Jen

I feel the earth move under my feet. .

I wish.

Earthquakes? Cool. I've only been to California twice, but I was always hoping that I would be there for one. Not a major one, mind you. Just a little shake. The way that Californians talk about earthquakes, you'd think there was one everyday. What a let down.

Last night, I got to witness a car break in. I don't want to ruin the story, so I'll just let Brian write it. That is if he isn't busy with his 3rd job in the past three weeks. I think it's a record! : ) (You know I'm kidding, right?)

I guessing there won't be much writing this week only because everyone is going to pretty displaced. Beck in Madison, Greg in Baltimore, Christie somewhere in Maryland (right?) and me in Waukesha (I have got to learn how to spell the name of this damn city!). Brian has to hold down the fort in Illinois.

Friday is going to be exciting - my friend, Peter, is getting married. I'm hoping this will happen only once for him, so I don't want to miss it.

So, have a great Thanksgiving, and maybe, if I get some time, I'll be back.

Beck - see you at the Belmont station later.

Becky

Um, yeah - 3 more this morning - its starting to freak me out. I am so ready to get on a plane. Madison here I come! Hopfully Rosa won't mind the drive up - I had to buy her a cage and she is not very excited about it........

Sound like everyone is pretty busy - Brian, how is the job going?

Becky

3 Earthquakes!! There have been 3 earthquakes all centered in San Ramon, the next town over in the last 30 hours. I missed the one yesterday morning, but there was one last night and then another one this morning at work. It is very strange.....I am looking forward to getting away from the faultline for Thanksgiving!

Jen

Fuck you you're gonna spend the night OUTSIDE!*

Greg, I am so excited you guys won!!! Did you notice how the Hard Rock cleared out after you finished?

Too bad that you couldn't make it to our after show activities, which included a very intense game of shuffleboard. Christie and I have this great idea for a short movie because of it. We we practicing our commentator skills while watching the game after the one where we KICKED Kit and Peter's ass. We just thought that it would be funny to have these very intense comments being made while watching this very unintense game. I don't think I'm describing this right. Christie? I need your good description skills here.

I'm in a great mood besides the fact that I am really sleepy. Josie kept meowing at my door during the night, which is cute because she's cute, but gets annoying when sleep is to be had. I'd let her in my room at night, but she likes to sleep ON me as opposed to anywhere near me, and I'm scared that I may roll over onto her. (*Remember Kitty by the Presidents of the United States of America? Christie and I used to love that song. I couldn't help but think about it this morning.)

I have no idea what I'm going to do this weekend. It looks like I may start Christmas shopping. I always buy gifts right around the actual day, and I thought it might be a good idea to get a head start. I just hope I don't get too annoyed with all the assholes that will also be out in the malls shopping on Sunday.

pulling, pushing

so we won. it was pretty cool, but it kept me up until 2:30 which is not a good thing. thanks to everyone who came, you all rock. especially kit who was jumping up and down on a barstool. if we win the final round on wednesday, dec. 4, that free recording is ours. that would be neat-o.

i've been in a state of lightheadedness all day. i wish i could take a nap. sleep good.

Jen

baby, you're a lost cause

Candidacy went well, I guess I can say. Though not well enough to make me get through it the first time. So ass clowns they were, and they are making me show my work again in a month.

I think I could accept it better if their reasons for showing work again made sense, but it really didn't. "We think you articluate your art well and your pictures explain what you are trying to say, we just think that this is a rather new way of photographing for you and we'd like to see more work in a month." I spent much too much time trying to get them to explain this to me better. I will produce more work in a month, regardless if they make me show it again. This I could not understand.

I'm not really bothered by the not passing thing as much as I am bothered by the fact that I have to go through all this stress AGAIN. How much does that suck? So as the tally goes, out of 7 people that have gone through this stupid act of candidacy, 3 have "passed" and 4 have to show again.

