more fun-ness.

a few more of willo's photos from last night - super duper fun good times awwwww heck yeah:

willo, ted, and i in the photobooth!
we found mai!

uh huh, awesome.

photo taken by dan wolf.
yes, that is david cross. yes, i ambushed him and made him take a photo with us. no, i am not ashamed. w00t!

read my recap of last night's noise pop kick off party on thinking about foxes - i'm off for another dose (double dose even!) of rocking out. ta ta!

omg my friends are getting married.

today i received the exciting news that my darling friend meryd is ENGAGED! to be MARRIED! omgeeeeeee! so exciting.

sometimes when people get engaged/married it weirds me out. but for some reason meryd's engagement doesn't. maybe because i know she's going to remain the fabulous lady she's always been despite being an old married person. heh.

meryd & i - reunited in new york, summer 2006!
meryd & i were co-counselors at camp cayuga in the beautiful pocono mountains of northeastern pennsylvania way back in 1999. and we're still friends despite seeing each other every 1.5 years. whoa, huh? i love her and am so excited for her! and jay, her fiance, of course. he's alright in my book too.

the best part of my conversation w/ her about the wedding was when she said "i don't know where or what we're going to do, all i know is that i'm going to have a pig roast." hahaha. yep, that pretty much sums it up. xoxoxo.

procrastinating blogging, about procrastinating.

um, omg i can't believe i forgot to blog about procrastinator's new years eve 2007! OMGEEEEEEE.

misty has been throwing this fabulous bash for the past 17 years. yep, so she totally started it when she was in preschool. it was all so innocent back then - chocolate milk and PBJs. now it's more like champagne and PBRs. heh.

everyone knows that new years eve is for amateurs. we prefer to celebrate a month and a half late - makes for less B&Ters and even if those show up, we know them. last year was my first PNYE and when i heard that misty came up with this brilliant idea it was as if i'd been waiting for it all my life. genius.

over the years the party has evolved into a costume theme - changing every year, mixin' it up. last year was "white trash fairy tale" (the year before that was "80's prom - touch of class") - and this year was...wait for it, wait for it..."be your own superhero/evil villain"!!! people went all out and i gotta say it, once again san francisco knows how to costume party it up. where else in the world do people actually have COSTUME BOXES?!?

mine came in handy (with some recent additions from my old halloween costume box that my mom conveniently mailed to me post-christmas) because i had no costume prior to 5:37 pm on the day of the party. a two minute conversation with misty earlier in the day prompted me to head to ye olde costume box and see what i had to work with....blue wig? blue go-go girl vinyl minidress? sparkly microphone? guitar pick earrings (okay, those weren't in my costume box, i wear those in real life too) ahhh yes, i would be ONE HIT WONDER WOMAN!!! no one knows what she looks like anyway! and blue wig = instant awesome costume. it's a rule.

facing off with the denim on denim bandit (aka stein).
evil villain vodka tonic!
the rest of the results can be viewed here. and here. and here. aaaaand here. the party was awesome - the people were awesome. it was by far one of the best...if not THE BEST...party i have ever been too. and when i said PBRs i wasn't kidding...nothing is classier than a superhero costume, a *wanderphone*, and a PBR. see?


hahaha.

thanks to misty (and ted, providing the rawktacular soundtrack of the evening) for keeping this party alive and rockin'. can't wait to see what next year will bring! awww yeah PNYE 2008 - on the MOON?!? perhaps.

best. present. ever.

last night ryan brought the hold steady poster(s) that he had ordered a while back to the alembic where we had all met up for v-day drinkies - we are uberfans of the band and are thankful that we have each other to geek out to about them because lord knows everyone else is tired of our rockstalking, heh - but what i didn't know is that he had also ordered a limited edition PINK vinyl boys and girls in america LP too! seriously?!? how awesome is that?


it just so happened that i received said presents on valentine's day, but that was just coincidence. ummm, a kick ass coincidence because what's better than receiving music and music accoutrement on valentine's?!? well, at least for me. that's about as good as it gets.




i am so thankful that i have such amazing friends who love me unconditionally and will do things like this for me - and not because i like getting "stuff" but more because it shows that they truly know me. i cannot express how much i love my friends and appreciate them - i would never be able to be the person that i am without them. and now i'm done being sappy. :)

apparently, i am not alone.

