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[Jul. 18th, 2008|01:34 pm] |
just cause i didn't post about it before...
we saw The Dark Knight this past Sunday night at a super advance screening put on by our regular comic shop.
holy. fucking. shit.
firstly, we saw it in IMAX. which was AMAZING.
secondly, as far as i'm concerned, it's not only the best Batman movie, but it's seriously the best MOVIE movie that i've seen in years.
hands down.
and Heath Ledger was fucking terrifying as The Joker. he was scary, sarcastic and yet almost funny at times. his mannerisms (especially his facial expressions) were PERFECT. it is an absolute tragedy that he's dead. if he doesn't win an Oscar for this movie, i'll be one pissed off person among many i'm sure.
Chris' 25th birthday was Wednesday as well. we spent the entire day at Six Flags, where we proceeded to get nice and crispy and ride almost every roller coaster in the park (and PS - the Dark Knight coaster was indoors, super short and pretty much a disappointment). i bought him a Joker shirt in the gift shop, which he has worn on 2 different occasions since.
highlight of the day: the Superman coaster. you ride suspended and flipped on your stomach, and after the first drop (where we all stuck our arms out in the traditional Superman pose), it does a loop and at the bottom you're going headfirst while laying on your back. absolutely brilliant.
the party continues Saturday, as we're going out to GameWorks (like Dave & Buster's but way cooler). video games and booze. can't go wrong :) |
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[Jul. 9th, 2008|04:56 pm] |
some days, i love my job.
i absolutely adore my boss (and his wife and his friggin' adorable little boy), which is a big reason why i like my job. we can spend entire days in the office talking about comics, video games (and playing a fair amount on the computers here. he once spent an entire afternoon playing the original Legend Of Zelda through an emulator), music and whatnot. he has massive ADD, which gives my OCD something to do. he makes a mess, i help keep him organized and on track.
i love being around the majority of the people here in the office. a couple gals in the office next to Matt's are HUGE fans of LOST, so during the season i always have someone to spazz about the newest episodes with. and one of the guys in the other office is essentially insane, but absolutely hilarious to be around. he'll wander into our office and start talking about the most random things, to which we'll either launch into a crazy conversation or just kind of smile and nod and he'll wander off to harass someone else.
and for the most part, at least the ones i actually spend time in, i really like the people who work in the actual bars. when i actually have time to hang out on the street (ie: Division Street, where 5 of the 11 bars in our company are) i always go see the same people. Matt still does karaoke down at Mothers, so if i'm out late enough i hang with him, have a few drinks and sing a few songs. Cliff, Glenn, Goode, Maria, Tika and now Jeremy are usually around Mothers (Cliff is my comic book buddy, Jeremy is a new guy that i talk video games with)...Sonja, Jenny and Michelle are always at Mothers Too...Curly, Kevin, Gretchen, Rabbi and Danny at Bootleggers...
but the bullshit and politics of being in the bar industry are really starting to wear on me.
i've worked in my home bar TWICE since New Years Day. and although my GM claims that it's still not busy enough to bring me back down on a regular basis, the schedule is back to it's normal shift amounts and a waitress that started WAY after i did was already bartending and working my old Saturday day shift. which i was certainly not happy about. she, however, was recently fired (for reasons completely unrelated to this entry). and despite her multiple regular shifts opening up, i'm still not down at the bar.
it's to the point where Matt is having a chat with Duane (the GM), and possibly taking it up with Jerry (one of the big street managers). i had a little freak out session with Matt yesterday, and i think he finally realized just how bad of a spot i'm in right now.
which is why i thank my lucky fucking stars that i have an incredibly understanding boyfriend, who has been willing (and able) to cover my portion of bills when i couldn't come up with all the money over the last few months.
but i'm well aware that Chris can't do that forever, which is why i've kind of come to a crossroads with this company. i either need regular shifts in the bar again, or i need a permanent position in the office with a pay raise and set hours.
and getting either one of those things is going to be like pulling teeth. |
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[Jun. 24th, 2008|02:56 am] |
You know how sometimes people on your friends list post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute! Since when are they working THERE? Since when are they dating HIM/HER? since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.