I also don't like all this bitterness that is welling up inside me about this school and it's politics. I know it's a common theme among graduate art students, or maybe grad students in general? I'm not sure. Nonetheless, candidacy has prepared me for nothing in real life- never will I have to be drilled by 12 "professional" photographers about why I do my work as I do. Getting picked up by a gallery or even a museum (this I know) only involves smaller person to person contact. I feel as if my peers and I have been put through an uneccessary hazing just to put some fear into us, and to see the real jealousy that exsists from these "professional" photographers of new talent.

So, thanks, everyone, for the support during the last couple of days. . .

The only positive thing that came out of this is that I won my bet - if I didn't make candidacy on the first round, Nate had to take me to Harry Potter. So you can guess how happily I spent the rest of my evening. : )

I am very much looking forward to Greg's show tonight, and seeing the lovely bunch of people that I get to spend my Thursday nights with. Who's gonna cheer me up?!

Well, the mailing list calls, and when it calls, I answer.

show a little faith, there's magic in the night

this a blog of three things.

1) thanks for the kind words zach. we're actually a rock and roll band (whatever that means), but we do have a saxophone. played by me. i'm excited about the contest, mostly because winning means free recording (which is the most expensive part of being in a band), but i'm also kinda not because i have some weird aversion to all music-based contests. but anyways, it's tonight at 10 at the hard rock cafe at 66 W Ontario. 5 bucks will get you in and the other three bands seem pretty cool. we're first. on a side note, i don't think i've seen zach since he shook his head at me disapprovingly while i picked up jenn and beck from the dismemberment plan show a while ago. sadly i was wearing pajamas. and no they weren't the kind with feet. i'll definately have to seek you out at that aloha/owen/bob nanna show.

2) i saw a commercial for saudi arabia. a commercial. for a country. this is wrong on so many levels. they were trumpeting their status as US allies and the fact that they arrest a lot of people, some of them allegedly terrorists. surprisingly they didn't mention that most of their people hate the government, that women have severely limited rights, and the bin laden is a native son. surprising.

3) how did the candidacy go jenn? my paper hit a detour when i saw legally blonde was on HBO.
god i'm a loser.

Ass clowns. That's funny. You made me smile today, Brian. Ahh, but isn't that an everyday affair? : )

.Jen

In three hours, I'm on the chopping block.

Is it nervousness or coffee that is making my stomach upset?

Anyway, whether I pass candidacy today, or come back in six weeks for a second review, I will be so thankful when today is over. Hmm, the odd are against me; only 1 out of the 3 so far have passed.

Wish me luck. : )

Jen

I know you think I'm disappointed, but that's not really true.*

You have to understand my amazement when I heard this* on the "Local Zone" on 94.7. 1)Greg! I knew that your band was in that 94.7 contest, but I had no idea that they were giving you radio play!!! 2) I do not listen to the radio that much, so I was surprised that the chords that I was humming to at the beginning of the song were ones that I had heard so many times before (aka, the recording studio and many, many shows.) Then hearing that James VanO guy say, "Nothing you Could Ever Do," by Drawing a Blank. 3) It was 12:30 pm and I was looking for parking. Just weird, but so cool! I wanted to call someone so bad, but it was 12:30. Not really that late, but not really a time to call someone, especially because it was Sunday and so on and so on.

Hmmm, besides that, I spent a lot of time working on candidacy stuff and NOT seeing this. Someone (aka Nate) didn't want to go. Boo.

Jen

It's hard to remember, it's hard to remember to live before you die

God, I suck at remembering birthdays. . . Thank god someone is organized! I'm sorry that I didn't say anything last night, and I know that you don't think that they are that big of deal anyway. . . Still Brian, you are now older. It's a happy day! Happy!

I may admit to being a freak when I write this, but I'm really hoping that I can talk Nate into seeing this with me tonight.

