Hello again, folks. I've been working on a lot lately, and the end of 2014 turned out to be a great finish to a pretty banner year. For one, I settled into my new job at the best lil' bookshop in the greater Boston area.
If we had these sliding ladders, you know I'd be all over that shit.
I'm still learning things in my role at the bookstore, and the holidays were somewhat chaotic, but it's been great so far, and with two trips planned for bookstore-related stuff to New York and North Carolina (ABA Winter Institute!!), I'm extremely jazzed for what this year has to bring. My review of Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang's IN REAL LIFE was published in the IndieBound Winter 2014-2015 Kids' Indie Next List, which was exciting.
The end of 2014 also brought a spontaneous trip to Paris. I had been a little sad that I wasn't going to Europe for Christmas and birthday, as I had for the past two years (if you're a reader of this blog, this is not news to you). And obviously, this being a #firstworldproblem, I got over that real fast (mostly because there are so many other terrible things happening in the world, and people suffering, so my sadness over not traveling seemed ridiculous.)
So I was all set to go home for the holidays (which was a bonus, and I really shouldn't have been sad at all), when my Auntie decided she didn't want to stick around California for the holidays and invited me to go to Paris with her. Clearly when someone invites you to go to Paris, you don't say no.
Within a week, we had the entire trip planned, and now here are some pics of our travels:
Bird's eye view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower
Area near the Eiffel Tower
Also from the Eiffel Tower, a view of the Aquarium
The Pont Alexandre III overlooking the Seine
Near the Louvre
In the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles
Statue of St. Joan of Arc in Notre Dame
With one of my pals :-)
At the base of the Eiffel Tower
At the Arc de Triomphe
On the Eiffel Tower
Across from Notre Dame
With Auntie on the Pont Alexandre III
Getting a portrait done in Montmartre
Four days in Paris were a whirlwind, and it went by very quickly. Highlights included the hardest working server in the city (he hovered over the table and would literally snatch my plate the moment I was done eating), trying escargot for the first time (which I really liked and reminded me somewhat of eating oysters or mussels), maneuvering around on the Metro (successfully), meeting up with my friend Catherine (who I didn't expect to see, so that was a nice surprise), and overall, hanging out with my Auntie (who, not only is the coolest person I've ever met; if you need anyone to plan a trip/be a tour guide, she's your woman).
Being able to see things I'd dreamed of as a kid was amazing, and the trip couldn't have been better. It was funny though, because everything didn't seem so alien, like they did the first time I visited Europe. It was a similar feeling to when I'd been to New York a few times and I didn't feel so out of place. The allure of Paris was still there, but I guess I felt less like a tourist than the previous times I'd traveled. I'd love to go back.
It was a shock to hear about the terrorist attacks there recently, and to know that just a few weeks ago, I'd been in the city. An event like this just adds to the list of really shitty things that have happened in the world and continue to happen in the world, and while I know I can't do anything personally to prevent or stop them, I hope that events such as this don't happen at the same frequency as they have been.
Not to end on a somber note, but New Year's Eve was fun, hanging out with some friends, and starting the year off right (though immediately after, all on the same day, my watch strap, the pull tab on my jacket zipper, and my favorite necklace all broke). I have plans for 2015 to be a good year, since I'm working hard on my writing, and hoping positive things come from it, I'm participating in Multicultural Children's Book Day, and I have high hopes for the rest of the year to move in an upward direction.
Hello again, folks. There are big changes ahead. Now that I will be down to one job, I will have more time on my hands.
One job? you ask. What will you do with all your free time?
Maybe sleep, instead of looking like this every morning:
Or write (which, let's be honest, I should be doing ALL the time anyway):
But I will admit that it will be strange, going from two jobs, where I was spending anywhere between 68 to 70 hours of my time to one job where I might spend a mere 40 hours a week. I'm moving to work full-time as an assistant manager at the bookstore where I've been working part-time for past seven months. I know I've sworn up and down that I wouldn't return to retail, but this will be different, since instead of trying to push crappy, expensive costume jewelry onto people, I'll be surrounded by books and people who appreciate them.
