we love mexican food....

so here's the deal, music is making me really happy today (as it often does). so I'd like to share some musical treats with you guys. and mainly I'm wanting to make Ashley wish she were still here and going to concerts with us. jerk move? maybe. but so was hers. :)

I saw Ingrid Michaelson last Thursday at WorkPlay. you know, there are those certain artists that just make me incredibly happy....nay, joyful....to see them performing live. she's definitely one of them. I love the way she interacts with the crowd, and good goo, she's just phenomenal. she did a parody of her new single "Maybe" that shows the band's love and appreciation for mexican food while out on the road. love it. please love it here yourself. fajita with a hard "j"....gets me every time. I still need to get her new album. I'll be doing that soon. I've downloaded a couple from Allie Moss who has played with Ingrid for as long as I've known about her. good stuff as well.

OK, seeing needtobreathe this Saturday at WorkPlay. I'm excited about this one, too. I don't really know a whole lot of their stuff, but I do enjoy the ones I've heard a good bit. I really like their new single "Something Beautiful." I found this acoustic version and think it's pretty kickin'. I often wish that the studio albums would sound less manufactured and all that mess. I prefer my performances like I prefer my dates: raw and stripped down. get the rawness.

I'm trying conserve the moo-lah so I can see A Fine Frenzy in October. I'd really like to see her live, and Among the Oak & Ash are opening for them. this is the new band that Garrison Starr and Josh Joplin have formed. from what I've heard and seen online from them, I feel like they could become a huge new favorite. the album is mainly covers of folk music, with a couple originals. I'm a big fan of these two: The Water is Wide and Peggy-O.

and by far some of the best news I can give you today is that the new Brandi Carlile album should be waiting for me when I get home! yep, you guessed right. I could not be more excited! it's called Give Up the Ghost, and I'm ready to soak it up. listening party at my place tomorrow! Ashley, I expect you to be there in spirit. don't say you're too busy having your right leg blown into your left leg up there in the windy city. BCB concert October 11th! maybe I can get another pic like this one.



I'll give you my opinion of the new album soon, but all signs point towards me saying something like "good goo, it is absolutely amazing!" I mean, that just sounds like something I would say.

so there it is. good music. good times. Sidewalk was also good this past weekend. I wish the weather had been a little nicer on Saturday, but I really enjoyed the movies I saw this year. speaking of movies, I wanna see Whip It. and I wanna see Grey Gardens....the doc. I want a lot of things, but I'll try to give too. I still miss you already.

x's and a few o's,
mj

Why do they call it pop?

Greetings from Chicago. Um, I've been pretty terrible at blogging, but I guess that's what happens during a life change? who knows.

Learning curve is pretty steep - so I still feel like I'm trying to figure out how to live my life, but I like good 'ole Chicago thus far. Well, except that they call coke "pop." really guys? let's stop that.

I'm giving you guys a little video tour so you can see the place....I still have a lot to do, but I figure it's as good as the place is gonna get for a while. Sorry I look rough, hit a motivation streak today and have been cleaning/hanging stuff on the walls.

enjoy.

I also bought a new pair of shoes to walk...cause apparently they do that a lot here. go figure.

Hopefully I'll be better about writing more often....so Amy will stop dominating the blog.

Life After Artwalk

So it's just me again, guys. Don't get all crazy. Artwalk is over and I would like to give a recap of that. It went well, as you may have witnessed with your very own eyes. I sold 7 things in the weekend, including some unexpected sales. I got rid of my Birmingham cityscape painting which I kind of regret. But oh well and it's over and gone. I'll just have to do another one. I don't even want to think about painting right now though. I'm over it for a little while. I say that while I fill out an application for the Moss Rock Festival. But it's not until November, so put it on your calendar. Also, I would eventually like to pursue the other offers to display stuff and take full advantage of the Artwalk experience. Moral of the story, I would be willing to do Artwalk again. It's really weird to think I actually did it! Thanks so much for all of the support guys. I couldn't have asked for better peeps and family support. Here are some pictures:


And then Ashley left. I was pretty sad and I'll leave it at that. I still miss you already. But I would like to take the time to send some well wishes to Ashley as she is getting all settled in and making a little bird nest for herself. Hope Chicago is doing well and can't wait to come visit for Halloween. I watched the SNL again because it recorded again and I just sang along to "I put a squirrel in my bed and mustard in my bed and I slept in my bed... Is that bad? Da da da de da da da."

Um, so things I'm excited about:
1) Ingrid this Thursday. Listening to the new CD and I'm excited.
2) Sidewalk this weekend. Opening night and weekend pass purchased. Check.
3) Greek Fest this weekend too. I'm excited about getting way too full on great food. And while we are on the subject, I will go ahead and tell you my great plan for us. I plan to keep the Andy Baklava story alive by continuing the tradition. I hope that we invite a boy to eat with us each year and make the most of our time downtown. Deal with that.
4) The new A Fine Frenzy CD. It's fun and upbeat and a good progression from her first album.
5) Not having any more money after this weekend.
6) Being over the swine flu. I am feeling better but my mom said that if I don't slow down that I will relapse. It's not cancer, but I'm trying to regain some strength slowly. Might buy the "I survived Swine Flu '09" shirt soon.
7) Hurricane Season

Glad Artwalk is over. Glad we got to see Jamie for 18 hours. Glad to see all my friends that came in from out of town. Glad Ashley has moved in and started classes. Best of luck! Let's see some pictures soon, okay?

Bye Witch!

So, the going away party is over, but Ashley is still here and I like that. I think we pulled off a pretty great surprise party, full of lies and trickery. Here are some sweet group pictures from that evening. Funny followed by serious:


Highlights of the day:

1) My friend at work, Jenny, brought me back 2 little containers of sand from Hawaii. More specifically, Jenny got me sand from 2 locations of the beach where they shoot LOST. I was REALLY excited about it. One is from the plane crash beach site and the other from the campsite location.

2) I bought the new Ingrid Michaelson CD and it's good. It has 2 videos on there and I think it's going to be a good album, especially since we are about to see her in a few weeks.

3) The long-awaited photo shoot. I'm excited to take pictures tonight in my suit(s).

BW!