This week, I can bitch about being at school way too much this week. I stayed here late working on our public art project- which is still not up- and getting myself prepared for candidacy. I know that I've mentioned it before, but here's a quick review. I have to present my current work, along with my artist statement, a self-assesment and the beginning of my thesis paper to all of the photo faculity. I'm not worried about the work as much as I am worried about talking about it. I can sometimes get very tongue-tied, and that can make me not pass candidacy. So far, three people have done their candidacy and only one has passed. Of course, you get a second chance, but it's super intimadating doing this presentation in front of the faculity. I really want to get a lot of the paperwork aspect of it out of the way this weekend, but I know how I am. I'll probably end up playing with Josie. That cat!

I forgot to ask Brian if he had any songs picked for the mix CD. I have definitly decided that "I'm a bear" - by this crazy band called the Flotation Walls, has to go on it though.

Here's a little something that I got in my e-mail today- There is a great sampler that you can get from Polyvinyl for either three stamps or a dollar- with songs from bands like the Red Hot Valentines, Friction, Pele, Rainer Maria, etc.

The other thing was from Holiday Matinee- there is 7-inch that is being released by Better Looking Records of Jimmy Eat World covering "Last Christmas" - by Wham! and Prodigy's "Firestarter." There's only 3,000 being pressed, so it's something to look into!

Lunch time!

Becky

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!!!!

(It's today, right??)

I hope that all is well with everybody!! I hope to write some good stuff over the weekend - next week I head over to Arkansas and then up to Toronto and then back to Californi and then over to Wisconsin. Ay yay yay!!!!

blah

so little enthusiasm left here at the old job. i'm quitting in just under three weeks, so it's hard to care at all. i spend my days surfing the web and wishing people would email me more.

tonight it's wings and booze and O'Neill '04 strategy. i think our current platform of booze and cigarettes won't carry us very far. we better get some new ideas going. i wonder how many signatures you need to get on the ballot? better look that up.

working on my mix cd, but, if i can find it, a song by these guys will definately be on there. civil war reenactor of course.

time to go get glasses.

Jen

waving your guns at somebody new

Can someone tell me why I'm still at school?

I'l answer that one myself. . . I'm working on our first project for my public art class. It's going to be up in Columbia's Wabash building as of Wednesday. because my class is full of wonderful, intelligent procrastinators, we only have 23 of the 40 pictures printed and cut. That and a broken phaser printer means that we will be doing the finishing touches tomorrow.

I am looking forward to getting home and spending some quality time with the new little kitty. Josie (I know, I know Josie and the Pussycats. Ha, ha, it's so funny. ), full name, Josephine, is three years old already. I adopted her from a shelter. She is pretty tiny, because when she was found, she was malnourished. Josie, along with the other cats and dogs found at the house she was taken from, were all pretty unhealthy, because the previous owner passed away without anyone's knowledge and left all of her pet's unattended. Even though she's been through a lot, she is super friendly and very sweet. I wonder if her and Rosa will get along?

Brian, I'm glad that everything went well Sunday. I was mighty curious about the situation.

I find myself in a lack of situations for once, so I guess that means i'm moving in the right direction, eh?

I'm going to get the hell outta here now. It's too hot in this damn computer lab.

Jen

Even straight lines circle sometimes

We are doing the finishing touches on the new show that is going up on the 3rd floor of the museum, so I'm pretty busy today. I know I alway use that as an excuse (not new shows going up, but being busy that is) but it really is true. If you are down town tonight between the hours of 5 and 7, stop by 600 South Michigan and check out the Scott Fortino show. He's actually a Chicago cop that does photography on the side. The cop thing has advantages because he has access to some damn cool buildings. Cool photos + free booze = rolicking good time.

Ok, here are a couple of things. . .

1)Sorry that I didn't make it to bowling. I promise, once my candidacy is over, I'll be ready to go out during the week.

2)Greg?!?! Tell everyone the exciting news!

3)I'm getting a cat! How cool is that?

Ok, I know there is more. . .

http://salon.com/news/col/scheer/2002/11/06/scheer/index.html

neat article. well written last 2 paragraphs. read and discuss amongst your peers.

phew! i was really worried about those rabbis. who knows though, they could have been anti-globalization protesters in disguise. if so, they'll be protesting just outside my building. i hope i can get a new tv when the looting starts. mine's not so good. but with my luck i'll end up with a beta-max.