Mostly accurate as to how my new job will be.
But it's scary. I hate ending old jobs and moving into new ones, mostly because I doubt myself and my abilities. Which is terrible, I'm aware. I'm sure most people have this same feeling of doubt and regret. The only job I was so ready to leave was my retail job at Bloomingdale's. When that time came, it was not unlike this:
So yes, I'm leaving the super big corporation that I've been at for a little over a year to be a part of the indie bookstore world, which I think is going to be much more satisfying, both professionally and personally. I will never again have to deal with C-level assholes who think that because they have a six figure paycheck, they can treat me like dirt. I won't, however, be able to claim an editor title anymore, which does make sad (even though no one really understood what I did for a career when I would try to explain it anyway).
This wasn't a bad job per se, it just wasn't anything I could see myself doing long-term. And it did offer me enough flexibility when I was in school to stay in school and not worry about having specific hours in the office, and for that I'm grateful.
Today is my last day at my old job and it's pretty anticlimactic, really. But once 5 pm hits, for sure I'll be like:
Ten steps to killing a hornet that has decided to sequester itself in your apartment at midnight on a Saturday night: Step One: Say "Fuck me. Why you chose to curl up in this 150 foot space is beyond me, buddy. But there's barely enough room for me, so you gotta go." Step Two: Realize that there are no tools efficient enough in your apartment to kill said hornet, and must resort to taking Febreze from bathroom. Step Three: Muse about whether it is bees or hornets that are attracted to the color red, as you realize that you're wearing red tights. Assume that it is bees, and look around for other hornet-killing objects as back up. Take random paper object from the mail that you've not thrown away and roll it up. Step Four: Gain enough courage to spray Febreze on hornet whilst screaming "No!" as if your words will somehow make hornet give up its fight to possibly sting you in the face. Step Five: Watch in horror as hornet rolls itself into a ball underneath the half inch of windowsill that it is has been perched on in an attempt to escape. Grab Windex, thinking that perhaps it is stronger in its ammonia power and spray that onto hornet. Step Six: Scream "No!" some more, hoping that neighbors don't think that you're being attached by a home invader. Step Seven: Repeatedly hit hornet with rolled up paper object and drag it across windowsill, hoping for hornet's guts to appear. Step Eight: Look at the aftermath and see wooden splinters in windowsill that were already there, but no hornet guts. Step Nine: Further investigate windowsill, and see no fruits of your hard labor. Assume that hornet's guts were smashed into sill and are not clear to naked eye. Step Ten: Attempt to fall asleep, hoping that apartment does not end up like that one woman's bed that ended up being a nest for an entire colony of hornets.*
*I couldn't stand the thought of having to go through the Internet and see all the terrifying things that would pop up if I Googled "hornet nest in woman's bed" so you can do that yourself if you're really that curious. Update: I looked at the windowsill on Sunday morning, and saw the remains of the hornet smashed in between the lip of the window and the bottom of the window frame, so victory to me, and death to all insects with stingers that decide my apartment is the best place for them. NOPE. None of that, now.
As some of you know, September 1st the time to move in Boston. The largest turnover in housing happens on this date, and it is a mass exodus of people hauling their stuff all over the city and the surrounding areas. My move last year was not terrible, aided by the rain and the help of a friend, and fortunately, I was settled in more or less within a few hours.
This year, however, I had more things and more furniture, as it happens when you stay in a place for a year, and are forced to move on the city's time frame, I had to make things work with a whole weekend of moving. In between my two jobs, scheduling movers, and moving into a smaller apartment than my current place, this turned into a disaster, and I'm still recovering.
But to help make me less stressed about living in a space that is about as large as my room in my former apartment, I've decided to make a list of all the things I will not miss about my old apartment. It's called, closure, people.