manlio pointed out this hilarious point/counterpont article in the onion yesterday that was so eerily similar to one of my past relationships that i couldn't help laughing (seriously, lol'ing) at the fact that OMG I USED TO BE THAT GIRL!!! wow.

the scary thing is that this type of relationship is prevalent enough to warrant a mock article in the onion. yikes.

kind of a nice valentine's day present to myself though - to see how far i've come since then and that i actually stand up for myself now and (try to) avoid egomaniac DBs with important hair. oh, silly 24 year old ali! it seems like forever ago, but i realize that it's really only been a little over three years. time flies when you're not dating an jerkface. heh.

beeeee mine.

happy valentine's day peeps! unlike alot of people i know, i actually don't hate valentine's day, even despite the fact that this is my third one in a row with no valentine. awwwww. no boo hoo's here though, because really i have the best friends in the world and you know what, a friend's love is actually way less fickle and complicated than that of someone you're dating. am i right or am i right or am i right?!?

i've been intermittently eating the rest of the chocolates that i found in my desk yesterday and also dorking out on the interwebs making awesome candy heart messages...you know you want to see them and so, as my valentine's gift to you, i will share said artifacts of lurve. see - i'm a giver, i give. totes.


my jobby job.
for teddy. haha.
of course.
my favorite gallery/bar/cult leaders.
bwwwwahaha. that is all.

speaking of friends, tonight we are meeting up at the alembic (i've never been! omg, and what better way to lose my alembic virginity than on valentine's day! so romantic.) and then going to the red vic to see annie hall. i am so in love with the red vic for showing this movie on valentine's day. genius, i say, pure genius.

i mighten stop by a super top secret and exclusive v-day party as well, depending on how tired i am after the movie. i swear, i can't hang like i used to lately. lame!

geeky nitpick.

hotwire has a really dumb method of selecting the city corresponding to your billing address. instead of just allowing you to type in the city/state/zip, it asks for only your zip code and then once you've gone through and filled out all the other info and checked the appropriate boxes and said "yes, i want to reserve this hotel" and "no, do not spam me losers" it RELOADS the page and you have to scroll down and THEN select your city. wtf?

doesn't it seem like that's an extra, stupid step that isn't really necessary? why hasn't hotwire noticed that this is uber-annoying? and does this make me a geek? ack!

oh, hello delicious chocolates.

i totally forgot that i bought some mini-hershey bar chocolates (special dark w/ almonds! milk chocolate with toffee! omgeeee!) last week at safeway until today when i opened my side drawer in my desk and *viola!* lovely chocolately delights awaited me! le sigh.

things might be going down hill when i get excited about finding chocolate in my desk. but i must say, they ARE delish. if you notice some chocolate in my teeth or around my mouth the next time you see me, now you will know why.

toofs.

i had the teeth loose/falling out dream (nightmare) again last night. ugh. obviously my subconscious is trying to tell me something? some of this does makes sense, i guess...

Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and gnaw. In this regard, teeth represent power. And the loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. Are you lacking power in some current situation? Perhaps you are having difficulties expressing yourself or getting your point across. You feel frustrated when your voice is not being heard. You may be experiencing feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life. This dream is an indication that you need to be more assertive and believe in the value of your own opinion.

and no you can't have my number, cause i lost my phone.

1) i saw my future husband on the bus again this morning. i hope he doesn't think i'm stalking him (even though i am).

2) sometimes i like overcast days. my office is really calm and relaxing and feels like a little cave and for some reason i enjoy the impending sense of rainshowers. ahem, when i'm indoors. the rainy season is almost upon us! time to bust out my (awesome & stylish) galoshes!

3) went to lily allen last night. she didn't dress up all cute (but she did wear a rad gold gun-shaped necklace). willo and i were disappointed as she seems to always wear cute outfits. but don't get me wrong, she was still cute (and munchkin-like! see i told you that we're taking over the world!) - love her!