Please copy mine below, erase my answers putting yours in their place then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration! One-Word-Answers seldom help anyone out :)
( read and learn... ) |
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[Jun. 24th, 2008|12:18 am] |
back from Nebraska/Kentucky.
we have the car!
and it's awesome.
no problems with it, although we did run over a dead deer on our way to Kentucky. we had Bambi Bits on the underside of the car for a while...
while the vacation was nice (but VERY hectic), it's nice to be home and i'm ready to get back into the swing of things.
i'll post pictures of Chell (that's the car's name. it's the female character you play as in Portal) whenever i can dig my camera out. |
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[Jun. 17th, 2008|02:57 am] |
off to the airport for the trip back to Nebraska.
and we're *actually* picking up the car, despite all the drama and bullshit that my dad is famous for bringing to the party just DAYS before we're supposed to fly out.
we may be leaving early from Nebraska to spend more time in Kentucky, based on how much of a jerk my dad is being.
fun. |
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[Jun. 13th, 2008|05:56 pm] |
i wanna swim away but don't know how
sometimes it feels just like i'm falling in the ocean... |
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[Jun. 12th, 2008|05:07 am] |
in the midst of all the insanely intense and vivid dreams i've been having over the last few months (most of which either make me wake up crying or leave me completely drained the next day), i had a dream last night that was actually enjoyable.
i had apparently just seen a Muse concert (in what seemed to be a large auditorium), and i was backstage (and the only person back there to boot) where i caught up with Matt (their ridiculously hot lead singer, fyi).
i told him i'd been waiting ages to see them, told him it was an awesome show, got a poster (i remember distinctly that it was one of those limited print posters that someone had been commissioned to draw. it had aqua blue, orange and yellow all over it but i can't remember the design) signed and took a picture of us together.
a short while later i checked the camera to take a look at the picture and realized that with the flash off, the picture didn't turn out at all. so i high-tailed it out to their tour bus. where Erin (seriously!) was guarding their bus door. she let me right in, and i asked her if she was going to the Pomeroy show the next week (hahaha!).
i remember that some of their crew were sitting on the couch in the front of the bus, while Matt, Chris (bass player) and Dom (drummer) were hanging out in the back lounge (which was comprised of a single giant bed). i went back, flopped on the bed and told Matt that we had to retake the picture (it was almost like we were old friends or something). as i was fiddling with the camera trying to get the flash to work, the bus started rolling off from the venue.
wherein Matt proceeded to convince me to come on tour with them.
their next show was in Lawrence (so i can only assume the show i'd just seen was either in Lincoln or Omaha), and while i agreed to tag along to that show, i told him i needed to go back and take care of my car (apparently this was taking place while we were home to pick up the car).
so he called their tour manager back to the lounge (his name was apparently Rudy in this dream lol nice British name), told him i'd be joining them for the rest of their tour (which had just started and would be a month and a half long) and told him to make arrangements for a flight from Chicago to Denver (where the show following Lawrence would be) and for someone to pick me up at the airport. they had a day off between Lawrence and Denver, so i had a day to get my car back to Chicago and get packed.
i then made arrangements for (my) Chris to come pick me up from Lawrence (why he wouldn't be with me at a Muse show of all places is beyond me) and told him i'd be gone for a month and a half with Muse. he asked what the hell i was going to do about rent and bills at home, and Matt grabbed the phone out of my hand and told him i'd be their employee while i was on the road with them. he then offered me the sweet deal of organizing and doing their merch before the show, but half an hour before they went on i had explicit instructions to come hang out backstage and then watch their set from the side of the stage. and i wouldn't have to do merch afterward, cause after the show came the bus party :)
then i woke up.
now if only that could happen in real life... |
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[Jun. 11th, 2008|03:27 am] |
i have an uncanny ability to jinx myself.
i've just proven that fact yet again.
and why in the everloving fuck am i having mood swings this close to summer?
seriously. |
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[May. 30th, 2008|10:27 am] |
i've tried to sit down and write an entry multiple times over the last few weeks, and just couldn't get my thoughts together enough to make it work.
not that this entry will be terribly coherent.
things are finally settling down around here. Bill and Vag Dragon ie: April have been gone for a month and the new roommates moved in 2 weeks ago. they're incredibly awesome (one is a stoner hippie and the other is an adorable gay boy), and i think we're all gonna have a great time.