I must put a disclaimer that I am well aware of the housing crisis that is happening in the area (to read more, one of my managers at the bookstore has written several very informative articles for dig Boston. Click hereherehere) and I am very grateful that I am in a place where I can live on my own and have a space that is my own.
Right-o, the top 5 things I will NOT miss about my old apartment (in no particular order):
1. The fat-asses who lived above me and who insisted on jumping on their trampoline at all hours of the day
Oh yes, the dreaded upstairs neighbors. Everyone has lived underneath these people. The people that don't realize that their floor is your ceiling, and that yes, you can always hear them having sex. My roommate had the constant-sex maniacs in the room above hers; I had the trampoline fanatics. Needless to say, the trampoline antics went on for longer than the sex-capades, and we always wondered what these people looked like who walk around in the apartment (were they sumo wrestlers? giants?) since they sounded like they were about to come crashing through our ceiling any time they were walking around. When we finally did see these people, it wasn't what we were expecting at all. I will not miss their loudness.
I'm pretty sure this is what was happening upstairs.
This is what I imagined running around my floor. Cute, isn't it?
3. The B line
My apartment was conveniently located about a block from the B line - far away to not hear the train every time it came up and down the street, but also not close enough that I wasn't out of breath if I had to go sprinting for it in the morning. Again, another oversight on my part when I was looking for an apartment is that the B line has more stops on it than any other green line train. So when I was cursing the person who has their armpit in my face at 7:30 in the morning and the hoards of drunk college students that take up residence on the B line anytime I just wanted to get home and put on sweatpants, it was my own damn fault. I will not miss these cretins.
4. People who trashed the foyer/mailbox area and would leave the front door unlocked
I'm putting these two types of people in the same category because all these shenanigans happen in the same area. I can't tell you the number of times when I would come home and see that someone had left the front door to the building unlocked. Granted, it's a little confusing to tell if the door is locked or unlocked, but I would think that people would pay attention when taking their key out of the lock. Also, the people that felt the need to strew all of the ads left in the foyer were clearly mentally unstable. When the foyer looked like a Mardi Gras parade went through it at 2 am, you know there are some people with way too much time on their hands. My favorite story involves my roommate going downstairs to get the mail, only to find someone (who doesn't live in the building, mind you), sitting in the foyer, ripping up coupons for a local pizza place into tiny pieces and blocking the exit. If you do not want the ads from all the local food establishments, then take them into your apartment and throw them away. Don't leave them all over the ground so that I can trip and break my face on the stairs. I will not miss these inconsiderate fools.
Not entirely inaccurate.
5. People who left their laundry in the washer or dryer for hours, or the people that pulled my laundry out if I'd left it in either machine for twenty seconds past the timer
Now I'm aware that these people exist everywhere - apartments, college dorms, maybe even in your own home - sure, but I swear I practically had to sit on top of the laundry machines any time I tried to do my laundry, or it would turn into the Hunger Games for the use of the facilities. There were two washers and two dryers for 12 apartments, and frequently one or more of the machines would be broken. I'm a clean person, and I like my clothes to be clean. But when Frat Boy #1 can't be bothered to pull his boxers out of the washer for two hours, then I get mad. Many times I would come back the next day to finish dying clothes that I didn't get a chance to dry the night before, only to find that the person who left their clothes in the dryer before still hadn't pulled their stuff out. Unless you've died, or had someone close to you die, there is no need to leave your clothes unsupervised for 24 hours. I will not miss the laundry hogs.
Just add a laundry basket and this was me going for the washer.
I've moved into my new apartment, which has its own set of quirks, the most significant one being that it approximately 150 square feet, and I'm still convinced that my loft bed that I put together will fall apart and I will end up on the floor in a broken heap.
As it seems to be tradition, I will start off by apologizing. I have not gone off the grid and been hiking in the Sahara, nor have I been trapped on top of a mountain somewhere, which is I'm sure where you thought I was. No, I've been working, working, and then working some more. Not really writing, but reading a lot, which is sort of a weird change of pace, I have to admit. But this post isn't about my continual complaints about how I think my writing is progressively getting worse (which I'm sure it is; anything I get on the page is just word vomit at this point), but rather, this post is about my misadventures with online dating.
