to the next one.
The second website is Pandora. I'd heard of Pandora many years ago, but never really used it, because back then it was pretty confusing. But I found it again the other day on somebody's Facebook, and I was amazed. Pandora is extremely similar to Last.fm, but it operates based on what it called "The Music Genome Project".
How does it work? Enter an artist or a song you like, and Pandora will create a radio station for you. But rather than offering just music, Pandora will explain to you why these artists are similar to each other. Each time you search for a new artist or song, a new station is created. Pandora also offers the option to shuffle stations so you can customize your listening experience even more.
Both websites are awesome. I'm a little upset that I have to choose between them. I suppose I could just use them both...
The first is Last.fm. I've been using this website for a while, but I just discovered it's full potential. Last.fm is a social networking site based solely around music. You can download a program called iScrobbler that will "scrobble", or log, everything you listen to. Last.fm creates a list of your top artists, and will show you other users who have musical tastes similar to yours.
What I didn't know they also had was internet radio. I don't know how I missed it, but instead of just downloading the iScrobbler program, you can just download the official Last.fm program, which combines the iScrobbler with a radio. It's as simple as putting in an artist you like, and a station will be created with similar types of music. You can also choose to listen to a station created based on all the music you've listened to, or the station of a friend. Don't like a song? Skip to the next one.
The second website is Pandora. I'd heard of Pandora many years ago, but never really used it, because back then it was pretty confusing. But I found it again the other day on somebody's Facebook, and I was amazed. Pandora is extremely similar to Last.fm, but it operates based on what it called "The Music Genome Project".
How does it work? Enter an artist or a song you like, and Pandora will create a radio station for you. But rather than offering just music, Pandora will explain to you why these artists are similar to each other. Each time you search for a new artist or song, a new station is created. Pandora also offers the option to shuffle stations so you can customize your listening experience even more.
Both websites are awesome. I'm a little upset that I have to choose between them. I suppose I could just use them both...
Saturday, June 9, 2007
TESTING TESTING, ONE TWO
Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey. Testing testing testing. Hey hey hey.
Monday, April 23, 2007
SecondLife...more like AWESOMELife.
So the other night I played my first show in the wonderful world of SecondLife.
this is me. Alley Dagger.
I hooked up my mic and guitar to my PowerBook using an M-Audio MobilePre USB9, and then, using NiceCast, connected to a streaming server on SecondLife owned by Orion Broderick (secondlife name). I then set up my stage at Manolo's, his carribean cantina, and waited for my chance to play.
The room filled up with avatars (people) of all shapes and sizes. Two girls were booty dancing, a white tiger was sitting on top of the speakers, and everyone was engulfed in flames.
Reason #1 SecondLife shows are better than real life:
- In real life, pyrotechnics will kill 96 people.
(...to be continued)
this is me. Alley Dagger.
I hooked up my mic and guitar to my PowerBook using an M-Audio MobilePre USB9, and then, using NiceCast, connected to a streaming server on SecondLife owned by Orion Broderick (secondlife name). I then set up my stage at Manolo's, his carribean cantina, and waited for my chance to play.
The room filled up with avatars (people) of all shapes and sizes. Two girls were booty dancing, a white tiger was sitting on top of the speakers, and everyone was engulfed in flames.
Reason #1 SecondLife shows are better than real life:
- In real life, pyrotechnics will kill 96 people.
(...to be continued)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Save the cheerleader, save the world
So I just got finished watching my favorite show on television right now: Heroes. Thanks to the internet, I was able to stream and watch all of last season's episodes over Winter break and I became addicted to the show.
For those who don't know, the show focuses on a group of people who have "special powers" (think X-MEN with a lot less special effects and action). They're extremely normal people who all happen to have a certain defect in their DNA that has given them some sort of abnormal ability. The show centers around the heroes' attempts to find themselves, and somehow prevent an explosion from destroying New York City. For more information, check out the Wikipedia entry.
So naturally, I check the website often.
I love shows like this. Their extensive advertising is epic. On the website you can watch videos, see extended clips, read an interactive comic (the same as the comic dawn by one of the characters), and (my favorite) even call up PrimaTech Paper, Inc. - a company from the show. From the NBC Heroes website, you can click a link to PrimaTech's website. It takes you to a pretty badly designed page, which enhances the reality of it. The teenage characters from the show even have MySpaces, which I don't think are linked to from the website, but are obviously set up by NBC.
"NBC has announced an alternate reality game for the Heroes series. The "Heroes 360 experience" will start on January 22nd. Viewers will investigate clues broadcasted on television and learn new infomation about the characters. Cell phones and a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) website will be a few of the mediums used. One of the characters will give viewers access to these features. Also, a special "two screen" application will be provided to simulate a real-time event. Viewers will also have access to the fictional Primatech Paper company's phone system and new content at NBC.com, including commentary from cast members added to streaming episodes. The game is sponsored by Nissan." - from Wikipedia
Over time, I've noticed more shows beginning to do this, and I seriously love it. I was checking out the website for another show, Ugly Betty (who's characters have been nominated for Golden Globes), and found that you can go so far as to watch entire seasons of the fictional soap operas that the main character watches.
Anyway, I get a real kick out of it. Things can only get better and better as time goes on. I can't wait to see what kind of interactivity is available five years from now. Or even one year!
Stuff like this is awesome because it enhances the reality of the show, you know? The entertainment doesn't have to stop after an hour. I can go online and pretend that up in New York, Isaac Mendez is really painting the future, Hiro Nakamura is really fighting Dinosaurs, and Peter Petrelli might go on a date with me if I can somehow get his phone number.
For those who don't know, the show focuses on a group of people who have "special powers" (think X-MEN with a lot less special effects and action). They're extremely normal people who all happen to have a certain defect in their DNA that has given them some sort of abnormal ability. The show centers around the heroes' attempts to find themselves, and somehow prevent an explosion from destroying New York City. For more information, check out the Wikipedia entry.
So naturally, I check the website often.
I love shows like this. Their extensive advertising is epic. On the website you can watch videos, see extended clips, read an interactive comic (the same as the comic dawn by one of the characters), and (my favorite) even call up PrimaTech Paper, Inc. - a company from the show. From the NBC Heroes website, you can click a link to PrimaTech's website. It takes you to a pretty badly designed page, which enhances the reality of it. The teenage characters from the show even have MySpaces, which I don't think are linked to from the website, but are obviously set up by NBC.
"NBC has announced an alternate reality game for the Heroes series. The "Heroes 360 experience" will start on January 22nd. Viewers will investigate clues broadcasted on television and learn new infomation about the characters. Cell phones and a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) website will be a few of the mediums used. One of the characters will give viewers access to these features. Also, a special "two screen" application will be provided to simulate a real-time event. Viewers will also have access to the fictional Primatech Paper company's phone system and new content at NBC.com, including commentary from cast members added to streaming episodes. The game is sponsored by Nissan." - from Wikipedia
Over time, I've noticed more shows beginning to do this, and I seriously love it. I was checking out the website for another show, Ugly Betty (who's characters have been nominated for Golden Globes), and found that you can go so far as to watch entire seasons of the fictional soap operas that the main character watches.
Anyway, I get a real kick out of it. Things can only get better and better as time goes on. I can't wait to see what kind of interactivity is available five years from now. Or even one year!
Stuff like this is awesome because it enhances the reality of the show, you know? The entertainment doesn't have to stop after an hour. I can go online and pretend that up in New York, Isaac Mendez is really painting the future, Hiro Nakamura is really fighting Dinosaurs, and Peter Petrelli might go on a date with me if I can somehow get his phone number.
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