Chris and i finally have the big bedroom in the apartment. which we promptly filled with a second bookshelf, shitloads of clothes and a ton of posters on the walls (my new Harry Potter wall looks friggin' amazing, if i do say so myself. i plotted the entire thing out in Adobe InDesign and then put it all up). there are pictures on my facebook :)
work still sucks. i picked up a shift at Bootleggers last weekend, and it's the first time i've worked behind a bar since new years. my GM is still being a total douchebag and won't get me in for shifts (a waitress that came in just last summer is working my old Saturday day bar shift. i'm fairly furious about that). the office is still okay, but i'm just not getting the hours that i need.
Chris is working at our buddy Shea's bar now. he's food running and working the door, which he really likes. the bar has *awesome* food and is always super busy, and i really like hanging out there.
we're going out to Nebraska to pick my car FINALLY. the original plan was to fly out on the 12th of June and spend father's day weekend out there, but the plane tickets jumped $30 a piece overnight last night. so unless my mom wants to pay that extra $60 (cause god knows we can't afford it right now), we're going to fly on the 17th. Chris' family reunion is the following weekend, so we'll plan on driving straight to Kentucky on the 20th. which would actually work really well for both of us, as we won't have to take 2 weekends in a row off from work.
edit: my mom called while i was typing, and they're fine with us coming out on the 17th. tickets are booked!
as of right now, i still don't have a valid drivers license. but i have 90 days from the time i get my insurance to reinstate it. and i apparently don't have to have a valid license to put the car title in my name. so that worked out. end of July tho, we'll get hit with insurance (we're waiting til after Chris turns 25 to put him on the insurance), licensing and registration (which will be super expensive cause we live in the city limits of Chicago), and all of my business with my license (i'm figuring about $200 or so to get it reinstated). fun.
i need to get going to work.
ps - we're in a tornado watch at the moment, and the southwest burbs are apparently getting pummeled by rain and high winds right now. |
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[Apr. 28th, 2008|03:45 pm] |
it's fucking snowing here.
seriously.
i wore shorts all last week, and now it's snowing.
wtf chicago weather. |
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[Apr. 20th, 2008|03:41 am] |
1. I've come to realize that my boobs...
are both a blessing and a curse
2. I've come to realize that when I talk...
i have a hard time getting the right words out of my mouth
3. I've come to realize that when I love someone.....
i love them with every molecule of my being
4. I've come to realize that I need...
a far better paying job
5. I've come to realize that I have lost...
touch with a lot of old friends
6. I've come to realize that I hate it when...
certain situations make me feel absolutely worthless/useless
7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk...
i become a total emo kid
8. I've come to realize that money...
is truly the root of all evil
9. I've come to realize that some people...
are completely incapable of change
10. I've come to realize that I'll always be...
worried about something
11. I've come to realize that I have a crush on..
Chris. and it grows more and more every day.
12. I've come to realize that my cell phone is...
the most useful yet addicting piece of technology ever (they don't call them a Crackberry for nothing)
13. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...
i couldn't believe how lonely it felt to not have another body in bed with me
14. I've come to realize that before I go to sleep at night...
i'll probably play some Rock Band or Wii Bowling with Shea when he gets here
15. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking about...
how good this spicy chicken and bratwurst paella is!
16. I've come to realize that babies...
are not so bad, and i might want one someday
17. I've come to realize that when I get on Myspace...
it's not nearly as fun as it used to be, and i'd rather play around on Facebook
18. I've come to realize that tomorrow I will...
sleep through the day and then wait like a lonely puppy for Chris to get home
19. I've come to realize that tonight I will...
probably get relatively drunk so i can just pass out and not think about missing Chris' snoring
20. I've come to realize that today I will...
do as little as possible
21. I've come to realize that I really want to...
go to Boston this summer |
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[Apr. 19th, 2008|09:33 pm] |
once again, i am further convinced that women are fucking insane.
fortunately, this newest development had absolutely nothing to do with me but it affects me greatly.
our friend Shea moved up here from Alabama several months ago and worked with Chris at Hot Topic. Shea was engaged, and his fiance was moving up a few months after he did. he would always come over to our place and i'd cook dinner for him and Chris (god knows i love feeding my boys).
once his fiance Noel moved up here, they both came over a few times (usually when i was cooking lol) but after a while we both lost touch with Shea.