Online dating sounds fun, right? I mean, they have those TV commercials every five minutes with happy couples going, "I was too busy to go out at night", or "I wanted to be more selective with the people I wanted to date," so they joined idontwanttobealoneanymore.com or iwanttogetmarriednow.com or whatever. Then the voice-overs are cut with images of them running through a field of flowers with their now significant other that they met on the so-and-so dating site and they're set to get married after two blissful months of painting, eating delicious food at very expensive restaurants, or cliff-diving - whatever the commercial decides to intersperse into the subconscious of pathetic creatures like myself who are wearing sweatpants at 7pm on a Friday night and eating quantities of cereal the likes of even Jerry Seinfeld has not seen.
I can relate so, so much.
I hemmed and hawed about joining an online site, I'll admit it. But like those commercials, I don't have a whole lot of free time to go out and meet people at bars, or bookstores, or on the sides of cliffs a la the Groupon that seemed good to purchase at 3am. So I joined up on a site, and thought, "Okay, I can do this. This will be fun. I'm an interesting person. I have a lot to offer. Bring it on, online dating."
Oh, how naive I was. How naive and how wrong.
And so, folks, here are my top ten lessons learned while dating online.
1. It doesn't matter how interesting you are, if you can't really see your face in your profile photo, you might as well be wearing a bag over your head.
During my first time of creating a profile, I made so many rookie mistakes. Apparently the photo I had initially wasn't interesting enough to pull someone in, a photo which I thought was fine - a cropped shot from an outing to see the Nutcracker this past winter. I was wearing a nice dress and smiling. Not terrible, right? Wrong. One of my friends told me it was too far away that no one could really see my face. I protested and said that wasn't the point. She said, "As much as you don't want to hear it, you're trying to sell yourself on these sites. A guy will take approximately five seconds to decide whether he wants to read your profile, and if he can't see your face, then you might as well not have a photo at all." She was right - in the time that I had that first photo up, my inbox had tumbleweeds rolling through and not much else. Another my friend suggested I use a photo with and I quote "side boob." I changed my photo to one that was more in focus and where it showed more of my personality. And maybe a little side boob.
The messages came in a bit more consistently after that.
2. Half the people that reach out to you probably won't read your profile.
Another one of my mistakes when I first starting this was that I didn't specify what I was looking for in a potential date, so when people started emailing me, I was getting a whole slew of personalities, from the 50+ divorcees with children as old as I am, to people who were 6 inches shorter than me. Or smokers, or people who drink "regularly" (note to those people - that's not a good idea to put that you drink regularly; it sounds like you walk around with a flask on you at all times or are drinking constantly; neither of which appeal to me). In the same week, I had one 18 year old who was still in high school message me, followed shortly by a man old enough to be my grandfather. I realized that no matter what I did, no matter what I put on my profile, people like that were going to blow past everything and message me. It was annoying more than anything else, because I felt like they were wasting their time, and mine. And that's not cool.
This is accurate, but I do not endorse the incorrect use of "let's."
3. People will lie. 5'10" in real life is actually closer to 5'8". Or 5'7".
I know that people will stretch the truth a bit online, that's apparently the norm, but I'd like people to know who they're talking to before we meet and vice versa. So I'm not going to put that I'm 5'9" and curvy, because when 5'6" average-sized me comes walking up, it's clear that I'm not who I put I was in my profile. There's no need to tack on or take out information about yourself that's all too apparent when I meet you. One guy I went on a date with definitely was a few inches shorter than what he put in his profile, and not willing to admit it, even as I towered over him. Another guy who was in a wheelchair said that "everything was functional" when we were talking online, but when we met for the first time and I realized that he didn't have full use of his hands and had a live-in assistant, it startled me and I didn't know how to react. I don't like being caught off guard and in those instances, I would have rather someone told me the truth than trying to cover up some aspect of themselves.