Just to clarify things and since someone (greg) is so worried about those Rabis

I did tell them Loyola - they already knew that, they didn't know what street to walk down, which turened out to be Devon.

So there.

I wish I could vote but I forgot to change my distrct.

the red line doesn't stop at devon. i hope they got off by loyaola or they could be wandering around evanston right now. poor rabbis.

Jen

now doesn't that make you feel better?

Yes indeedy, it does.

I've been feeling pretty sick since last Wednesday/Thursday, so as you can see, I haven't been blogging much.

I've been meaning to write about this crazy thing happened to me Wednesday on my ride home from school.

I was just about to go down to the red line when I heard some repeatedly saying "hello." I turned around only because I wanted to see who this guy was saying hello to. Turns out its me. There are these two - I'm guessing this is what they were, only by looks - Orthodox Jews*, trying to get my attention.

One of them did most of the talking, even though his English wasn't all that good, the other was silent most of the time. The first thing they wanted to know was if the red line went north. Then they wanted to know how to pay for the ride. So I patiently helped them put money in the machines and get their L cards (while I was helping the more talkitive one, the qyuite one is dropping all this money on the ground), pick up fallen cash and get them through the turnstyle.

So, we are down in the subway and the talkitive one, wants to know where 6600 north is, which I guessed was pass Devon. He wasn't really sure where to get off, so he said he'd call for directions.

We got on the train right after that, and both of them nervously kept an eye on me. After we get out of the tunnel, the one, who is trying to communicate with someone on the other end of the phone, hands the phone to me.

Me: Hello?
Guy: How can I help you?
Me: I'm trying to help these two guys (I know I sounded really professional) get to where ever you are, can you give me directions?
Guy: Are they two Rabis
Me: I don't know, I guess.
Guy: Tell them we are not seeing Rabis today.
Me: I'm not their translator!
Stupid Guy: Can't you just tell them that we aren't seeing them today?
Me: Look, whether you like it or not, they are coming to see you, so you better give me dirctions before I get off this train, which is in ONE STOP.
Smart ass Guy. Tell them to walk down Devon.
Me: See how easy that was?

I got off at Belmont, so they nodded me goodbye and said thanks. I can't help but wonder if they ever got there ok.

I just thought that it was odd that they picked me to be their guide. And if I ever see/talk to that guy, I promise to give him more attitude then I did on the phone, biatch.

*They looked kind of Omish, but I knew they weren't. Beck, your input?

i'm old

as the italic thing above says, i'm old. i turn the big 24 today. my bones are already creaking and I can swear i can feel the rain a'comin'.

the weekend was a blast. two rock shows and a dinner out. tonight is more of the same fine dining with the lovely becky. now for a bit of a story.

we were required to dress business casual today, but i forgot and showed up in jeans and a sweater. forunately i arrived at 7 am, so I had plenty of time to head back home and change and still make it back before i had to be at work. i hopped the subway up to belmont and tried to change to the brown line for the 6 minute trip to my house. now here's the tricky part, two trains stop on the same side of the platform at belmony, the brown line and the purple line. the brown line goes to my apartment, the purple line goes to evanston. the first train that pulled up was a brown line and i boarded it, but as soon as i got on the driver made an announcement that the train was going express past my stop, but there were two trains immediately following. i was a little miffed cause i wanted to hurry this up, but i saw the headlights of another train not that far down the tracks so i jumped off.

the next train pulled up and i got right on. unfortunately, as soon as the door closed i realized that i had boarded a puple line train. the purple line goes express to evanston, a 20 minute ride. there is no way off. so i had to ride to evanston, 20 minutes, ride back to belmont, 20 more minutes. by this time it was 8:30, and there was no way i could make it to my apartment in time so i decided to head back downtown and buy clothes at the gap by my work. i finally got back to my desk at 9:15, two hours and $45 later.

as a birthday present to myself, i'm gonna pretend none of that happened and leave work a little after four.

none of that happened. none of that.