since Chris is out of town for the weekend (he and Bill went back to Kentucky for a fraternity alumni dinner), i decided to have a personal night out at Mothers to drink heavily and sing some karaoke. at about 11pm, i checked my phone to realize that i had 5 missed calls from Chris, all within a few minutes of each other. as i was checking my phone, he called me again.
come to find out that Shea and Noel broke up, she threw him out of their apartment in a psychotic fit, and he needed a place to stay.
so i waited for another 2 hours down at Mothers (where i promptly stopped drinking) for Shea to pick up his car and to come pick me up.
come to find out that they had actually broken up back in February, and he was even sleeping in a different room to remain civil with her.
then recently, a friend of a girl that he's fairly close with at work went into Noel's work and told her that there was something going on with Shea and this other girl. which is, firstly, none of her fucking business. and secondly, is a really shitty drama queen thing to do.
but when i thought it couldn't get any more catty and dramatic, Noel showed up at Shea's bar last night, where she promptly picked a fight with the girl he's friends with. then she proceeded to try and turn his entire bar against him.
to top it all off, she CALLED SHEA'S MOM. and when he went back to their apartment to pick up a few of his things, she showed up blasted out of her mind and told him that even his mom was on her side. which was, of course, completely untrue.
i mean seriously. the fucking BALLS on this girl.
she had no reason to even be upset with him, as they weren't even together anymore. and they had both agreed that if they decided to start seeing someone else that they'd let the other know, and they wouldn't bring them back to their apartment to make it easier on the other.
to show up at his JOB, where she very well could've gotten him fired, was crossing the fucking line.
god girls are fucking stupid.
(present company reading my journal excluded, of course)
needless to say, Shea will be staying with us until he gets back on his feet. we have another month til our new roommates move in, and we still have the spare bedroom open so he'll be taking that over. even then, if things are still shaky we'll make room for him for as long as he needs. he's such a good kid, and i would absolutely hate to see him have to move home (which i'm not even sure is an option for him now).
speaking as someone who has gone through absolute hell in an unfamiliar city, it feels nice to be able to do for someone else what countless people have done for me over the years when i fell on hard times. |
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[Apr. 18th, 2008|05:10 am] |
holy fucking shit.
there was just a 5.4 earthquake in southern illinois.
AND CHRIS AND I WERE AWAKE AND FELT IT!!!
my computer monitor and chair started swaying, and i nearly had a heart attack. he was laying in bed reading, and i turned to him and could tell by the look on his face that he was feeling the same thing i was. it lasted for maybe 10 seconds, and i was scared absolutely shitless by it.
no damage or anything, although if my bookshelf hadn't been screwed into the wall some stuff might have fallen off (Chris said he could see it and our lamp swaying).
check out the US Geological Survey website here and hereto see where it hit.
i also just found out that this quake is officially the biggest in illinois history. the previous record was a 5.3 in 1968. wow.
edit: i just read on the USGS site that there was a SECOND quake at 10:15 this morning, just south of last night's, measuring 4.6. |
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[Apr. 15th, 2008|04:40 am] |
does anyone know of a good place that i can custom order a single zip hoodie?
the problem i'm encountering is that most places won't let me put a design across the entire front of the hoodie (ie: across the zipper).
help? |
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[Apr. 12th, 2008|09:37 am] |
List 10 fictional characters you wouldn't kick out of your bed (in no particular order):
1) Gordon Freeman
2) Harry Potter
3) Roland Deschain
4) Logan/Wolverine
5) Dwight McCarthy (Sin City)
6) Lord Asriel (His Dark Materials)
7) Roy Mustang (Full Metal Alchemist)
8) Bruce Wayne (as long as it's Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. mmm.)
9) Bertie Wooster (as long as it's Hugh Laurie as Bertie)
10) Luke Skywalker |
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[Apr. 12th, 2008|05:41 am] |
my knee is all sorts of fucked up.
about a week or so ago, i was up super late on Chris' laptop out in the living room (like i am right now). i remember that i kept having to switch sitting positions (i usually sit with my right leg tucked under me or cross-legged), and when i got up to go to bed my knee popped and creaked really bad and was REALLY stiff and sore. i just chalked it up to sitting on the crappy couch at a bad angle for most of the night.
apparently, it's a bit worse than that.
as in, i couldn't get out of bed on Thursday.