4) last night i overheard some dude talking about heather nova and had to chime in - he couldn't remember the name of the one song of hers that anyone would probably even know ("walk this world"). hmmm, or wait - she did that song on the dawson's creek soundtrack too. i know, i know - i shouldn't know these things but i do. they are stuck in my head for eternity. it's a curse, but don't ever say i'm not useful. for completely ridiculous and inconsequential things. heh.

the end.

shows shows shows - as per usual.

last week i went to four (4) shows, so i'm getting back in the swing of things you might say. awww yeah, show ho pro tour of rocktastical goodness 2007!

tuesday night i went to the makeout room to see my little buddies HIJK (formerly hijack the disco) and it was really fantastic to see them play (i've missed the last couple of shows), but also just to get to hang out with them (and their awesome girlfriends. i swear, they have the best lady friends in rock)! i love that they are always so appreciative that their friends come to their shows and it totally makes it worth staying out late on a tuesday night - it was loverly to catch up w/ them and get the scoop on what they're going to be doing next and of course watching them tear it up on stage (and hear some new songs!) - please someone sign this band, like now. thx.

thursday night yenie got on the list for the (sold out) of montreal show at bottom of the hill and asked me if i wanted her +1 and so of course a little show ho like myself said yep yep! it was great to finally get to hang with yenie outside of work (our offices are right next to each other) and i was really looking forward to seeing of montreal because i had heard they are craaaaaazy and hilarious live - and they did not disappoint. costumes/outfits? check. awesome robotic dance moves? check. glitter? uh, yeah - check. the thing that really stood out to me was how great their harmonies sounded - and i'm a sucker for a good harmony.

i'm kind of glad i got to see the only BoTH show that they played in SF because a) BoTH is my favorite venue and 2) it's smaller and more intimate and even though the music hall is great, i like to feel like i'm in a special little bubble with the band i'm seeing. i guess it depends on the band/show, but i'm a venue and crowd snob and sometimes i don't like people. haha.

saturday night i finally got to see my internet friends rademacher - after about a year of emailing back and forth about shows and whatnot. i always have another show or event that i'm committed to when they play up here, but not this time! it was fate! FATE. anyway, they totally rocked it and were really cute/funny/enjoyable to watch. they looked like they were having the best time ever which in turn always makes me have a good time too. totally not too cool for school.

i never thought about this while listening to their recorded stuff, but the singer/guitarist, mike, kind of sounds like a cross between steven malkmus/alec from clap your hands say yeah/david byrne (and they did a cover of talking heads "road to nowhere" which i luuuurve) - he's not as whiney as alec, but also not as laid back as malkmus. the combo is really endearing though - and i'm looking forward to seeing them again in austin next month. yaaaaay!

(willo's photos from the night here.)

last night - oooooh last night - i'm going to have to write a completely separate post about that show because HOLY CRAP it was like a religious experience. i have a whole new level of appreciation for m. ward after seeing him play - honestly it was one of the best shows i've seen in my LIFE. but more on that later...

hilarities.

leslie posted this in the comment section of my cute-boys-on-MUNI post, but it's so funny that i think it warrants reposting...

a little backstory: my roomie thought it would be ha-ha-hilarious to post a missed connection on craigslist on my behalf - as a JOKE - using my ruminations about the two cute boys i saw on MUNI the other day. here is what she wrote:

Cute boy #1 We made instant eye contact while I pretended to rock out to the soundtrack of my life (ahem, ipod). You stared deeply, understood me, and then didn't ask me for my number. Um, hi?! I glanced back and you didn't come ask for my number? geez.

Cute boy #2 You let me onto the bus before you. I think we should wed. Next time, just propose already.

funny stuff, huh? :) so this morning, she posted this response to the missed connection:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *email address removed to protect the innocent*
Date: Feb 2, 2007 6:32 PM
Subject: MUNI Cutie-Patooties. - w4m - 28 (russian hill)
To: pers-272506863@craigslist.org

was this on the N judah this morning? I was stuck in
my seat, not sure if this is you. YOu got off i think
at the ucsf?

i cannot stop cracking up that someone actually replied to this - and at the fact that it's NOT EVEN THE BOY IN QUESTION! hahahahahahaaaaahahahaaaaaaa. ouch, my stomach hurts from laughing. but man, poor kid - he fell victim to leslie's devious comic shenanagins. i hope he finds that girl on the N judah though!