4. There will be the weirdos. They will all come out of the shadows at once.
The great thing about the Internet is that you can be anyone you want. The bad thing about the Internet is that you can be anyone you want. I went on one date with a guy who started off by telling me his idea of a perfect date was putting his date in a glass box and watching her. He seemed quirky when we talked prior to our date, but not to the point where I thought I was going to be locked up like a victim in a horror movie. If you get any sort of red flag from anyone, abort, abort. You don't owe anyone anything. Don't feel like you have to go on a second date or talk to anyone if they make you uncomfortable. The very first message I received was from a guy who was a self-professed Disney fan. I don't mind Disney, but he was over the top, and also gave me a list of questions he wanted me to answer to see if we were compatible. One of them was which Hogwarts house I thought I belonged in. Funny conversation starter if you're on a date with someone; not funny if it's someone who you have not actually met in real life, or has yet to speak to you. People who message you at 2am are not people that you want to see in the daytime, nor are the people who send you 3 messages within an hour and then demand a response if they don't hear anything from you.
No, Patrick, I will not go on a date with you.
5. Some people are looking for relationships. Some people are looking for "the one." Others just want to hook up. Figure out what you want, and look for people who want the same thing.
Another mistake I made was that with a lot of the people whose profiles I was looking at were looking for really specific things. I joined the site to meet people, to maybe have someone to go to the movies with, or to grab drinks with after work - nothing terribly serious. Some people are aiming for marriage and there's no deterring them. Two dates in, one guy wanted to bring me home to his folks. Needless to say I politely declined then never called him again. Another guy wanted to meet up the same day we started talking - clearly there was only one thing on his mind. Others were all over the spectrum. It's hard to figure out what people want, so sometimes you just have to ask them point blank. Don't expect you'll get a clear answer though - you might just get a vague, "Yeah, sure," or a fifteen minute monologue about their plans for the next five years.
6. You might have a great time with someone and then they'll never call you again. It happens. Get over it.
You have a great first date with someone, the chemistry is there, everything goes over smoothly, and you think, "Okay, surely there will be a second date. Right? RIGHT?" Nope, not so much. I can't tell you how many first dates I went on where I thought, "I didn't drop food in my lap, or trip, or say anything too stupid or embarrassing, so he has to call. Or text. Or email," and instead the only sound I heard was crickets chirping.
Or, you could not hear from someone for months, then see them at a local mall with a woman who is shorter, thinner, and prettier than you while you're on the phone with your grandmother telling you that you need to get your life in order, which leads you to think, "Ohhhh...so that's why he didn't call. I thought he died." (And yes, that's very much in line with Miranda on Sex and the City saying, "It’s like those guys you have the great second date with, and then never hear from them again. I pretend they died.")
The opposite of that is you could have a terrible date, and think, "I really need to move to Madagascar so this person can't find me ever again," and when you try to let them down slowly, they don't want to go, or they try to talk you out of not seeing them. I've considered going undercover and getting a new identity when this happens because it really annoying to get four text messages back-to-back with,
"Why haven't you called me?"
"I thought we were going to go out again."
"We can still be friends."
"Fine, you don't know what you're missing."
I went on three dates with one guy and had a good time with him during all of them, then he didn't contact me for a week. I let it go, thinking, I'm busy and he's busy, so no big deal. After two weeks I should have realized that maybe he wasn't interested anymore, but like a bulldog, I dug in, and wanted a response; some sort of closure. A text message with "I'm really connecting with someone else I met online. You're a fantabulous woman and good luck on your dating adventures," didn't help to soften the blow. It just made me want to run that guy over with a semi-truck for waiting until I messaged him instead of just telling me he'd met someone else.