once i managed to (almost literally) crawl out to the couch, i spent 3 hours with a heating pad wrapped around my knee. i even took the heating pad with me to work today and had it around my knee for half an hour before i put handbills up in the bars.
i've been popping fast-release tylenol like they're candy, and *almost* considered taking my single tylenol-3 that i've been saving away for a super emergency.
and the thing that really freaks me out is after having the heating pad on my knee for a while, when i finally stand up my knee will crack so loud it sounds like a bone breaking. now my knees have creaked and popped for years (15 years of gymnastics and a couple cracked kneecaps will do that to you), but they have never EVER made a noise like this.
grrr. |
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[Mar. 30th, 2008|12:25 am] |
my life has just become and episode of Dinner: Impossible (or *shudder* a cheap version of $40 A Day).
with an incredibly limited budget (as in, i'm using a portion of my cash that's supposed to be going towards rent and Chris is covering what i'm short), i've bought enough groceries to make dinner for both of us for the next week.
a few things i've had sitting around in the pantry/fridge, so that's a big help.
so here's what i've come up with:
Beefy Mac
- ground beef
- jar of Ragu cheese sauce
- box of macaroni
side: sourdough garlic bread
(cheap loaf of sourdough, room temp butter and garlic powder tossed in a 450° oven for about 15 minutes)
Chicken Dijon
- boneless, skinless chicken
- packet of chicken gravy (with honey and dijon mustard added)
side: risotto with peas
(arborio rice, chicken bouillon for stock and frozen peas)
Chicken Fried Chicken
- boneless, skinless chicken
- Bisquick (with S&P)
side: russet mashed potatoes with a packet of country gravy
Oven Baked Chicken
- boneless, skinless chicken
- Bisquick (with paprika, italian seasoning, S&P)
side: creamy corn and veggie soup
- frozen sweet corn, red pepper, zucchini, plum tomato
- 2% milk
- chicken broth
Chicken Fingers
- boneless, skinless chicken
- Bisquick (with paprika, S&P and garlic powder)
side: cottage potatoes
- mashed russets
- cottage cheese
- diced onion
Sirloin Burgers
- box of clearance! burgers
- cheapest sandwich slice pickles
- no buns!
side: frozen hashbrowns or pesto potato salad
(boiled new red potatoes and jar of pesto sauce)
Beef and 3 Bean Chili
- ground beef
- kidney, pinto and black beans
- canned tomatoes
- chipotle in adobo sauce
side: sourdough garlic bread (cause it's just that good!)
so far, i've made the chicken fingers and the beefy mac. and PS, Bisquick is seriously my new best friend. the crust on the chicken fingers using that stuff was seriously the best i've ever made.
as for the chicken, i bought 2 packages with 4 pieces in each. i only use 2 pieces for each meal. it's on sale right now for $2 a pound, which is REALLY nice.
all in all, i've spent about $70. at $5 per person, per day (and dinner almost ALWAYS makes enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day), that's not too shabby if i do say so myself :) |
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[Mar. 27th, 2008|03:06 am] |
hello, Bioshock tattoo! |
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[Mar. 18th, 2008|03:19 am] |
holy fuck.
he. was. amazing.
setlist:
I Am Not Safer Than A Bank
Champions Of Nothing
Avalanche
Born Losers
Black Helicopters
She's In It For The Money
I'm A Window
99% Of Us Is Failure
Strange Days
Load Me Up
Apparitions
encore:
Metal Airplanes
Suburbia
not gonna lie. i shed a few tears during Strange Days, and more than a few during Apparitions.
his banter between songs was HILARIOUS. he talked about seeing "scene kids" with the super tight-ass pants and wanted to know if they left their cock and/or balls at home since there was no way in hell they were gonna fit in the pants lol. he talked about bad 80's hair/music and owning a bright yellow walkman. he went on a 10 minute rant about his family's irish heritage, and spent another 10 telling us about his recent food poisoning incident.
so after having near panic-attacks all day and having several drinks to calm me down...i didn't make a complete ass of myself in front of Matt.
i walked up to him and immediately asked for a hug lol
then i told him that it had taken me 11 years to see him live, he signed my book and both of my oooold Black Market Surgery manifesto books.
then i showed him my Beautiful Midnight tattoo. and he absolutely loved it :D
seriously, i couldn't have asked for a more awesome day. |
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