my own private iPod hell.

i think my iPod *officially* hates me. yesterday, for the third time, it decided to erase EVERTHING for no good reason. i did not unplug it whilst syncing, i did not subject it to unreasonable forms of torture (well, unless you count rick astley, which could kind of make sense). it simply hates me. so sad.

in a panic last night i put like, 6 albums worth of music back on it and rushed out the door to catch MUNI (iPod, you made me late!). this afternoon i tried to re-sync it and iTunes keeps giving me error messages saying it cannot even detect my little buddy (yes, buddy is my iPod's name. shut up.) and i'm getting highly annoyed.

is it time to get a new iPod? do i take buddy into the genius bar for a check up - knowing full well what the answer is going to be? ugh. i don't want to spend the money on a new poddy mcpodderson (nor do i have the funds to splurge on one) - i suppose i can, in the meantime, rely on my shuffle - but that is like asking triple espresso drinker to switch to herbal tea! i'll feel like my left arm and right index finger were amputated. does that even make any sense? uh, don't answer that.

let's pretend that i *can* get a new iPod (buddy 2.0!!!) - what should i go for? suggestions?

the simple things.

why is it that, when i see a cute boy on MUNI it (almost) makes my whole day? it's pretty comical.

i think it's because the MUNI line that i take regularly - which weaves its way through the tenderloin and provides a myriad of interesting, shall we say "characters" of which to observe (this is where the anthropology degree comes in handy - see mom?!?) - doesn't really afford me the opportunity to see cutie patooties who bathe and use the bathroom indoors. mostly just crackheads and men who rather fastidiously pick at the gross scab on the back of their head (seriously, i've seen him three times in the last week - sooooo so wrong). so yeah, attractive young men are a welcome distraction from the monotony of my 27.3 minute commute...

i thought about this last night when i was on my way to the of montreal show. i was staring out the window, listening to my iPod, and turned my eyes back to the inside of the bus...and accidentally made eye contact with a cute boy who was sitting near the front. eye contact with strangers makes me uncomfortable, if you don't know that about me. yes - i am (semi)shy. i know YOU don't believe that, but it's true. it's the reason i can't go up and talk to boys at bars or shows or parties or the grocery store (seriously, people don't actually do that, do they?) - i'm a dork. anyway, i was like "crap crap, that cute boy thinks i was staring at him and i wasn't!" and got all weirded out. uh huh - no wonder i don't have a boyfriend! I AM A TOTAL NERD.

then, this morning when i was waiting on MUNI there was another cute boy waiting at my stop. two in a mere 12 hour time period? that's like winning the cute boy on MUNI lottery! haha. and when the bus came, he waited and let me go in front of him - le sigh, how gentlemanly! i think we should totally get married. if i can find him again and actually speak...but who am i kidding, we all know i'm never going to do that. little miss nerdy mcdorkster strikes again!

i am the greatest iPod dj in the woooooorld!

that's right kids, yours truly ROCKED the bigfoot lodge again last night with my superior iPod dj skills. however, this time i didn't even get challenged or voted on, much to my amazement, because i picked some of the cheesiest songs that i have on my iPod (rick astley, for serious!) and got the biggest reactions from them - which goes to show that people that hang out at the bigfoot like "bad" music. heh.

i think my strategy was to slyly mix the cheesey stuff in with the good stuff, so as to confuse the patrons. and it worked!

willo surprised us and stopped by (thanks dodgeball) and had her own winning playlist as well! w00t! show ho pros in the hooooooouse! when she was picking out her songs i think i remember saying something like "just pick a bunch of crappy songs, these people love it." haha.

and here is the playlist - i wonder how many weeks i can go without getting gonged?!?

"let's make love and listen to death from above" - CSS

"scenario" - a tribe called quest

"level" - the raconteurs

"it takes two" - rob base & dj ez rock

"don't stop believing" - journey

"waiting room" - fugazi

"i can't go for that (no can do)" - hall & oates

"need you tonight" - inxs

"never gonna give you up" - rick astley

"africa" - toto

*yep, that's right - hall & oates after fugazi. which will either confuse you more, or make perfect sense.