7. There are a lot of really dumb people out there.
For people that know me, I take grammar very seriously. I also take spelling very seriously. Now I'm not requiring that every guy I date has to have at least a graduate degree (though it would be nice), but please, for the love of all that is holy, know how to use "your" vs. "you're." I can't tell you the number of guys I thought might be interesting enough to message or poke or wink at or whatever, but then I read their profile and it says something like "If your drama, I don't want anything to do with you" or "I loves what I do." We live in a technologically advanced day and age; it's (metaphorically) mind-blowing to me that someone could write in such a manner and think that it's okay to do so.
Thank you, Anne Ferguson.
8. Apparently there is a cycle for what to do on dates. Coffee or drinks, then maybe a movie, or another coffee meet-up, then maybe dinner, etc. etc.
Another mistake I made was that I invited a guy to see a movie for our second date. I guess that was too serious, so he never called me again. Chelsea Handler has an old bit about how she's confused as to how meeting up for coffee has morphed into a date. And it's true. It's a lot like the trend for job interviews now - a recruiter or an HR person will talk to you before they decide whether they should invite you to an interview. That's a lot like dating - the coffee meet-up is the precursor to the actual date, where you figure out if this is a person that you would spend your time on a date with. Even though, if you're like me, then you spend as much time getting ready for coffee as you do for a date, and when the date doesn't happen after the coffee meet-up, you think, "That was a damn waste of lipstick. I could have been at home wearing sweatpants and eating cereal."
9. People keep saying that there are always more options out there. If so, where are they?
I've been doing this for maybe eight months now. Not consistently, but enough to sort of figure out how things should go. However, even after eight months, I still can't say that I can fully understand online dating. I've had many different scenarios - I've messaged guys and never heard back. I've said "no, thank you," and still received multiple messages from the same person. I've gone on dates, and not heard anything from the person every again. I've set up dates and then not had the person show up. There are so many scenarios, and yet, not one of them has gone on how I've thought it could. It's always gone into some bizarre, alternate universe direction that I can only watch in horror and/or disgust as it pans out. That being said...
10. Online dating, or dating in general, is not for everyone.
This is the realization I've come to. And maybe it's not my fault that I've not clicked with anyone online or in real life. There are other things to fill my time (like 60+ hour work weeks) and my writing (as terrible as it is) and reading (Everyone go read IN REAL LIFE and CROOKED RIVER when they come out - both are amazing) and doing really stupid shit like laughing at the sign for the Boston Tea Party Museum that says "MUSEUM DIRECTLY BEHIND YOU" (as though if you turned around, you'd immediately smash into the building). So what if I don't have a significant other to share those moments with?
Hello again. I promised that I would catch everyone up on my life - not that it's all that exciting, but writing here makes me feel as if I'm being productive, if even for a little bit.
So for those of you who do read this blog, you've seen that I've traveled to a few places in the past year - Chicago, Berlin, and a quick jump to New York. I can now add DC to the list. The main reason to visit our nation's capital (other than the fact that I've never been there) was to meet up with my two best friends.
This about sums up our entire friendship.
We were convinced that at some point the city of DC would drop kick us out and warn us never to return. That's just the type of shenanigans we usually get into. But we weren't banned from DC and I had a fantastic time.
Obligatory White House photo shot. Didn't get to see the Prez, unfortunately.
Sitting precariously near the Lincoln Memorial.
I've known these wonderful women for almost ten years now, and I've enjoyed every moment with them, whether it's taking photo ops with our neon yellow Johnny Depp tank top in highly inappropriate venues *cough with FDR's memorial cough*, or laughing about a little boy answering, "Conferences?" when asked by his father, "What do you think happens in the Capitol?"
The other big thing that's happened recently was that I graduated.
Yes, again.
Children's lit class of '14 - MA and MFA students pictured here.
I am now officially the holder of a second master's degree, with a MFA in Writing for Children. It definitely was an odd mixture of excitement and sadness that I approached graduation. Excitement for the fact that I never have to write another academic essay ever, and sadness because I had enjoyed being back in school, working on my writing, meeting new people, and making new friends. But all good things must come to an end, and so must my career in academia.
The other big thing that has happened is that I have started a new job. No, not instead of my other one, but in addition to. I am now a bookseller at the fabulous Trident Booksellers & Cafe here in Boston. As one friend put it when I told her that I was working there, "Trident? That place is delicious." And delicious it is. I know I swore off retail after I stopped working at the place-that-shall-not-be-named *cough Bloomingdale's* but what I have found is that working in a bookstore is infinitely different and better than working in a department store. My job at the bookstore is actually very similar to what I did in my job as an undergrad, working in our library. Funny how ten years have passed, and I'm still shelving books. Not that I'm complaining, but it's definitely funny how life can come around full circle.
And lastly, the other noteworthy thing that has happened is that I started querying my manuscript. Finally. Querying is such a strange process. I've sent out many query letters and have received no confirmation that my manuscript is worth reading. Not one agent has said, "Yes, this might be something I'm interested in." Which has done wonders for my ego. I know everyone says that you have to grow thick skin when sending out your work into the world, and that you have to keep going, but it's difficult to do that when you get three or four or five rejection emails all back to back.
My critique group, the Ink Bombs, have been super supportive in helping me tweak my manuscript and for providing feedback, but I keep finding myself in the pit of despair that my work is worthless and that it'll just end up somewhere on my hard drive, unknown to the world. I volunteered for Mindy McGinnis' Saturday Slash, so I'm hoping that I will be able to keep whipping my query into shape, and that maybe some agent out there will at least want to see more of my manuscript. It's not Newbery worthy, by any means, but it's a good story.
I think.
Maybe.
And I know I should keep writing, but every time I sit down to write, I fall asleep, or I realize that my sock drawer needs organizing, or the people upstairs start jumping on their mini-trampoline in their foyer.
I should just move to somewhere remote for a year and then perhaps actual writing will be accomplished.
On I forge, with lots of bad writing, and some good writing.
Now that we're all caught up, kids, I think next time I'll divulge details regarding my adventures in online dating.
Not too long, for all three of my readers, or maybe it's only two now, since it's been some time.
Anyway, here's a quick blurb about my life since my last post.
Stick around, why dontcha?
I saw the Used and Taking Back Sunday. It was a great show. The openers were bands that I'd never heard of prior to the show - Sleepwave and Tonight Alive - but I definitely thought their sounds were fun, and stuff that I probably would listen to now that I've heard them live.
Taking Back Sunday. I definitely felt that I was reliving 2004. In a good way.
The crowd was mixed with kids that were a lot younger than me, which made me feel really old, and people my age, which made me feel better that I wasn't the one oddball in the audience. I was in the pit the entire time, and as I mentioned in a previous post, maybe I just don't get pit culture, but there were some really rude people standing near me. I'm a fan of Taking Back Sunday, though I will admit that I haven't listened to some of their newer stuff, so when they were performing, I wasn't into it 100%, just because I didn't know some of their songs. But the people around were getting crazy, to the point where I wanted to hit them, because well, there's no need to keep elbowing me in the ribs just because Adam Lazzara is standing two feet away. Even with the elbowing going on, I had a good time listening to their set.
But it was when the Used took the stage that the tables turned, because I went crazy.
That's right, bitches. Bert McCracken in the house.
The last time I saw the Used was around 2008. That was also the first time I saw them, and it was at the first Musink festival, where I saw a few semi-passable and some shitty bands before the Used took the stage. I was with my boyfriend at the time, who didn't really get their music (he told me this point blank) but he knew how much I liked them, so he went with me. Where I essentially ignored him for a good portion of the show, and basically all but forgot he was there.
Quinn Allman
This time it was better, because I was by myself and I could get as crazy over the band as I wanted to. Much to the chagrin of the folks around me, who apparently were bigger TBS fans, and gave me dirty looks when I was screaming the words to "The Taste of Ink." All in all, it was a fantastic show. The band was loud and fast and fun.
I think I might be getting too old for the pit though.
Next time: shenanigans in DC with my two best friends, graduation, details about my new (second) job, and all my querying woes.
And on that note, I am going to sleep. G'night, all!
